Thomas H.
@themingford.bsky.social
The economy isn’t a morality play where poverty is a character flaw. It’s a system. When the system prices people out of essentials, you don’t get virtue - you get ill-health, debt, stress, and higher public costs later.
December 13, 2025 at 10:45 PM
The economy isn’t a morality play where poverty is a character flaw. It’s a system. When the system prices people out of essentials, you don’t get virtue - you get ill-health, debt, stress, and higher public costs later.
The simplest truth: businesses need customers. Customers need money. Money doesn’t “trickle down” by magic. If you starve the majority of spending power, you starve the economy. Then you blame the starving for being hungry.
December 13, 2025 at 8:14 PM
The simplest truth: businesses need customers. Customers need money. Money doesn’t “trickle down” by magic. If you starve the majority of spending power, you starve the economy. Then you blame the starving for being hungry.
The public is pushed to fight sideways: worker vs claimant, poor vs poorer, “taxpayer” vs “benefit recipient”. Meanwhile wealth concentration, rent extraction, and political perks sail on untouched. Divide-and-rule dressed up as economics.
December 13, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The public is pushed to fight sideways: worker vs claimant, poor vs poorer, “taxpayer” vs “benefit recipient”. Meanwhile wealth concentration, rent extraction, and political perks sail on untouched. Divide-and-rule dressed up as economics.
Universal Credit isn’t proof people “won’t work”. It’s proof work often doesn’t pay enough to live. When full-time work can’t cover basics, the problem isn’t the person. It’s the wage-cost structure.
December 13, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Universal Credit isn’t proof people “won’t work”. It’s proof work often doesn’t pay enough to live. When full-time work can’t cover basics, the problem isn’t the person. It’s the wage-cost structure.
“Taxpayers” is a loaded word. It’s used to imply there are “payers” and “takers”. But we’re all taxpayers - through VAT, fuel duty, council tax, NI, and prices in everything we buy. The phrase is designed to divide citizens.
December 13, 2025 at 4:07 PM
“Taxpayers” is a loaded word. It’s used to imply there are “payers” and “takers”. But we’re all taxpayers - through VAT, fuel duty, council tax, NI, and prices in everything we buy. The phrase is designed to divide citizens.
Austerity wasn’t just “spending restraint”. It was demand suppression. You shrink public services, squeeze incomes, and then act surprised when growth is weak, infrastructure degrades, and productivity stalls.
December 13, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Austerity wasn’t just “spending restraint”. It was demand suppression. You shrink public services, squeeze incomes, and then act surprised when growth is weak, infrastructure degrades, and productivity stalls.
They rarely talk about what happens if support is removed: deeper poverty, collapsing demand, higher NHS use, more crisis interventions, more homelessness pressure, more social care strain. That’s not “tough love”. It’s costly negligence.
December 13, 2025 at 3:41 PM
They rarely talk about what happens if support is removed: deeper poverty, collapsing demand, higher NHS use, more crisis interventions, more homelessness pressure, more social care strain. That’s not “tough love”. It’s costly negligence.
If electricity bills rise by hundreds of percent over decades while welfare rises only modestly, what does that tell you? Not that people are “getting too much”. It tells you the safety net and incomes are failing to keep pace with basic living costs.
December 13, 2025 at 3:22 PM
If electricity bills rise by hundreds of percent over decades while welfare rises only modestly, what does that tell you? Not that people are “getting too much”. It tells you the safety net and incomes are failing to keep pace with basic living costs.
Energy is a perfect example of why the “just work harder” narrative is nonsense. When essential bills explode, even decent wages become inadequate. You can’t productivity-hack your way out of structural price shocks.
December 13, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Energy is a perfect example of why the “just work harder” narrative is nonsense. When essential bills explode, even decent wages become inadequate. You can’t productivity-hack your way out of structural price shocks.
If politicians want to be taken seriously about “growth”, they must talk about the real levers: wages, living costs, demand, inequality, energy affordability, infrastructure, and investment. Tax-and-spend is only one chapter - not the whole book.
December 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
If politicians want to be taken seriously about “growth”, they must talk about the real levers: wages, living costs, demand, inequality, energy affordability, infrastructure, and investment. Tax-and-spend is only one chapter - not the whole book.
Calling people “burdens” while ignoring poverty’s massive economic cost is upside-down economics. If you care about the public finances, you should care about preventing poverty - because poverty is what drives long-run costs.
December 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
Calling people “burdens” while ignoring poverty’s massive economic cost is upside-down economics. If you care about the public finances, you should care about preventing poverty - because poverty is what drives long-run costs.
The “hardworking taxpayer vs claimant” framing collapses instantly when you remember: a large share of people on Universal Credit are in work. That’s not idleness - that’s low pay and high costs.
December 13, 2025 at 3:07 PM
The “hardworking taxpayer vs claimant” framing collapses instantly when you remember: a large share of people on Universal Credit are in work. That’s not idleness - that’s low pay and high costs.
Trickle-down assumes extra wealth at the top “flows” into the real economy. In practice it usually pools in assets, property, and financial speculation. That’s why you see booming asset prices alongside struggling high streets.
December 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Trickle-down assumes extra wealth at the top “flows” into the real economy. In practice it usually pools in assets, property, and financial speculation. That’s why you see booming asset prices alongside struggling high streets.
Sustainable growth requires purchasing power in ordinary households. Not “hope”, not “trickle-down”, not press releases. Actual money in people’s pockets, so demand can support real-world enterprise.
December 13, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Sustainable growth requires purchasing power in ordinary households. Not “hope”, not “trickle-down”, not press releases. Actual money in people’s pockets, so demand can support real-world enterprise.
Trickle-down economics is a myth. If enriching the top automatically lifted everyone else, wages would track costs, essentials would be affordable, and inequality would narrow. Instead, costs surge, wages lag, and inequality widens. That’s the evidence.
December 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Trickle-down economics is a myth. If enriching the top automatically lifted everyone else, wages would track costs, essentials would be affordable, and inequality would narrow. Instead, costs surge, wages lag, and inequality widens. That’s the evidence.
Brexit effects aren’t “excuses”. Trade friction, uncertainty, and reduced investment have economic consequences. Denying that doesn’t make it go away - it just prevents honest fixes.
December 13, 2025 at 3:05 PM
Brexit effects aren’t “excuses”. Trade friction, uncertainty, and reduced investment have economic consequences. Denying that doesn’t make it go away - it just prevents honest fixes.
The wealth divide isn’t just unfair. It’s economically inefficient. Concentrated wealth tends to sit in assets, savings, and rent extraction. Broad incomes circulate faster. Circulation is what keeps businesses alive.
December 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
The wealth divide isn’t just unfair. It’s economically inefficient. Concentrated wealth tends to sit in assets, savings, and rent extraction. Broad incomes circulate faster. Circulation is what keeps businesses alive.
Is Blue sky better than X?
December 11, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Is Blue sky better than X?
Reposted by Thomas H.
Really unhappy with the change to Sensodyne toothpaste to the blue gel. It's just not effective against sensitivity anymore. I need to find an alternative now.
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Really unhappy with the change to Sensodyne toothpaste to the blue gel. It's just not effective against sensitivity anymore. I need to find an alternative now.
Really unhappy with the change to Sensodyne toothpaste to the blue gel. It's just not effective against sensitivity anymore. I need to find an alternative now.
December 4, 2025 at 11:30 PM
Really unhappy with the change to Sensodyne toothpaste to the blue gel. It's just not effective against sensitivity anymore. I need to find an alternative now.
In the same 20 year period, utility bills for disabled people and vulnerable folk have had a percentage increase of over 500% above inflation. That's just one extra cost. But welfare benefits have only had a 24% increase in the same timeframe. That is govt created poverty.
November 24, 2025 at 2:43 PM
In the same 20 year period, utility bills for disabled people and vulnerable folk have had a percentage increase of over 500% above inflation. That's just one extra cost. But welfare benefits have only had a 24% increase in the same timeframe. That is govt created poverty.
Have you noticed that the right-wing - Tories, Labour, Reform - and the greedy despise welfare benefits but support poverty?
Very telling.
Very telling.
November 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
Have you noticed that the right-wing - Tories, Labour, Reform - and the greedy despise welfare benefits but support poverty?
Very telling.
Very telling.
Reform has no solutions
None.
Only blame.
And shouting.
And fascism.
Oh, and racism.
And ableism.
Oh, yes, and convicted criminals.
None.
Only blame.
And shouting.
And fascism.
Oh, and racism.
And ableism.
Oh, yes, and convicted criminals.
November 24, 2025 at 2:21 PM
Reform has no solutions
None.
Only blame.
And shouting.
And fascism.
Oh, and racism.
And ableism.
Oh, yes, and convicted criminals.
None.
Only blame.
And shouting.
And fascism.
Oh, and racism.
And ableism.
Oh, yes, and convicted criminals.
I've discovered today that a massive bird of prey flying right in front of the car windscreen is quite a sight. Huge!
November 24, 2025 at 2:19 PM
I've discovered today that a massive bird of prey flying right in front of the car windscreen is quite a sight. Huge!
Welfare benefits aren’t “generous” - they’re inadequate.
Especially for disabled people, who face extra unavoidable costs of over £1,000 a month.
Support that doesn’t meet real need isn’t welfare.
It’s neglect.
#bbcqt
Especially for disabled people, who face extra unavoidable costs of over £1,000 a month.
Support that doesn’t meet real need isn’t welfare.
It’s neglect.
#bbcqt
November 7, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Welfare benefits aren’t “generous” - they’re inadequate.
Especially for disabled people, who face extra unavoidable costs of over £1,000 a month.
Support that doesn’t meet real need isn’t welfare.
It’s neglect.
#bbcqt
Especially for disabled people, who face extra unavoidable costs of over £1,000 a month.
Support that doesn’t meet real need isn’t welfare.
It’s neglect.
#bbcqt