It's only one pollster, but still those Grn vs Lab numbers are something.

Polanski: "A woman said to me 'we aren't obsessed with immigration in Dover, we want to talk about the NHS, our libraries, our schools.' "So we're having a #bbcqt immigration special: when are we going to have a Cost Of Living Special, or a Climate Special, or a Tax The Rich Special?" Damn right.

The blatant framing of UK politics by #BBC continues unabated with a #bbcqt special on immigration in Dover. An editorial decision by the programme. No special programme on the economy, the cost of living crisis or the NHS.

The arms race is undermining the green transition as critical minerals are diverted for the military. Our briefing on the Pentagon’s return to stockpiling from Lorah Steichen in @theguardian.com. www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/dec/04/critical-minerals-military-us-pentagon-climate-crisis

All of the companies that make the software I use are increasing their prices, to account for an "investment" in AI. I'm sat here imagining how my clients would feel if I added 30% to each invoice, because I "really got into gambling".

What's worrying is that I've heard this "overdiagnosis" line from perfectly rational people, who have been primed to a) be frightened of neurodivergence in their own kids and b) assume everyone else is on the make while they're the sucker playing fair.

Or maybe diagnosis is at last catching up with the crises so many have been enduring, which have for so long been minimised, dismissed or ignored. share.google/1aKjHRJ596x6...

Wes Streeting claims there are too many diagnoses of anxiety, autism, and ADHD. But when people are oppressed by neoliberalism, and others cannot comply with its demand for uniformity, he is really seeking to destroy evidence of dissent for his toxic worldview. www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/12...

Being a class member against Anthropic is nice and all I guess but I don’t want settlement money, I want the book I carved out of my trauma as a warning against unregulated tech to be taken out of the machine that pollutes small towns to encourage people to kill themselves

This will be unbelievably controversial but *if* it's a genuine clinical review getting at all the unanswered questions about what's driving anxiety/depression/mh in young people, (incl relationships to phones, access to services & much more) then cd be useful www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar...

Left: Financial Post, "Canada reaches deal to join EU's flagship defence program" Right: Bloomberg, "Talks for UK to Join Flagship EU Defence Fund End in Failure" Labour's 'make Brexit work' disaster #...

One of the most common replies in any discussion of universal basic income is "but how do we pay for it?" and not once do those same people ever question the costs incurred by not doing UBI. We spend $1.5 trillion every year on the costs of child poverty alone. Poverty ain't free, folks. WE ALL PAY.

No guarantee a sandwich would stop hunger pains, stomach told.

UK using more wood to make electricity than ever, Drax figures show. Drax burns wood, the most expensive electricity, biggest UK polluter. Drax is highly profitable. Received subsidies for years, will receive £458.6m a year between 2027 and 2031. Govt doesn't take any equity stake.

Our 2025 highlights, including books on the Global South, Palestine, Marxist theory, and more. Through the rest of the year, save up to 50% on these and all titles site-wide.

Today on Volts: while some blue states hedge on their green commitments, Illinois is doubling down, passing its third major energy bill in a decade. Among other things, this one empowers the state's utility regulator to directly procure clean energy. I get into it w/ two of its architects.

Oh look, another techbro in his 50’s who’s suddenly decided he’s the only one who can save the world. The simultaneous midlife crises of the techbros are a crucial reason we are where we are.

I … I don’t think the guy building a giant surveillance state mechanism gets to state what “truly progressive” is? Right? www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

It's just that cultural & social forces are fuzzy, difficult to define, & impossible to quantify, so the Cleverest Boys who dominate political commentary ignore them. After all, if the best political analysis comes from wisdom & judgment, heck *anyone* can do it & there goes their precious guild.

We've somehow made the "vibecession" into a deep mystery, but it's only mysterious if you insist that discontent is a mechanical outgrowth of material circumstances! In our real lives, we understand that discontent has *many* sources, *most* of which are cultural or social.

I've come to think that one of the most important & ubiquitous analytical errors in politics is trying to translate all expressions of angst or discontent in the populace into economic terms. "If people are upset, the *real* reason must be changing material circumstances" is a quasi-religious tenet.

This is what frustrates me so much about these articles: Propagating the narrative that large numbers of kids are faking disabilities is just going to result in a world where disabled people are *even more* scrutinized when they ask for accommodations!

In other news, the Telegraph has published an article frothing about Dungeons & Dragons being woke, and the gaming community is ripping it to pieces for being stupid (and disingenuous).

Bank of England warns of AI bubble risk, "sharp correction" in the value of major tech companies. Repetition of dotcom mania, binge funded by banks. Govt response - deregulation and lower capital requirements for banks. Strategy for avoiding the crash?

UK Govt bends to Trump's imperialism. NHS to pay 25% more (3bn) for drugs after UK–US tariff deal. Money will buy less, higher taxes or longer healthcare queues as Trump wants bigger profits for US companies. Build your supply chains or be blackmailed. Whatever happened to 'take back control'?

Currently dorking out over this graph about child mortality with my brother. Just mind boggling to take in.

BREAKING: Pope Leo announces that the Catholic Church supports Palestinian statehood. He went on to call out Netanyahu for refusing to recognize Palestinian statehood. I launched this global petition calling on the USA to recognize Palestinian statehood. Please do sign & share: c.org/zqgdSZKDVn

So often the story on climate leaves us in despair. But for Prof Jules Pretty, there's plenty of good news after COP30. Solar costs are plunging, EV adoption is soaring and countries choosing renewables are saving billions. The story is turning. Read the good news here ⤵️ @eastangliabylines.co.uk

What is the incentive for Reform? I think much more likely is what happened in Canada - to which @pimlicat.bsky.social has been pointing for a while - a complete takeover of the Conservatives by Reform. ~AA www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"They're trying to change our habits, because all of the projections rely on people becoming truly dependent on the technology. Whether or not it's actually a good thing for society isn't considered to be a factor."

"All of this falls apart if humans don't adopt the tech. This is why you've seen Meta cram its lame chatbots into WhatsApp and Instagram. This is why Notepad and Paint now have useless Copilot buttons on Windows. This is why Google Gemini wants to "help you" read and reply to your emails."

People do not use information to determine their social identities; they use their social identities to determine what counts as information. The climate fight is, and has always been, an identity fight. Gonna talk with @samuel-bagg.bsky.social about this soon.

Imagining that the climate battle is about *information* -- that those who have good information will act; that those who aren't acting must be lacking information -- has been utterly disastrous for decades now, but advocates & pols can't seem to break out of it.

That MSPs are now openly saying stuff like this is chilling. "Controversial groups like LGBT Youth Scotland"? LGBTYS didn't need to be in my schools for me to be gay, but they sure as hell would have helped me avoid 9 years of fear and self-loathing if they had been. Despicable stuff.

Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes. If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.

The reality, of course, is that Miller and a significant portion of Trump’s base are the ones who failed to assimilate to America’s post-WWII culture of multi-racial democracy & religious pluralism…and they are now using their power to destroy that once dominant (and still popular) American culture.

Lol he can't find an architect willing to build the ugly fucking building he imagines.

This is true. It is the best email I got this year.

Big development as the UK government rules out any new North Sea oil and gas exploration. A decision which recognises the ongoing movement away from fossil fuels and underscores the urgency of managing the transition in a planned and just way. assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6926de...

My instant Budget reaction – everything you need to know at speed. Feel free to share. youtu.be/_P4IVLtvKN4

Enjoyed the chaplain on Thought for the Day sneaking in a call for Universal Basic Income on Budget Day

Downside: There is no plan and no courage. No attempt to sort the tax system. No strategy for the economy, like the one @johnspringford.bsky.social suggests here getting-out-of-the-hole.uk. Even good policies, like mansion tax, simply fiddle for pennies instead of properly reforming property tax.

Plus sides to today: Two-child benefit scrapped. Largely progressive tax implications. Good market reaction. No big spending cuts. Nightmare prospect of cutting funding to net zero etc avoided. It's a left-wing budget. Those who say there's no difference between Labour and Tories are bananas.

The Energy Company Obligation (ECO), an insulation scheme funded through energy bills, has been scrapped. The latest version faced structural issues and needed an overhaul, but ECO has run for over a decade, supporting a steady supply chain for retrofit businesses. So, what does this mean? 🧵1/4

🚨 BREXIT BUDGET🚨 "From 2028, I am introducing a high value council tax surcharge in England. An annual £2,500 charge for properties worth more than £2 million, rising to £7,500 for properties worth more than £5 million."

Since 2011 fuel duty freeze has cost the Treasury a whopping £133bn and added to yet more climate emissions. Freezing it yet again is reckless & irresponsible #budget2025

Raiding the Warm Homes Plan to find the money for a one-off cut to energy bills is utterly perverse when the Plan exists precisely to insulate homes & thus keep bills lower in perpetuity- this simply isn’t serious #budget2025

Reacting to the chancellor’s autumn budget, our chief executive, @dhnnjyn.bsky.social, warns that revenue from tax rises will largely not improve living standards or public services. Read our statement in full: neweconomics.org/2025/11/autu...

Budget 2025 One lesso: organise, inform, campaign, protest. UK Govt wasted 18 months, condemned millions of children to poverty. Today govt announced end of the two child benefit cap. 7 MPs had Labour whip withdrawn for opposing the cap. For 18 months Ministers defended the stupid policy.

🔴The Good News in Rachel Reeves’ Budget From lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty, to taking on the media-backed gambling lobby, there was much to praise and far less to criticise in the Chancellor’s statement, argues @adambienkov.bsky.social bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/t...