Thomas Bell
@realthomasbell.bsky.social
Getting through this with everyone else.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
And when they finally kept one, he went mad and secretly made himself the entire cabinet
November 28, 2025 at 12:15 AM
And when they finally kept one, he went mad and secretly made himself the entire cabinet
This is basically Labour’s route to winning, hopefully coupled with some actual good stuff.
The latest budget was actually political genius because it has reminded me of how much I hate so many people in the British political establishment even more than I hate Starmer's Labour.
The UK, where the day after a decision to take half a million children out of poverty, the media & political world has been full of sneering at those same children & their families, labelling them as ‘Benefits Street’, while the same people are moaning about a tax on £2m mansions. Shameful stuff.
November 28, 2025 at 4:23 AM
This is basically Labour’s route to winning, hopefully coupled with some actual good stuff.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
November 28, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
I'm as guilty of this as anyone else but I do think to capture the full benefit it still has to be a leak because that made reading a dry economic document excitingly illicit. We can make it part of the pageantry of budget day as the OBR finds ever more elaborate ways to leak its analysis
The main takeaway from the leak: I think coverage was much improved by giving analysts, journalists and politicians earlier site of the documents. Release it at the same time next year, imo
November 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I'm as guilty of this as anyone else but I do think to capture the full benefit it still has to be a leak because that made reading a dry economic document excitingly illicit. We can make it part of the pageantry of budget day as the OBR finds ever more elaborate ways to leak its analysis
This is how British politics works!
the next couple of days are going to see a hell of a lot of "the rich declare themselves poor"
November 27, 2025 at 12:30 PM
This is how British politics works!
Reposted by Thomas Bell
A good day for Ed Miliband: mansion tax introduced, green levies moved off bills to taxation, ban on new North Sea oil and gas licences confirmed.
November 26, 2025 at 9:59 PM
A good day for Ed Miliband: mansion tax introduced, green levies moved off bills to taxation, ban on new North Sea oil and gas licences confirmed.
Addiction to current polling.
The government’s spending plans are “25-27: spending increases, 27-29: paaaain” which, uh…the election is 2028-9!
November 26, 2025 at 5:05 PM
Addiction to current polling.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
The government’s spending plans are “25-27: spending increases, 27-29: paaaain” which, uh…the election is 2028-9!
November 26, 2025 at 2:05 PM
The government’s spending plans are “25-27: spending increases, 27-29: paaaain” which, uh…the election is 2028-9!
Reposted by Thomas Bell
This is interesting and it reflects extremely well on the civil engineering profession.
The hidden chemical attack that forced the Northern line’s extraordinary repair
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
The hidden chemical attack that forced the Northern line’s extraordinary repair
Thirty years ago, an entire section of the Northern line had to be replaced because it was under attack from acid, and hardly anyone noticed that it was happening.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
November 25, 2025 at 12:48 PM
This is interesting and it reflects extremely well on the civil engineering profession.
I would volunteer to be in such a think tank. Just finding banal statements relevant to the topic at hand.
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:11 PM
I would volunteer to be in such a think tank. Just finding banal statements relevant to the topic at hand.
I can’t get over about how bad this movie was. I know it can’t have been the worst Jurassic World movie because of all the others, but while I was watching it it *felt* like the worst possible movie.
Belated views of recent ish movies. Firstly, the new Jurassic World: Rebirth. Absolutely terrible. The bizarre decision to limit dinosaurs to one part of the world was a cowardly and lazy decision emblematic of the movie as a whole, which was entirely predictable and trope after trope.
November 25, 2025 at 1:08 PM
I can’t get over about how bad this movie was. I know it can’t have been the worst Jurassic World movie because of all the others, but while I was watching it it *felt* like the worst possible movie.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Britain: funding care for the elderly by taxing houses based on what they were worth in 1991, for reasons no one can now remember.
November 25, 2025 at 10:16 AM
Britain: funding care for the elderly by taxing houses based on what they were worth in 1991, for reasons no one can now remember.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Twenty years since I had to sit and listen to David Miliband pretending that postponing council tax revaluation was a brave political decision, rather than a cowardly mistake.
These reports the Government could revalue council tax bands F, G and H don't make sense to me. Here's what could actually be going on:
November 25, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Twenty years since I had to sit and listen to David Miliband pretending that postponing council tax revaluation was a brave political decision, rather than a cowardly mistake.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
The top two posts on my Instagram feed are from two Labour cabinet ministers and are slightly different in tone, approach, and engagement.
November 25, 2025 at 9:04 AM
The top two posts on my Instagram feed are from two Labour cabinet ministers and are slightly different in tone, approach, and engagement.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
What really turns me into a personal responsibility jackass is people complaining about the price of gas. Unless you drive God’s own cars (hybrid Honda civic hatchback or Prius), I Don’t Want To Hear It. I more than don’t want to hear it, I want $8 gas for you to suffer specifically.
Just heard a radio commercial for an app saying the average American spends $5,000 a year on gas. There’s no WAY that’s true even in our car dependent country. Average American drives ~14k miles per year. Even if only getting 20 mpg, that’s 700 gallons of gas/year. Gas doesn’t cost >$7/gal.
November 24, 2025 at 2:35 AM
What really turns me into a personal responsibility jackass is people complaining about the price of gas. Unless you drive God’s own cars (hybrid Honda civic hatchback or Prius), I Don’t Want To Hear It. I more than don’t want to hear it, I want $8 gas for you to suffer specifically.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Basilica emerges from lake, illuminating early Church life in Turkey.
Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalised Christianity in AD 325
u.afp.com/Sh5e
Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalised Christianity in AD 325
u.afp.com/Sh5e
November 24, 2025 at 8:43 AM
Basilica emerges from lake, illuminating early Church life in Turkey.
Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalised Christianity in AD 325
u.afp.com/Sh5e
Known as the Basilica of the Holy Fathers, it marks the site of one of the early Church's most important gatherings which took place in Nicaea 12 years after the Roman Empire legalised Christianity in AD 325
u.afp.com/Sh5e
Belated views of recent ish movies. Firstly, the new Jurassic World: Rebirth. Absolutely terrible. The bizarre decision to limit dinosaurs to one part of the world was a cowardly and lazy decision emblematic of the movie as a whole, which was entirely predictable and trope after trope.
November 24, 2025 at 11:24 PM
Belated views of recent ish movies. Firstly, the new Jurassic World: Rebirth. Absolutely terrible. The bizarre decision to limit dinosaurs to one part of the world was a cowardly and lazy decision emblematic of the movie as a whole, which was entirely predictable and trope after trope.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
The Economic Impact of Brexit
Other
siepr.stanford.edu
November 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Still reeling from the Stanford report on Brexit. Reduced GDP by up to 8% and investment by as much as 18%. The UK Treasury would have £40 billion more each year if Britain had remained in the EU. Devastating self-immolation.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Bodied by my eldest , frankly
November 24, 2025 at 1:14 PM
Bodied by my eldest , frankly
High house prices, the children of the rich will complain too!
I don't think this was actually deliberately published as ragebait, but the entitlement contained within is remarkable and a classic example of the sort of sentiment governments sometimes just have to face down inews.co.uk/inews-lifest...?
We were hit with a £148k inheritance tax bill when mum died at 97 - it's disgusting
Jill Lemon has labelled inheritance tax as 'cruel', 'horrible' and 'unfair'
inews.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 5:22 PM
High house prices, the children of the rich will complain too!
Reposted by Thomas Bell
I took the K-12 student certification to see how it works. Sample question.
November 24, 2025 at 12:03 PM
I took the K-12 student certification to see how it works. Sample question.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
1p on Income Tax would raise 20 times this, cost the average person around £30 a month at most, and, crucially, not risk collapsing one of our most valuable sectors.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 10:33 AM
1p on Income Tax would raise 20 times this, cost the average person around £30 a month at most, and, crucially, not risk collapsing one of our most valuable sectors.
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Turning Point leader, former GOP Rep pleads guilty to attempted election fraud | Arizona Mirror
Austin Smith election fraud guilty plea: Former GOP Rep admits forging 100+ signatures on ballot petitions in Arizona
azmirror.com
November 23, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Amazing story, state legislator and Turning Points USA leader who crusaded against bogus voter fraud claims pleads guilty to attempted election fraud. azmirror.com/briefs/turni...
Reposted by Thomas Bell
For decades, China's only electrified suburban railway was a 300km-system in Fushun, an industrial city of a little over a million in Liaoning province. I wrote a little about it: kaptrice.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
The Fushun Electric Railway - China's First Electric Railway
China is not a country well-known for legacy suburban railways. Although lately several dozen new-build lines have appeared, and several mai...
kaptrice.blogspot.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:21 PM
For decades, China's only electrified suburban railway was a 300km-system in Fushun, an industrial city of a little over a million in Liaoning province. I wrote a little about it: kaptrice.blogspot.com/2025/11/the-...
Reposted by Thomas Bell
Indeed. Railway nationalisation doesn't have to be like this: not every nationalised railway is 'Germany in 2025' or 'the United Kingdom in 1994', but it's wild seeing the government actively go 'British Rail in 1989, here we come baby!'
"You know how British Rail was starved of investment because governments kept prices artificially low? And how privatisation has seen ridership increase with increased ticket prices underpinning much needed investment?
Well, we've nationalised it again, so we can go back to freezing ticket prices!"
Well, we've nationalised it again, so we can go back to freezing ticket prices!"
November 23, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Indeed. Railway nationalisation doesn't have to be like this: not every nationalised railway is 'Germany in 2025' or 'the United Kingdom in 1994', but it's wild seeing the government actively go 'British Rail in 1989, here we come baby!'