Tony Yates
@t0nyyates.bsky.social
Economist. Ex Prof / central banker. Macro, politics, money, central banks, finance, Brexit, covid, AI, climbing, MUFC, Blueskyism.
This is extremely costly for US capitalism.
anti-trust used to be a bipartisan thing. Reagan and Bush I persued anti-trust about as vigorously as any democrat. I don't know how we get back to that when one party now thinks anti-trust is invalid except for when it can be manipulated for corruption bsky.app/profile/fili...
None of this is how a modern democracy is supposed to function. Even after Trump is gone, it will be hard to rebuild the institutions that have been thoroughly vandalized.
Trump Stands in the Middle as Netflix and Paramount Vie for a Megadeal www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/b...
Trump Stands in the Middle as Netflix and Paramount Vie for a Megadeal www.nytimes.com/2025/12/08/b...
December 8, 2025 at 11:46 PM
This is extremely costly for US capitalism.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Going to be fun watching them try to figure out a way to say "oh we didn't mean dual citizenship with a white country" without sounding like massive racists.
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime ⬇️
All criminals with dual nationality must be deported, say Tories
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime
www.thetimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Going to be fun watching them try to figure out a way to say "oh we didn't mean dual citizenship with a white country" without sounding like massive racists.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Um, this doesn't seem to acknowledge that you can have dual nationality and not be a migrant...
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime ⬇️
All criminals with dual nationality must be deported, say Tories
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime
www.thetimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:36 PM
Um, this doesn't seem to acknowledge that you can have dual nationality and not be a migrant...
Reposted by Tony Yates
"Dual nationals should be stripped of their citizenship, and they should be deported with no exceptions. We don’t want these people in our country. If they have citizenship of another country, then they should be deported, and their British citizenship should be removed. No ifs, no buts."
Oh dear.
Oh dear.
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime ⬇️
All criminals with dual nationality must be deported, say Tories
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime
www.thetimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:57 PM
"Dual nationals should be stripped of their citizenship, and they should be deported with no exceptions. We don’t want these people in our country. If they have citizenship of another country, then they should be deported, and their British citizenship should be removed. No ifs, no buts."
Oh dear.
Oh dear.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Supreme Court oral argument this morning, in sum
Sotomayor: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (derogatory)
Gorsuch: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (complimentary)
Sotomayor: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (derogatory)
Gorsuch: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (complimentary)
December 8, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Supreme Court oral argument this morning, in sum
Sotomayor: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (derogatory)
Gorsuch: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (complimentary)
Sotomayor: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (derogatory)
Gorsuch: you're asking us to destroy the foundation of government (complimentary)
Reposted by Tony Yates
Varoufakis has all the characteristics of a lefty drunk on his own fame increasingly frantically casting about for a new adrenaline shot of attention. In 20 years' time we will find him on the far right. Or sooner.
What is this high school debate shit?
Everyone wants peace!
Adults just realize that any peace which lasts beyond a Russian re-arming / recruitment cycle has to be on terms that don't reward Russia's initial invasion with land and legitimacy, and which meaningfully deter future aggression.
Everyone wants peace!
Adults just realize that any peace which lasts beyond a Russian re-arming / recruitment cycle has to be on terms that don't reward Russia's initial invasion with land and legitimacy, and which meaningfully deter future aggression.
December 8, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Varoufakis has all the characteristics of a lefty drunk on his own fame increasingly frantically casting about for a new adrenaline shot of attention. In 20 years' time we will find him on the far right. Or sooner.
Reposted by Tony Yates
When I finished writing this a couple of weeks ago, I didn't expect that the US would set out in its National Security Strategy how it could help Putin achieve his goals.
#Russia has made two failed attempts to get the West to accept a Russian sphere of influence in Eastern Europe by diplomatic means. Now #Putin is intent on creating a sphere of influence by force. 🇪🇺 🇺🇦
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social paper by @cerianbond.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/gzMAkk4
New @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social paper by @cerianbond.bsky.social
Read here: buff.ly/gzMAkk4
December 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
When I finished writing this a couple of weeks ago, I didn't expect that the US would set out in its National Security Strategy how it could help Putin achieve his goals.
Reposted by Tony Yates
The consensus among researchers and educators is that most AI text detectors don't reliably work. Here’s What to Do Instead. mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/teach/ai-...
AI Detectors Don't Work. Here's What to Do Instead. - MIT Sloan Teaching & Learning Technologies
As new tools raise concerns around AI academic integrity, instructors can deter misuse through transparent policies, open discussions with students, assignments that engage intrinsic motivation, and i...
mitsloanedtech.mit.edu
December 8, 2025 at 11:47 AM
The consensus among researchers and educators is that most AI text detectors don't reliably work. Here’s What to Do Instead. mitsloanedtech.mit.edu/ai/teach/ai-...
Reposted by Tony Yates
"So it’s paradoxical: language models are some of the most organic technologies ever produced, totally capable of coaxing computation out into the realm of the human … yet instead they’ll pull a vast field of human activity deeper into the domain of code."
"Automation never meets a task in the world and simply does it."
www.robinsloan.com/lab/all-that...
www.robinsloan.com/lab/all-that...
All that is solid melts into code
More computer, rather than more human.
www.robinsloan.com
December 8, 2025 at 3:45 PM
"So it’s paradoxical: language models are some of the most organic technologies ever produced, totally capable of coaxing computation out into the realm of the human … yet instead they’ll pull a vast field of human activity deeper into the domain of code."
Reposted by Tony Yates
Orban is, of course, not telling the truth here - the Commission’s decision does not affect "what we can read and say". BTW Hungary (like every EU Member State) voted for the Digital Services Act.
Twitter in the past 48 hours has been like watching a remedial version of SPECTRE convene a meeting in real time.
December 8, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Orban is, of course, not telling the truth here - the Commission’s decision does not affect "what we can read and say". BTW Hungary (like every EU Member State) voted for the Digital Services Act.
Reposted by Tony Yates
I absolutely would want the ‘25 Budget signed - but only if it’s a copy including tracked changes
Look, I know things aren’t great at the moment for (a) anyone, and (b) the Labour Party, but fuck me that’s bleak
December 8, 2025 at 12:36 PM
I absolutely would want the ‘25 Budget signed - but only if it’s a copy including tracked changes
Reposted by Tony Yates
Intensely funny because it seems like the vast majority of people at that event were convinced it was fully autonomous and Musk has repeatedly recently claimed they're not tele-operated
www.reddit.com/r/robotics/c...
www.reddit.com/r/robotics/c...
December 8, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Intensely funny because it seems like the vast majority of people at that event were convinced it was fully autonomous and Musk has repeatedly recently claimed they're not tele-operated
www.reddit.com/r/robotics/c...
www.reddit.com/r/robotics/c...
I wonder if there is any remotely up to date estimates of the return on private education. Last time I looked I could not find any.
December 8, 2025 at 11:40 AM
I wonder if there is any remotely up to date estimates of the return on private education. Last time I looked I could not find any.
Reposted by Tony Yates
"Incidentally, in the 1960s and 1970s, when net migration was running at minus 50,000 a year, more than 85% of Britons still thought immigration was too high."
Last week's New World column ocncerned immigration to the UK.
Last week's New World column ocncerned immigration to the UK.
Nerd's Eye View: 11 things you need to know about immigration
Digging into the detail and data to separate the noise from the news
www.thenewworld.co.uk
December 8, 2025 at 11:36 AM
"Incidentally, in the 1960s and 1970s, when net migration was running at minus 50,000 a year, more than 85% of Britons still thought immigration was too high."
Last week's New World column ocncerned immigration to the UK.
Last week's New World column ocncerned immigration to the UK.
Reposted by Tony Yates
cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to have stumbled upon the Paris building shared by metal music fans and the union for metal workers, what a delight
December 8, 2025 at 11:31 AM
cannot begin to tell you how happy I am to have stumbled upon the Paris building shared by metal music fans and the union for metal workers, what a delight
Reposted by Tony Yates
The flip in political campaign tactics where parties have stopped trying to *appeal to voters’ desires* in favour of *appealing to their grievance, fear and anger* caused by the wholesale importation of US culture wars tactics is deeply weird.
Absolutely no honest self-analysis whatsoever of what will happen when you spend a year solid telling social liberals to fuck off. Surprise surprise! They fuck off! It's nothing to do with them being 'unserious' - this government just spends quite a lot of its time telling them it hates them!
It really does feel like a lot of the people currently in government never really asked themselves why many of their own supporters went for Corbyn in the first place and, similarly, are unwilling to ask the same question of Polanski's success.
It's a self-revealing kind of ignorance.
It's a self-revealing kind of ignorance.
December 8, 2025 at 9:49 AM
The flip in political campaign tactics where parties have stopped trying to *appeal to voters’ desires* in favour of *appealing to their grievance, fear and anger* caused by the wholesale importation of US culture wars tactics is deeply weird.
Reposted by Tony Yates
It was never about deporting criminals. It was always about using deportation to criminalize people they want to control.
They are now targeting people who did everything by the book and were literally at the ceremony where they were going to become citizens...
"Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the oath ceremony"
"Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the oath ceremony"
Immigrants Approved for Citizenship ‘Plucked Out’ of Line Moments Before Pledging Allegiance: Report
Immigrants lined up to become U.S. citizens in Boston on Dec. 4 were pulled from line by USCIS officials moments before the ceremony. The incident comes after USCIS told employees to halt all immigrat...
people.com
December 8, 2025 at 4:00 AM
It was never about deporting criminals. It was always about using deportation to criminalize people they want to control.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Blogged
The EU Commission has finally fined X - the Digital Services Act's main character
My analysis - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
The EU Commission has finally fined X - the Digital Services Act's main character
My analysis - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
The Digital Service’s Act Main Character: the EU Commission finally fines X
Steve Peers , Professor of Law, Royal Holloway University of London Photo credit : Animated Heaven, via Wikimedia Commons Intr...
eulawanalysis.blogspot.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Blogged
The EU Commission has finally fined X - the Digital Services Act's main character
My analysis - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
The EU Commission has finally fined X - the Digital Services Act's main character
My analysis - eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/12/the-...
Reposted by Tony Yates
"Large language models can only predict the next thing a human would say. Train one on texts from the late 1800s and it won’t invent airplanes or rockets. It will channel ideas from that period, when leading scientists thought human flight was impossible." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...
Opinion | Don’t Fear the Bubble Bursting
www.nytimes.com
December 8, 2025 at 10:11 AM
"Large language models can only predict the next thing a human would say. Train one on texts from the late 1800s and it won’t invent airplanes or rockets. It will channel ideas from that period, when leading scientists thought human flight was impossible." www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/o...
Reposted by Tony Yates
Literally a week ago Musk said that falsely labeling people as Nazis "should be treated as incitement to murder." And here he is (falsely) labeling the EU as Nazis.
December 8, 2025 at 5:35 AM
Literally a week ago Musk said that falsely labeling people as Nazis "should be treated as incitement to murder." And here he is (falsely) labeling the EU as Nazis.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Yeah there’s a rather enormous contradiction between the opening discussion of what’s not possible and ‘putting everything on the table’.
December 8, 2025 at 9:21 AM
Yeah there’s a rather enormous contradiction between the opening discussion of what’s not possible and ‘putting everything on the table’.
My reading of this? We already have a good idea about the impact and commissioning an official report into it is really not much more than postponing the doing for the sake of a govt-approved analysis.
~ Britain is stuck with a failed Brexit that neither citizens or leaders want. Here are three ways to fix that | Stella Creasy | The Guardian ~
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/08/brexit-failed-uk-eu
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/08/brexit-failed-uk-eu
Britain is stuck with a failed Brexit that neither citizens or leaders want. Here are three ways to fix that | Stella Creasy | The Guardian
While those who defend the status quo and those who say ‘simply rejoin’ the EU are both wrong, there is a new mood and a clear opportunity, says Stella Creasy MP, chair of the Labour Movement for Europe
www.theguardian.com
December 8, 2025 at 9:07 AM
My reading of this? We already have a good idea about the impact and commissioning an official report into it is really not much more than postponing the doing for the sake of a govt-approved analysis.
Reposted by Tony Yates
Most of the funds are in Belgium.
@deweverbart.bsky.social must stop blocking their transfer to Ukraine, but Macron must also do his part.
What France is doing there is unacceptable
@deweverbart.bsky.social must stop blocking their transfer to Ukraine, but Macron must also do his part.
What France is doing there is unacceptable
December 8, 2025 at 8:53 AM
Most of the funds are in Belgium.
@deweverbart.bsky.social must stop blocking their transfer to Ukraine, but Macron must also do his part.
What France is doing there is unacceptable
@deweverbart.bsky.social must stop blocking their transfer to Ukraine, but Macron must also do his part.
What France is doing there is unacceptable
Reposted by Tony Yates
There's something here about the distance between politics and experts, because it isn't as if any of us are hard to find to say this Labour Customs Union chatter is going nowhere
Is there a trade expert out there arguing for a UK-EU customs union? I think it’s fair to say that @davidheniguk.bsky.social @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social and myself are hardly Euroskeptics, and while we emphasise different things in talking about a CU the conclusion is unanimous.
December 8, 2025 at 8:22 AM
There's something here about the distance between politics and experts, because it isn't as if any of us are hard to find to say this Labour Customs Union chatter is going nowhere
Reposted by Tony Yates
@samuelmarclowe.bsky.social has a good discussion on customs unions in his newsletter. Just a couple points: the below is true, but I don't think it matters all that much - since if the UK wanted to impose significantly higher tariffs than the EU, it would presumably to reroute trade through the EU.
December 8, 2025 at 5:46 AM
@samuelmarclowe.bsky.social has a good discussion on customs unions in his newsletter. Just a couple points: the below is true, but I don't think it matters all that much - since if the UK wanted to impose significantly higher tariffs than the EU, it would presumably to reroute trade through the EU.