Joel Budd
@joelbudd.bsky.social
š¤ 8270
š„ 189
š 417
Journalist at the Economist, writing about life in Britain. Author of "Underdogs".
Bit of architectural awesomeness for Sunday. Clifton (Catholic) Cathedral in Bristol, by Ronald Weeks, who really liked hexagons. Recently restored and looks great.
about 10 hours ago
0
11
3
reposted by
Joel Budd
Xiaowei Xu
3 days ago
The latest USoc wave lets us split out the Covid years from what came after. So striking that they look the same! Average mental ill health (based on a general screening instrument) is no better now than during the lockdown years, at any age.
@alexbryson.bsky.social
@dannyblanchy.bsky.social
add a skeleton here at some point
2
7
8
reposted by
Joel Budd
Matthew Holehouse
4 days ago
"Reform offers a nostalgia that harks back not to Winston Churchill or Margaret Thatcher, but to the half-baked policy papers and whingeing that marked the final years of Conservative rule"
www.economist.com/britain/2026...
loading . . .
Reform UK risks blowing a once-in-a-century moment
Nigel Farageās party is turning into a bunch of bed-blockers
https://www.economist.com/britain/2026/01/14/reform-uk-risks-blowing-a-once-in-a-century-moment
2
28
6
This isn't the worst academic paper I have ever read, but I think it might be the most annoying. Important question, pioneering research, great data, incomprehensible conclusion.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
loading . . .
Street pedestrianization in urban districts: Economic impacts in Spanish cities
This study analyzes the influence of pedestrianization of urban space on the revenues of surrounding retail stores. Pedestrianization refers to the coā¦
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S026427512100367X
4 days ago
0
0
1
reposted by
Joel Budd
Francesco Raffaelli
6 days ago
On my way to Florence, where I will be presenting at the EUI's PBC
@behaviour-eui.bsky.social
a project co-authored w/
@leonardocarella.bsky.social
We show that (anti-immigration) š¬š§š®š¹ people 'update' their social identity when primed with narratives pitting immigrants against other social groups
1
20
9
reposted by
Joel Budd
Shashank Joshi
7 days ago
If anyone is involved in monitoring the Iranian communications blackout or in helping Iranians access technology to communicate with each other and the outside works, then please get in touch.
2
91
35
Also: the proportion of Londoners who say they feel safe on the streets at night is the same as elsewhere in England. (Yes, yes, the proportion should be higher, etc.)
add a skeleton here at some point
7 days ago
0
4
0
I was worried about what this says about British people until it occurred to me that treasure is implicitly old. A doubloon is treasure, a Bitcoin is not treasure.
add a skeleton here at some point
9 days ago
0
2
0
The āweather bombā is not very impressive in Hertfordshire. More of a weather squelch.
9 days ago
0
0
0
Happy new year to all, but especially to cat owners. Last night I walked into the living room to find a bird's head, lots of feathers and an innocent-looking feline--but no wings or feet anywhere. This morning I was miaowed awake at six.
17 days ago
0
10
0
Iām sticking to my unfashionable theory that if Britainās economy was consistently growing by 3% a year, the government would be decently popular and Nigel Farage would be a gadfly rather than a prime minister in waiting.
www.ft.com/content/1995...
loading . . .
āThereās a real dislike, even loathingā: why voters hate Starmer and Reeves
Allies concede the prime minister and chancellor have made mistakes yet the level of disdain towards them is still striking
https://www.ft.com/content/19958c3d-62e2-476d-a613-b0334a562321
18 days ago
2
2
0
This is a great piece, with the Indian officer class living up to its brandy-sipping reputation.
add a skeleton here at some point
19 days ago
0
3
0
Saw so many people in LA who I vaguely recognised but couldn't place that I conceived the idea of an app for recognising celebrities, a bit like Shazam is for music. Anyone who makes one, cut me in please.
add a skeleton here at some point
19 days ago
0
2
0
Many of these scan terribly! The correct version, which ends āKojak lost his lollipop on the M1 motorwayā, simply sounds better.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
1
5
1
The Australianisation of Britainās suburbs looms! I would guess that people will be keen to build in their gardens. Britons think of themselves as keen gardeners but most arenāt. My suburban neighbours think Iām an expert because I can name a dozen or so common plants.
www.ft.com/content/3f73...
loading . . .
New planning rules in England to stop councils blocking developments
Government aims to drive ādensificationā and revive push to build 1.5mn homes
https://www.ft.com/content/3f73126d-7afc-4f6f-860a-6be47448373a
about 1 month ago
0
6
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
Municipal Dreams
about 1 month ago
1/ Thetford Guildhall - designed by Herbert John Green in neoclassical style and completed in 1901; the former home of Thetford Borough Council. Inside, there is a small display commemorating Britain's first black mayor, Allan Glaisyer Minns.
1
4
3
reposted by
Joel Budd
Matthew Holehouse
about 1 month ago
You hear sometimes - including from senior figures in government - that Reform has hit a "ceiling" as its polling plateaus. That seems unlikely. Bit on fascinating new research from
@profjanegreen.bsky.social
and Marta Miori
www.economist.com/briefing/202...
loading . . .
The populists of Reform UK, already topping the polls, may climb higher
Claims that it has hit a ceiling are probably wishful thinking
https://www.economist.com/briefing/2025/12/11/the-populists-of-reform-uk-already-topping-the-polls-may-climb-higher
2
7
6
Good reporting on far-right activism in Kent here. Check out the responses to the council's Facebook post, in which people excuse aggression and vandalism if it makes a point about immigrants.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 1 month ago
1
11
4
Iām never quite sure whether New York is especially good at creating characters like this or especially good at creating journalism like this.
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/s...
loading . . .
Judi Jupiter, a 76-Year-Old Social Media Star, Is Gen Z at Heart
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/style/judi-jupiter-gen-z-photographer.html
about 1 month ago
0
1
0
Two findings here, which apply to other cultural changes too. 1. Some things just donāt change much, sorry. 2. The biggest changes are among women. Please stop going on about men all the time.
www.pewresearch.org/religion/202...
loading . . .
Religion Holds Steady in America
Analysis of our polls and other data shows no clear evidence of a religious revival among young adults. Read more about religiousness by age and gender.
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/12/08/religion-holds-steady-in-america/
about 1 month ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
James Fransham
about 2 months ago
In this week's Economist I've written about how, contrary to the breathless hot-takes last week, the emigration of British citizens from the UK is actually falling. (A thread 1/17)
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
loading . . .
Are Brits really leaving the country in droves?
No. We estimate that emigration is lower now than it was five years ago
https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/12/04/are-brits-really-leaving-the-country-in-droves
1
13
6
reposted by
Joel Budd
Owen Winter
about 2 months ago
Enjoying this
add a skeleton here at some point
0
15
9
My favourite genre turns out to be alternative country, sometimes known as āyāallternativeā, per Wikipedia. Very pleased with that.
about 2 months ago
0
2
0
The first British political party to promise to cut the price of a first-class stamp to below one pound will win 600 seats in Parliament. If only for December, 550 seats.
about 2 months ago
2
3
0
Forecast for the politics of migration in Britain: 2025: numbers fall, polls static 2026: numbers fall, businesses complain, polls move slightly 2027: rows between Treasury and Home Office 2028: slight policy loosening 2029: numbers rise; "Labour loses control of migration"; general election
about 2 months ago
0
6
0
A government led by an admirer of Harold Wilson could be on course for Wilson-era levels of net migration.
add a skeleton here at some point
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
Yesterday, while I was raiding the Business and Finance food cupboard, someone mentioned this column. They suggested I should reflect on my behaviour. I replied that I would eat first and reflect later, possibly.
www.economist.com/business/202...
loading . . .
Observed in the wild: office snackers and foragers
From the snack cupboard to the coffee machine
https://www.economist.com/business/2025/11/27/observed-in-the-wild-office-snackers-and-foragers
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
Here I attempt to answer a simple question: which country is most like Britain?
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
loading . . .
Which country is most similar to Britain?
Clue: none of the ones its politicians obsess over
https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/27/which-country-is-most-similar-to-britain
about 2 months ago
2
3
2
Ooh, yes please. Suggestion to newspaper editors: run a picture of Sonny Sharrock in every other issue.
www.theguardian.com/music/2025/n...
loading . . .
āI almost always play it in hiding, aloneā: can anyone get into free jazz, historyās most maligned music?
Even though heās partial to hideous noise, free jazz is mostly unknown to the Guardianās pop critic. A new guidebook from Sonic Youthās Thurston Moore may change his mind
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/28/free-jazz-history-most-maligned-music
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
Tera Allas CBE
about 2 months ago
A total of 2 out of 75 policy decisions in yesterday's
#Budget
were what I would call 'material'. Were all of the 73 others really necessary? Politically, possibly yes, but economically, they add to the complexity costs of the UK's fiscal regime.
#dataisbeautiful
1
2
1
reposted by
Joel Budd
Duncan Robinson
about 2 months ago
Starmer and Reeves run probably the most economically left-wing government of past five decades and yet bleeding support to its left thanks to dumb strategy
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
32
257
98
For those wanting a break from Britain's budget
www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/n...
loading . . .
āSheās Clearly Playing Usā: Influencer Dined and Dashed Through Williamsburg
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/nyregion/nyc-dine-dash-food-influencer-pei-chung.html
about 2 months ago
1
1
0
As a resident, I endorse a four-part split: 1: The Future (all the new towns and garden cities). 2: The Past (St Albans, Harpenden, Hitchin). 3: Basically London. 4: Basically Essex. Some heroic gerrymandering required but it would be worth it.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
loading . . .
Hertfordshire's councils split over shake-up plans
Most of the 11 existing authorities want four new councils, but others go for two or three.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm28nvjljj8o
about 2 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
British Future
about 2 months ago
'Will Britain copy asylum policy from a place with poor integration?' -
@economist.com
talks to our
@sundersays.bsky.social
about the differences between Britain and Denmark, inspiration for Labour's new asylum proposals.
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
loading . . .
Will Britain copy asylum policy from a place with poor integration?
Everything sounds better in Danish
https://www.economist.com/britain/2025/11/20/will-britain-copy-asylum-policy-from-a-place-with-poor-integration
0
10
6
At once amazingly irresponsible and oddly carefully placed
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
loading . . .
Drone video shows mountain of fly-tipped waste in Oxfordshire
It is hard to distinguish the waste as it appears to have been shredded with earth mixed in.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c98n6ykr8ylo
2 months ago
1
5
1
This piece seems to conflate two things: businesses involved in crime, and businesses run by immigrants. The author describes Housamās, a homewares shop on Linthorpe Road in Middlesbrough, as āthe only original store I could findā. Across the roadā¦
www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
loading . . .
Why the next election will be fought on our corrupted high streets
Nigel Farage has spent years channelling anger about the rise of vape shops and barbers that suck the life out of town centres. Can his rivals catch up?
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/article/britain-corrupted-high-streets-nigel-farage-660dl80rw
2 months ago
4
10
1
A good account of how and why a leading academic can go bad. I can think of a few parallels.
add a skeleton here at some point
2 months ago
1
2
1
I have tried and failed to persuade the FT website to drop its obnoxious "this paragraph has been highlighted x times by other subscribers" feature. Will now engage in a campaign of highlighting the dullest paragraphs I can find until it desists. Who's with me?
2 months ago
1
9
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
James Bowes
2 months ago
Hereās my net migration model projected forwards two years (plus past figures). Net migration actually looks like hovering at about 300,000 in 2025 before coming crashing down in 2026. The government must avoid the temptation to cut immigration even further when they see these figures. (1/2)
1
3
4
reposted by
Joel Budd
Sophie Pedder
2 months ago
Jordan Bardella is Franceās most popular politician. His ideas would set š«š· on a collision path with not only EU institutions but with Franceās main partner, Germany. For the RN leader, this seems to be the point In
@economist.com
this week
economist.com/europe/2025/...
loading . . .
Jordan Bardella starts to lay out his plans
The 30-year-old French populist who is preparing for power
https://economist.com/europe/2025/11/05/jordan-bardella-starts-to-lay-out-his-plans
2
27
10
reposted by
Joel Budd
Julius Kƶlzer
3 months ago
The electoral outcome most strongly linked to deprivation is not any partyās vote share, but turnout. Across almost all indicators, turnout is markedly lower in more deprived areas, with only barriers to housing & services and quality in the living environment showing weaker correlations.
2
31
14
āTis the season for Britons to complain about Halloween practices imported from America. There were no trick-or-treating when I were a lad, etc. But Americans think trick-or-treating is a British / Irish import:
www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/t...
loading . . .
The History of Trick-or-Treating Goes Back Centuries
From the ancient Celts to medieval English, the Halloween tradition precedes the costumed children who will soon swarm your block
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-history-of-trick-or-treating-goes-back-centuries-79408373/
3 months ago
1
2
1
My rule for political scandals is that they have to be explicable in one sentence, without commas, e.g. āBoris Johnson partied during lockdownā, āBill Clinton had sex with an intern in the White Houseā. Iām struggling with the Rachel Reeves rental story, though itās simpler than the Rayner story.
3 months ago
16
74
10
Enid Blyton is the clear leader in this series (the first book that literary folk remember loving). Nobody else is even close.
www.thetimes.com/uk/get-brita...
loading . . .
The books that turned us into readers
From Nick Cave to Jacqueline Wilson, famous names reveal the book that turned them into a bibliophile
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/get-britain-reading/article/the-books-that-turned-us-into-readers-ms3hfkmpl
3 months ago
1
1
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
Duncan Robinson
3 months ago
Column on the governmentās Buckaroo! strategy - keep piling obligations and charges on certain sectors and hope they donāt kick you in the head. Housing, energy, pharma, immigrantsā¦
economist.com/britain/2025...
loading . . .
Buckaroo! The British governmentās favourite game
Heaping burdens on business works. Until business begins to buck
https://economist.com/britain/2025/10/22/buckaroo-the-british-governments-favourite-game
2
22
15
I don't know how the British state would cope without Louise Casey. Like Reform UK without Nigel Farage, or the BBC natural history unit without David Attenborough.
3 months ago
0
3
0
reposted by
Joel Budd
The Economist
3 months ago
An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist
loading . . .
Wanted: a new finance writer
An opportunity to join the staff of The Economist
https://econ.st/4njv8YS
0
10
11
reposted by
Joel Budd
John Springford
3 months ago
Brian Bell, chair of the migration Advisory Committee, says "the government would be in breach, very clear breach, of its manifesto commitment to reduce net migration" if it signed up to an uncapped EU youth mobility scheme. I don't think that's true. 1/n
www.politico.eu/article/brus...
loading . . .
Brusselsā Brexit reset demands put Keir Starmer in a migration bind
The European Unionās pitch for youth mobility is asking Keir Starmer to break his manifesto pledges on migration.
https://www.politico.eu/article/brussels-brexit-reset-keir-starmer-migration-youth-mobility/
8
62
31
Load more
feeds!
log in