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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 3h

Thanks - will have a read later

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 6h

What's quote about always travelling towards somewhere but never actually arriving?

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Reposted by Pawel Swidlicki

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 8h

All very amusing, but especially this:

"The most popular was an “Australian-style points-based immigration system,” with a net 46 percent support. The least popular was “Britain’s current immigration policy,” with -39 percent support."

www.politico.eu/article/labo...

Brits are pining for the pre-Brexit migration system

The idea was that leaving the bloc would give the U.K. back “control” of its borders and create a fairer system. But the widespread perception is it didn’t turn out that way.

www.politico.eu

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 8h

I think the best argument in favour of nuclear weapons, as morally repugnant as they are, is 5 mins of watching Russian TV

Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 8h

Question is would they still be profitable if state-run, the record here is decidedly mixed. As for the 'one simple trick' hack, expropriation would crater business sentiment which in turn would lead to lower investment etc

Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 8h

Nationalisation might have some benefits in some cases but it would hardly be a money saver on its own terms, especially not in short term when factoring out compensation. And as for scrapping our nuclear deterrent against this geopolitical backdrop... well...

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 8h

Taxes are hardly very 'very low compared to where they've been historically', we're currently at highest since 1940s when we were engaged in an existential geopolitical conflict. We're slightly below OECD average so there is some wiggle room but as we saw last year, tax hikes are also bad for growth

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 8h

Except the revenue-raising side of the equation is not credible. Growth is anemic, taxes are already relatively high, the demographic outlook is gloomy, Truss' minibudget demonstrated that market confidence in the UK cannot be taken for granted...

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 9h

Perhaps so, I'm not an expert in the sector but I do see the case for state investment in infrastructure projects more broadly. But my point is more that for Corbyn and his supporters, state investment/provision would always be the default answer to everything

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 9h

Yes, I think that's fair, those kinds of people tend to take more of a backseat role in advisory and policy development roles. The US is a good example where Trump's ideology is very superficial but he is the top of an iceberg comprised of reactionaries and authoritarians who have a clear agenda

Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 9h

I am not saying Corbyn should've gone hardcore FBPE, but his inability to strategise meant that despite scoring a few tactical points in the process, ultimately Labour was a passenger on the journey that ended up with hard Brexit and a Johnson premiership

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 9h

Its funny, because that was my perception of Corbynism. JC did come from an intellectual tradition, but an ossified one, his leadership was not characterised by deep analysis of the moment (case study: Brexit) and policy-wise it was very much 'let's spend more on nice things' (case study: broadband)

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 10h

First Corbyn and Sultana need to meaningfully join forces within their own party, after that let's see

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 20h

Except gerrymandering has been an established practice in the US since Hungary was still Austria-Hungary

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 20h

The good news is no one has ever lost money bailing out Argentina

Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · 22h

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent says the bailout for Argentina, now doubled to $40 billion, is part of an effort to swing Latin America to the right

@jacobbogage.bsky.social @davidjlynch.bsky.social David Feliba report

www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

Bessent says bailout for Argentina will double to boost U.S. influence in region

The Trump administration is working to arrange private sector financing for Argentina that would double the total U.S. financial lifeline for the embattled Latin nation.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 1d

They have to be able to write 1000 words on how The Tempest is a critique of Colonialism?

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 1d

Got you - yes agreed, kind of what I was getting at in the original post, it just comes across as transparently insincere and cynical

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 1d

Not sure I'm catching your drift as regards the conspiracy theory aspect?

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 1d

Maybe openly communicating that you see it as a matter of domestic political voter management is part of the problem

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 2d

Labour MPs reckon that if the ceasefire holds it will be harder for opponents to mobilize against them over the Israel-Palestine issue in the next election. There are concerns though about whether the fragile agreement will hold. More in London Playbook PM.

London Playbook PM: Has he Don Keir a favor?

Presented by Rolls-Royce By EMILIO CASALICCHIO with NOAH KEATE PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser SCOOP — LOBBY TO LOBBIED: Sky News Poli…

www.politico.eu

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Reposted by Pawel Swidlicki

Tony Yates @t0nyyates.bsky.social · 1d

Surprise!

Politico @politico.com · 2d

EXCLUSIVE: Thousands of leaked messages show leaders of Young Republican groups joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape in a private Telegram chat.

Inside rising GOP leaders’ racist chats — obtained by POLITICO and spanning more than 7 months👇

‘I love Hitler’: Leaked messages expose Young Republicans’ racist chat

Thousands of private messages reveal young GOP leaders joking about gas chambers, slavery and rape.

www.politico.com

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 1d

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 2d

Funny how one of the best pro-natalist policies in the Polish context would be... abortion liberalisation

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 2d

On a related note, striking how many of the big names in conservative aligned journalism have migrated to the US...

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Pawel Swidlicki @pswidlicki.bsky.social · 2d

Introspection is not very zeigeisty

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Reposted by Pawel Swidlicki

Zach Halper @zanath.bsky.social · 7d

"We took freedom of speech away" should be in every campaign ad moving forward.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 7d

Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."

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