Emeritus Prof Christopher May

Retired Professor of Political Economy
(Lancaster University, UK - retired 2021)
(also #ProfDJ across the Lune Valley)
Contributor: North West Bylines #NoBridge

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Last Notes

2026-05-21 13:37:01 UTC

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@nprofile…cx93
It works to some extent (imperfectly).... as to 'kingdoms' - not sure what you're getting at? The Uk is a constitutional monarchy & so has a king but his power (while not insignificant) are also limited in many aspect of the political settlement - if you are thinking of the devolution to the four 'nations' sometimes referred to a kingdoms, then that is not a significant issue in the way you suggest, although highly significant in the realm of competitive democratic politics

2026-05-12 10:14:20 UTC

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@nprofile…ft84
Yes, chaotic & reactive nationalisation cannot ever be better than strategic & reasoned assessment of the shape & requirements of the state in such areas

2026-05-07 06:06:09 UTC

The Home Office Kafka tribute act continues, stranding the mother of a baby with dual nationality in Austria, as her case does not qualify for emergency documents to allow her to travel home.
You just wonder what sort of people work at the Home Office; are they inculcated once they arrive, or does it attract the vindictive proceduralists who delight in saying 'no' to reasonable attempts to resolve problems cause by byzantine regulation(s)?
#HomeOffice #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/may/06/scottish-mum-stuck-in-spain-after-baby-falls-foul-of-uk-dual-nationality-rules

2026-05-06 21:28:23 UTC

As Keir Starmer reportedly tells civil servants to tell ministers the truth, I'm reminded of Jack Nicholson in A Few Good Men:
YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
#politics

2026-05-04 07:34:49 UTC

Having noted that there will be a desire to read national voting intentions (and judgments) in English local elections this week, we should also be wondering what the two sets of devolved elections in Scotland & Wales might tell us about the plight of the mainstream parties against both new & existing opposition parties.
If a new plurality of parties is revealed, will this then strengthen the case for voting reform?
Might the pressure mount for an end to First Past the Post?
#politics

2026-05-04 05:43:54 UTC

In this week's local elections there are two key Q's to consider:
How deep will be the losses experienced by Labour across contested council seats actually be?
What will be the party's (and Keir Starmer's) response to such losses?
Perhaps the biggest difficulty for answering the second Q. will be trying to separate out local & national aspects of voter choice(s).
Its all too easy to treat local elections as a referendum on national politics, often they're not.
#politics #LabourParty

2026-05-03 16:13:40 UTC

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@nprofile…vt7u
What is the most extraordinary thing is having seen the first term, a large tranche of US voters look on & said 'yup, we need more of that'!

2026-05-03 16:08:04 UTC

The world of the Tangerine Tyrant:
The war on Iran has halted, meaning he doesn't need to seek Congressional approval (at 60 days after it s start);
The war will continue, until Iran has 'paid the price' for its past wrong doing;
The war has raised oil prices, but he is blocking all on-shore wind farm projects citing 'national security' concerns;
He thinks he is the most powerful leader in the world, but is destroying the 'soft power' US domination has been built on for decades.
#politics

2026-05-02 09:42:39 UTC

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@nprofile…84ur
OK, we can disagree; but his record in national politics is not that great... but I guess we'll find out one way or the other

2026-05-02 08:58:50 UTC

It seems to me to be a pity that Andy Burnham still feels drawn to national politics after making much of his dedication to the role of Mayor of Manchester.
In a less centralised political economy, we might expect leaders to revel in their regional bases & be committed to making (in this case) Manchester even more of a success.
Sadly, the siren call of Westminster seems to be calling to Burnham; many in Manchester will be disappointed at this shift in his priorities.
#Manchester `#politics

2026-05-02 07:57:29 UTC

After the stabbings in Golders Green Jonathan Freedland asks whether some racial minorities are outside calls for an end to racism.
As always, this comes down to whether one can separate criticism of Israeli state actions from the lives of Jewish diaspora elsewhere.
For other countries this doesn't appear so hard (we've seen few if any Americans attacked over the years due to US actions) so why does it continue to be an issue for Jewish people?
#Israel #antisemitism
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/01/antisemitism-racism-jews-britain

2026-05-02 07:29:31 UTC

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@nprofile…vppf
Yes, that may be one way of looking at it; as always there is likely gong to be a difference between projected effects & actual effects if implemented

2026-05-02 07:20:31 UTC

The Green Party of England & Wales' Workers Charter 2026 includes a rise in minimum wage to £15;
Business concerns that the original introduction of a MW would see mass lay-offs failed to materialise, but analysis of UK's MW often suggests this is partly as it is quite low;
so the Q. is would raising it finally prompt MW-related unemployment, or would it raise pressure to increase productivity & skill enhancement?
It would be an interesting economic experiment!
#workers #MinimumWage
h/t FT

2026-05-02 07:12:57 UTC

You're unlikely to be surprised that not long after receiving a £5mn 'gift' from Christopher Harborne (in addition to monies he has funnelled into ReformUK Ltd), the Fascist Frog started to champion the deregulation of (and lowering of taxation on) cryptocurrency transactions....
On one hand, this is just a more brazen example of business as usual for our (often if not always) corrupt political class; on the other, one more reason to think he's unfit to govern.
#NigelFarage #corruption
h/t FT

2026-04-25 08:02:15 UTC

As the issue of antisemitism becomes increasingly 'live' for the Green Party of England & Wales, Zac Polanski notes:
'We’ve got into a bizarre situation in this country where a non-Jewish prime minister is attacking the one Jewish leader on a case of antisemitism'.
This is likely to run & run and the GPEW may find it has an exposed flank (even of Polanski is adept at finding nuance himself).
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2026/apr/24/zak-polanski-calls-for-nuance-when-discussing-antisemitism-in-rebuke-of-pm

2026-04-25 07:03:55 UTC

So, it now seems that McKinsey & Cambridge Econometrics analysis of the likely environmental impact of the build-out of AI-related data centres in the UK was off by around ten times; that is, new (independent) projections suggest (and now adopted by the Govt.) that the environmental impact (via carbon emissions) is likely to be TEN times what the consultancies predicted.
(water usage predictions have also been raised)
Funny that... I wonder who else McKinsey work for???
#AI #DataCentres

2026-04-24 14:51:10 UTC

You'll have read (or heard) today a lot of invective about the House of Lords role in obstructing the Assisted Dying Bill; certainly, many people are concerned that the un-elected element of our governing structure has obstructed a legal measure passed by the democratic lower house.
However, as Prof. Mark Elliott argues its not quite as simple as that (not least due to the character of the original bill).
His balanced view is worth a read.
#AssistedDying #politics
https://publiclawforeveryone.com/2026/04/24/the-fall-of-the-terminally-ill-adults-end-of-life-bill-a-constitutional-outrage/

2026-04-24 05:24:51 UTC

Both Meta & Microsoft have said they're shedding staff explicitly to free up cash flow to invest in AI;
on one level this is unemployment linked to technology, but its a bit different from *actual* technological unemployment - the latter sees people losing jobs due to the deployment of technology to do their jobs. Microsoft & Meta on the other hand are sacking people to take a (bigger) punt on a business strategy that is yet to prove its transformation of productivity.
#AI #workers
h/t FT

2026-04-24 05:17:42 UTC

When I first started thing about the (so-called) 'information revolution' at the turn of the millennium I posited that the jobs that were likely safest from the resulting technological unemployment were those that were centred on proximity between provider & consumer;
while this has taken some time (a quarter of a century) to become really evident, I was amused to see Sarah O'Connor (FT) make the same argument this morning about AI - fleetingly I felt rather prescient!
#AI #workers

2026-04-24 05:06:15 UTC

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@nprofile…cc7k
Well, some have managed it fleetingly I suppose.... but in general yes, I can see your point

2026-04-23 09:01:45 UTC

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@nprofile…j7pl
Well, there is a classic truism in economics: 'if it cannot go on forever, it won't'... and that's where the social care crisis is; each Govt. kicks the can down the road hoping that something will turn-up before actually having to deal with it.... but that road (down which the can is being kicked) is itself a cut de sac!

2026-04-23 06:08:21 UTC

Once again disabled people are being hounded for money;
local councils whose rising home care charges have driven clients into debt are seeking to recover monies that people do not have.
Behind it all lies funding cuts to local government & the logic of (continued) austerity.
Its difficult to see any social justification for bankrupting the disabled, but that's effectively what we have come to; brutal & callous presented as budget sustainability!
#disabled #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c9qd3xje9vvo

2026-04-23 05:59:09 UTC

Despite concerns across the NHS about using Palantir to deal with confidential records, it now looks like the Police in London (hardly a trusted institution in the first place) are looking to contract with Palantir for AI to 'aid' criminal investigations...
Given the rubbish-in-rubbish-out character of such work, introducing AI of a particularly contentious sort seems likely to compound mistrust of the capital's police force, solidifying police prejudice(s).
#palantir
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/22/met-police-talks-palantir-ai-tech-criminal-investigations-automate-intelligence

2026-04-23 05:44:19 UTC

The complex environment of benefits involves all sorts of perverse incentives, but here's one that is both stark & (up until now seemingly) under-recognised:
for 16-17 year olds living at home, an apprenticeship (which is part of Govt. attempts to get young people into work or training) results in their families losing a chunk of benefits as they become 'independent workers' not children for benefits purposes.... disincentivizing them from training!
#benefits #poverty
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/apr/23/apprenticeship-penalty-poorer-uk-families-benefits-young-people-quit-training

2026-04-23 05:23:23 UTC

Will the current (and ongoing) economic impact of the US/Israeli attacks on Iran, undermine China's export strategy?
There's already some evidence of re-direction of exports as part of the ongoing pivot away from US markets, but if rising energy prices continue to dampen demand China may start to have major problem exporting its 'overproduction'.
If so, deflationary pressure(s) in China may worsen compounding low domestic consumption & shifting China nearer to recession?
#China
h/t FT

2026-04-22 20:28:15 UTC

It increasingly looks like the UK is about to have a PM without moral authority & unable to coral MPs into supporting his (and party's) legislative agenda (such as it is) while remaining in post because no-one seems willing to challenge for the party leadership in the current circumstances...
I'm not sure whether its a good advert for democracy (because he *is* being held to account despite scapegoating others), or a bad one (as the mechanisms of governance are clogged up)?
#politics #UK

2026-04-21 21:02:51 UTC

Will the solution to the Strait of Hormuz be an acceptance of Iran's right to impose a toll *provided* they split it with Oman?
And will the Tangerine Tyrant be willing to let such a settlement be part of peace deal without trying to snag some of the fee for the USA?
And, if that money is used for Iranian reconstruction would that be something that would push a ceasefire into a peace deal?
Or are we just going to see more escalation between two powers unwilling to back down?
#Iran #politics

2026-04-21 06:13:31 UTC

Hmmm.... reading this account of 'poly-employment' I started to wonder whether at least part of the issue of economic inactivity is linked to (lets call it) 'job hoarding' by some younger workers as a strategy to deal with the continuing cost of living crisis (and astronomical rent/accommodation costs).
Its hardly their fault, but suggests why there may be less young people in work than there are jobs.... and why young workers are often stressed!
#economics #workers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn89n9exl11o

2026-04-21 06:05:40 UTC

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@nprofile…0qnq
Yes, I think the analogy is instructive if not comprehensive - but O'Connor's powerful point I think is on the link between regulatory action & social norms - which has been vey evident in the realm of smoking

2026-04-21 05:50:22 UTC

The two key problems for the Labour Party's stumbling policy of 'resetting' relations with the EU are:
it still wants to cherry-pick areas of 'reset' to the UK's advantage & seeks to enter arrangements without fully contributing;
the EU is increasingly reticent about any detailed rapprochement as it no longer expects Labour to survive the next election in power & assumes if ReformUK Ltd is anywhere near Govt. once again the UK's relations with the EU will be degraded.
#brexit #EU
h/t FT

2026-04-21 05:36:21 UTC

Sarah O'Connor (FT) suggests the best way of framing the uses, danger & regulation of social media may be to look at the history of smoking; a gradual tightening of regulatory limits on smoking has (especially among the middle-class) led to radical reductions of tobacco use.
We're already seeing the start of such moves with the interest in banning young people from using social media due to the (increasingly recognised) harms it causes; Will be interesting to see if she's right.
#SocialMedia

2026-04-21 05:28:30 UTC

Hmmm... looks like the Court of the Tangerine Tyrant is clearing out the women from the administration;
now the Labour Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer is out, following Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem & Attorney-General Pam Bondi out of the door.... Chavez-DeRemer may have actually resigned but we might expect that's jumping before being pushed?
Yup, fighting foreign wars.... that's men's business.
#sexism #USPol #Trump
h/t FT

2026-04-21 05:24:31 UTC

Today Ed Miliband will set out how he's going to shift the way renewable energy enters the wholesale markets as a way fo trying to reduce the impact of the gas price on the UK's energy market.... not least to reduce overall prices.
However, in a fudge that will be unwelcome by many, rather than formally severing the link to gas prices, he's looking to encourage renewable generators to take out 'contracts for difference' in competition with gas suppliers...
Q. is: will it work?
#energy
h/t FT

2026-04-20 21:25:50 UTC

In another development that sees the Court of Tangerine Tyrant advantaging the corporate sector, the promised refunds for tariff payments made by US firms (for tariffs now struck down by the US Supreme Court) seem unlikely to find their way to consumers who paid the higher prices to cover them - so, yes, a nice little additional subsidy to the corporate sector.
#tariffs #economics #CorporateWelfare
#USPol
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7vqgge5g8lo

2026-04-20 21:02:31 UTC

I seldom comment on ReformUK Ltd's 'policies', but the announcement that would review all successful refugee applications from the past five years (presumably eight years by the time they hope to win an election) & expect to deport the majority.... is the awful but logical outcome of Labour's new refugee policy & as such suggests that the battle about who can be crueller to refugees is well under way (ahead of the election).
Th debasement of UK politics continues.
#refugees #politics
h/t FT

2026-04-20 05:28:01 UTC

As we know, workers in the UK are having difficulty with the cost of living while real wages are struggling to reach the level they were last at before the 2008 global financial crisis; many economists argue this is due to a lack of productivity growth & the general stagflation that characterises recent UK economic history....
Well I say that, but not quite all workers: in 2025 FTSE100 executives saw their pay rise (on average) by nearly a fifth;
so alright for some, eh?
#inequality
h/t FT

2026-04-19 21:26:13 UTC

So another mass shooting in the USA (in Louisiana) and no doubt we'll hear a range of US politicians saying their hearts & prayers go out to the victims, but offering nothing in the way of a resolution for this problem.... because they claim no-one has found a way to limit gun use while not impeding political freedoms.... that is, apart from most other developed countries.
Gun violence in the USA is not a natural phenomenon, its the result of political choice(s)!
#GunViolence #USPol
h/t FT

2026-04-19 11:06:28 UTC

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@nprofile…lvrg
The key political economic problem for the UK is we've a political class that has been coopted & captured by (what many would call) the capital class, but which we might better term: the corporate interest.
While our political class accept the notion that what is good for corporations is good for the UK, we will not find a route to regulatory reform - rather we need a capitalism that balances the need & interests of all economic classes better; which in my view is possible
2/2

2026-04-19 08:05:24 UTC

As Kenan Malik (Observer) argues, official indifference to the plight of normal people (as exhibited in the Post Office/Horizon scandal, the Windrush debacle, the infected blood scandal, the fire at Grenfell Tower, the treatment of carers by the DWP... the list goes on), is the result of an atomisation of society & the growing gap between our political class & its institutions and the lives of those impacted by their regulatory & political actions.
Its a collapse of civil society!
#politics
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/430/329/580/473/958/original/c006cedcdeda9b09.png

2026-04-19 07:57:10 UTC

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@nprofile…0u30
Fair comment; although of course China's system is completely state-owned & until now the penetration of private car ownership has been much lower, so in its current social configuration it may not be entirely comparable.... and given the growth of car ownership in China, its high level of rail usage may decline (as with more developed economies).

2026-04-19 06:25:04 UTC

A (long) Sunday read:
In the UK around 8% of all passenger kilometres travelled is by rail, the rest is by road (including buses); In Japan its nearly 28% by rail.
What have the Japanese done to keep this high(er) share of rail use. In short, they have returned to a model of regulation that looks much more like how the railways were bought into mass use in C19th; Japan's geography may also play a role but there's much of interest in this analysis.
#railways #politics
https://worksinprogress.co/issue/why-japan-has-such-good-railways/

2026-04-18 20:08:05 UTC

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@nprofile…faju
Trains however?

2026-04-18 17:12:51 UTC

There are growing suspicion (set out here some weeks ago & now gaining traction in the mainstream media) that people close to the Tangerine Tyrant are using insider knowledge to place bets on political actions/developments....
Are are we surprised?.... of course not; the Court of the Tangerine Tyrant is only out for itself & is seeking to maximise the financial returns of the Tyrant's remaining time in the White House.
#politics #betting #corruption
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/18/iran-war-bets-ethics-concerns

2026-04-18 17:03:17 UTC

Turkey is looking to revive a land route from Baku to the Mediterranean as a way of avoiding trade passing through the Strait of Hormuz... of course the Tangerine Tyrant has also suggested such a thing, but as it would actually pass across Turkey, they seem more likely to deliver such a trade alternative than Trump's geo-fantasy.
It's not a short-term solution but might be regarded as drawing Iran's sting in the medium term over trade routes?
#Trade #Iran #StraitOfHormuz #Turkey
h/t FT

2026-04-18 07:42:23 UTC

Another week, another story of the callousness of the British state; the already failing e-Visa system seems to be corrupting & dismissing people's right to stay in the UK, has this week halted a mother's return to be with her child, while stranding her in Germany with another.
As so often the Home Office is quick to make mistakes but slow to rectify them with (seemingly) no regard to the human costs.
The state's runs rough shod over normal people (again).
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/17/woman-dusseldorf-uk-home-office-return-flight-blocked

2026-04-18 07:24:04 UTC

I'm not a great proponent of financial literacy as it often seems to me to amount to victim blaming.... but there is one economic relationship that if more people understood, many financial miss-steps would be avoided.
And that is:
interest rates are the price of risk.
Yes, central banks do manipulate them, but in a more general sense, the interest rate is an indicator of the risk of not being repaid.
Once that's understood, investments choices & fiscal policies become clearer!
#economics

2026-04-17 05:45:16 UTC

The Q.s behind Artificial Intelligence & associated technologies are these:
Can we trust, and should we deploy a technology built on the organised theft of (intellectual) property?
Is AI's original sin actually an indicator of how dangerously disruptive it will actually be?
And as UK politicians (hello Liz Kendall) become cheerleaders for AI, are we merely colluding with a major process of enclosure, intended to further concentrate wealth in the hands of the few?
#AI #politics #economics

2026-04-17 05:28:19 UTC

The Luddites get a bad rap... yes, they broke specific machines & resisted automaton, but they did so because they clearly recognised the key (and enduring) aspect of technological change.
The immediate impact is local & impoverishing - those who leave their jobs seldom regain their standard of living... while the quick gains (surpluses) are hoarded by the owners of the machines.
In the long run employment may improve (or expand) but not in the lifetimes of its 'victims'!
#technology #AI

2026-04-16 21:17:12 UTC

We've been here before:
The UK is trying to find a way to be part of the EU's new €5bn Scaleup Europe Fund, which is putting money into the technology sector to build European alternatives to US Big tech.
The UK will likely tell the EU they'd be 'mad' not to include us, but then will baulk at the associated conditions of inclusion, pretend they are negotiating hard (making press statements about how the EU is being unreasonable) before being included on the original terms.
#EU #Brexit
h/t FT

2026-04-16 17:15:35 UTC

Keir Starmer's 'difficulty' with Peter Mandelson just got a bit deeper.... it transpires that he actually failed the (newly enhanced) security vetting, but this failure was over-ruled by the Foreign Office (one must suspect at the behest of Starmer).
Moreover, there's now a suspicion that Starmer misled Parliament on the character of the vetting process between the announcement of the appointment & Mandelson actually being appointed.
One more unforced error!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/apr/16/revealed-mandelson-failed-vetting-but-foreign-office-overruled-decision

2026-04-16 07:39:26 UTC

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@nprofile…7nlh
Interestingly, next week my wife is visiting a minor surges centre that specialises in dermatology (in Kendal).... the first time we've been so directed by the NHS

2026-04-16 06:12:07 UTC

Here' a vital point often missed from the consideration of health care & prevention of illness.... public health is more than the NHS, its all about the social environment in which we live, which has become ever more unhealthy!
#PublicHealth #NHS

2026-04-16 06:05:01 UTC

The row over 'wrongly' paid student loans (and their claw back) which revolves around the designation of sandwich courses (taught at weekends) as 'distance learning' looks like it will end up in court as the universities worst impacted by the clawback of funds from students (often from poorer backgrounds) have decided to sue the Govt. over the issue.
Again, a measure intended to help the less privileged in society, has become a stick to beat them with!
#university
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cnv884qveyqo

2026-04-16 05:51:24 UTC

While accidents (almost by definition) are to some extent random... the structural causes (from social context to the lived environment) actually skew people's actual propensity to die in an accident.
New data suggests people in the North East are most likely to die in an accident while the population in London is least likely.
However, the highest level of accidental deaths is in Blackpool, an area of heightened depravation....
Make of this what you will
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/16/people-in-north-of-england-twice-as-likely-to-be-killed-in-accidents-as-londoners-report-finds

2026-04-16 05:30:29 UTC

Ten years after Brexit vote what's been particularly notable is that after an early flurry of other members flirting with their own 'exit' movements, as the disaster of Brexit has become clearer the appetite of politicians in existing EU members to engineer their own exit has quietly disappeared
Brexiters told us we would be first of many, but what has actually happened is Brexit has served as a telling example of political folly - an unexpected political service to the EU?
#Brexit #politics

2026-04-16 05:23:55 UTC

This map of land use (and the origin of food imports) while intended to give a picture of the UK's food system is also of more general interest for debates about land-use (and access) in the UK... most especially what is suggests is that the UK remains a country dominated by farmland, whatever our perceptions are.
How this then refracts into debates about land for housing and access rights for those seeking rural pursuits is another matter.
#LandUse
h/t Paul Behrens (British Academy)/LinkedIn
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/412/704/803/743/507/original/462261d4ef3506f0.jpeg

2026-04-16 05:17:29 UTC

We're told by Labour that they want to help young people develop their skills outside the university environment, by encouraging those not in educational, employment or training (NEETs) to take up places in the more vocationally focussed Further Education (FE) sector; which is all well & good, but once again this expansion is not going to be fully funded.
FE has been under-funded for decades, so all they are storing up is more frustration for NEETs!
#NEETs #education
https://feweek.co.uk/colleges-face-funding-squeeze-as-dfe-rations-student-growth-cash-again/

2026-04-15 12:29:24 UTC

The prompt abandonment of Viktor Orbán but the global Right & their quick shift to 'supporting' Péter Magyar after the Hungarian elections tells us two (contrasting) things:
There is little loyalty in the New Right; whoever it looks contingent to support gets it with little looking in the rearview mirror;
But equally the Right may be also confident that Péter Magyar is one of their won in any case....
#Hungary #politics #Right

2026-04-15 12:23:42 UTC

If you think Labour's planned expansion of the Charity Commission's powers to remove trustees or even close charities is merely an attempt to contain extremism, think again....
Each time that measures are justified as a way of dealing with extremism, what results is an over-reach & the use of such measures to (once again) stifle or constrain legitimate & democratic protest and/or advocacy.
Its another instance of Labour's now clear anti-democratic impulse.
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/15/civil-society-groups-warn-new-charity-commission-powers-could-suppress-advocacy

2026-04-14 21:31:52 UTC

When politicians say that this is a price worth paying, you can be sure its not them paying the price.
So it follows that while US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tells the BBC a 'small bit of economic pain' is worth it for the world to be rid of Iran as a security threat, he's not the one whose standard of living is hit, nor whose job will disappear (well his might, but I doubt it will impact his finances).
Its a hollow rhetoric masking inequality!
#Iran #politics
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g66p2q075o

2026-04-14 12:31:34 UTC

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@nprofile…rxc2
Its a more common problem than just for wheelchair users - I frequently encounter this problem & I'm standing at 5ft 8in.... on this I think its less ablism as just bad light design.

2026-04-13 11:25:42 UTC

Here's a confirmation of something I said earlier about private sector health providers both cherry picking procedures & sending patients back to the NHS if there are problems - thereby massaging their efficiency data!
#NHS #health

2026-04-13 05:40:14 UTC

It seems that state-backed NEST (the UK's largest workplace pension scheme) is already over 18% invested in US private equity (at a time when many other investors are divesting such holdings) and looks to be expanding that exposure to 30% of its portfolio by 2030.
So while Rachel Reeves is claiming we all need to be investing more in UK shares, it turns out the Govt. backed pension provider is doing exactly the opposite.
Time to put your own house in order Rachel!
#investing #NEST
h/t FT

2026-04-13 05:15:10 UTC

Meanwhile in Hungary:
the rule of Viktor Orbán has been comprehensively rejected by voters;
Tisza led by Péter Magyar look to be gaining a super-majority allowing them to change the constitution (should they wish) and certainly unwind much of Orban's malign influence of Hungarian politics.
Of course, other members of the EU will also be pleased that this illiberal wrecker is back in opposition.
Its a sign that the that the Right ascendance is *never* irreversible.
#Hungary #politics #EU
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/116/395/685/291/852/368/original/5119a30214d4ac9a.png

2026-04-12 14:26:02 UTC

- reply

@nprofile…nl0g
Really, I guess he has a lot of experience to share?

2026-04-12 12:51:07 UTC

Happy Birthday Herbie Hancock
There are few jazz musicians who have had such a long career & contributed to so many different aspects of jazz music, from his work with Miles, to his towering achievements in jazz-fusion, from his acoustic playing (just brilliant) to his electric forays (finding ways to push the frontier of what jazz might be).
No jazz collection is complete without a fair few albums by Hancock - a great, great musician!
#HerbieHancock #jazz #music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9bfskX7sM8

2026-04-12 11:34:39 UTC

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@nprofile…z2cj
hmmm... odd, not sure what's happening there (although on reflection I think I may be registered with the website if not paying, so they *are* harvesting minimal personal details?)

2026-04-12 09:45:41 UTC

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@nprofile…z2cj
Hmmm... on my access it had their message about this one being free to view... if you're outside the UK it may be different?

2026-04-12 07:47:13 UTC

The madness of the UK's energy system is summed up in the £55m paid to wind farm operators in the last couple of months to cease generation (temporarily) because the energy interconnection (distribution) system was unable to handle the electricity transfer from generation to use; at the same time £217m was paid (mainly to gas-based generators) to make up the shortfall in renewable energy the congested network caused.
The network build-out needs to be accelerated!
#energy
h/t Observer

2026-04-12 07:00:41 UTC

You'll likely be unsurprised that yesterday's talks in Pakistan failed to reach any sort of conclusion on a putative peace deal between the US & Iran (not least as the talks were, as the Iranians put it, full of 'mistrust & suspicion').
The Q. is where from here? Pakistan is urging both sides to maintain the ceasefire, but you can bet Netanyahu will be working hard on the Tangerine Tyrant to re-start attacks to 'encourage' Iran to accept the conditions on the table.
#Iran #MiddleEast
h/t FT

2026-04-11 09:09:17 UTC

Its a classic collective action problem... across the UK potholes ion thread are getting worse, at least in part due to the continued rise of ever bigger & heavier SUV's.... but one of the reasons people are buying these SUVs is because of the conditions of the roads.
Of course, its exactly this sort of collective action problem that the state is supposed to resolve... but there seems little hope of that.
#roads #SUV #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/11/suv-britain-potholes-worse-scientists-heavier-cars

2026-04-11 08:53:31 UTC

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@nprofile…yj83
Well to be frank Peter, you're right that there is *some* more on offer in Scotland, but its hardly a loving wage for carers.... so while you may be right about a direct comparison, I think Ryan's overall point still stands. Yes, the Scottish Govt. has dome more than has been done in England & Wales, but unless I read the detail wrongly, its still an income of less that £6k annually when a living wage approached £30k

2026-04-11 08:33:15 UTC

Carers (like me) many of whom receive carers' allowance (but also many do not due to the tight eligibility criteria, most around the commitment of hours to caring) contribute around £184bn to the UK economy; a saving (or subsidy to the state) of around three quarters of the NHS overall budget.
Yet, we're marginalised, treated as cheats by the DWP & generally left partly or fully unsupported - if it looks like social exploitation, it is!
#health #politics #disability
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/11/carers-allowance-britain-unpaid-workforce

2026-04-11 07:11:28 UTC

If I was to nominate the two things I find most striking about Mastodon they'd be:
1. the ability to edit posts after posting; this (as my followers will know) is a facility that I use a lot (and thinks to my great crew of typo spotters);
2. the norm of civility that we all maintain; of course trolling & slamming is not completely absent, but at least in my timeline & discussions/conversations civility have been the over-riding characteristic of my exchanges.
#Mastodon #civility #SocialMedia

2026-04-10 16:58:33 UTC

So you may have wondered what the hell Melania Trump's Epstein statement was all about... well here is @Dag with one likely answer (which puts some formal flesh on the supposition it was some sort of pre-emptive defence for accusations as yet not made).
As always DAG joins the dots in a compelling way.
#MelaniaTrump #Epstein
https://theemptycity.com/blog/2026/04/why-melania-trumps-statement-is-a-fascinating-exercise-in-text-and-performance/

2026-04-10 05:19:19 UTC

There has been a rush for the door from private credit funds, who have taken the lead in lending to private equity funds, who in turn are quite highly exposed to any AI-related market crisis.
These PC funds are usually vehicles for the very rich to invest (at one remove) & so the request for redemptions (of which around half have so far been honoured in the first Q. of 2026) suggests continued concerns about the AI-bubble among the wealthy... just so you know.
#AI #investment
h/t FT

2026-04-10 05:06:31 UTC

Well, as always when a Govt. & top managers have lost trust of a public sector work-force, and fail to settle a long running industrial dispute, the next step is pretty much always the consideration of a ban on striking altogether.
So, you'll be unsurprised that NHS senior managers, after three years of on-off conflict with Resident Doctors, are asking Wes Streeting to consider a legal ban on strikes by doctors. Streeting has so far demurred but how much longer?
#NHS #doctors #politics
h/t FT

2026-04-09 21:25:51 UTC

The Govt. seems prepared to pay round £9,000 per future promised job, if it involves the word 'battery'; now this investment in one of Tata's subsidiary businesses in Somerset (a 'gigafractory') may or may not make sense, but its interesting to see how much the Govt. will pay for the provision of a job.
Some might see this as a form of corporate welfare, while others may regard this as reasonable industrial policy!
Be interesting to see how this plays out!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/09/somerset-battery-factory-jaguar-land-rover-government-funding

2026-04-09 21:11:45 UTC

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@nprofile…urzg
Perhaps read the article first; that point is made in the article

2026-04-09 17:06:45 UTC

You know that a policy is in trouble when not only is it scaled back, but the justification shifts around (searching for something that will *actually* appeal to voters)...
So the UK's Digital ID project was intended initially to deal with the issue of migration, then was going to aid access to benefits, but (Darren Jones, now heading up the project) tells us now it will help reduce populism's appeal.
Yup Digital ID is a solution looking for a problem!
#DigitalID #politics #technology
h/t FT

2026-04-09 08:49:35 UTC

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@nprofile…eumx
Much will depend on the detail, and certainly those who write for Disability New Service wouldn't trust Timms as far as they could throw him.... but as I said, for me its a partial move in the right direction, provided it doesn't just move the cliff-edge on benefits two weeks into the period of 'trying out' a job.

2026-04-09 05:40:22 UTC

So introducing the 'right to try' work for people on disability-related benefits (by which they will not lose benefits immediately on finding work or taking on voluntary positions) looks like a good idea... but focusses on only one side of the issue.
The other side remains the difficulty of finding employers willing to make the adjustments that many prospective disabled applicants need to work... this (sadly) is still a major stumbling block!
#disability #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/09/ministers-unveil-right-to-try-plan-to-help-disabled-people-find-work

2026-04-09 05:32:36 UTC

Sadly the New Economics Foundation's proposal for an energy allowance to UK households to deal with energy poverty, is another example of a well-meaning solution that will merely offer a form of corporate welfare (like in-work benefits) & support continued profiteering among fossil fuel firms.
Much better to first end the link with gas prices in energy pricing (see recent posts here), and then explore support for those still suffering fuel poverty!
#energy #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/09/give-all-uk-households-a-set-amount-of-subsidised-energy-says-thinktank

2026-04-08 17:10:30 UTC

So, as many predicted, the Q. is can a temporary ceasefire (pushed for by the Tangerine Tyrant, and facilitated in part by Pakistan) survive Israel's continued bombardment of Beirut?
Although formally, outside the peace deal, not least as that is only between the US & Iran, those who expected Israel to do its best to undermine any Middle East peace look to be pretty immediately vindicated.
#Iran #MiddleEast

2026-04-08 06:09:49 UTC

Some great music from the 80s, no.50
Madonna. La Isla Bonita
And so 80s classics comes to an end where is started with Madonna. This stone cold latin-disco classic is one of my favourite 80s records. The lilting shuffle rhythm, the latin tinge, the modulation in the vocals & its nicely sparse production all make for a wonderful & atmospheric track, which evokes a steamy summer.
(There will now, as usual, be a post-series pause before I restart with something different)
#music #80sClassics

2026-04-08 05:40:35 UTC

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@nprofile…2acj
Its a distinct possibility....

2026-04-08 05:37:41 UTC

And so the threat of a major war crime brought a (conditional) cease fire to the Middle East conflict (excepting actions in Lebanon by Israel); whether this was already in the works when the Tangerine Tyrant announced his threat is a different matter....
How this plays out will much depend on whether some element of practical trust can be engineered between the US administration & the Iranians (with the latter no doubt having one eye on historical betrayals).
#Iran #MiddleEast

2026-04-08 05:31:46 UTC

Not only is there a general problem in the way graduates' student debt is handled (hardly ameliorated yesterdays bounce interest rate cap at 6%), there is also a clear gendered dimension, perhaps most obviously demonstrated in the continued accrual of debt during maternity leave... once again raising the cost of motherhood.
Its a problem entirely the result of a (wilful) political misunderstanding of the social purpose of university education.
#graduates #politics
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/90000-later-what-student-debt-really-does-women-amy-brooker-hvcze/

2026-04-07 21:33:54 UTC

As the case against City of Sanctuary suggests, right wing commentators & politicians are happy to use false allegations in their 'culture war', as even when (finally) disproved & rejected, in the interim they have caused harm to, and problems for the targeted organisations.
I'd like to say that this case was an isolated instance of misinformation being used in the (so-called) culture wars, but actually this is pretty typical case!
#SocialMedia #migrants #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/07/refugee-charity-schools-valentines-cards-asylum-seekers

2026-04-07 10:39:49 UTC

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@nprofile…8mxe
I'd say it goes further back, but like so many negative things was certainly made worse in the Thatcher years

2026-04-07 07:33:30 UTC

As I have pointed out before, the problem is not so much that the UK doesn't have an industrial strategy, its that the one it does have (whatever claims made otherwise) is always focussed on the preferences/needs of financial services.
and if you needed some further evidence; while most of the economy is essentially flatlining or worse, somehow financial services is experiencing a major revival from its transient problems.
as usual Govt.s listen to bankers!
#politics
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/apr/07/uk-city-firms-cbi-financial-sector-rachel-reeves

2026-04-07 06:07:02 UTC

Some great music from the 80s, no.49
Michael Jackson. Thriller
There's a reason this Michael Jackson classic remains one of the best selling singles (and albums) of all time & its not just because of the iconic early music video (directed by John Landis). Its a great bit of pop-disco, with a anthem chorus, a brilliant arrangement by Quincy Jones & of course that touch of genius from Jackson at the height of his powers (before he was engulfed by scandal); just brilliant!
#music #80sClassics

2026-04-07 05:57:35 UTC

As Hettie O'Brien observes when capitalism seems stalled (especially in the UK), the rise of Private Equity's business model (of asset stripping & use of debt to extract cash from businesses) is just one more example of a zero-sum economics that now dominates the social relations of inequality & impoverishment.
The Q. is whether this is the end-stage of this form of capitalism or the final contradictions that will cause the entire edifice to collapse?
#capitalism
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/07/capitalism-endgame-private-equity-captured-nurseries-care-homes

2026-04-07 05:52:11 UTC

The war of words in the run up to the Resident Doctors' strike action which starts today demonstrates that any trust between doctors & the Govt. has been further degraded by the withdrawal of training places as part of the pressure being put on RDs to halt their action.
The difficulty is that at the very same as claiming there is no money for raises and/or training places, Hospitals are paying agency rates for locum cover for doctors - as the RDs see every day!
#NHS
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/apr/07/resident-doctors-england-speciality-training-posts-strike-bma

2026-04-07 05:41:23 UTC

Mathew Taylor (chair of the new Fair Work Agency & author of the 2017 report on Good Work) has an interesting & potentially transformational idea.
He is proposing that the FWA will develop an App that will allow workers to upload a copy of their payslip for an immediate assessment of whether their employer is fulfilling their legal obligations on a range of issues from minimum wage to holiday pay.
Could be a game changer for workers' knowledge of their position!
#workers #politics
h/t FT

2026-04-06 21:21:48 UTC

Will the US AirForce fulfil the Tangerine Tyrant's threat to 'decimate' Iran's civilian infrastructure.... widely regarded as being a potential war crime.
The US is explicitly not under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court, but the US has so annoyed some allies that any USAF personal involved might need to be careful where they holiday, as any country claiming 'universal jurisdiction' for war crimes might see them as legitimate subjects for arrest?
#Iran #USAF #WarCrimes

2026-04-06 11:10:37 UTC

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@nprofile…8mxe
The perennial tax 'problem'.... but that's also reflective of the growing individuation of tax politics into a contract approach - what do I get for what I pay

2026-04-06 06:00:54 UTC

Today the two-child benefit cap on universal credit ends (after nine years) allowing us to see (when data becomes available) what impact its imposition & now reversal had on child poverty.
Apart from anything else this will have been interesting opportunity to see clearly how state benefits impact poverty, and also (once again) give some indication of the skewed impact of the impact of austerity (which remains, while un-named, still at the centre of UK politics)
#benefits #poverty #austerity

2026-04-06 05:47:24 UTC

Another 'benefit fraud' that is likely to drive more intrusive attention on the lives of disabled people (drivers & driving carers in this case) with little robust data on the extent of fraud & miss-use of blue badges for parking.
As always, something that is extremely helpful (I know, we have one) not least to use parking spots with more space for transfer to a wheelchair, is being presented as a potential fraud, based on suspicion not (much) evidence.
#disability
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2026/apr/06/blue-badge-permits-record-1-20-people-in-england

2026-04-06 05:38:40 UTC

I'm often critical of the current Labour Govt., but as the TUC point out today's shift in both eligibility & pace of statuary sick pay will help low-income households & specially is particularly beneficial to working women.
Despite considerable push-back from business lobbyists (as ever on anything that helps workers), the Govt. has for the most part held the line on this & that should be recognised.
But its not a political get-out-of-jail free card!
#workers #health
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/apr/06/sick-pay-rule-changes-benefit-uk-workers-tuc