Although minus several million points for the reference to "Colonel Mainwaring".

One of the reasons I couldn't finish Sky's in many ways excellent War Game podcast series was because it showed UK decision-making as so flat-footed. I really hope it was less realistic than they claimed. If it was fair, we won't even have started thinking about our (limited) military options yet.

Network Rail's dirty campaign for this horror continues. The associated press release boasts about the number of registered supporters for the scheme. Secured at least in part by deceiving people into signing up via an astroturf website www.victoriansociety.org.uk/national-new...

I will add to this thread: if you're ever in Bedford and have the chance, do visit the excellent museum that was developed from the Society's buildings after it became defunct. It's a wonderful time capsule, and tells multiple fascinating stories.

Another attempt to get longer distance, higher volume parcels traffic working on rail. Should be doable, surely? But nobody's got it to work commercially yet. (I believe Varamis has resumed some operations btw, which this article seems behind on.) www.railmagazine.com/news/high-sp...

Ha! So when he said “sooner than you think” @andyburnham.bsky.social was not kidding! A few quick thoughts… First: I would have loved to have later trains to Alderley Edge when I was growing up on that route in Handforth, just outside the GM boundary. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Well - you heard it here first!

So, what do the new GBR livery and visual identity tell us about the new organisation? Mainly that it doesn't exist properly yet and is still a political project and creature of DfT. The test will come when it gains its statutory status. One wonders whether the visuals will get a tweak.

Precisely. We have an ageing society, a productivity problem & a crisis in local govt. The costs of defence & climate change are all growing, & we have a US president addicted to tariffs, who may be about to start a war in Venezuela. The budget was *not pessimistic enough* about the public finances

A persuasive piece that you perhaps don't quite realise is leading you to a blunt prediction of the fall of the Prime Minister within 12 months until you're suddenly there.

Good thread on how BPC rules prevent shady tactics like this from going undetected. But... surely there must be civil service rules against perpetrating this sort of brazen duplicity in the first place? (Only possible because of weak, lazy journalism / not asking the basics about polling, ofc.)

Profumo had much less on his conscience in the greater scheme of things, but his response to being caught in a catastrophic error of judgement and ethics should be more widely imitated.

The grotesque spectacle of a Labour government — a Labour government! — promoting the idea of stealing from refugees to appease the far right

Hypothesis: people would be more actively attracted to travelling by bus if the windows didn't mist up so readily.

True. The BBC's consistently low quality broadcast reporting is a core factor though. The partisan doesn't care, or often realise, that the other side's case has been presented just as poorly as their own. To the partisan, poor reporting simply looks like bias.

After two and a half years in local government, I'm finding @freewheeling.info's Bitesize today certainly strikes a chord. freewheelingbitesize.substack.com/p/being-aske...

When Harry said the royal family exists by means of a pact with the tabloids he knew what he was talking about, didn't he?

Amazing that this entire mathematical problem is framed by nomenclature derived from Prince Rupert - yes, the Civil War Prince Rupert.

Having worked in business lobbying 15-20 years ago when times were good, I can't help but think government has long become accustomed to business interests as groups who constantly whinge and moan whatever HMG does, and however much profit they're making.

Rather startling policy shift since the change of government.

Have had this thought and tbh I also don’t like it, am I being awkward there? It’s a kinda student politics posey vibe and these are not those times. I’m much happier to be anti-fascist.

Presumably it was this post, and my one a month or so ago about Sarah Ezekiel having her voice restored, that got me added overnight to an "AI goobers & glazers" block list. What a villain I obviously am.

That's not to say there's nothing the government could do to improve the welfare system. But the idea that costs are "out of control" compared to the past is wrong and leads to misdiagnosis.

im hearing he was a disturbed person with functionally illegible politics

Hadn't realised it, but the omission I highlighted from Rayner's initial statement was crucial. It was the fact that she relied on advice that fell short of being appropriately specialist tax advice, and came with clear warnings to that effect, that has felled her.

A missing element that I would have thought she might include: a formal complaint to the relevant professional body against whoever advised her incorrctly. Doesn't seem unreasonable given the seriousness of the consequences, and would reinforce the message that she was relying on advice.

12 days too late: *tale

Once again it baffles me how Policy Exchange get a pass, as if they're some sort of respectable think tank. They're funded by dark money and trying to break up the country by spreading obvious lies.

Today's case study in rubbish campaigning underpinned by poor policy analysis: the radio industry in Australia, making unrealistic demands that don't take account of real-world developments. james.cridland.net/blog/2025/in...

Sarah was a prominent volunteer throughout my time at the MND Association; I found this a touching and delightful story to start the day with. And another cautionary tail about knee-jerking at the slightest mention of AI. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Bookmark this thread. It could well (unfortunately) be useful to refer back to it in future.

When I wrote about the dangers of crying wolf, stories about looming fish and chip shop closures were the case study I used. I see they've resurfaced again today. I've no doubt times are tough, but 1 in 3 shops didn't close back in 2022 and I doubt half (as claimed by the Guardian) face closure now.

Yep. Hard to take in, isn't it?

Lots of great insight in this IPPR research. Particualrly helpful if you happen to be in the early stages of developing a Local Transport Plan!

I've just said "house style isn't a democracy, it's a benign dictatorship", and I think that is my peak editor/chief sub moment and I can go home for ever now

So, are there modern examples of successful rollback of authoritarian takeovers - proper, convincing restorations of democracy and the rule of law - without civil war and/or foreign invasion? What's the playbook, or has it not been written yet?

Enjoyed this both for the analysis of the policy impact and for the case study of terrible campaigning. They made mistake #4 from my 'five policy pitfalls' article back on Policy for Campaigns, and sundry campaigning blunders on top of it... policyforcampaigns.substack.com/p/policy-pul...

It was lore when I was a student that in the 1990s the faculty board voted on whether to demolish this building, as it was so obviously a terrible failure, utterly unsuitable for its intended use. One of the grand old men of the faculty - Geoffrey Elton, even? - cast the deciding vote against.

Good grief - looks like Network Rail* has been deliberately deceiving people into submitting comments on a planning portal in support of its Liverpool St plans. Totally unacceptable for a public body. www.victoriansociety.org.uk/national-new... *(an agency it is paying to act on its behalf)

Called this in the EV strategy I authored: there's a plausible scenario in which EVs drive an increase in private motoring and therefore congestion (absent other policy interventions).

Please don't plug keyboards or other devices into random USB ports, ok?

Bleak times in my town. Self-appointed strongman leader deploying his own private security force to the streets, looking to marginalise local authority and police, urging residents to "fight". Pretty clear which political tradition this is in. www.bedfordindependent.co.uk/were-reclaim...

A reminder of how long ago April 2023 was: X was still Twitter back then. And yet the government thinks nothing of enough significance has happened since to make it review whether it should use X...!

Interesting article this, and a good illustration of how motorsport in general (this journalist included) hasn't grasped the extent to which the future is electric for road cars. It'll be much more obvious by the 2030s, and motorsport risks looking really weird... www.autosport.com/f1/news/why-...

Like that recent example where the Government worked side-by-side with civil society to design reforms to the welfare sys- Oh.

More than 20 years ago I was a member of a focus group when Teach First was being set up. Everyone else in the group liked the idea of calling it Learning to Lead, and I was a lone voice in arguing Teach First was the better name and L2L would work as a strapline. So... you're welcome, I guess.

Arrests are possible in this case because of the criminal conviction. In many other patient harm scandals, where the NHS has circled the wagons and the truth emerges slowly, partially or not at all, arrests never happen even though, at least sometimes, they should. news.sky.com/story/three-...

Conflicted about the loss of the Royal Train. Trains are expensive things and it's clearly a throwback to past times that's hard to justify. Then again, binning off a train and switching to helicopters sends an absolutely terrible signal.

The parallels and contrasts between health and transport get more and more fascinating. The Government has promised a new directing mind (GBR) and passenger watchdog (supposedly Passenger Watch, now likely a beefed up Transport Focus / ORR, possibly merged)for the railways.

The parallel between Starmer and May seems ever stronger. The PIP rebellion is the monstering given to her Brexit deal, after which her position was irrecoverable. McSweeney is Nick and Fiona rolled into one; their replacement shored her up, but ultimately couldn't remedy her weaknesses as PM.