Well at least we made it to the third day of this Test. #thecricket

Just. Do. The. Draw. #theworldcuip

Because it happens in slow-motion we (still) tend to underappreciate the scale of demographic change & its profound implications for society. Compare (expected) UK child population in 2035 to that in 1971. Scotland = 44% lower, Wales = 30% lower, Northern Ireland = 34% lower & England 16% lower

Often there isn’t a “different paradigm”; it’s just someone very confident about their new way to be wrong.

One of the greats. I was listening to the 500 Songs episode on Dock of the Bay last night which has a great account of his importance to the songwriting. Though, of course, I first knew his music through the cricket.

I've been listening to a different album every day from the "1001 Albums to Listen to Before You Die" generator. I'm now in the bit where it's picks of people who have completed. Spotify wrapped has no way of analysing me. It puts me in some eclectic bucket of 3% of listeners and thinks I'm 74.

Perhaps Richard Hughes' resignation should be honoured with the OBR repot now always being released before the budget. Then it won't have been in vain. Richard is an old colleague, a first rate official and as we all can see now a good and honourable man.

This story is starting to make me feel I’m going slightly mad - maybe RR overdid the gloom, but the tax rises are paying for a) the welfare U-turns b) the £10bn-plus increase in headroom c) scrapping the two child limit d) bits of other spending eg higher local gov costs 🤷🏻‍♀️

Rightly lots of debates about growth this weekend - rightly because it was low productivity growth that saw wages entirely flatline during the 2010s.

Whatever you think of the handling, there’s no way £4bn surplus was enough. She’s given herself headroom and targeted inflation to bring down borrowing costs. Those are ‘good’ things to do.

"Karie's Party"

I think these lads can drop the "Labour" bit in their next rebrand.

This blog post by Helen Toner (well-known by some for a stint on the OpenAI board) is *really really* interesting because it is the first thing I've read by someone in Frontier AI that starts to get to grips with sociotechnical concerns open.substack.com/pub/helenton...

Does Daisy Cooper really believe there are "billions and billions" to be raised in tax in the UK from Elon Musk? It's a baffling position.

James Murray arguing NI on salary sacrifice pensions is about controlling the cost, and no doubt it has risen under DC. A better argument might be no NI is paid on pension income (unlike Income Tax) so this is about fairness in tax system with high earners most likely to gain from salary sacrifice?

I have many many deep criticisms of Badenock but fair play, she pronounced Smorgasbord pretty well. The sort of thing that you can trip over in a speech.

OK, 4 then...

After an "interesting" lead up this is a good budget. The right measures given the constraints. NI on pension salary sacrifice sensible, EV tax sensible - you can't just let the tax base on cars drain. New council tax bands done in the right way. Div tax undetsandable. It's a good overall package

BTW. Never ever schedule uploads of market sensitive or time sensitive material folks. It only takes a person putting 11.30 instead of 1.30 by mistake and there you are.

The thing that jumped out was the importance of the "printing schedule for the Evening Standard" as the reason for early briefing of the budget. Only 12 years and a whole world of media ago.

I recommend English Teacher. Just saw their Brighton gig. Such a good band.

New on my Substack: Will the Machine Ever Learn How to Teach? (I'm afraid it's a little on the long side...) substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Australians had to resort to Bazball so I think we won the argument? #TheAshes

OK, there's time they could come back tomorrow and go again? #theashes

The first in a set of posts with some thoughts about Public Service Broadcasting in the context of Charter Review. This one is on a platform for UK content and rules on due prominence All comments/views welcome. open.substack.com/pub/ianmoss/...

Who had Crawley out for a duck driving outside off stump.? Oh, wait you all did.

They are playing Jennifer Warnes as one of the originals on BBC4 and I didn't even know there had been a cover that apparently I should know better. #BBC4

Ah Carole King. Nominative determinism as she is undoubted in the royalty of songwriting. #BBC4

I have had to pop over to X to stop you posting that bloody Guardian screenshot about Starmer

Do we borrow from the bond market?” Er, yes.

I've always thought the cycle "to work" scheme was mad. Tax breaks for high rate payers to buy a bike of any cost based on some absurd public policy incentive that long since made no sense. Also drippingly London civil service about how commuting works in the rest of the country.

On BBC and Robbie Gibb, the public policy question is how appointments are made and how independence of the BBC is protected. I'm deeply uncomfortable with the idea that Government should hire and fire members of the BBC board. There will be other types of government.

I have written some stuff about BBC/Public Service broadcasting which I'll start putting out soon. I don't think there's enough public policy debate - when I was doing broadcasting/Charter Review in the regulator and Government there was an industry around it. Now everyone has moved on to "tech".

Alan Carr used to drink in my local in London - the Noble on Crouch Hill - and was utterly delightful and friendly. That's it. That's the story. #celebritytraitors

What an absolute riot. amazing. What idiots. He couldn't help himself and they still trusted him. What a game. #celebritytraitors

I think I'm rooting for the traitors. I think it's just a better achievement to get all the way as a traitor. #CelebrityTraitors

There's no mic on the audience at this Labour special conference so there are some long silent pauses whilst presumably the audience clap.

Closer than some presumed

I finished the 1001 albums to listen to before you die. I’m onto picks from other finishers. I was sceptical at today’s episode offering which only spent two weeks in the UK charts, reaching 28 but it might just be one of the greatest electro pop albums of all time. open.spotify.com/album/0VwDeP...

Our corrupt election brings a new mayor. The winner this year raised £5280 for his votes. Money goes to various village causes.

The BBC are accidentally running the subtitles to Mrs Marple over the Mercury Prize, and it’s rather wonderful. A few of lines could plausibly have been written by Jarvis.

Mercury Awards always my favourite. Had many happy years of attending and always loved the atmosphere. Very artist friendly event. CMAT, Fontaines or Wolf Alice for me this year. Three great albums. That's that Richard Hawley playing guitar with Pulp isn't it? #mercuryawards

Godfather 2, Love and Death and Annie Hall are in my top ten and Keaton was outstanding in them all, a serious actor and a slapstick comic with perfect delivery. RIP www.theguardian.com/film/2025/oc...

Just caught up with Badenoch's speech and it's quite expensive isn't it?

Am I too old to read a Discworld novel? I hear they are recommended.

This use case of generative AI is,of course, also why governments don’t need to pay millions to use Deloitte any more.

Sarah Mullally is (or will be when formally installed) the first Archbishop of Canterbury to share her surname with anyone who played multiple Tests for England since Matthew Hutton in 1758. More recently Geoffrey Fisher and Rowan Williams shared theirs with one Test wonders.

Starmer missed the opportunity for a shout out to warm beer and village cricket in that section.

I don’t want to start a row but the Welsh Flag I’ve been handed to wave is bigger than the Scottish Flag.

I have a seat and a table in the Pullman at Labour Conference and I may never move. Though I have an idea that I could earn some money by subletting it by the half hour.