Tom Hill

I keep hearing people saying the data shows the cost of living crisis is a myth. A lot of this from the US admittedly where economic growth is stronger. But there is plenty of evidence the economy for most people is bad and has been for a long time now. Here’s some UK data

Obviously I want the utmost damage to Trump in the midterms, for Congress to constrain him & for a Democrat president in a couple years time. But honestly something broke in my relationship w America when Trump won the second time. I can't imagine feeling excited for an American president again.

Makes me wonder what the point of it is. The marginal cost of the oil to Putin is high [esp when fuel panics can become self-fulfilling]. Yet the benefit via US fuel prices is low to non existent.

People talk as if investing in data centers is how we should ride the AI waves but this is closer to mark. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

The odds of there being a President Ossoff at some point feel quite high...

In the simplest and most reductive way, the Uk political class seems to have resolved to pay 4% of gdp a year to investors to avoid raising taxes by 2% if gdp a year. It sounds mental when you put it like that but that’s actually the situation.

From last year...

I need to watch this speech. If it's even close to the truth, I've continued to underestimate Burnham. Feels hopeful.

as a satire on so-called late stage capitalism how could one beat investors pouring a trillion into a company offering to wipe out humankind

Between Musk and Thiel, PayPal was like the original horcrux huh?

One vaguely serious party.... it's all I ask for.

The Lib Dems continue to roll out terrible tax proposals faster than I can keep up. Today, let's have a trade war with the US to raise a teensy amount of money. buff.ly/T3Bst1Z Who writes this stuff?

As a (mild) supporter, what are the Lib Dems doing? This is a batshit idea; there's loads better ways to tackle the cost of living (whilst also encouraging economic growth) than this: www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I'm surprised this hasn't been raised before. If the US is no longer a reliable partner/actively hostile then developing our own AI capability would seem to be an existential consideration. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...

Just got round to reading this excellent analysis. What strikes me here is that a lot of the solutions being proposed in the UK and elsewhere (social media ban, reduced welfare etc) and the narrative around it all are not only punitive but making this anxiety and depression far worse.

As I understand it, one of the reasons is triple lock is so effective/bad (take your pick) is the way that economic effects can lag (e.g. inflation of 10% this year can cause a wage rise of 10% next year, leading to a pension rise of 10% in both). www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Back to the days of the Daily Heil.

A lot of discussion around on how to beat the far-right Hardly anyone mentions it, but they need to include a plan to win the war in Ukraine

Brexit being the reason young Brits aren't Reform supporters is legit the first Brexit benefit I've come across.

You can actually see the Classic/Spicy divide breaking right down the centre of the Conservative Party, when you ask them about how they feel about Trump. Classic conservatives know he's an economic disaster. Spicy conservatives don't care, as long as he's brutalizing minorities.

I wonder when the public debate will catch up with this chart. (What is this showing is that house prices measure human capital; they are the value of a basically fixed proportion of household income, capitalised at roughly the mortgage rate. It's asset pricing, not supply/demand)

That is a load bearing middle initial

As per yesterday, the case for returning some services to public control is far more political than economic, as they are a huge source of frustration as well as a symbol of failure. Not really much to do with growth. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

b) trying to "take us back to the '70s" quite wearisome, not least because the Thatcher miracle was seen everywhere but in the GDP figures. Quite happy to accept that unions were too powerful and the state didn't need to own a removals company (or a telecoms company) but not that we needed to..

Our town has two different, beautiful manhole covers and I randomly found this street that had them both together. Behold.

I've seen no mention of climate being a risk amplifier in this just yet. Presumably it is, though, as the risk of glacial collapse is surely heightened via global heating...

I wonder what Russia and North Korea's response was? 🤔

Some serious ethical issues now being raised here. Who'd have thought that a Doctor on the Daily Mail's paycheck might be unethical. 🤷‍♂️ www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

Strange and worrying. Also - not the main point - how fried is Lembit Öpik’s brain now? I remember when he was a harmless dickhead.

A blistering rebuttal to Pemberton's documentary here: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The Royal College of Psychiatrists (which Max Pemberton is a member of) has issued a statement about 'The Great ADHD Myth'. Pemberton should be sanctioned over this and potentially struck off. www.rcpsych.ac.uk/news-and-fea...

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has issued this statement "In the coming weeks we will set out a comprehensive set of measures to respond to Israeli government policies ... target sanctions at those who participate in illegal settlement expansion" Those who participate = Israeli government. #BDS