Before Twitter was taken over by a Nazi: Twitter is not Britain, you see. After Twitter became X, home of the Nazis: we have to stay on Twitter, because that's where Britain is.

Boxing Day stroll up The Cobbler was quite glorious

In response to the reappearance of MMT, I have, somewhat reluctantly, written up where the current crop of 'pop MMT' goes wrong. The short version: yes the central bank issues money; no this doesn't change anything. criticalfinance.org/2025/12/19/w...

New substack: why so many people are content with economic stagnation: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/wallowing-...

Have written a piece teeing up tomorrow's labour market stats, pointing out the sort-of obvious - that we currently have a problem with unemployment (i.e. demand) not just participation (i.e. supply). www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

New labour market stats, 16-64yrs, Aug-Oct '25: Employment: Scotland 74.9%; UK 74.9% Unemployment: 3.9%; 5.2% Inactivity: 22%; 21% Change on year: Employment: Scotland +1.6%; UK 0% Unemployment: +0.2%; +0.8% Inactivity: -1.9%; -0.7%

BLOG - You can have this information but it will cost you £630. Following a previous blog highlighting how land sale prices are being concealed, Registers of Scotland, has refused an FoI request & will charge £630 for the info on the price paid for land. andywightman.scot/2025/12/you-...

Might be delivered with an investment banker's unwavering confidence but the grim shallowness of Reform's diagnosis of and prescription for Scotland's ills is laid bare in this interview. And, no, being a bit skint at Uni doesn't give you any real insight into poverty www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

On the face of it, the Scottish figures are remarkable. Anyone know of serious research currently taking place into Scotland's comparative performance on SEN? www.ft.com/content/8252...

President Trump’s executive orders ended collective bargaining rights for more than 1 million federal workers, which sparked widespread concerns about the future of worker protections. UK Employment Rights Bill promises to reverse many of the restrictions placed on unions cepr.org/voxeu/column...

Sure, we're the weak and decaying ones...

Scrapping the #TwoChildLimit is a huge win. But child maintenance reform still leaves big gaps, and families deserve better. We’re ready to help deliver real change. Full statement: opfs.org.uk/get-involved...

Most households subject to the two-child limit already have at least one adult in work. Of the minority of households that are not in work, more than nine-in-ten have a child under three or a disabled family member with additional care needs, making any return to the labour market challenging.

'us v them' framing in all its guises is utterly poisonous to social democracy and therefore should be avoided like the plague by anyone interested in progressing anything that vaguely looks like social democracy

This was very informative for me, if also rather worrying paulkrugman.substack.com/p/talking-wi...

Scotland has, quite understandably, something of an obsession with the Nordics. But if we're going to learn from them, let's try to do it properly. My piece from Thursday's @heraldscotland.bsky.social business supplement

Quite seriously, this is the best song ever written about the destruction of social capital. Jeely Piece songwriter Adam McNaughtan dies aged 86 - BBC News share.google/PZuS8dfwHD6j...

I wrote a long essay on the myth of Scottish exceptionalism for @inkstickmedia.com, featuring Braveheart, anti-immigration protests in Falkirk, rise of the saltire flags, Thatcher in Scotland and so on. Thanks to @patrickobrienstrickland.com for giving this essay a lovely home 👇🏾 tinyurl.com/4n8u5tsu

Britain’s largest long-term macro problem is a shortage of *private* investment. This is not new.

beyond shocking to hear Krugman commit the 'Denmark has high a minimum wage' fallacy www.ft.com/content/14c3...

Something that is likely to be overlooked in all this: Richard helped broaden fiscal thinking on public investment, the wider balance sheet & the crucial implications of health/disability for growth, spending & revenues. Hope that thinking continues. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

All the 2 child limit did was to "increase poverty" explains @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social We didn't hear nearly enough this week about the 2CL being an abject failure on its own terms. A different kind of conversation about social security is badly needed theconversation.com/the-two-chil...

Absolutely disagree with stopping state pension for wealthiest and means-testing. Doesn’t cost much and would be the road to reducing year after year who is eligible. Keep universal benefits universal. No other wealthy country means tests state pensions.

No, welfare spending is not 'out of control'. (There is an underlying rise in health-related benfits, but this needs sensible reform - not knee jerk cuts.)

Been wearing this t-shirt for the last 15 years so it's nice to see the OBR (kinda) catch-up. Considering the productivity revision was of such importance to this budget the treatment of structural drivers/sectoral composition is worryingly flimsy. Not a single ref to Baumol in 60 pgs. Remarkable.

Read @stephenboydippr.bsky.social's full response to the UK Budget 👇 www.ippr.org/media-office...

The UK government's decision to remove the two-child limit is a welcome one; it will lift around 20,000 children in Scotland out of poverty. ✒️ @stephenboydippr.bsky.social responds to the Budget ⤵️

Today the government is lifting the 2-child limit – a major IPPR win that boosts incomes and improves opportunities for ~ 1.6m children. Extra income in low-income families boosts health and attainment. By the end of the parliament, 450,000 fewer children will live in poverty. A landmark moment.

Ten children in every classroom are living in poverty — in the sixth richest country in the world. The two-child limit has played a particularly damaging role in this. ✒️ @ashwin-kumar.bsky.social responds to the Budget 👇

Removal of the 2 child limit is hugely welcome. This one measure will immediately lift 20,000 children in Scotland out of poverty. Props to those in Scotland - and elsewhere - who campaigned relentlessly for its removal. #Budget

ENERGY BILLS! Paying for the renewables obligation brings the UK in line with other countries. Early investments in renewables were innovation spending, strange and unfair to get consumers to pay for that.

Delighted to see the Chancellor has taken forward the recommendation from Gordon Brown, @smfthinktank.bsky.social and @ippr.org to increase taxes on gambling. We called for this hugely profitable industry to contribute to ending the two child limit for benefits

7:15am and already bored/tired/frustrated by numerous 'black hole' references on BBC Radio Scotland. What was the point of the Dilnot Review? Were BBC presenters ever told of its findings? share.google/RTxF7uhSsFfc...

My pre-budget take for the LSE Politics blog is up: Labour are unable to articulate any vision or sense of purpose. Much of the left has convinced itself that government spending can be maintained without broad-based tax increases. Not a great budget backdrop. blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

"Much of the left appears to have convinced itself that wealth tax is all that is needed. This is incorrect — and an incessant focus on wealth taxation is obscuring the need for broader tax increases." Clear and interesting piece by @jomichell.bsky.social: blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

RF are pro MW, but we agree it's 2nd order to benefits in tackling poverty. Big fight with Osborne over that re tax credit cuts in 2015. One example: a 2-earner 3-kid family on MW wld have been *worse* off in 2024 than 2014 despite real earnings up 27% www.resolutionfoundation.org/publications...

Policymakers, if you want to base your decisions on AI slop, generate it yourselves instead of paying Deloitte through the nose to do it. #healthpolicy theindependent.ca/news/lji/maj...

Scream it from the rooftops 🧵 on.ft.com/3XGBvuZ via @FT

When someone tells you complex societal challenges have simple answers, they're either stupid or hoping you are. When they say those answers are more cruelty to a certain group, they're also evil and hoping you are.

Delighted to publish this @nuffieldfoundation.org funded work as part of @safety-nets.bsky.social our major study examining the extent, nature and impacts of the devolution (and localisation) of social security within the UK. Vital new analysis from @alexclegg.bsky.social

Recently, we attended @ipprscotland.bsky.social 10 year anniversary event. CR participant James sat on a panel titled: 'Can Scotland meet its poverty targets' alongside CPAG and the Poverty Truth Community. He wrote a wonderful speech which can be read here: changingrealities.org/writings/cha...

What are the big problems facing Scotland today? Apparently it's that too few people are dressing like grouse beaters... www.heraldscotland.com/politics/vie...

@scotiet.bsky.social, is a charity supporting young Scots to overcome financial obstacles in order to study overseas. I've just set up its Bluesky account and would really welcome some follows to get things moving. If you'd like to know more about us - www.scottishinternationaleducationtrust.org/o

Noone will believe this but actually managed to watch the full game - completely uninterrupted - on Avanti West Coast wifi. Incredible stuff

Some inspiring words on cinema in the streaming era from the Pope. Yes, THAT Pope.

New Substack: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/on-incompe... Parts of the Labour party and BBC simply don't know what their jobs should be.

NEW Policy Insights: Next steps for city-region policy in Scotland 💡📝 Where does policy need to go next and what opportunities are there to strengthen regional working? @davidwglasgow.bsky.social @graemeroy.bsky.social @stuartgmcintyre.bsky.social, Niall MacKenzie 🔗 www.gla.ac.uk/research/az/...

"More young adults to leave UK because of low salaries and rising tax burden" - on.ft.com/498VbP7 I really don't understand why the FT carries stories based largely on quotes from wealth managers. It's very thin stuff

Manufacturing accounts for 8% of UK economy: should we try & increase this? Yes (imv), but it's important to distinguish some good arguments for this from bad ones (and recognise some uncertainties) my blogpost: softmachines.org?p=3180

travelling down this road, knowing the delights of An Teallach are only minutes away...bliss bsky.app/profile/74fr...