Will Reid-Tong (née Thong)
@willthong.com
💻 Release Engineer at a cybersecurity firm
🌹 Ex-Labour fundraiser, 2021-2023
🎓 Ex-Magdalene College, Cambridge fundraiser
🧑🍳 Even more formerly a MasterChef 2017 contestant
All opinions personal; RT ≠ endorsement
🌹 Ex-Labour fundraiser, 2021-2023
🎓 Ex-Magdalene College, Cambridge fundraiser
🧑🍳 Even more formerly a MasterChef 2017 contestant
All opinions personal; RT ≠ endorsement
As opposed to "colour of rosette" or "random scandals", aka silly games . They're the whole point of doing politics to my mind
February 4, 2026 at 8:35 PM
As opposed to "colour of rosette" or "random scandals", aka silly games . They're the whole point of doing politics to my mind
No I'm using the term "material conditions" to refer to anything a government ought to be judged upon (from salary to how good my kids' schooling is to the health of the nation's cultural life etc)
February 4, 2026 at 8:33 PM
No I'm using the term "material conditions" to refer to anything a government ought to be judged upon (from salary to how good my kids' schooling is to the health of the nation's cultural life etc)
(but I don't doubt there's ways of doing PR which would be the silly game version)
February 4, 2026 at 8:23 PM
(but I don't doubt there's ways of doing PR which would be the silly game version)
I mean...sure? The way I read the original use of the term was to suggest PR is a bad idea because it's favouring short term electoral gain over improving voters' material conditions. That's certainly how I'd describe the dumb tax promise, and I'd defend PR against that charge
February 4, 2026 at 8:23 PM
I mean...sure? The way I read the original use of the term was to suggest PR is a bad idea because it's favouring short term electoral gain over improving voters' material conditions. That's certainly how I'd describe the dumb tax promise, and I'd defend PR against that charge
But they thought the silly tax game was necessary to win the election. They were wrong, but chronologically it did come first.
February 4, 2026 at 8:00 PM
But they thought the silly tax game was necessary to win the election. They were wrong, but chronologically it did come first.
But that's also true of any other good reform! Broad based income tax to fund local Govt spending or social care or putting up some goddamn pylons - these are all things this PM can't do because he's politically weak!
February 4, 2026 at 7:28 PM
But that's also true of any other good reform! Broad based income tax to fund local Govt spending or social care or putting up some goddamn pylons - these are all things this PM can't do because he's politically weak!
Agree it's silly games if you're doing it *to* stop Reform. But frankly we should've done it on day one in service of our democratic principles, just with the added bonus that it stops Farage getting 60% of the seats with 30% of the vote. A weak PM could never do it even if he wanted to 🤷♀️
February 4, 2026 at 7:26 PM
Agree it's silly games if you're doing it *to* stop Reform. But frankly we should've done it on day one in service of our democratic principles, just with the added bonus that it stops Farage getting 60% of the seats with 30% of the vote. A weak PM could never do it even if he wanted to 🤷♀️
Sophistry here - he's trying to blur the q of what was publicly known when Mandelson was hired as ambassador vs what politicos said at the time vs his probably misconduct in public office. Having pushed him despite the first point alone should be a resigning offence for Morgan! Ignore the rest!
February 4, 2026 at 7:22 PM
Sophistry here - he's trying to blur the q of what was publicly known when Mandelson was hired as ambassador vs what politicos said at the time vs his probably misconduct in public office. Having pushed him despite the first point alone should be a resigning offence for Morgan! Ignore the rest!
Fairly sure PR would cause both Labour and Reform to fracture, Labour because it's 3 factions in a trenchcoat and Reform because it's barely keeping together under a leader who constantly falls out with others in his party (& because it has little coherent policy direction).
February 4, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Fairly sure PR would cause both Labour and Reform to fracture, Labour because it's 3 factions in a trenchcoat and Reform because it's barely keeping together under a leader who constantly falls out with others in his party (& because it has little coherent policy direction).
Agree! Electoral reform, as promised by Starmer in 2020, would guard significantly against this threat. Why won't they do it?!?
February 4, 2026 at 6:59 PM
Agree! Electoral reform, as promised by Starmer in 2020, would guard significantly against this threat. Why won't they do it?!?
She has to clear her tax bill first...
February 4, 2026 at 2:21 PM
She has to clear her tax bill first...
The difference of course being that, after banishing Wormtongue, we'd soon discover that King Théoden is no dashing horse lord, merely an untalented leader who's as decrepit as before. Fails to retreat to Helms Deep; just concedes that the Uruk Hai have "valid concerns" & implements their policies
February 4, 2026 at 2:17 PM
The difference of course being that, after banishing Wormtongue, we'd soon discover that King Théoden is no dashing horse lord, merely an untalented leader who's as decrepit as before. Fails to retreat to Helms Deep; just concedes that the Uruk Hai have "valid concerns" & implements their policies
Henry I think we both know full well Mandy hasn't bothered to step foot in Hartlepool since he left the Commons 😂
February 4, 2026 at 1:49 PM
Henry I think we both know full well Mandy hasn't bothered to step foot in Hartlepool since he left the Commons 😂
Nah the boys club in No 10's never gonna go for that 🙃
February 4, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Nah the boys club in No 10's never gonna go for that 🙃
Only diff is that this time somebody's taught LOTO how to ask him questions about it
February 4, 2026 at 1:17 PM
Only diff is that this time somebody's taught LOTO how to ask him questions about it
every word of what you said has been known about for months so tbh it's all priced in 🤷♂️
February 4, 2026 at 1:17 PM
every word of what you said has been known about for months so tbh it's all priced in 🤷♂️
If the limited effort put into her "preparing for government" project while in opposition is any precedent: not well
February 4, 2026 at 1:10 PM
If the limited effort put into her "preparing for government" project while in opposition is any precedent: not well
The key is getting installers qualified to right-size the heating, whatever tech is used (as we know that most people's gas boilers are 2x what they need!)
February 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
The key is getting installers qualified to right-size the heating, whatever tech is used (as we know that most people's gas boilers are 2x what they need!)
Dale, I live in a newish (90s) build with loft insulation and a gas boiler, and my water temp rarely needs to peak above 45°C, and never around 55°C. Fairly sure an ASHP would work perfectly in my case - so no they're not right for everyone, but they are the future for many homes.
February 3, 2026 at 2:25 PM
Dale, I live in a newish (90s) build with loft insulation and a gas boiler, and my water temp rarely needs to peak above 45°C, and never around 55°C. Fairly sure an ASHP would work perfectly in my case - so no they're not right for everyone, but they are the future for many homes.
Yes it's a pity we need to wait until May as turning a big ship earlier is more effective - but after big elections it'll seem more like "valid electoralism", less like "weird Labour psychodrama" to the electorate 🤞
February 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Yes it's a pity we need to wait until May as turning a big ship earlier is more effective - but after big elections it'll seem more like "valid electoralism", less like "weird Labour psychodrama" to the electorate 🤞
we all feel poorer via fiscal drag AND public services are shit. A better politician to replace Starmer might be willing to bite that bullet & argue the taxes necessary to fix Tory damage.
TLDR if he doesn't go, Farage probably wins. How about you?
TLDR if he doesn't go, Farage probably wins. How about you?
February 1, 2026 at 3:34 PM
we all feel poorer via fiscal drag AND public services are shit. A better politician to replace Starmer might be willing to bite that bullet & argue the taxes necessary to fix Tory damage.
TLDR if he doesn't go, Farage probably wins. How about you?
TLDR if he doesn't go, Farage probably wins. How about you?
Tax, fixing social care, equalising tax on capital vs labour by abolishing NI, properly funding local authorities, making tuition funding fairer. These would fix the public realm, maybe saving GE 2029, but Starmer & Reeves won't do broad based tax rises to pay for them ->
February 1, 2026 at 3:34 PM
Tax, fixing social care, equalising tax on capital vs labour by abolishing NI, properly funding local authorities, making tuition funding fairer. These would fix the public realm, maybe saving GE 2029, but Starmer & Reeves won't do broad based tax rises to pay for them ->