Sam Jeffers
@worklesshard.bsky.social
Run @whotargets.me and am a Partner @jointogether.online. Used to play drums in Fridge. Live in Cork, from London.
All the people I know in politics are smart, well-educated and intellectual, they just don't actually have time to think about big ideas or underlying concepts - even during summer recess etc. We can create a system that makes for better MPs (staff etc), but it'll cost money we don't want to spend.
I don’t think this is a “politicians have got dumber” issue for the most part. If you look at the *actual CVs* of previous cohorts of MPs, their background is not radically different when you account for, you know, the fact the economy is different! It is primarily a media and ecosystem issue.
We have got to make politics intellectual again. It is the only way that societies thrive is when politicians have the capability to actually think and reflect deeply:
November 28, 2025 at 3:38 PM
All the people I know in politics are smart, well-educated and intellectual, they just don't actually have time to think about big ideas or underlying concepts - even during summer recess etc. We can create a system that makes for better MPs (staff etc), but it'll cost money we don't want to spend.
It's an interesting study, but flies in the face of "media effects are small" (the view more normally held by researchers).
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Small changes to ‘for you’ feed on X can rapidly increase political polarisation
Study finds that a week of political content can bring about a shift in views that previously would have taken three years
www.theguardian.com
November 28, 2025 at 1:05 PM
It's an interesting study, but flies in the face of "media effects are small" (the view more normally held by researchers).
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Whenever I hear about a new meme or trend, I do it in front of my kids and it stops them in their tracks. Highly effective.
If you want some good news this morning, I showed my three boys the PM doing the six/seven thing and now they have all stopped doing it.
November 27, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Whenever I hear about a new meme or trend, I do it in front of my kids and it stops them in their tracks. Highly effective.
It's a very realistic "photo", but I'm unclear what the specific harm is here. If most people can't believe what they see on the internet, then most people will stop using it. It's massively, massively in the big tech firms interest for that not to happen.
this image was generated with google's latest nana banana pro tool. we have no idea how bad it is about to get.
November 27, 2025 at 1:06 PM
It's a very realistic "photo", but I'm unclear what the specific harm is here. If most people can't believe what they see on the internet, then most people will stop using it. It's massively, massively in the big tech firms interest for that not to happen.
For me, Labour's polling is quite bad, but their medium term political position is far from it.
November 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM
For me, Labour's polling is quite bad, but their medium term political position is far from it.
Interesting security update from Mixpanel (a data analytics service):
- "A limited number of accounts were compromised, yours was not."
Same update, from OpenAI:
- "Our Mixpanel account was compromised, and your data was in there."
- "A limited number of accounts were compromised, yours was not."
Same update, from OpenAI:
- "Our Mixpanel account was compromised, and your data was in there."
November 27, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Interesting security update from Mixpanel (a data analytics service):
- "A limited number of accounts were compromised, yours was not."
Same update, from OpenAI:
- "Our Mixpanel account was compromised, and your data was in there."
- "A limited number of accounts were compromised, yours was not."
Same update, from OpenAI:
- "Our Mixpanel account was compromised, and your data was in there."
Dealing with myriad NHS systems and channels on behalf of my parents at the moment. It's aerated concrete, everywhere, all the time.
In which @richardpope.org shares a very personal example of the problems GDS Local could help local council's to solve. richardpope.org/2025/11/26/a...
Aerated concrete and EHCPs
I was up until midnight last night trying to battle a local …
richardpope.org
November 26, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Dealing with myriad NHS systems and channels on behalf of my parents at the moment. It's aerated concrete, everywhere, all the time.
Got an email from the health insurer that rips us off about a rugby stadium they're going to sponsor in Dublin. Niiiice.
November 26, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Got an email from the health insurer that rips us off about a rugby stadium they're going to sponsor in Dublin. Niiiice.
It's an absolute honour to have been allowed to write half a chapter of this. Thanks to the editors and everyone else involved for the privilege.
Looking forward to a much briefed bumper hamper of politics? No, not the Budget, The British General Election of 2024! We had a wonderful all star launch event in London last night, with representatives of all five Britain-wide parties, and now I have a special launch gift for you...read on! 1/?
November 26, 2025 at 12:50 PM
It's an absolute honour to have been allowed to write half a chapter of this. Thanks to the editors and everyone else involved for the privilege.
"Ha! I wonder what the bullies who used to beat me up at school would think about me now!" - guy who was loitering on the OBR website two hours before the budget.
November 26, 2025 at 12:26 PM
"Ha! I wonder what the bullies who used to beat me up at school would think about me now!" - guy who was loitering on the OBR website two hours before the budget.
Compared to Trump, even Warren G could... regulate.
See also Warren G Harding, or arguably most of them to a degree before a certain point. It’s the openness that’s the issue.
November 25, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Compared to Trump, even Warren G could... regulate.
People don't really like political ads, but banning them is worse.
Dutch Nazis are advertising on Instagram, despite Meta's "ban" on political ads in the EU. Meta and Google's decision to stop political ads in Europe was (as predicted) a bad one, that favours the extremists and foreign influence campaigns who don't care about the "rules".
November 25, 2025 at 11:20 AM
People don't really like political ads, but banning them is worse.
I do wonder what the SNP thinks about the relative disappearance of "Cybernats" as a force on the internet.
The stuff on X about disinfo accounts reminds me of the time I tried to get a Cybernat account which was obviously Russian or something to say which was their favourite sketch character on "Naked Video" - something which any true Scot would be able to do but this particular account couldn't.
November 24, 2025 at 1:12 PM
I do wonder what the SNP thinks about the relative disappearance of "Cybernats" as a force on the internet.
Why would Reform even talk about Polanski? He's great for them.
November 23, 2025 at 5:38 PM
Why would Reform even talk about Polanski? He's great for them.
Is the Lanyard Class people who have to wear them for work? Like hospital porters and security guards? Seems like a very weird concept.
November 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Is the Lanyard Class people who have to wear them for work? Like hospital porters and security guards? Seems like a very weird concept.
We need better monetisation and transparency regulations. Governments should put some tough proposals out there and watch the platforms self-regulate to avoid the full fat version.
Twitter pays people based on engagement (views, retweets, comments, etc). It appears that many MAGA accounts are based abroad and they use AI technology to generate low-effort rage bait.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
My guess is that this will get worse as AI tech improves. For instance, fake videos of minorities doing crime.
November 23, 2025 at 12:00 PM
We need better monetisation and transparency regulations. Governments should put some tough proposals out there and watch the platforms self-regulate to avoid the full fat version.
It's still there?
Grand opening, grand closing.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
X quietly disabled a new feature that showed which country an account was posting from when it revealed that lots of popular right wing MAGA accounts were being run from foreign countries like India and Nigeria.
November 23, 2025 at 10:18 AM
It's still there?
Credit where it's due, the "account based in" info on X is an enhancement that others should offer. It could be easier to find tho, offer some user controls and be used to downrank poor quality accounts.
November 23, 2025 at 12:20 AM
Credit where it's due, the "account based in" info on X is an enhancement that others should offer. It could be easier to find tho, offer some user controls and be used to downrank poor quality accounts.
Not been to the O2 before and it turns out the experience is totally shit!
November 21, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Not been to the O2 before and it turns out the experience is totally shit!
The Aussies lacked "ticker".
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 AM
The Aussies lacked "ticker".
Just saw someone from a big tech co post LinkedIn this, but I have to admit that I struggled to be as excited as them about the arrival of "content credentials in nano banana pro". It's all so stupid.
November 20, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Just saw someone from a big tech co post LinkedIn this, but I have to admit that I struggled to be as excited as them about the arrival of "content credentials in nano banana pro". It's all so stupid.
Why the complaints happening now, rather than at design stage? Also, it's just a square, where a building used to be, not a park. Call it "Bishop Lucey Square" and does it matter as much? Cork has much, much bigger problems with public realm than this.
November 20, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Why the complaints happening now, rather than at design stage? Also, it's just a square, where a building used to be, not a park. Call it "Bishop Lucey Square" and does it matter as much? Cork has much, much bigger problems with public realm than this.
A healthy chunk of liberal middle class London grew up in a Victorian somewhere in Zone 2 and their parents, if still living there, will probably need to sell (if the policy is badly designed).
I sometimes feel like I am going mad.
Owning a £1.5m home is not normal in London or the South East of England.
Owning a £1.5m home is not normal in London or the South East of England.
November 20, 2025 at 11:17 AM
A healthy chunk of liberal middle class London grew up in a Victorian somewhere in Zone 2 and their parents, if still living there, will probably need to sell (if the policy is badly designed).
This evening, I'm at the heavily government subsidised Irish music school. 200 kids must come through here each Wednesday learning whistle, fiddle, concertina, harp and more. For less than a fiver a week my daughter does 3x30 min classes. What a wonderful institution.
November 19, 2025 at 6:12 PM
This evening, I'm at the heavily government subsidised Irish music school. 200 kids must come through here each Wednesday learning whistle, fiddle, concertina, harp and more. For less than a fiver a week my daughter does 3x30 min classes. What a wonderful institution.