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Alex Collinson

@alexcollinson.bsky.social
639 followers 357 following 363 posts

Research and analysis officer at the TUC.

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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 15h
Very funny insight from a banker who seemingly turned up to lobby the government not to introduce a bank tax but just ended up saying "yeh fair play actually, we do have a lot of cash". www.ft.com/content/3cd5...


	But behind closed doors they have acknowledged that they are fighting an “uphill” battle after another year of record profits for the sector.

“We’re obviously speaking against it, but it’s just tough to argue against it. It’s tough to argue against it when we are all making so much money,” said one senior executive. “It’s just politically such an easy place to go take it from.”
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 16h
Regardless of your views on his recent output, seems harsh on Wes Anderson that his legacy will be being a byword for "someone's painted their house pink". www.ft.com/content/a691...
ft.com
Wes Anderson comes to Camden in the Cloud House
Architect Peter Morris and TV producer Emily Kennedy took a tired Victorian two-storey house, added Miami colours, ice cream stripes — and joy
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Tim Sharp @timsharp.bsky.social · 17h
This dispute is worth noting for anyone wondering whether workplace monitoring technologies are a real industrial relations issue. Government recently consulted on this issue and the TUC is calling for legislative action: www.tuc.org.uk/research-ana...
tuc.org.uk
Make Work Pay: workplace monitoring technologies
The TUC’s response to the consultation from the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
saw it was the 15th anniversary of the Youth Lagoon album Year of Hibernation and don't think there's many albums from that era that have aged better than it. One of few albums that I've consistently and regularly revisited across those 15 years. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9tn...
youtube.com
Youth Lagoon - Afternoon
YouTube video by Skipper Radio
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
as a side note to this, every day I get an instagram advert telling me to share the songs I love on my story and every time the top song it recommends to me, for reasons unknown, is Joey Essex's 2011 single Reem.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
gotta give them credit, at least they went big.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Failing gcse history because you can't remember the name of the first Steps single.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A great decision to bring back Union Learning Fund. All evidence shows that it helped to deliver training to thousands of, often hard-to-reach, workers each year. Independent analysis consistently showed it more than paid for itself over time. Silly of the tories to scrap it in the first place.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Latest energy debt statistics from Ofgem incredibly concerning. The value of outstanding energy bill debt and arrears has gone above £5 billion for the first time, tripling in the past five years alone.
chart showing total financial value of domestic customer debt and arrears since 2018. It's just over £5bn, give years ago it was around £1.6bn.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Should be a general rule that you can’t do press conferences on the state of the UK economy if you have moved to Monaco for tax purposes. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Billionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UK
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
98 per cent sure that neither of my parents are still exactly sure what I studied at uni.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Big day for me today (recently moved to a new area and finally visited the biggest supermarket in the area).
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I’ve made a terrible mistake.
Calvert lewin on the bench.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Hate it when a footballer dives and you see comments like "they should get an Oscar for best acting!!". Doesn't make any sense. It's really bad acting? Would be an absolute joke if it was even nominated for any of the categories.
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Tom Jenkins @tomoljenkins.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Important quote by PGFTU leader Shaher Saed welcoming Miliband‘s ban on illegal settlement trade as “important step forward” in this @tuc.org.uk statement www.tuc.org.uk/news/tuc-hai...
tuc.org.uk
TUC hails ban on illegal settlement trade as “important step forward” towards lasting peace in Middle East
This is an important step forward for Palestinians who have faced the ongoing and escalating threat of illegal settler violence – and towards securing a just and lasting peace in the Middle East based...
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
A success story in raising Capital Gains Tax rates, as well as improving enforcement. Next step is to go further and equalise CGT rates with income tax rates, so that money made from selling assets is taxed the same as work. www.ft.com/content/8173...
ft.com
HMRC reports record capital gains tax haul after Reeves’ rate rise
Data shows £24.2bn in receipts for the 2024/25 tax year, an 89% increase on previous year
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Enjoying the latest James Blake album but, as ever, can't listen to him without thinking of "he blocked us all because we kept teasing him about being posh and eating hummus".
When I was like 17, me and James Blake were in a call of duty 4 clan together. We spent about 10 hours a day for 1.5 years playing matches on Xbox live together, but one day he blocked us all because we kept teasing him about being posh and eating hummus. This is a true story
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Jo Michell @jomichell.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Of course he does, that’s what he does. Notable that nowhere in the article is an actual argument as to why higher taxes on currently high banking profits would be bad. www.ft.com/content/44c0...
ft.com
Jamie Dimon warns UK chancellor against higher bank taxes
JPMorgan chief’s call to John Healey is part of lobbying by financial services sector ahead of October Budget
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Walked past Clark’s and they’re selling t-shirts?? Not sure what’s happening, but I don’t like it. Stick to the world of the feet Clark’s, the upper body is not your realm.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
When I looked up at the eclipse, the moon did a little wink at me.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Main memory of the 1999 solar eclipse is that we went for a day out to Morecambe because my dad figured the drive would be quiet with everyone looking at the solar eclipse. Can't remember how quiet the drive actually was.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
Palantir has been given hundreds of millions of pounds worth of UK government contracts, but pays an effective tax rate of just 8%. The statutory rate is 25%. It does this by shifting revenues and profits back to a US parent company, where it pays even less tax. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Palantir paid just £2m corporation tax in UK in 2024 despite lucrative public sector contracts
Software group benefits from global systems and accounting practices ‘that enable tax to be shirked’, says union boss
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The big four banks have brought in £29bn in profit in the first half of the year. Up 19% on same period last year. Increase partly driven by banks profiting from higher interest rates. A windfall tax on bank profits could raise £60bn over the next four years.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
East Midlands Rail particularly bad for this, sometimes even sending shorter five-carriage trains but still keeping two carriages as first class. Also currently not even allowing seat reservations on journeys.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Was sincerely thinking about this recently as saw an MP posting about going to one of the recent My Chemical Romance shows. Must be only a decade away from a prime minister who has a strong opinion on Fall Out Boy.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
A "wealth exodus" has been widely reported since 2024, first as sensationalist headlines and then just treated as an accepted fact after that. All still based on one completely dodgy report by a consultancy. Still no evidence in any official data that shows it's true. www.ft.com/content/655a...
ft.com
Data suggests fears of UK ‘non-dom’ exodus overblown
Number fell by just 0.5% in 2024-25, casting doubt on claims tougher rules would lead to wealthy people leaving
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Going back a hundred years and taking on my grandad‘s job as a newborn baby.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
once, in a past job, got offered "smile training" because I looked too miserable in meetings.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Celeb watch at the World Cup final: camera just shot to Chico, famous for the 2006 number 1 hit Chico Time, in the crowd.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
RIP Kafka, you would have loved the avanti west coast delay repay website.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Now that the World Cup is almost over, think this is the moment that’s going to stay with me most from the tournament: Gakpo being unable to celebrate after scoring and instead curling into a ball in the middle of the pitch, alone with his grief, only to then be embraced by all his teammates.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
A lot of chat about who is to blame for the England defeat and its time to come clean: it is entirely my fault.
Message from eight pm, where I tell a friend I’m confident about the match
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
All the mentions of Miami have reminded me that I had a friend in primary school who set his doorbell to play Miami by Will Smith when it rang. Absolutely blew my mind. Couldn’t believe what was possible with technology. A new millennium was about to hit & it felt like we were living in the future.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Seems like a good place to post this as bsky must have the highest density of policy officers of any social media platform: TUC looking for a policy lead for employment rights and labour markets. A nice team. Key experience needed in screenshot. www.tuc.org.uk/jobs/policy-...
What key experience, skills, knowledge and understanding do you need?
 You will need:
Experience in evidence-based policy development on issues related to employment rights and/or labour markets
Ability in writing in a compelling and accessible style whether it is a blog for the TUC’s website or a detailed response to a government consultation
Confident skills in evaluating and communicating a range of data sources from legal material to quantitative data
If this is you, then take a look at our job description and person specification.
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Sarah Woolley @sarahwoolley.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Dawn Foster died five years ago on this date. I really miss her and I think about her every day. If you’re new to her work or want to introduce it to someone, this was the best tribute written about her: tribunemag.co.uk/2021/07/in-m... Dawn Foster Forever
Dawn outside the Sunflower pub in Belfast. Sign reads “no topless bathing Ulster has suffered enough.”  Dawn in front of a print reading “greet the Dawn five Labour its chance” Dawn in the Bread and Roses pub in Clapham and a painting of John Burns Addressing and Open Air Crowd by Alexander Joseph FinbergDawn looking amazing and eating oysters
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Charlotte Lydia Riley @lottelydia.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
it doesn’t buy a “very modest house”, it buys a house that I as a very middle class professional in a good job could never, ever afford to buy!
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Positive Money UK @positivemoneyuk.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
It's fantastic to see @tuc.org.uk continuing to fight for a windfall tax on bank profits in the face of huge pushback from the powerful banking sector. As union leaders say, the UK cannot afford to be held hostage by city lobbyists. Tell the incoming PM to #TaxTheBanks 👉 bit.ly/TaxTheBanks
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Okay but let’s not be completely dismissive of basing a chant on the third most popular LMFAO song.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I’m not saying the Spain Portugal game is dull, but I’m deep into a google of why so many football players chew gum.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
Only way to correct the Belogun stuff, in my opinion, is that every team left in the tournament gets to do one (and only one) red card offence as a little treat.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Very unsurprising to see a former Goldman Sachs economist come out against taxing bank profits, but good to see it balanced out with TUC general secretary Paul Nowak explaining why increasing the tax on bank profits makes sense. www.ft.com/content/fc5a...


	Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, argued that Burnham could raise £9bn over four years simply by reversing the previous Conservative government’s cut to the so-called bank surcharge. 


Paul Nowak of the TUC said Andy Burnham would need to ‘take on vested interests’ © Anna Gordon/FT
“I don’t think there’s any value at all in an incoming prime minister, if you’re keeping his hand on the handbrake,” he told the FT, arguing that Burnham would need to “take on vested interests” and “send a very clear signal to the public of whose side you’re on.”


	Nowak, the TUC chief, said banks could easily afford to pay more tax given they had handed out record bonuses in the last year, as a period of higher interest rates boosted the sector’s profits. 

Additional tax of £9bn would be enough to offer two-thirds of households “emergency” protection from rising energy bills and introduce a permanent “social tariff” lowering bills for a majority, the TUC estimates.

A more radical move to impose a 35 per cent surcharge on bank profits, matching the Conservatives’ windfall tax on energy companies, could raise £60bn over four years, it said. 
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
I should read the article and find out what it actually means, but every time I see the headlines about "hybrid navy" I just think "...mermaids?".
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Big England debut, but I’m having to be subbed off in the 28th minute because I had a frube, a pint of orange juice and two glasses of baileys in the hydration break.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Man on the southeastern train optimistically reaching up to the little air conditioning duct to see if any cold air coming out of it. Never stop dreaming.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Hydration break when both managers are wearing their coats. One of them has it fully zipped up.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
Sad read, & important to remember that this wasn't an accident, but the entire point of David Cameron's 'Big Society'. An intentional destruction of the social safety net, with the expectation that individuals and voluntary organisations provide support instead. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
About 400,000 UK children supported by baby banks, up 11% on previous year
Exclusive: Charities say they ‘cannot continue to absorb the impact of child poverty’ without government support
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
A lot of sympathy for the people already facing the stress of catching a train from Euston, standing in that packed concourse in this heat, only for dozens of journalists and cameras to suddenly turn up.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
In a cafe earlier. Sat near an elderly couple hearing the 2013 Daft Punk hit Get Lucky for the first time. An early comment about the repetitive lyrics turned into an exasperated “this can’t still be going on” by the fifth chorus. Didn’t have the heart to tell them this wasn’t even the outro.
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
New TUC polling shows: - A third of parents with children under the age of 7 have left a job due to lack of flexible working - Three-quarters of parents say they're more likely to apply for a job if it includes flexible working in the job ad www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home...
independent.co.uk
One in three parents has left a job due to ‘outdated’ lack of flexible working
A lack of flexible working arrangements is forcing parents out of employment, according to new research from the TUC
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Alex Collinson @alexcollinson.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Good for the anti-bedtime campaigners to celebrate their wins but hope they recognise this for what it is: a temporary measure. Important to build on this momentum and use it as a stepping stone towards structural change.
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