Richard Barfield
@richardbarfield.bsky.social
Management consultant. Adviser on governance, risk and regulation in financial services. Developing skills in semi-retired activities and caretaker of https://BrexitFactBase.com London-based.
Just a thought, the basis for paying into the EU budget could be set at an equivalent basis to membership, where the UK’s economic benefits were about 10 times the UK’s contribution to the EU budget.
November 9, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Just a thought, the basis for paying into the EU budget could be set at an equivalent basis to membership, where the UK’s economic benefits were about 10 times the UK’s contribution to the EU budget.
In Great Britain, there are about 1.7 billion passenger rail journeys each year without serious incident (about 150 million a month). It's worth keeping perspective as news media discuss banning knives on trains or installing scanners at stations.
dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/u...
dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/u...
November 3, 2025 at 7:29 AM
In Great Britain, there are about 1.7 billion passenger rail journeys each year without serious incident (about 150 million a month). It's worth keeping perspective as news media discuss banning knives on trains or installing scanners at stations.
dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/u...
dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/u...
UK governments shoot UK in the other foot.
October 30, 2025 at 5:01 PM
UK governments shoot UK in the other foot.
Case studies in projection #2:
Scott Bessent (US Treasury Secretary) accuses China of trying to damage global economy.
Scott Bessent (US Treasury Secretary) accuses China of trying to damage global economy.
October 14, 2025 at 5:40 AM
Case studies in projection #2:
Scott Bessent (US Treasury Secretary) accuses China of trying to damage global economy.
Scott Bessent (US Treasury Secretary) accuses China of trying to damage global economy.
Great (and simple) explanation from Matthew Blakemore of why ID cards are a ‘good thing’ and better than NI numbers or other forms of ID for both ‘Brits’ and foreign nationals who have a legal right (eg visa) to be in the UK.
#DigitalID #IDcards #Starmer #politics #Labour
#DigitalID #IDcards #Starmer #politics #Labour
September 28, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Great (and simple) explanation from Matthew Blakemore of why ID cards are a ‘good thing’ and better than NI numbers or other forms of ID for both ‘Brits’ and foreign nationals who have a legal right (eg visa) to be in the UK.
#DigitalID #IDcards #Starmer #politics #Labour
#DigitalID #IDcards #Starmer #politics #Labour
Lib Dem tortoise is catching up with the hare
September 23, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Lib Dem tortoise is catching up with the hare
An ‘s’ seems to be missing (Ed).
September 18, 2025 at 3:49 PM
An ‘s’ seems to be missing (Ed).
[The regulatory alignment with US that #Starmer announced this week on cryptocurrencies is much more worrying. …..UK government is already dangerously in thrall to artificial intelligence & crypto lobbies, so encouraging #Trump to regard UK regulatory regimes as in play is a dangerous game]
September 18, 2025 at 5:18 AM
My graffiti walking tour in Bogotá about the importance of art in political activism ended with an opportunity for the tour group to try their hands (supervised) at using a spray paint canister. Here’s my contribution and I hope you like it.
Botero, it is not.
Botero, it is not.
September 11, 2025 at 8:39 PM
My graffiti walking tour in Bogotá about the importance of art in political activism ended with an opportunity for the tour group to try their hands (supervised) at using a spray paint canister. Here’s my contribution and I hope you like it.
Botero, it is not.
Botero, it is not.
Has the FT coined a new oxymoron?
September 6, 2025 at 8:14 PM
Has the FT coined a new oxymoron?
There you go. Divi rate is slightly lower than rate for earned income. Fair to assume that Farage will be on the higher rates for both.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/tax-...
www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/tax-...
September 5, 2025 at 3:09 PM
There you go. Divi rate is slightly lower than rate for earned income. Fair to assume that Farage will be on the higher rates for both.
www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/tax-...
www.moneysavingexpert.com/banking/tax-...
Breaking: welcome news on #Erasmus in the FT.
“The British government is laying the groundwork to rejoin [Erasmus] the EU’s flagship student exchange programme by advertising a future contract of up to £24mn for a private company to run the scheme.”
“The British government is laying the groundwork to rejoin [Erasmus] the EU’s flagship student exchange programme by advertising a future contract of up to £24mn for a private company to run the scheme.”
August 31, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Breaking: welcome news on #Erasmus in the FT.
“The British government is laying the groundwork to rejoin [Erasmus] the EU’s flagship student exchange programme by advertising a future contract of up to £24mn for a private company to run the scheme.”
“The British government is laying the groundwork to rejoin [Erasmus] the EU’s flagship student exchange programme by advertising a future contract of up to £24mn for a private company to run the scheme.”
“Heathrow boss Thomas Woldbye told the FT on Wednesday that the high cost of the project — which has been endorsed by the UK government — was an inevitable feature of the airport’s location, about 16 miles from central London and surrounded by housing”
The project has a fundamental problem!!!
The project has a fundamental problem!!!
July 23, 2025 at 7:57 PM
“Heathrow boss Thomas Woldbye told the FT on Wednesday that the high cost of the project — which has been endorsed by the UK government — was an inevitable feature of the airport’s location, about 16 miles from central London and surrounded by housing”
The project has a fundamental problem!!!
The project has a fundamental problem!!!
Water UK’s starkly different picture on investment:
“Water companies have now invested more than £236bn of capital investment in the water and sewage system in England and Wales over 1989-90 to 2023-24. This is equivalent to nearly £10,000 for every household”
www.water.org.uk/news-views-p...
“Water companies have now invested more than £236bn of capital investment in the water and sewage system in England and Wales over 1989-90 to 2023-24. This is equivalent to nearly £10,000 for every household”
www.water.org.uk/news-views-p...
July 22, 2025 at 9:48 AM
Water UK’s starkly different picture on investment:
“Water companies have now invested more than £236bn of capital investment in the water and sewage system in England and Wales over 1989-90 to 2023-24. This is equivalent to nearly £10,000 for every household”
www.water.org.uk/news-views-p...
“Water companies have now invested more than £236bn of capital investment in the water and sewage system in England and Wales over 1989-90 to 2023-24. This is equivalent to nearly £10,000 for every household”
www.water.org.uk/news-views-p...
If Reece James is 5’10” and Robert Sanchez is 6’6”, how tall is…?
July 15, 2025 at 11:40 AM
If Reece James is 5’10” and Robert Sanchez is 6’6”, how tall is…?
To coin a phrase, what fresh hell is this?
FT article : “non-dom exodus hits London market for butlers.”
FT article : “non-dom exodus hits London market for butlers.”
July 11, 2025 at 9:51 PM
To coin a phrase, what fresh hell is this?
FT article : “non-dom exodus hits London market for butlers.”
FT article : “non-dom exodus hits London market for butlers.”
Given recent events, not the article headline that I was expecting
July 8, 2025 at 5:37 AM
Given recent events, not the article headline that I was expecting
Age yourself with a movie you saw in the cinema
June 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Age yourself with a movie you saw in the cinema
‘Careless People’ tells of power, greed & madness at the top of #Facebook
Chap. 46 on #Myanmar stays with me. FB posters disseminated misinformation & division ahead of civil war. Moderation was weak and slow.
As a case study, it really brings home the dangers of FB’s decision to reduce moderation.
Chap. 46 on #Myanmar stays with me. FB posters disseminated misinformation & division ahead of civil war. Moderation was weak and slow.
As a case study, it really brings home the dangers of FB’s decision to reduce moderation.
June 21, 2025 at 5:56 PM
June 10, 2025 at 7:08 PM
No wonder she’s smiling. An Israeli own goal makes Greta Thunberg’s case for bringing aid to Gaza for her.
June 9, 2025 at 8:57 AM
No wonder she’s smiling. An Israeli own goal makes Greta Thunberg’s case for bringing aid to Gaza for her.
This #Hawksmoor?
Doesn’t seem unreasonably priced for London at £35 for three courses (a la carte would obv be more expensive).
Doesn’t seem unreasonably priced for London at £35 for three courses (a la carte would obv be more expensive).
June 8, 2025 at 7:54 PM
This #Hawksmoor?
Doesn’t seem unreasonably priced for London at £35 for three courses (a la carte would obv be more expensive).
Doesn’t seem unreasonably priced for London at £35 for three courses (a la carte would obv be more expensive).
In turbulent times, there was at least one piece of recent good news from @ft.com.web.brid.gy
“BoE governor urges UK government to seek closer trade ties with EU”
29 May 2025
“BoE governor urges UK government to seek closer trade ties with EU”
29 May 2025
June 8, 2025 at 4:19 PM
In turbulent times, there was at least one piece of recent good news from @ft.com.web.brid.gy
“BoE governor urges UK government to seek closer trade ties with EU”
29 May 2025
“BoE governor urges UK government to seek closer trade ties with EU”
29 May 2025
Here’s me.
Bucket list:
Northern Ireland, West Wales, North Scotland, Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man
smstone0.github.io#/uk-map
Bucket list:
Northern Ireland, West Wales, North Scotland, Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man
smstone0.github.io#/uk-map
May 30, 2025 at 10:00 AM
Here’s me.
Bucket list:
Northern Ireland, West Wales, North Scotland, Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man
smstone0.github.io#/uk-map
Bucket list:
Northern Ireland, West Wales, North Scotland, Shetlands, Hebrides, Isle of Man
smstone0.github.io#/uk-map