Andrew Smith
@oldboysmith.bsky.social
Just an old bloke from Bristol. Semi-retired C software engineer.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Agree with @jomichell.bsky.social here.
My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense."
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...
My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense."
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...
December 3, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Agree with @jomichell.bsky.social here.
My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense."
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...
My earlier piece: "The claim that that MMT means that a future government can dodge hard choices about how to pay for decent public services is just plain nonsense."
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/econom...
Reposted by Andrew Smith
I hope someone draws this wonderful story about Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and the power of the arts to help us see things differently, to the attention of our Education Secretary. Do read it, it will lift your spirits.
December 2, 2025 at 10:59 AM
I hope someone draws this wonderful story about Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and the power of the arts to help us see things differently, to the attention of our Education Secretary. Do read it, it will lift your spirits.
www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
Training AI on itself will probably result in mushrooms, as the old saying goes
Training AI on itself will probably result in mushrooms, as the old saying goes
‘The biggest decision yet’: Jared Kaplan on allowing AI to train itself
Anthropic’s chief scientist says AI autonomy could spark a beneficial ‘intelligence explosion’ – or be the moment humans lose control
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 1:06 PM
www.theguardian.com/technology/n...
Training AI on itself will probably result in mushrooms, as the old saying goes
Training AI on itself will probably result in mushrooms, as the old saying goes
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Reminded today of this very nice compliment from Tom Stoppard (his favorite book of 2020)
November 30, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Reminded today of this very nice compliment from Tom Stoppard (his favorite book of 2020)
Reposted by Andrew Smith
In 1949, Albert Einstein wrote WHY SOCIALISM.
Here is an extract.
Here is an extract.
November 30, 2025 at 2:00 PM
In 1949, Albert Einstein wrote WHY SOCIALISM.
Here is an extract.
Here is an extract.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Fantastic
Imagine all cars were electric, and then one Volkswagen engineer comes up with another idea …
#EMobility
#EMobility
November 29, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Fantastic
Reposted by Andrew Smith
20 years after Harry Frankfurt warned us about bullshit, we’re drowning in it.
Jane O'Grady on how sincerity became more important than truth:
Jane O'Grady on how sincerity became more important than truth:
It’s all bullshit
Harry Frankfurt warned we would end up here 20 years ago. What more can he teach us now?
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 1:40 PM
20 years after Harry Frankfurt warned us about bullshit, we’re drowning in it.
Jane O'Grady on how sincerity became more important than truth:
Jane O'Grady on how sincerity became more important than truth:
He drew the the graphs, and he drew the line at 1980, but failed to make the connection: the introduction of neo-liberalism, the consequent globalisation , and hollowing out of American industry. Nothing to do with cultural politics, or the computer age.
And the solution pro-worker AI???
And the solution pro-worker AI???
Liberalism can win back the working class. Here’s how on.ft.com/4p790CK
Liberalism can win back the working class. Here’s how
Nobel-winning economist Daron Acemoglu on Zohran Mamdani’s rise, the problem with cultural politics — and the case for pro-worker AI
on.ft.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:08 AM
He drew the the graphs, and he drew the line at 1980, but failed to make the connection: the introduction of neo-liberalism, the consequent globalisation , and hollowing out of American industry. Nothing to do with cultural politics, or the computer age.
And the solution pro-worker AI???
And the solution pro-worker AI???
Reposted by Andrew Smith
The guy shot two random people with a gun, I don't think you can say he wasn't assimilating into our culture
Stephen Miller is now arguing that assimilation is fundamentally impossible and that certain cultures are not compatible with Western civilization
November 28, 2025 at 3:23 PM
The guy shot two random people with a gun, I don't think you can say he wasn't assimilating into our culture
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Kinnock voice - "I’ll tell you what happens with impossible promises. You start with far-fetched resolutions....and you end up in the grotesque chaos of a Labour government, a *Labour* government, rejecting visas for homeless 8 yr olds trying to joing their parents"
November 28, 2025 at 10:43 AM
Kinnock voice - "I’ll tell you what happens with impossible promises. You start with far-fetched resolutions....and you end up in the grotesque chaos of a Labour government, a *Labour* government, rejecting visas for homeless 8 yr olds trying to joing their parents"
Reposted by Andrew Smith
A very important job for policy intellectuals right now, I think, is making the positive case for immigration - not just the economic case, tho that is helpful, but the idea that a world where people can more freely cross national borders is a better world.
November 28, 2025 at 3:01 PM
A very important job for policy intellectuals right now, I think, is making the positive case for immigration - not just the economic case, tho that is helpful, but the idea that a world where people can more freely cross national borders is a better world.
“Today, active QT leaves the Bank accused of placing unnecessary strain on Britain’s government debt. ”
"UK mark-to-market losses are over 5 per cent of GDP — around 4x greater than comparable costs in the US"
www.ft.com/content/b548...
www.ft.com/content/b548...
Lessons from the Bank of England’s QE programme
Letter writing, accountability and a postmortem of QE
www.ft.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:58 AM
“Today, active QT leaves the Bank accused of placing unnecessary strain on Britain’s government debt. ”
Reposted by Andrew Smith
On AI’s ‘mediocrity trap’ — experiments indicates that while AI helps the less skilled make something passable, the highly skilled don’t use it to produce something better than they could have; they produce something ok, but lose motivation to make it great. www.jin-li.org/uploads/1/1/...
November 26, 2025 at 9:18 PM
On AI’s ‘mediocrity trap’ — experiments indicates that while AI helps the less skilled make something passable, the highly skilled don’t use it to produce something better than they could have; they produce something ok, but lose motivation to make it great. www.jin-li.org/uploads/1/1/...
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Imagine coming up with a proposal so stupid, so unworkable, so thoughtless, that it makes Robert Jenrick look sane by comparison.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jury trials could be scrapped except in most serious cases
Only cases of alleged murder, rape or manslaughter will be decided by a jury under new proposals to cut court backlogs.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Imagine coming up with a proposal so stupid, so unworkable, so thoughtless, that it makes Robert Jenrick look sane by comparison.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Folk are rightly criticizing Polanski for ignoring the fact that there are constraints on govt borrowing now (ie inflation). But fiscal conservatism can be perfectly compatible with economic radicalism, as I've said: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/some-lefti...
November 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Folk are rightly criticizing Polanski for ignoring the fact that there are constraints on govt borrowing now (ie inflation). But fiscal conservatism can be perfectly compatible with economic radicalism, as I've said: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/some-lefti...
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Lumping them together as “AI” gives readers the impression that a single class of tool is discerning novel protein structures, teasing subtle patterns out of mountains of LHC data, writing a student’s History 101 paper, and arguing a ketamine-addled billionaire could post up Shaq in his prime. No.
November 22, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Lumping them together as “AI” gives readers the impression that a single class of tool is discerning novel protein structures, teasing subtle patterns out of mountains of LHC data, writing a student’s History 101 paper, and arguing a ketamine-addled billionaire could post up Shaq in his prime. No.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
November 22, 2025 at 4:50 PM
Journalist challenge: Use “Machine Learning” when you mean machine learning and “LLM” when you mean LLM. Ditch “AI” as a catch-all term, it’s not useful for readers and it helps companies trying to confuse the public by obscuring the roles played by different technologies. 🧪
Reposted by Andrew Smith
👇
It’s not a “US plan”, it’s Moscow’s plan, dictated to guilty men in the White House. Setting aside the injustices being pushed on Ukraine, this would be a disaster for European security & guarantee a war with 🇷🇺 in a few years, in which, presumably, 🇺🇸 and 🇷🇺 are on the same side.
on.ft.com/3LYajoR
on.ft.com/3LYajoR
US plan for Ukraine-Russia peace calls on Kyiv to cede land under its control
Ukrainian officials say President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is being pressed to agree to terms negotiated by the US and Russia
on.ft.com
November 21, 2025 at 8:48 AM
👇
Reposted by Andrew Smith
This is SO on point. Every little detail.
November 21, 2025 at 7:50 AM
This is SO on point. Every little detail.
“ … this government’s biggest failing, which is that it is essentially incapable of saying that racism is wrong, full stop. “
Labour’s “we have to do it, or racism will get worse” argument is striking. Any other public policy failures British ethnic minorities should be on the hook for? Can we be blamed en bloc for Rachel Reeves’ budget next week too? www.ft.com/content/37b0...
Defence of Labour asylum policy reveals backsliding on racism
Home secretary’s framing of failures is partly low politics, but also a result of ministers’ poor approach to race relations
www.ft.com
November 18, 2025 at 11:07 AM
“ … this government’s biggest failing, which is that it is essentially incapable of saying that racism is wrong, full stop. “
Reposted by Andrew Smith
This is the bit on seizing jewellery. Perhaps shave their heads as well, could get good money for all that hair? But again, this is likely to create lots of bureaucracy yet have little real-world effect because it is so hard to do in practice.
November 17, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This is the bit on seizing jewellery. Perhaps shave their heads as well, could get good money for all that hair? But again, this is likely to create lots of bureaucracy yet have little real-world effect because it is so hard to do in practice.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
Even if the proposals are just red meat for Sun readers that will disappear, it's not OK. It's the gov telling everyone that state mugging of new arrivals is a policy that it's acceptable for reasonable mainstream people to consider - normalising Reform-type policies and shifting the Overton Window.
November 17, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Even if the proposals are just red meat for Sun readers that will disappear, it's not OK. It's the gov telling everyone that state mugging of new arrivals is a policy that it's acceptable for reasonable mainstream people to consider - normalising Reform-type policies and shifting the Overton Window.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
The way Labour are talking about migrants validates far right narratives of dehumanisation *at a time of far right riots and racist violence*. The leadership group responsible needs to be removed right now as a matter of public safety. This is simply a factual description of the situation before us.
Honestly, the potential case for getting rid of Starmer before was the lack of any political project and absence of charisma. But now No.10 is creating a moral imperative for the PLP to act as well.
November 17, 2025 at 11:29 AM
The way Labour are talking about migrants validates far right narratives of dehumanisation *at a time of far right riots and racist violence*. The leadership group responsible needs to be removed right now as a matter of public safety. This is simply a factual description of the situation before us.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
The problem with having no politics is that you sooner or later lead your party into a moral void.
November 17, 2025 at 8:52 AM
The problem with having no politics is that you sooner or later lead your party into a moral void.
Reposted by Andrew Smith
‘Government sources said rules that mean most asylum seekers are not allowed to have jobs will not change.’ It’s absurd that the govt chooses to continue with a rule that puts asylum seekers in a situation of dependency, then attacks then for needing ‘handouts’ www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
UK government set to make support for asylum seekers ‘discretionary’
Home secretary expected to change system to deny help to those who can work or who have assets
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:56 AM
‘Government sources said rules that mean most asylum seekers are not allowed to have jobs will not change.’ It’s absurd that the govt chooses to continue with a rule that puts asylum seekers in a situation of dependency, then attacks then for needing ‘handouts’ www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...