Patrick
@patchn6.bsky.social
Reposted by Patrick
If Starmer changes tack or is replaced by someone to his “left”, the main shift will be tonal because the government has just been quite left wing. It put up taxes, spent more on public services and gave unions a load more powers
A good example of how strangely unpolitical this government is at times.
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
The Economist is fretting that trade union laws have been tilted (sharply!) back towards strengthening unions.
But is the government making an argument around this to progressive voters? No.
economist.com/britain/2026...
February 10, 2026 at 9:17 PM
If Starmer changes tack or is replaced by someone to his “left”, the main shift will be tonal because the government has just been quite left wing. It put up taxes, spent more on public services and gave unions a load more powers
Interestingly the feed for Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika’s pre election podcast about Labour has now been taken over by some slop called “No Sacred Cows”. Of their 36 BlueSky followers one is Tom Baldwin. What’s all that about?
mashallah he is gone, to celebrate I've made the piece I wrote last year about arguably the most embarrassing project I've ever worked on free to read: youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/so-about-t...
February 8, 2026 at 8:40 PM
Interestingly the feed for Sam Freedman and Ayesha Hazarika’s pre election podcast about Labour has now been taken over by some slop called “No Sacred Cows”. Of their 36 BlueSky followers one is Tom Baldwin. What’s all that about?
I walked past this site with some friends last night and started going off on one about the planning application and they looked at me like I was completely mental.
This is a must-read.
A forensic analysis of a planning application (and a report from planners recommending its refused).
Kafkaesque is over-used, but it is the perfect description of the process so far for the extremely popular Shoreditch Works scheme.
A forensic analysis of a planning application (and a report from planners recommending its refused).
Kafkaesque is over-used, but it is the perfect description of the process so far for the extremely popular Shoreditch Works scheme.
Anatomy of a Planning Refusal
When 7,500 pages isn’t enough detail
www.samdumitriu.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:14 PM
I walked past this site with some friends last night and started going off on one about the planning application and they looked at me like I was completely mental.
“Hateful framing” aka completely accurate and relevant information.
January 30, 2026 at 2:01 PM
“Hateful framing” aka completely accurate and relevant information.
😵💫
Hi Duncan
I'm generally not a person who goes in for language policing, but I think in a time of rising political violence your language here is quite risky
I'm generally not a person who goes in for language policing, but I think in a time of rising political violence your language here is quite risky
January 26, 2026 at 10:36 AM
😵💫
This seems like a good idea if you’re not intelligent enough to grasp second order impacts.
We finally have a shot at criminalising lying in politics…
And you can help.
I spoke at an event this week where the room voted almost unanimously that MPs & Lords must be covered by the new offence of Misleading the Public
Imagine if this went though
And this is where we need your help…
And you can help.
I spoke at an event this week where the room voted almost unanimously that MPs & Lords must be covered by the new offence of Misleading the Public
Imagine if this went though
And this is where we need your help…
January 24, 2026 at 2:41 PM
This seems like a good idea if you’re not intelligent enough to grasp second order impacts.
Reposted by Patrick
It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
Maybe we can, oh I dunno, start to have a conversation with voters about this? The problem is not going to go away.
The way politics is being conducted by both the tories and Labour seems surreal to me. We have a lunatic in the WH who simply cannot be relied on to be an ally, indeed the opposite, we need to spend a ton of cash on defence and no-one seems to think voters might need to be, er, readied for all this
January 18, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
I’m very much doing the WhatsApp equivalent of Gallas at Birmingham.
January 17, 2026 at 10:05 PM
I’m very much doing the WhatsApp equivalent of Gallas at Birmingham.
This is correct and another reason why we simply must reject attempts to make the drive drive limit stricter. It’s deeply anti-social.
Been thinking a lot about how we are talking about health and society so I wrote down some thoughts about what happens when self-care replaces collective care, and why joy, connection, and shared spaces are as essential to a nation’s wellbeing as any diet
zoegrunewald.substack.com/p/when-whats...
zoegrunewald.substack.com/p/when-whats...
When “what’s good for us” stops meaning "us"
Wellness culture promises control and self-care — but what happens when it starts to hollow out our shared collective lives?
zoegrunewald.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:58 PM
This is correct and another reason why we simply must reject attempts to make the drive drive limit stricter. It’s deeply anti-social.
Driving after having one pint is absolutely fine though. If you can’t hack it you’re either a bad drinker or bad driver 👍🏻.
Minister rejects claim tougher drink-driving rules will kill off rural pubs – UK politics live
Minister rejects claim tougher drink-driving rules will kill off rural pubs – UK politics live
Minister says evidence from Scotland suggests cutting drink-drive limit does not have a ‘significant impact’ on pub trade
Good morning. Keir Starmer is taking his first PMQs of 2026 today, and it is hard to imagine that he will get through that without being able to comment on Donald Trump escalating his threats about annexing Greenland – a prospect that would tear apart Nato.
But, even with the world in crisis, domestic policy making has to continue and this morning the government is focusing on something closer to home – its road safety strategy. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
January 8, 2026 at 12:19 PM
Driving after having one pint is absolutely fine though. If you can’t hack it you’re either a bad drinker or bad driver 👍🏻.
See also: delete your emails to save water and junk food ads post watershed will prevent 20,000 childhood obesity cases.
extremely cool and good that the govt is making significant decisions based on obviously made up "facts" that they are too stupid to realise are made up
January 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
See also: delete your emails to save water and junk food ads post watershed will prevent 20,000 childhood obesity cases.
Reposted by Patrick
The only thing any of the western allies can do is quietly de-risk from America by unlinking our economy/institutions - but this is a slow process that takes years (and should have started in 2016). Saying something true that will upset Trump now needs to have a function beyond catharsis.
January 3, 2026 at 7:05 PM
The only thing any of the western allies can do is quietly de-risk from America by unlinking our economy/institutions - but this is a slow process that takes years (and should have started in 2016). Saying something true that will upset Trump now needs to have a function beyond catharsis.
It isn’t in the national interest to get on the wrong side of Trump. Ultimately what happens in Venezuela shouldn’t be of particular priority for the British government. Not our shit, not our monkeys.
What is the point of having a human rights lawyer in charge of the country if he can not bring himself to condemn blatant authoritarian land grabbing. What does it tell the country about fairness, justice and this govts priorities?
January 5, 2026 at 9:41 AM
It isn’t in the national interest to get on the wrong side of Trump. Ultimately what happens in Venezuela shouldn’t be of particular priority for the British government. Not our shit, not our monkeys.
Clearly the government don’t think MI5 and the DWP have enough work to be doing. What’s one more to the pile?!?
Since no-one appears to be talking about it on here, just letting you know that the the PM, Foreign Secretary and various other Government Ministers have expressed their “delight” in an Egyptian “pro-Democracy” activist being freed in Egypt and allowed to come to the UK. Here are some of his views.
December 28, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Clearly the government don’t think MI5 and the DWP have enough work to be doing. What’s one more to the pile?!?
He obviously doesn’t particularly care for these rights though.
December 28, 2025 at 8:47 AM
He obviously doesn’t particularly care for these rights though.
Good news for anyone in the market for a dented Corsa.
Zipcar is shutting down its UK operations, basically the only car club that worked in London. Massive kick to anyone who tries to live in capital without owning a car. Having been a customer for 17 years and used Zipvans to move house repeatedly, this is.... very bad! (Zipcar is owned by Avis)
December 1, 2025 at 4:00 PM
Good news for anyone in the market for a dented Corsa.
There isn’t a single thick person’s opinion that she doesn’t hold.
November 23, 2025 at 1:13 PM
There isn’t a single thick person’s opinion that she doesn’t hold.
There is so much crap looking low density 80s housing in places like Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays. It’s got to be replaced.
V good this. Would add: we also need to demolish more!
British cities are too flat — and it’s holding back housing supply.
Our new blog shows a big density gap with France and Japan, driven by missing mid-rise homes.
Read more 👉 buff.ly/mm3GBRX
Our new blog shows a big density gap with France and Japan, driven by missing mid-rise homes.
Read more 👉 buff.ly/mm3GBRX
November 20, 2025 at 2:52 PM
There is so much crap looking low density 80s housing in places like Bermondsey, Rotherhithe and Surrey Quays. It’s got to be replaced.
Absolutely classic BlueSky in response to this. People with no sense of humour just whingeing about twitter users. Anyway, my irritation is when a goal is scored but immediately bounces out of the net because it hits the camera so you think it hasn’t actually gone in!
Since "X" is down, I must turn to Bluesky to ask for your niche/irrational/highly-specific football fascinations and irritations for tomorrow's recording of the Listeners' Mesut Haaland Dicks.
Email a 30-second voicenote to [email protected] and we'll pick the best six!
Email a 30-second voicenote to [email protected] and we'll pick the best six!
November 18, 2025 at 2:56 PM
Absolutely classic BlueSky in response to this. People with no sense of humour just whingeing about twitter users. Anyway, my irritation is when a goal is scored but immediately bounces out of the net because it hits the camera so you think it hasn’t actually gone in!
Unfortunately nothing can be done about this because Labour MPs will rebel. This also applies to every other problem we have.
In other news look at councils projected cumulative deficit just on special needs costs over the next few years. Yikes.
November 17, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Unfortunately nothing can be done about this because Labour MPs will rebel. This also applies to every other problem we have.
This is exactly what I voted for.
Watching Labour MPs take a wrecking ball to nature makes me so angry & so sad. Their action tonight voting down amendments to the #PlanningBill intended to protect wildlife & habitats from destruction is so reckless & so counterproductive. People didn’t vote Labour for this 👇
Housing secretary tells Labour MPs to vote down planning bill amendment
Amendment restricts protection for animals to allow faster house building
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 9:05 PM
This is exactly what I voted for.
And there’s no fare evasion or associated anti social behaviour on public transport in New York as a result!
At least they are getting coverage for once. Good for them.
Fares are expensive and people will find ways to avoid them no matter how theatrical you make the barriers.
I'd prefer to see a single flat fare paid on entry like the NY system (something they get right).
Fares are expensive and people will find ways to avoid them no matter how theatrical you make the barriers.
I'd prefer to see a single flat fare paid on entry like the NY system (something they get right).
fuck's sake www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 14, 2025 at 9:03 PM
And there’s no fare evasion or associated anti social behaviour on public transport in New York as a result!
He’s done it again!
Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 6, 2025 at 11:19 AM
He’s done it again!