Tom Gleeson

As per tradition, a cat picture for the first post on a new platform. Biscuit aka Ginger Puss

A very busy budget but on a macro level not much happening. Tax as a % of GDP *falls* in 2026/27 by a teensy 0.05%. Then it rises, by about 0.2% in 2030/31 These numbers are irrelevant compared to all the baked in tax rises post-2021.

Protesting taxi drivers are driving slowly in Dublin city centre towards Merrion Square. Dublin Bus said that its services across the city centre may experience delays and disruption as a result jrnl.ie/7208119

I have just thrown a bomb into the WhatsApp group chat. There are 2 and even 3 cars for each flat all causing fights for parking spaces - except for me as I don’t run a car and use public transport. They’ve ‘freed up’ an extra car space. And I have said it should be used for secure bike parking. 🚲💣

TheJournal.ie: Traffic disruption in Dublin city centre as taxi drivers stage protest

Turns out the Easter European male was a very local Irish guy from a big family in the town so pitchforks have been cancelled and a new found concern for mental health has been awakened.

your regular reminder that FT Edit is a cheap way to get quite a lot of the FT in your life www.ft.com/ft-edit

Can't help enjoying the discussion and debate over 'association' and 'associate membership'. Takes me back to PhD days

One of the all-timer campaigns this, as the country went from boom to bust. Series of other photos just as good. Could have been an absolute legend of an after party session spot.

A holiday in Cambodia. It's tough, kid, but it's life.

cannot stop laughing

Roscommon Pledge To End Witch Trials Next Year https://loom.ly/vNU5XIU

Your regular reminder that the default setting for taxi drivers - the angriest of all professions - is FUMMIN.

Six years ago, Yaxley Lennon harassed Byline writers Mike Stuchbery and Tim Fenton so badly that they eventually left the country. (He also promised to pay me a visit!) Anyone condoning these kinds of tactics doesn't believe in a free press. It's a license for thuggery.

John Healey before delivering his Budget speech vs. John Healey after delivering his Budget speech. #Budget #BudgetDay #Budget26

An outstanding film, and very hard to find on streaming or physical release.

Big truck, tiny truck!

Can't really drop something that never was an option in the first place, there's no such thing as associate membership of the EU. Nearest thing is the EAA, but that's not membership, that's rule-taking without a vote, doubt Canada would be up to that. Closer association it'll be then.

While looking for a specific BASIC game for this year's Halloween feed, Google started making up BASIC games for me. Not quite what I was looking for. I do appreciate it decided to give me pumpkin-themed line highlighting, though.

We, a rural household in a Greater Dublin ex-urb, are 300m from a 10 buses-a-day bus stop, 6km from an every-half-hour (and soon to a 24hr) bus service, 10km from a suburban railway station, 13km from a LUAS stop. #speirgorm

The fact that neither President of Finland or PM of Norway were able to see how Jaroslav the Wise's protection of the Pechenegs is the root of why Ukraine attacked itself just indicates the depth of their Russophobia.

I saved this recipe last night, so I’m grateful for the warning it’sdisgusting.

I’ll say this for Bluesky, we all seem to despise Sinn Féin.

'The solution is obvious'... keep right wing upper class firebrands away from the levers of power?

in fairness, if I were Ivan Yates and I'd fallen so low as to end up on this podcast, I would also be asking "Is All Hope Lost?"

Betting on sporting events is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You need to study the form, make use of insider information and always be sure you can cover the spread.

this is categorically insane

Oops

The best-performing gambler on Polymarket is a pseudonymous account that made $12mn trading on sports events under the name “swisstony” - @chriscook.news @olihawkins.com @stephistacey.ft.com on what analysis of 170mn bets made by 1.2mn retail accounts reveals www.ft.com/content/06c5...

A movement born in Malta wants to change tourism rules by involving hotels in local community life, returning visitors' wealth to residents and curbing gentrification.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has defended the leaders of Finland and Norway for reaching out to Russian leader Vladimir Putin as part of efforts to reach a peace deal.

10y gilt yield was 5.33% when he started talking and it's 5.33% now. This counts as a win

Welp, give people what they want, I guess. Back in 1990s, during the Yugoslav Wars they launched, the MPs of Slobodan Milošević's party used to say in parliament that we will persevere under sanctions by "eating roots, if necessary" (while those same MPs were swimming in BMWs).

"...on the other hand, there is also a geostrategic, primarily economic, aspiration toward the European Union." That's Serbia for you - EU should give us free monies, while we root for Russia. Our society thinks it is entitled to it "bEcAuSe tHeY b0mBed uS, n0t fAiR". ⬇️

"Israel went into this election split down the middle. "On these numbers, it has come out of it the same way - with a majority against Mr Netanyahu, but no majority yet for anyone else." Arab turnout is the big story. www.rte.ie/news/analysi...

I can't. I just can't anymore ...

Look, I’m as surprised as anyone that an ethnonationalist party wants the restrict citizenship

If you want investment % of GDP to rise and trade deficit % GDP to fall, public plus private consumption % of GDP must also fall (arithmetic), and luckily the US has one sector whose consumption % versus peers sticks out like a giant sore thumb, so get to it! www.ft.com/content/631a...

Question: "What is the likely impact of Kylian Mbappe's supposed blunder regarding a meme of Chairman Mao's torso with Kylian's head on it?" Answer: "It is too early to tell."