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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ChrisMayLA6@zirk-us.mostr.pub

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Last Notes

2024-11-16 09:23:41

Too many people have been successfully gaining compensation from financial services institutions that have made errors in one way or another with clients' money.
So what does Rachel Reeves do?
Might she conclude there needs to be some reform to how financial institutions conduct themselves & regulation could aid a culture change?
But no; she going to make getting compensation for client mistreatment harder & more expensive.
No too difficult to see whose side Reeves is on!
#financialservices

2024-11-16 08:17:47

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@nprofile…fzjv
I hope so.... because the Big Food libby has been pretty successful at curtailing the necessary regulation at national level

2024-11-16 08:11:55

Food system researchers have argued for decades that the UK's food system is dysfunctional is having a detrimental impact on our health.
New research has now put a figure on that damage: £268bn a year - made up of costs to the NHS, the costs of food-related illness & death and other welfare/benefits related costs.
Previous Govt.s however have been relatively reticent about trying to really constrain Big Food & nothings suggests Labour will be different.
#food #health
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/nov/15/uk-unhealthy-food-costs-268bn-a-year-report-food-farming-countryside-nhs

2024-11-07 09:39:31

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@npub1gt9…5mtl
nice term - 'managed democracy'... almost Orwellian?

2024-11-02 17:44:03

Simon Tisdall on the corrosive impact of Donald Trump:
'If Trump were to go mad on his own time, no problem. Unfortunately, by publicly projecting & displaying mental dysfunction daily on a national stage, he is driving America nuts, too – fans and foes alike. He brings out the worst in everyone, right & left.... [His] craziness destroys reasoned debate, splits the country into opposing camps (hence the dead-heat opinion polls) and sends blood pressure soaring'
#USPol
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/nov/02/donald-trump-is-a-superspreader-for-a-craziness-that-has-split-america-in-two

2024-10-24 05:24:37

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@npub13yy…m882
Yes, my nephew does exactly the same....

2024-10-24 05:23:42

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@npub15uj…7qg2
It wasn't clear from the media reporting & I think this was essentially big picture stuff without fully worked up detail...

2024-10-22 20:50:32

So, Trump has made a formal legal complaint to the Federal Election Commission accusing the UK Labour party of interfering in the US Presidential election by offering both staff support & contributions to the Harris campaign....
So meeting Trump & not Harris didn't play out that well for Starmer, then, did it...
Of course Trump's idea that the Labour Party might make a material difference to the well-resourced Harris campaign seems odd; so I wonder what he's really getting at?
#USPol
h/t FT

2024-10-22 20:15:11

- reply

@npub1q6j…uec6
I did, but I thought it so unlikely I didn't include it.... not only would it mean taking on the exposure to future liabilities, it would also involve (as you rightly note) the removal of the risk cushion.... other PMs might, but Starmer? seems almost impossible.... but hey, I've been wrong before

2024-10-22 16:53:58

As the social care that councils are legally obliged to provide takes up more & more of local council's budget(s), it is clear that without some change we are heading towards a major pivot point in local government.... already councils are halting a range of services to pay for the increasing care budgets (due to both rising demand & rising costs), but this can't go on for ever.
Two things might happen:
more money from Govt, or;
a relaxation of the care obligation....
#care #LocalGovernment

2024-10-22 11:13:02

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@npub1z4e…jhuf
To some extent this is already happening, what we are seeing in international trade (and supply chain) terms is a move to more regional networks.... sometimes refereed to as 'friend-shoring' (ugly term), where trusted neighbours & regional nearby countries are now more favoured as destinations & markets for outsourcing.

2024-10-22 06:23:14

There's a lot of interest in degrowth across Mastodon, so you might be interested in Larry Elloitt's discussion of is 'image problem'....
However, Elliott himself is at best a 'critical friend' & at worst a sceptic about the value of degrowth... however, his discussion about how countries that have yet to gain the benefits of growth might be sceptical of calls for degrowth confirms the key difficulty with a global degrowth strategy; persistent inequality!
#degrowth
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/oct/20/degrowth-image-problem-solve-planet-climate

2024-10-19 08:06:34

The decline of the high-street in a single graph.
In the last ten years the share of purchases made online has grown from around 10% to just under 30%; if you take that much demand out of a sector, there is going to be a major restructuring, and indeed this is what we have been seeing on the high street, with a swing towards experiential & in-person services.
This isn't necessarily a 'problem' provided our retail spaces can be repurposed into social-useful & beneficial activities.
#business
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/333/049/218/639/421/original/b3d385f96c220bed.png

2024-10-13 21:33:30

Here is a survey of what Labour must do to really start reducing the incidence of violence against women & girls... there's much os use here but in the long run the key is education; young men need to learn to value & respect women & girls... without this in the long run the other (albeit worthwhile actions) will be reduced in the efficacy.
#violence #women #gender
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/oct/13/labour-violence-against-women-and-girls-vawg-policy

2024-10-11 05:23:43

This made me smile this morning (and lest be frank we could all do with a smile on a Friday morning):
The Alternative Heritage Plaque for John Venn - the inventor of the Venn diagram - in his birthplace Kingston upon Hull in Yorkshire.
#heritage #humour #yorkshire
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/287/110/701/668/997/original/07b232b90fa5d7e8.jpeg

2024-10-03 05:20:38

Those of you eagerly waiting for the Laura Kuenssberg/Boris Johnson interview will now sadly be disappointed;
she admitted (via X last night) that she 'accidentally' sent him her briefing notes; she & her staff have concluded the interview cannot go ahead with him knowting the questions in advance.
I'll leave it to you to decide whether the admission is in good faith (we all make mistakes), or forced on her when her leaking of the Q.s to Johnson was discovered by others?
#media #BorisJohnson

2024-10-01 05:33:46

Interestingly the walk-out by dock-workers in the USA (across a range of ports on the East coast) is being presented as a 'strike, but, as far as I can see its workers refusing to work without a contract.
Negotiations for a new contract (which deals with concerns about low pay & how automation is expanded) continue, but as the existing contract ended on Monday night, surely workers refusing to continue working is not a strike, it is a reasonable refusal to work without a contract?
#USpol

2024-09-27 07:37:41

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@npub1qpe…6gtr
Indeed, that was I thought a reasonable argument; but he's paid enough to pay for his seat in the box.... not least to avoid such accusations he now confronts.... likewise his colleague use of free concert tickets (especially after the Oasis fiasco), just separates them away - these are not public functions they are attending!

2024-09-27 07:29:34

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@npub1qpe…6gtr
Hmmm... I agree the donations are also a major structural issue; but if you trying to establish that the country needs to pull together to find a way out of current malaise (which is what they are trying to present, it seems to me), then living it up on your chums' largesse while offering a hair shirt to the poor will not play well.... I think this is serrate from, but clearly linked to, the issue of donations & arty finances you raise.

2024-09-27 06:05:19

The problem Labour has with gifts from chums & free tickets to sporting events (or concerts) is not only the stink of corruption (albeit currently at a lower level that that achieved by the Tories), but also that it confirms the country's political class are not like us....
When you're saying your difficult decisions will impact our economic well-being, while you're being lavished with gifts & freebies, it does not suggest you understand what you're putting us through.
#hypocrisy #politics

2024-09-26 05:53:04

Southern Water are making plans to contract for water to be shipped across the North Sea from Norway in the face of fears of drought.... and the costs? its going to be added to customers bills.
So, lets get this right; SW has under-invested, water is not being stored well & leaks from pipes have further lessened storage, so after one of the wettest summers on record, they're going to bill customers to rectify a problem that their (in)actions caused!
business as normal, then!
#water
h/t FT

2024-09-25 17:10:08

Here's Dr Rachel C;larke's take on Wes Streeting's speech to the Labour conference....
He got the description of the crisis about right but was short (very short) on how it might be dealt with by this Govt.
There's a lot of mistrust of Streeting around (not least, linked to his funding from private health providers), but its interesting to read Cooke's response to his diagnosis of the NHS crisis.
You can make your own decision on what it might mean.
#health #NHS
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/sep/25/doctor-wes-streeting-nhs-health-secretary

2024-09-25 06:14:40

An LP a day - for no other reason than I love my records - No.29
Sade. Diamond Life
If yesterday's LP was the sound of NY in the early 1960's, Sade's debut was the sound of mid-80s London. Her sophisticated jazz-soul could be heard everywhere & reflected the return of the cool to the city's music scene - I loved it.
Standout tracks:
Smooth Operator - always a fave at DJ nights
Your love is king - the Sade shuffle exemplified
Why can't we live together - Time Thomas' classic remade
#music
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/196/719/035/719/871/original/45d6546aaf1f0bb5.png

2024-09-24 05:58:46

Marietje Schaake (StanfordU) makes the important point (in the FT) that Silicon Valley's lobbying to prioritise innovation over all other things is essentially anti-domcrattic, not merely the successful prosecution of a sectoral special interest!
Big tech's promotion of innovation has resulted in the development of innovations that have become socially harmful but politicians seem to have bought the proportion that innovation trumps everything - it doesn't!
#bigtech #innovation #technology
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/190/977/674/510/396/original/16546bdd6b9f778d.png

2024-09-18 16:56:40

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@npub1vh9…8qsf
I know, so was I... Of course, The Guardian also falls into that trap too.... ifs a blind spot driven, I'm assuming. by journos all being house owners in London?

2024-09-18 08:47:38

I've just realised that the storm wracking Europe is Storm Boris.... so looks like his wrecking has reached beyond our borders - is there no end to the damage one tousle-headed, lying chancer can have on the world?

2024-09-15 21:10:51

It says something about the state of politics & (so-called) political leaders that when I heard there had been a second (potential/possible) attempt on Donald Trump's life.... I immediately thought - 'set-up; he's trying to gain ground back lost after the Presidential debate'...
I have no evidence or reason (really) to suspect this, but Trump has so corrupted politics that it no longer seems implausible....
I'm saddened that that is where my mind went....
#USpol

2024-09-15 11:27:49

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@npub1ul7…wc0c
aha, OK, now I'm clear - thanks

2024-09-14 12:54:23

Last night I was with a bunch of young people I know (in their 20s & early 30s) and I have never heard the word 'like' inserted into so many utterances meaninglessly....
It was like the clicking go a geiger counter... he conversation would have been half as long without it....
I'm definitely getting old....
#language

2024-09-12 21:27:27

Of course; Donald Trump has announced that he will not take part in a second Presidential debate with Kamal Harris.
If you wanted a demonstration of how exposed he was, this is it; having put his head above the parapet & getting it (metaphorically) blown off, he'll not being doing that again.
The Harris camp are going to make hay with accusations of cowardice & refusal to debate... he's just handed them a major plank for their continuing campaign!
#USPol

2024-09-12 08:53:24

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@npub1vh9…8qsf
As I never listen to R4 anymore I missed that, but its no surprise.

2024-09-11 16:37:26

Key points from Labour's proposed Renters' Rights Bill:
End to 'no fault evictions';
A 'decent homes' standard for private rentals;
No bar on benefits claimants or families with kids;
Published/fixed prices - no 'bidding wars';
Requirement to promptly fix 'serious hazards';
& to help manage this expansion in regulation, a rented sector ombudsman.
Landlords are already claiming rents will go up (even more) & the parliamentary Landlord lobby will not be quiet!
A battle looms!
#housing
h/t FT

2024-09-09 05:27:50

When we talk about tax evasion we usually focus on major corporations' tax planning activities... but a new National Audit Office report suggest most tax evasion (over 80% by value) is carried out by small firms (often in retail), via various scams not least of all foreign online retailers avoiding VAT.
Moreover, the NAO suggests HMRC has no real strategy for dealing with this problem.
So let's be clear small businesses are often robbing the state, same as the big guys!
#tax #politics
h/t FT

2024-09-08 10:20:56

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@npub17z5…sasv
Or the Belgians....

2024-09-07 07:37:30

If & its a big if, Labour's Renters' Rights Bill survives both Houses of Parliament (there is a significant array of landlords across both houses who will aim to mount criticism of the bill, whatever it contains, as 'unrealistic')... then we may (and until we see the detail & the battle around amendments, it remains 'may') see a shift in one key aspect of the country's housing crisis...
Beware of both negative & positive hype; in the end the reforms may be quite small!
#housing #politics

2024-09-05 21:14:39

I expect the Fence left, having joined together to get Macron's bollocks out of the fire in the election will not be pleased that their efforts have led to Macon naming Michel Barnier (a veteran of France's Republican party) PM to build a centre-right government in the face of a large minority left flank.
Next time the Right come panicking to the Left for help they may find the door closed!
Lesson(s) for the Left: don't trust Macron; alliance looks like it could be good tactic
#france
h/t FT

2024-09-03 21:26:51

Well, well, well, the proposed ceiling of a new mandatory duty on banks to repay loses due to fraud has been reduced from £415k to £85k after banks & Ministers lobbied (pretty hard it seems) to get the Payment Systems Regulator to reduce the amount less than five weeks before the regime is put in place.
So not only will banks not take fraud seriously (whatever they claim), they also want to reduce their exposure due to loses they seem unable/unwiling to control.
#banking #fraud
h/t FT

2024-09-02 21:30:47

The disconnect of modern politics:
when rich bankers & investors feel a bit uncomfortable about Govt. tax plans or proposals around workers rights they are reassured & listened to....
when parents of larger families point out the two-child benefit cap has pushed them into worse poverty, they are told the Tories left a terrible mess, there's no money & they need to be realistic about what a Labour Govt. can achieve.
Its all about priories, isn't it?
#poverty #workers #corporations #politics

2024-08-29 06:19:33

It looks like Liberty has failed to convince Yvette Cooper & the Home Office not to appeal a court finding that Braverman's measures against protestors were actually illegal....
It will now be interesting to see how this plays out & what it reveals (or confirms) about Starmer & Cooper's view of the right to protest!
#protest #ruleoflaw #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/28/home-office-to-continue-appeal-over-protests-law-says-human-rights-group

2024-08-28 17:14:58

There are many dimensions to the housing crisis, but one that is sometimes under-reported (outside the consumer pages) is the dire quality of many new-build houses.... linked to some extent to skill shortages in building, but also to corner cutting & bad process design in the building projects....
Here's one example of quite how wrong it can go....
#housing #profiteering #workers
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c3ej5v1ney1o

2024-08-24 09:26:31

What do these toys all have in common?
United Utilities have 'rescued' them all from Lancashire's sewage system after (for whatever reason) they have been flushed away....
Perhaps they were trying to escape their children owners?
[also says something about plastics pollution?]
#toys #water #plastics
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/016/274/136/506/801/original/2d2ab1fe146b6ce3.png

2024-08-24 07:41:27

This weekend is Notting Hill Carnival.
Although I won't be there (having moved out of London many years ago, I'm confident that this will be a demonstration of everything we value about Britain & will be a clear rebuttal of the social attitudes of the Farage Rioters (and Far Right).
Have a great weekend Notting Hill
#NottingHillCarnival #diversity
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/113/015/857/400/562/313/original/192b127c5b6372e8.jpg

2024-08-20 08:00:50

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@npub1txd…txmn
ha ha, as you imply, its all about entitlement

2024-08-20 06:15:51

If you were conspiracy minded, the fact the Mike Lynch is missing after the yacht he was on sank, while his co-defendant in the Autonomy fraud trial was badly injured (and may die) in a road accident (while out jogging) on the same weekend might strike you as noteworthy.... It just seems a little too coincidental? Or perhaps it is just that: coincidence ...
#autonomy #mikelynch

2024-08-19 21:32:09

The rewards of toxicity are myriad, but often come in cash.....
#Tories #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/19/suella-braverman-earning-speeches-international-speaking-circuit

2024-08-19 16:48:52

RIP David Denver
It is with some sadness that I have just heard that Emeritus Professor David Denver passed away earlier today.
David was HoD when I arrived at Lancaster University (to the then Dept. of Politics) and I succeeded him in that role.
David was a well known commentator on elections, and contributed much to the field of election studies.
David retired some years ago but never really let go of his interest in elections.
A sad loss to British Politics.
#elections #Lancaster

2024-08-18 21:14:02

So in an article about 'breaking up with X', the FT's Katie Martin chooses Threads because she says she's lazy & easy to use.... unlike mastodon which is 'clunky'....
I'm not sure why she would find it clunky, but once again the mainstream media would rather go with (just) another Big Tech offering rather than actually explore a real alternative....
It really is like Pete Townsend says in Won't Get Fooled Again.
'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss'!
#Mastodon #mastodonmigration

2024-08-18 09:24:03

I assume all those decrying RMT union leader Mick Lynch saying his members want the same deal offered to ASLEF, will also be criticising FTSE100 CEO's demanding the same pay as their American counterparts.....
Oh no, that's right; CEOs work hard & deserve to be rewarded on the basis of global pay norms, but workers are just selfish money grabbing louts ailing to wreck the economy with their inflationary pay demands... what was I thinking?
#workers #costofliving #politics

2024-08-18 09:17:14

Hmmm....
Nigel Farage
Elon Musk
Mark Zuckerberg
Vladimir Putin
'Tommy Robinson'
Boris Johnson
Andrew Tate
Donald Trump...
yet, somehow people of colour are the 'problem'?
#racism #FarRight #politics

2024-08-17 08:55:15

I'm not the first to point this out & I will not be the last:
in the next 20 years or so the great baby boomer wealth transfer will accelerate - this will consolidate the wealth of a large(ish) middle class cohort, while others see their wealth dissipated by care costs.
However, overall it is likely to be an engine both of increased inequality & the consolidation of (some) families' economic privilege.
We have a mechanism to reduce this effect: the tax system. But will we use it?
#politics

2024-08-17 08:37:57

Nigel Farage... man of the people, or racists, huckster, snake oil salesman on the make... you decide.
#NigelFarage #politics
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/aug/16/nigel-farage-revealed-to-be-uks-highest-earning-mp

2024-08-16 07:08:45

- reply

@npub1p0c…gl7d
yes, that's an interesting point - maybe we *will* see this in the UK, but as yet not much sign - but perhaps as e-bike insurance grows so will the pressure to do something about thefts?

2024-08-16 07:07:17

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@npub1gzw…t758
thanks! (and boosted - we should celebrate success in social housing where we can find it)

2024-08-16 07:06:03

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@npub1xl8…mmmy
Yes sorry, I perhaps miss-phrased that.... when I sad low level, I meant supposedly 'minor' crimes, not that there was a low level of incidence - I'll amend to make that clear(er) - apologies

2024-08-15 05:40:46

Could this be one of the most depressing charts in social media...
Elon Musk's number of followers on X just goes up & up.... he seems to be steadily adding around 45mn to his followers each year.
A dangerous megaphone for a fascist to have
#socialmedia #elonmusk #fascism
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/964/414/461/801/012/original/69172bf158b096cc.png

2024-08-15 05:25:58

One way sexism appears in the workplace is when maternity leave is considered some sort of holiday or break by male colleagues....
So, I love this graphic telling it how it really is (which is circulating on LinkedIn).
Next time, a colleague make the mistake of think maternity leave is a holiday, print this out & stick it on their desk.
#women #pregnancy #feminism #workers
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/964/359/438/516/377/original/6a1ebbc4aace6e6f.jpeg

2024-08-14 21:20:25

Well, well well.... ahead of the UN's New York Summit of the Future next month, the draft negotiating text has just had the phrase fossil fuels removed from the climate change section.
Of course, it may find its way back in, but ahead of the summit this already tells you the direction of travel in the backroom lobbying....
#FossilFuels #climate
h/t FT

2024-08-14 06:09:27

Inflation data remained steady, rising slightly from 2% to 2.2% if your are a normal person...
If you are a business journalist, inflation is rising 'worryingly'...
If you work for the BoE's MPC, you'll likely be preparing statements that include the idea of inflation 'surging'.... and as such will be once again stalling any decline in interest rates!
welcome to the looking glass world of the sado-monetrarists who will only be happy when we are actually in a proper recession!
#inflation

2024-08-13 05:38:07

Irony klaxon:
What's shaping up to be the biggest impediment to the role out of Artificial Intelligence (and the linked replacement of human roles by learning machines)?
A shortage of skilled labour in the chip manufacturing sector... looks like you can 'easily' build chip fabrication capacity but finding the skilled workforce(s)to run it is proving more difficult (for now, putting a ceiling on chip supplies).
A temporary irony but an irony nonetheless!
#AI #technology #workers
h/t FT

2024-08-12 20:23:17

And is it begins; seemingly forgetting how wrong it has gone before, Rachel Reeves & the Treasury are again looking at public-private partnerships for infrastructure with the explicit intent of keeping the expenditure out of the scope of her fiscal probity.
Of course it might work in theory, but we have loads of examples (perhaps most obviously in the NHS) where such arrangement have been detrimental in the longe(er) term & not delivered the advantages claimed.
#infrastructure #politics
h/t FT

2024-08-11 10:13:45

I suspect in the coming months ReformUK's existence as a limited company rather than a political party may come to be seen as a political vulnerability rather than a politically 'smart move', by both those who seek to attack Tice & Fararhe and by the 'party' itself as various organisations seek to apply to ReformUK the sorts of legal actions that have been successful against companies who have been complicit in illegality in the past....
roll on the rule of (company) law!
#ReformUK #politics

2024-08-10 09:16:22

A reflection:
It's often said in political research circles that democracy is mostly about voting against not voting for something.
Certainly in the recent UK election, Labour picked up a lot of votes by not being the (now toxic) Tories.... in America in November, it looks likely that the Harris/Walz ticket will be focussing on it not being Trump/Vance.
So the Q. is this a problem?
Does it represent a narrowing of the political spectrum (as theorists of neolibelriasm suggest)?
#politics

2024-08-09 06:11:20

In Tom Gauld's world working from home has some distinct advantages.
#workingfromhome #WFH #workers
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/930/567/459/760/294/original/a6f88c47f19699c7.png

2024-08-09 05:44:09

Migration 1:
Despite the political rhetoric (pushed & pushed by the Right & Far Right) migration is not an issue of small boats!
The majority of migrants come to the UK to study or for work....
The anti-migrant rhetoric against vulnerable people forced by the lack of easy legal routes to claim asylum bears little resemblance to what is going on or migrants actual activity once they are here.
#migration #politics
1/2
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/930/449/687/894/218/original/cd838dd6b7120a2c.png

2024-08-09 05:34:24

A thought for Friday:
In the end, all other ethical considerations need to be built on one clear rule:
Treat others as you would want to (or demand to) be treated yourself.
If we all followed this rule, we would avoid a lot of our troubles....
It might not solve every political issue, but it would get us moving in the right direction.

2024-08-08 05:28:13

Oh dear, now NASA is explicitly saying that it may ask SpaceX to ferry the two astronauts back from the international space station where they have been stranded by problems with Boeing's Starliner.
Yet more downwards pressure on Boeing's profile.... and a nice boost for Musk's SpaceX (now being seen as the reliable/safe option).
I'm now waiting for Boeing to announce a shift in its strategy & a name change to try to get out from under their troubles?
#boeing #space
h/t FT

2024-08-08 05:18:15

While its likely too early to draw conclusions about how the far right rioters will be dealt with (with only a small minority sentenced so far), the Equality Trust *do* sum up an emerging concern expressed here (and elsewhere).
#riots #farright #ruleoflaw
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/924/703/616/414/062/original/5353bc3aae9ee0c9.jpeg

2024-08-07 21:22:00

So what's Labour's strategy on migration?
Well, Yvette Cooper has high-skilled migrants in her sights as she wonders if skill shortages in key sectors like IT & engineering might be filled in different ways....
Well, the answer is two fold:
* Get these firms to invest in training!
* Get them to offer better work conditions.
But in the end for the young (at least) being part of a global labour markets may still offer more advantages than disadvantages for the UK?
#workers #migrants
h/t FT

2024-08-07 05:47:49

Hmmm.... I see the police have managed to arrest two people organising pro-Palestine protests under laws usually used for organised crime groups....
Of course, we all want to see an end to 'two-tier' policing so I assume they'll be using these same laws to target those organising & inciting the far right rioting?
#riots #farright #police
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/aug/06/uk-police-arrest-two-pro-palestine-activists-under-organised-laws

2024-08-06 21:12:38

Watching the fragmented BBC Olympics coverage (with very little time given to the 'minor' event & way too much coverage/commentary on the 'key' events), I've become very nostalgic for the excellent 2012 coverage where it sometimes seemed like each event had its own red button/IPlayer channel....
But, that was too good to last & now unless you're subscribing to Eurosport, we're just getting a rather unsatisfactory summary Games.
#olympics #TV

2024-08-06 16:42:31

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@npub19lw…et0d
Would certainly be high up on my list...

2024-08-06 16:42:06

So Kamala Harris has picked Tim Walz as her running mate... The Governor of Minnesota has a lot going for him, not least in the art of converting Republicans to the Democrat side in his home state.
Not too well known over this side of the Atlantic, so here's the Guardian's quick profile for those of use relatively unfamiliar with what's going on in Minnesota.
On first impressions, looks like a good pairing... but I'm not a US politics specialist...
#USpol
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/06/tim-walz-vp-kamala-harris

2024-08-06 16:34:15

Angela Rayner (Deputy PM):
'Attempting to clamp down on the fundamental freedom of working people has got us nowhere... [repealing recent the Tory anti-strike law is] the first part of our plan to reset industrial relations so they are fit for a modern economy'!
Getting rid of minimum service requirements had already been telegraphed before the weekend, so now it will be interesting to see what areas of Tory anti-union legislation are prioritised for reform/repeal.
#workers #unions
h/t FT

2024-08-06 11:10:54

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@npub14n9…9ykn
Yes very much my reading of the situation Stramer has placed himself in

2024-08-06 11:00:16

#20days20books
[resumed after a pause]
No.19: Why have there been no great women artists?
About #20days20books: "20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just book covers (with alt text)."
@bookstodon
https://cdn.masto.host/zirkus/media_attachments/files/112/914/722/835/627/486/original/14b860fb097ddb34.jpg

2024-08-06 10:01:09

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@npub153t…2jkv
indeed, reform not revolution is what will be coming down the line (if anything)

2024-08-06 07:57:13

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@npub1r7e…0vz0
welcome to Mastodon, the water is warm, the folk are friendly & engaged, and right now its the best place to be.... enjoy

2024-08-06 07:54:00

yes:
'identify these people and improve their sense of agency and self worth, through education and strengthening their empathy with those they perceive as their enemies'.
this would be a good response - but it takes time & what we know about modern politics is responses that take time to succeed require a sustained & focussed political will that seems largely absent from our political class

2024-08-06 06:43:42

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@npub10p5…24v2
Ha ha, very good Q.
Its more an issue of the performance of being held to 'objective' & 'non-political' limitations (rules), than actually being constrained - but I think you really know that!

2024-08-06 06:37:05

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@npub12mc…xdp7
Yes, it *is* revealing....

2024-08-06 05:54:49

The FT is reporting that Rachel Reeves seems to be hinting that she will (after all) follow her predecessors as Chancellor & reconfigure the fiscal rules (specifically their accounting for pubic debt);
as this will likely be the 9th revision of the fiscal rules since 2010, no-one should really be surprised that she is looking for a way to square the circle of fiscal probity *and* increased public spending;
Of course the Tories will criticise, but forget they changed them 8 times!
#economics

2024-08-05 20:45:53

Meanwhile on the stockmarket;
Traders have finally come to understand that the Central Banks anti-inflation measures (read higher interest rates) have had some serious negative effects in the real economy.
These traders now seem to have 'discovered' that major economies have been in engineered semi-recession(s) or under growth constraints caused by Central Bankers' actions.
So, they've done what traders always do - sold off some of their holdings... financial crisis beckons?.
#stockmarket

2024-08-05 20:20:59

Classic claims from the right of 'two-tier policing' which won't cut much ice after the sentencing of the Just Stop Oil protesters...
I'm all for the end of two tier policing - lets prosecute the far-right thugs on the same basis as those who've been victimised by the Police for years....
Bring it on, Nigel.
#farright #politics

2024-08-05 20:16:36

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@npub1vu7…nmuv
Yes, I've seen such proposal in the past... would remove all sorts of problems

2024-08-05 20:11:49

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@npub1gt9…5mtl
Yes, its a sort of one-two - the legacy media give them credibility, and then social media offer no brake on their toxic pronouncements....

2024-08-05 17:15:15

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@npub1qcg…wxvh
in what sense?

2024-08-05 17:07:55

As Yvette Cooper (Home Secretary) and others set out the responsibility of social media firms for inciting the hatred & violence over the weekend, it must be time to examine the posts of various prominent Far Rightists (including the ubiquitous Mr Farage) and explore charges of incitement - as this was exactly what they were doing.
Social media firms are unlikely to act, so the police should be acting in the real world in which the incitement played out....
#riots #socialmedia

2024-08-05 13:18:55

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@npub16v8…aq0e
Yes, that's an interesting point & partly what was behind my comment on how Sweden & UK house markets might sufficiently different to dilute the conclusion

2024-08-05 13:17:41

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@npub16v8…aq0e
here's hoping....

2024-08-05 11:47:57

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@npub1vu7…nmuv
I don't disagree, but I was thinking (albeit I didn't do more that elliptically allude to this, that might be a sort of Olympics Village element to the 600 members living arrangements....

2024-08-05 10:41:42

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@npub1caf…pr2u
Yes, I think a 'qualification' of the expertise element is fine (and likely helpful).... especially if one included economists as a profession!

2024-08-05 07:58:32

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@npub10p5…24v2
yes, that's fair.... I agree

2024-08-05 07:49:22

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@npub10p5…24v2
Well, Rollo, I sincerely hope you are right... however, often second stage(s) of such reforms somehow never quite get started.... but, I accept there is the declared intent.

2024-08-05 07:46:50

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@npub1vh9…8qsf
As I say, that would need to be discussed during the reform process - I can see the logic in 'regulated' professions, but some might see that as too limiting?

2024-08-05 07:10:45

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@npub1gt9…5mtl
Absolutely happy with that - seems only right if they are getting a decent salary for the two years

2024-08-05 06:55:25

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@npub19sp…rerx
yes, I think you're right on CGT as it hist a number of political targets... sorry if 'tilted' seemed to slight a term - adjustment is clearly what's needed (and I say that from a two pensioner household)

2024-08-05 06:53:43

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@npub1lt5…unjk
thanks for the context (and boosted)

2024-08-05 06:14:33

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@npub1gt9…5mtl
Yup, that sounds about right!

2024-08-05 05:54:49

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@npub1gt9…5mtl
Yes, and that's now had clear consequences....

2024-08-05 05:54:11

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@npub1ehy…cz4a
Ha ha.... well, the Govt. i more likely to step in to help science-heavy Unis, Inwould say, but I'm sure you'll be able to pick up a cheap one if you're prepared to move....