Chris Mason says old people will be reluctant to pay a charge for the national care service, 'when they may not get their money back'. In the last ten years I have spent thousands on house insurance. I don't like paying it, but I really don't want to get my money back. What's the difference?

I calculate that the CEO of Thames Water, next year will be paid (I didn't say 'earn'). £1.247m, including £99k performance related, £120k cash in lieu of pension contributions, and £34k medical, car, accommodation and security

Reform won control of three county councils in May. Now it's spending £1.5mn of taxpayers' money trying to stop local government reorganisation – despite making no mention of it in its election manifesto. Our latest analysis looks at what's happening, why, and what comes next ⤵️

Why do Angela Rayner's tax problems still stop her running for the leadership? She was cleared of all charges on the Stockport house, by HMRC, GM Police and the council. On the Hove flat she paid the wrong rate of stamp duty. The difference is £40k. Not complicated. Not comparable to a £5m donation.

With five political parties in contention, a government can be elected with under a quarter of the votes cast This is undemocratic and dangerous. This petition is calling for a national commission to review reform to our voting system. Please sign. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/76...

We can debate whether MPs who switch parties ought to face a byelection. But Jenrick is a special case. In 2024 he won as a Conservative with 39% of the vote. Reform came third with only 15%. The electors of Newark were clear, they didn't want a Reform MP. Surely a byelection would be proper

Can AI be creative? For the first day of Christmas I tested it, asking Perplexity AI to write a short story about a partridge and a pear tree. There is a proper debate about whether this is, or is not, a good thing. But I have read worse by real people. eastangliabylines.co.uk/lifestyle/cu...

News keeps reporting 'the government's' failings. The 'governments' that allowed the Covid fraud schemes, and the Steaknife cover up, had nothing to do with the current one. But for the casual listener it merges into a constant flow of stories of 'government' failures. No wonder people are angry.

Immigration should be stopped, sustainability policies are a fraud, and white men are the most persecuted minority. Could a party whose voters believe these things really win a majority in parliament? eastangliabylines.co.uk/party-politi...

Starmer said "Britain stands at a fork in the road. We can choose decency or division... A country proud of its values.. or one that succumbs.. to the politics of grievance." It was ironic that Nigel Farage's response was to express grievance at the way he had been characterised.

From Focaldata. How first past the post works in a five party world. Government elected by 30% of voters (perhaps less than 20% of electorate) is not democracy, and is a recipe for division.

We have an increaslingly bizarre politics dominated by two strange parties, each with only a single, unachievable, policy. For 'Our Party' its Gaza. For Reform UK Ltd its irregular migration. Neither policy will make any difference to most people's lives. Yet voters seem willing to support them.

Last year 1,300 violent or sexual offences were reported to the police in Epping. Perhaps three were allegedly carried out by an asylum seeker. The protests are not about protecting 'our women and children' . eastangliabylines.co.uk/politics/loc...

Last year’s Winter Fuel Payment cuts were unfair and unworkable. Labour is rowing back, and there is a fair fix: tax wealthier pensioners to protect poorer ones. Read the simple but ingenious solution. eastangliabylines.co.uk/news/welfare...

The College of Psychiatrists oppose the End of Life Bill because some people might be suicidal. So I have 6 months to live, I am in pain, my quality of life is poor, and my family are watching me decline. Of course I am suicidal, but a psychiatrist can 'convince me not to end my life. Why?

Many of the people protesting about immigration have been told that all the ills of our society will be solved if we keep immigrants out. It is nonsense, those problems will get worse if we restrict immigration as Yvette Cooper is proposing. This policy is a disaster, as The Bear points out.

Can anybody show evidence that universities are abusing the student visa scheme as Yvette Cooper is claiming?

The irony is the revolution against technocrats will end with officials running the councils because Reform councillors will have no idea what to do + many don't even want to be doing it.

One of the great economic voices of the left. 6 minutes on how we got into this mess. Key message is that in the 1980s the most important effect of Reagonomics was not the immediate impact on the rich or the poor, but on the people in the middle. We now live with the consequences.

The IRS launched its own tax filing program that allowed taxpayers to file taxes for free. Tax prep companies like Intuit lobbied for years to stop the IRS from doing this.  Intuit donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration. Now Trump is gutting the program. Hello?

@rory-stewart.bsky.social on your 19th March podcast you raised the issue of how we want to use the land. You might want to look at the current government consultation on a land strategy.