Tim Hughes
@tiimjiim.bsky.social
Gamer, software and hardware engineer. Cambridge, UK.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Most definitively ruled myself out of contention of visiting the US in the next three years by saying what trade folk and I suspect most in UK government know, that any trade deal with Trump could be renounced by him tomorrow. Worry that some are still naive. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
MPs warn that UK agreements with Donald Trump are ‘built on sand’
Exclusive: Health select committee chair says UK government’s ‘naive belief’ Trump is a good faith actor ‘could cost UK taxpayer billions’
www.theguardian.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Most definitively ruled myself out of contention of visiting the US in the next three years by saying what trade folk and I suspect most in UK government know, that any trade deal with Trump could be renounced by him tomorrow. Worry that some are still naive. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Absolutely amazing chart from @peterkellner.bsky.social's piece in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social today:
www.thenewworld.co.uk/peter-kellne...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/peter-kellne...
December 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Absolutely amazing chart from @peterkellner.bsky.social's piece in @thenewworldmag.bsky.social today:
www.thenewworld.co.uk/peter-kellne...
www.thenewworld.co.uk/peter-kellne...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Bombs on train tracks. Arson attacks on malls. Poisoned water supplies. These are just some of the recently foiled plots in Russia’s growing campaign of aggression across Europe. What was once a mere nuisance has escalated into a serious threat.
An #FTEdit 🧵 on the new era of Russian sabotage 👇
An #FTEdit 🧵 on the new era of Russian sabotage 👇
December 9, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Bombs on train tracks. Arson attacks on malls. Poisoned water supplies. These are just some of the recently foiled plots in Russia’s growing campaign of aggression across Europe. What was once a mere nuisance has escalated into a serious threat.
An #FTEdit 🧵 on the new era of Russian sabotage 👇
An #FTEdit 🧵 on the new era of Russian sabotage 👇
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Reeves' defensive crouch has defined her economic policy. Just try not to upset anyone, close your eyes and hope for the best.
inews.co.uk/opinion/reev...
inews.co.uk/opinion/reev...
November 26, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Reeves' defensive crouch has defined her economic policy. Just try not to upset anyone, close your eyes and hope for the best.
inews.co.uk/opinion/reev...
inews.co.uk/opinion/reev...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
New: 'Shark's fin' chart reveals the uneven impact of 'fiscal drag', the stealth tax beloved of recent chancellors. Plus use our interactive calculator to see how fresh freezes announced by Rachel Reeves at todays Budget could affect you on.ft.com/3KqOYUL
November 26, 2025 at 8:37 AM
New: 'Shark's fin' chart reveals the uneven impact of 'fiscal drag', the stealth tax beloved of recent chancellors. Plus use our interactive calculator to see how fresh freezes announced by Rachel Reeves at todays Budget could affect you on.ft.com/3KqOYUL
Reposted by Tim Hughes
“Soldiers testify that they have been told to burn down houses they have stayed in by pouring oil on curtains, books and mattresses.”
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
‘The directive was nothing left’: How Gaza’s cities were destroyed
Israel has razed large parts of the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023. The evidence points to systemic destruction
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 7:35 AM
“Soldiers testify that they have been told to burn down houses they have stayed in by pouring oil on curtains, books and mattresses.”
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
Read @aloner.bsky.social’s report on the destruction of Gaza’s cities.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 23, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Me in 1995, pulling an all-nighter in an Edinburgh computer lab: One day Artificial Intelligence might help us diagnose cancer.
2025...
2025...
November 20, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Me in 1995, pulling an all-nighter in an Edinburgh computer lab: One day Artificial Intelligence might help us diagnose cancer.
2025...
2025...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
I asked grok who was the better role model for humanity, Jesus Christ or Elon Musk. GUESS WHAT.
November 20, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I asked grok who was the better role model for humanity, Jesus Christ or Elon Musk. GUESS WHAT.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
A week of chaos, cowardice and negligence: Labour has managed to pack so many failures into a single five day period that it's becoming difficult to remember all the details iandunt.substack.com/p/a-week-of-...
A week of chaos, cowardice and negligence
Labour has managed to pack so much failure into a single week that it becomes hard to remember all the details.
iandunt.substack.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
A week of chaos, cowardice and negligence: Labour has managed to pack so many failures into a single five day period that it's becoming difficult to remember all the details iandunt.substack.com/p/a-week-of-...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Fiscal creep has been an amazingly easy way for recent Governments to raise tax without anyone noticing.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
November 14, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Fiscal creep has been an amazingly easy way for recent Governments to raise tax without anyone noticing.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Read 'em and weep. (www.nber.org/system/files...)
November 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Read 'em and weep. (www.nber.org/system/files...)
Reposted by Tim Hughes
The European countries with the most comprehensive and best quality welfare states all have very broad tax bases as well as universal services - everyone pays in a lot, everyone receives a lot. That is a better model. Trying to shift everything onto "the wealthy" is a destabilising fantasy.
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The European countries with the most comprehensive and best quality welfare states all have very broad tax bases as well as universal services - everyone pays in a lot, everyone receives a lot. That is a better model. Trying to shift everything onto "the wealthy" is a destabilising fantasy.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
A system which seeks to have a tiny group of very wealthy people, who by definition are mobile and have very good accountants and tax lawyers, pay much/most of the bill for public services is an inherently unstable system. That may not be fair, but it is nonetheless true.
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
A system which seeks to have a tiny group of very wealthy people, who by definition are mobile and have very good accountants and tax lawyers, pay much/most of the bill for public services is an inherently unstable system. That may not be fair, but it is nonetheless true.
🧵
Here's a chart of the marginal tax rate for someone with two kids. They pay 53% tax on every £ they earn between £60k and £80k. 62% on every £ they earn between £100k and £125k.
9% more if they've a student loan
This is from our tax calculator: buff.ly/CFoExUX
9% more if they've a student loan
This is from our tax calculator: buff.ly/CFoExUX
November 14, 2025 at 1:40 AM
🧵
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
I had my disagreements with the BBC under Tim Davie but he was a decent man doing a difficult job.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
November 9, 2025 at 8:00 PM
I had my disagreements with the BBC under Tim Davie but he was a decent man doing a difficult job.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
To see Trump's White House claiming credit for his downfall and attacking the BBC should worry us all.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Huh? How do you do a "balancing" program when one candidate did an insurgency trying to overturn the election and the other...didn't?
Would Prescott have been satisfied with an hour of people telling BBC journalists why they didn't try and stoke a riot to overturn Trump's second win?
Would Prescott have been satisfied with an hour of people telling BBC journalists why they didn't try and stoke a riot to overturn Trump's second win?
Michael Prescott was ‘“shocked” that after an hour-long Panorama documentary dealing with Trump and the January 6 insurgency, there was no “similar, balancing” programme about Kamala Harris.’
More read about the machinations between the BBC resignations, the more worrying it becomes
More read about the machinations between the BBC resignations, the more worrying it becomes
The departure of Tim Davie and Deborah Turness means the BBC is leaderless when it needs leadership more than ever. Where are the people at the head of the BBC standing up for it?
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
November 9, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Huh? How do you do a "balancing" program when one candidate did an insurgency trying to overturn the election and the other...didn't?
Would Prescott have been satisfied with an hour of people telling BBC journalists why they didn't try and stoke a riot to overturn Trump's second win?
Would Prescott have been satisfied with an hour of people telling BBC journalists why they didn't try and stoke a riot to overturn Trump's second win?
Reposted by Tim Hughes
If you're surprised businesses passed a new cost onto consumers, don't worry you're one of the smart ones.
In fact, you're so smart you may have been targeted by criminals who tamper with the wallets of geniuses.
Quick, send me your wallet so I can inspect it for damage.
In fact, you're so smart you may have been targeted by criminals who tamper with the wallets of geniuses.
Quick, send me your wallet so I can inspect it for damage.
70.5% OF NEW TARIFFS WERE PASSED ONTO CONSUMERS — PER LENDINGTREE LENDINGTREE DATA SHOW THAT OVER TWO-THIRDS OF NEW TARIFF COSTS WERE DIRECTLY BORNE BY CONSUMERS, HIGHLIGHTING HOW TRADE BARRIERS ARE DRIVING UP RETAIL PRICES AND ADDING TO INFLATIONARY PRESSURES.
November 7, 2025 at 3:47 PM
If you're surprised businesses passed a new cost onto consumers, don't worry you're one of the smart ones.
In fact, you're so smart you may have been targeted by criminals who tamper with the wallets of geniuses.
Quick, send me your wallet so I can inspect it for damage.
In fact, you're so smart you may have been targeted by criminals who tamper with the wallets of geniuses.
Quick, send me your wallet so I can inspect it for damage.
🧵
Those appalling neoliberal capitalists at the Guardian have just published a piece calling for stamp duty on shares to be abolished or cut.
They're right.
They're right.
November 5, 2025 at 1:31 AM
🧵
Reposted by Tim Hughes
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
How HS2 built a bridge to nowhere
A state-of-the-art road bridge has been built deep in the heart of rural Buckinghamshire. Designed to carry traffic over the HS2 railway, there's just one tiny problem - there's no actual road.
martinrobbins.substack.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:16 AM
My latest: Move over bat tunnel, here’s the wild story of how HS2 were forced to build a multi-million pound bridge for a road that… doesn’t actually exist.
Reposted by Tim Hughes
"The government needs to take ownership of the Budget and use it to construct a convincing narrative. That means not blaming the OBR or HMT but explaining why tax reform is necessary, why it will be good for growth and public services and how pain will be fairly shared.
www.ft.com/content/a06d...
www.ft.com/content/a06d...
Blaming the OBR for the Budget maths is a waste of time
The government must explain why tax reform is necessary and desirable for fiscal sustainability
www.ft.com
October 20, 2025 at 6:36 AM
"The government needs to take ownership of the Budget and use it to construct a convincing narrative. That means not blaming the OBR or HMT but explaining why tax reform is necessary, why it will be good for growth and public services and how pain will be fairly shared.
www.ft.com/content/a06d...
www.ft.com/content/a06d...
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Reposted by Tim Hughes
Breaking news: Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would 'destroy' Ukraine if it did not agree on.ft.com/4ou5h1A
October 19, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Breaking news: Donald Trump urged Volodymyr Zelenskyy to accept Russia’s terms for ending its war in a volatile White House meeting on Friday, warning that Vladimir Putin had said he would 'destroy' Ukraine if it did not agree on.ft.com/4ou5h1A