William Tilbrook
@wannowan58.bsky.social
Lib Dem 🔶 Campaign Organiser - Cambridge Lib Dems. 🏗 University of Kent. Economics and Politics Graduate. He/Him
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Particularly if you also use revised poll figures accounting for the large polling miss at that election - the economy was understated and Labour were overstated
Good and important piece by @chrisgiles.ft.com. One implication: if you look at the revised figures for 2014-5, then frankly any talk that 2015 was a 'shock' win for David Cameron starts to look really silly and you just go 'oh yeah, figures': www.ft.com/content/5aff...
The UK economy is not nearly as bad as you’ve been told
A huge pessimistic bias in our national accounts leads us to doom and gloom which turns out to be nonsense
www.ft.com
December 12, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Particularly if you also use revised poll figures accounting for the large polling miss at that election - the economy was understated and Labour were overstated
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Every pollster and focus group will tell you that high street decline and broken down buildings are a key part of our political malaise. I'd love to see government pick a fight with derelict property owners.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
How do you solve a problem like the high street?
Time for a Troubled Buildings Programme
howtorunacountry.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Every pollster and focus group will tell you that high street decline and broken down buildings are a key part of our political malaise. I'd love to see government pick a fight with derelict property owners.
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
howtorunacountry.substack.com/p/how-do-you...
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Blair: social liberal, mixed market economics, liberalised immigration (and comfortable with mass immigration)
Mahmood: social conservative, statist economics, anti-immigration
Mahmood: social conservative, statist economics, anti-immigration
December 12, 2025 at 8:48 AM
Blair: social liberal, mixed market economics, liberalised immigration (and comfortable with mass immigration)
Mahmood: social conservative, statist economics, anti-immigration
Mahmood: social conservative, statist economics, anti-immigration
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Ultimately every statement about immigrants, laudatory or critical, is only as true as it is about people. The UK runs a deficit so *most people* are net beneficiaries just by definition! Our tax system is really lopsided so most people are net beneficiaries!
An underexplored point is that this is also crucial to understanding the pressures around immigration. If the tax take is skewed heavily towards higher earners then it’s much harder for lower earners to be net fiscal contributors, and that includes lower paid migrants.
I understand what marginal tax rates and how they work, but (with apologies for naive point) the fact that someone on a median income only pays this much tax - given the general state of the discourse on this - is surprising to me
December 12, 2025 at 1:23 PM
Ultimately every statement about immigrants, laudatory or critical, is only as true as it is about people. The UK runs a deficit so *most people* are net beneficiaries just by definition! Our tax system is really lopsided so most people are net beneficiaries!
Reposted by William Tilbrook
FYI this is an immediate block. You’re under no obligation to pay for my or anyone else’s work, but you won’t come onto my feed to complain about us earning a living.
December 8, 2025 at 3:21 PM
FYI this is an immediate block. You’re under no obligation to pay for my or anyone else’s work, but you won’t come onto my feed to complain about us earning a living.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Damn, I was close.
Sometimes curséd thoughts pop into my head and the only way to exorcise them is to post, and today's is "Bonnie Blue Labour".
December 11, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Damn, I was close.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Labour’s shift away from “immigration is good but it needs to be managed” to “it is bad” is a gift to essentially everyone they compete with, because it means that they don’t have the right position to be able to attack *anyone*.
I'm sorry, but these attacks are just not going to convince Green-curious voters, because Labour is so visibly out of step with those voters' core values
This by @umakumaran.bsky.social is good - and a example of exactly how Labour should be taking on the Greens; on values, direct and on Labour territory. Taking them seriously.
December 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Labour’s shift away from “immigration is good but it needs to be managed” to “it is bad” is a gift to essentially everyone they compete with, because it means that they don’t have the right position to be able to attack *anyone*.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
December 9, 2025 at 10:19 PM
Reposted by William Tilbrook
“Cut-price luxury and exorbitant necessity” is a great phrase by @stephenkb.bsky.social. The internet has made culture (and other superstar markets) more scalable and unequal, pushing up the price of necessities in places where superstars congregate.
www.ft.com/content/b49c...
www.ft.com/content/b49c...
The Netflix age has been great for consumers but terrible for artists
Returns to musicians and writers are dwindling fast
www.ft.com
December 9, 2025 at 6:36 PM
“Cut-price luxury and exorbitant necessity” is a great phrase by @stephenkb.bsky.social. The internet has made culture (and other superstar markets) more scalable and unequal, pushing up the price of necessities in places where superstars congregate.
www.ft.com/content/b49c...
www.ft.com/content/b49c...
Reposted by William Tilbrook
What a victory! Today MPs narrowly backed our bill to cut the Brexit red tape and end this economic nightmare.
The PM must listen to Parliament and the public, drop his self-imposed red lines and go for growth with a new customs union.
The PM must listen to Parliament and the public, drop his self-imposed red lines and go for growth with a new customs union.
December 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
What a victory! Today MPs narrowly backed our bill to cut the Brexit red tape and end this economic nightmare.
The PM must listen to Parliament and the public, drop his self-imposed red lines and go for growth with a new customs union.
The PM must listen to Parliament and the public, drop his self-imposed red lines and go for growth with a new customs union.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
🚨BREAKING🚨
MPs have voted to PASS our bill to establish a UK-EU customs union.
The Prime Minister must now listen to his own MPs, drop his self-imposed red lines and finally go for proper growth through an ambitious trade deal with the EU.
MPs have voted to PASS our bill to establish a UK-EU customs union.
The Prime Minister must now listen to his own MPs, drop his self-imposed red lines and finally go for proper growth through an ambitious trade deal with the EU.
December 9, 2025 at 3:21 PM
🚨BREAKING🚨
MPs have voted to PASS our bill to establish a UK-EU customs union.
The Prime Minister must now listen to his own MPs, drop his self-imposed red lines and finally go for proper growth through an ambitious trade deal with the EU.
MPs have voted to PASS our bill to establish a UK-EU customs union.
The Prime Minister must now listen to his own MPs, drop his self-imposed red lines and finally go for proper growth through an ambitious trade deal with the EU.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
I considered adding a 'but the weather' addendum, but take the view that 'dark and wet' is a good trade for 'no-one has died in an earthquake in London'.
A quick glance out of the window will show you that London is not better than LA in every way. (Do it quickly: it’s 2.30, so it will be dark soon.)
December 9, 2025 at 2:38 PM
I considered adding a 'but the weather' addendum, but take the view that 'dark and wet' is a good trade for 'no-one has died in an earthquake in London'.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Labour Cambridge says it’s One Cambridge Fair for All. In deeds money talks. Shame on them @CambridgeLDs
December 9, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Labour Cambridge says it’s One Cambridge Fair for All. In deeds money talks. Shame on them @CambridgeLDs
Reposted by William Tilbrook
The British Election Study asked voters to rate the leaders of each of the four biggest Britain-wide parties on a 0-10 scale. All of the leaders started with average ratings below 4 (politicians aren't a popular bunch) but one leader saw his ratings rise through the whole campaign: Ed Davey
December 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The British Election Study asked voters to rate the leaders of each of the four biggest Britain-wide parties on a 0-10 scale. All of the leaders started with average ratings below 4 (politicians aren't a popular bunch) but one leader saw his ratings rise through the whole campaign: Ed Davey
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
December 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
Reposted by William Tilbrook
But the good news is, by doing this, we defeated racism in the UK.
Government has now - belatedly -published the impact assessment for the changes to skilled worker and care worker visas announced in May.
Impact is estimated between -£2 billion and £-10 billion (central - £10 billion).
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6937e6...
Impact is estimated between -£2 billion and £-10 billion (central - £10 billion).
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6937e6...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
December 9, 2025 at 1:01 PM
But the good news is, by doing this, we defeated racism in the UK.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
'UK has too many ADHD diagnoses' doesn't pass the smell test as explanation for UK's rising number of young people not in education, employment or training - ADHD diagnoses have gone up at similar rates across our peers, but the UK's rising NEETs are a UK issue.
December 7, 2025 at 11:44 PM
'UK has too many ADHD diagnoses' doesn't pass the smell test as explanation for UK's rising number of young people not in education, employment or training - ADHD diagnoses have gone up at similar rates across our peers, but the UK's rising NEETs are a UK issue.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Gladstone would have one of those vlogs where he interviews OF girls who have become tradwives.
It's interesting that British politics has been so slow to master social media/internet distribution, given how quickly British politicians mastered newspapers, radio & TV when they were new tech. Baldwin would have built a podcast studio in Downing Street & be pumping out content all the time
Keir Starmer doing an email newsletter is a good idea, but the execution needs a complete overhaul:
December 7, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Gladstone would have one of those vlogs where he interviews OF girls who have become tradwives.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
It got overshadowed by companies getting excited by something with a degree of substance, but that year or so, where tech enthusiasts would act like you were a Luddite for questioning the value of virtual reality shopping, was mad
Mark Zuckerberg’s gamble on the "Metaverse" has lost his company more than $77 billion.
December 6, 2025 at 7:43 PM
It got overshadowed by companies getting excited by something with a degree of substance, but that year or so, where tech enthusiasts would act like you were a Luddite for questioning the value of virtual reality shopping, was mad
Reposted by William Tilbrook
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS
December 5, 2025 at 3:40 PM
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD USE HYPHENS
Reposted by William Tilbrook
The essence of Blue Labour thought is that somewhere in Downing Street there is a button marked “reindustrialise” that Tony Blair could have pressed, but instead he opted for the “more Woke Studies” button.
My brother in Christ, reindustrialization is based on international capital flows, not dumbass ideas to move down the value chain by turning colleges into vocational schools. You do realize that modern industry is almost always *high* skilled automation?
Read your Michael Pettis, you utter clown.
Read your Michael Pettis, you utter clown.
No reindustrialising? Our academic institutions are a part of the problem, overproducing elites and funnelling them into bullshit unproductive jobs. Half the universities need to close or become vocational colleges. You didn't even mention productivity.
Brexit is in the past. That ship has sailed.
Brexit is in the past. That ship has sailed.
December 5, 2025 at 8:58 PM
The essence of Blue Labour thought is that somewhere in Downing Street there is a button marked “reindustrialise” that Tony Blair could have pressed, but instead he opted for the “more Woke Studies” button.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
The line here that made my ears prick up (and should really spook Labour) is the third one (that we need “fair and managed” migration). That’s not the answer of someone who has come to get his 12 per cent. That’s a much more “no, when I say I want to replace Labour, I’m not coming to play” line.
Zack Polanski, "Labour are a government of cowards because you won't tell people the truth about migration"
"Migration is a positive thing for our country"
"We need migration"
"We need fair and managed migration"
"And that's what will change this conversation"
*huge clap* #BBCQT
"Migration is a positive thing for our country"
"We need migration"
"We need fair and managed migration"
"And that's what will change this conversation"
*huge clap* #BBCQT
December 5, 2025 at 6:15 PM
The line here that made my ears prick up (and should really spook Labour) is the third one (that we need “fair and managed” migration). That’s not the answer of someone who has come to get his 12 per cent. That’s a much more “no, when I say I want to replace Labour, I’m not coming to play” line.
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Yes and no imo. Average person is not weirder than they were 10 years ago but i think a lot more Types of Guys have been added to our roster
The UK is weird and getting weirder right? Thats not my imagination? I know that's rich coming from an American, but still, I'm right on this arent I?
December 4, 2025 at 12:56 PM
Yes and no imo. Average person is not weirder than they were 10 years ago but i think a lot more Types of Guys have been added to our roster
Reposted by William Tilbrook
I need the most “Labour’s strategy and its obvious consequences” poll finding you have, and make it snappy!
Labour's perceived stance on Israel divides voters, with Green, Labour and Lib Dem voters tending to see the party as pro-Israel, while Conservative and Reform UK voters see them as anti-Israel
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
December 4, 2025 at 10:45 AM
I need the most “Labour’s strategy and its obvious consequences” poll finding you have, and make it snappy!
Reposted by William Tilbrook
Labour bearing down on immigration will fix this any day now.
GB News now broadcasting calls to remove the ethnic minority MPs from parliament
December 4, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Labour bearing down on immigration will fix this any day now.