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Reposted by Anthony Wells

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 11h

"London has the largest number of Neets, an estimated 117,100, or one in six of all Neets in England, said the report" - you'll never guess what the other thing that London has one in six of all the things in England is.

uk.finance.yahoo.com

More than a third of Neets living in nine largest cities, research finds

A study has shone light on ‘stark differences’ between areas.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 12h

(Not saying the broader thrust of what Rachel is writing is wrong. But the polling bit at the start is over-egged and the causality is silly)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 12h

Oh the polling bit in the opening paragraph is rubbish too! They are down from 16% in May to 9% in the last Opinium poll but (a) that's just one poll (b) most of that decline did not come after they lost the by-election or had that conference vote, it came before

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 17h

And his evidence is that *Boris Johnson told him*.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

It's what your public want. More sausages

Still from Fawlty Towers of a man saying "I'm a doctor and I want my sausages"

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Here (though as Max has also said, it sounds unlikely it's anything to do with Sadiq Khan) newwestend.com/news/harry-p...

newwestend.com

Harry Potter is bringing the magic to Oxford Street this Christmas

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

This from @andrewcooper.bsky.social is good (in a "it largely chimes with my own views on the problems facing the Tories" type way)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Long term mystery. The public are very much "we should tax the wealth of rich people" but hate the one real wealth tax we do have. Few years ago we did ask people why and got them to type their answers in a box, so no prompting - double taxation did come out top. yougov.com/en-gb/articl...

yougov.com

Why do Britons think inheritance tax is unfair?

Topping the list is the idea that it represents ‘double taxation’

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

We were having a, um, heated discussion on the merits of a single currency and free floating exchange rates. 17 year old me had a lot more confidence than was good for me.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Sir Edward Heath once called me an even madder fool than he'd taken me for. Bless him.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Very poor. Your *proper* Bluesky scolds would never say a bad word about Lenin or Stalin.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Oh congratulations and, well, sorry and good luck. Mrs W had hyperemesis gravidarum with our youngest and it's a not a pleasant ride.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Oh yes. I was thinking I couldn't remember any film or TV that genuinely scared me as a kid. Presumably my mind had just blanked out the terror.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Doing the family history, I eventually found a report of the coroner's inquest, which revealed that he was... (a) from Galway, not Donegal (b) was a brickie, not a steeplejack (c) outlived his wife, who was already dead (d) died from dropping a plank of wood on his foot and getting tetanus

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Before that, the family well runs dry. My nan (again, my mum's mum) did have some nuggets - apparently her grandfather was from Donegal, was a steeplejack and died falling from a steeple - at which his wife died of a broken heart.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

When covid happened my mum came out with some of her mum's recollections of the Spanish flu (they were apparently the only house in the street not to get it. Apparently because they hung onions in the window. I have some reservations about the causality there.)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Would surely have to be a confidence deal. I work on the assumption that wild horses couldn't drag the Lib Dems into another formal coalition after their experience last time.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Invested in this now. Good luck!

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I'm not sure I ever resist that one. Sorry

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

That's fair - in 1987 Labour did have a proper "we will reverse the Tory's 2p income tax bribe" (and, obviously, lost).

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

In fairness, it's a pretty long time since any significant party went to the country saying they'd like to increase any broadly based tax (I assume since the Lib Dems' magic penny). Even Corbyn promised not to increase the basic rate of income tax It's practically quite hard to vote for higher tax

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'm trying to work our who your other one is now

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

Jack Bailey @jack-bailey.co.uk · 28/09/2026

Sick of work this Monday lunchtime? Or perhaps hungover from one too many on the first night of Labour Conference? If so, distract yourself with ✨ 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 𝗠𝗥𝗣 𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 ✨ Full interactive at: jack-bailey.co.uk/ward2024

Screenshot showing interactive ward level MRP estimates at the 2024 UK general election.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Not even that - the wording was along the lines of "abolish standing charges to reduce energy bills". Basically, people were agreeing with the second bit of the answer. No other options to reduce energy bills for respondents on typical incomes were offered

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Three in five people will not vote based on free speech at the next election. 🤦‍♂️

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

⤵️ @bryce.lol · 27/09/2026

If we shadows have offended, Think but this, and all is mended, That you have but slumber’d here While these visions did appear. And this weak and idle theme No more yielding but a dream, Gentles, do not reprehend: if you pardon, we will mend; And, as I am an honest Puck, Show is over, off you fuck.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

My mum's theory was that she only passed because she was the very last test on Christmas Eve, and how heartless would it be to fail the very last test on Christmas Eve?

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

I also failed twice, and properly deserved to both times (once for breaking the speed limit, the other for messing up parallel parking IIRC)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

We used to be a country, a proper country!

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

As if anyone can resist the chance to see the world's largest pencil.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I wonder how many people *at all* pass that. Five generations back, so great-great-great-grandparents - 32 of them (guestimating some of the blanks, I think mine would be 2 Welsh, 4 Irish, 26 English)

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

YouGov @yougov.co.uk · 24/09/2026

YouGov's September 2026 MRP projects that Labour would be the largest party in a hung parliament, were an election held tomorrow Labour: 241 (-170 from 2024) Conservatives: 130 (+9) Reform UK: 123 (+118) Lib Dems: 71 (-1) SNP: 40 (+31) Plaid Cymru: 15 (+11) Greens: 9 (+5) Others: 3 (-3)

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Stands to reason. Better writers who probably could do better, but trying to match his style.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Ha. No, I haven't, but yes, I guess that would be a bit of a giveaway.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Is it? If they were professionally ghostwritten... wouldn't they be, well, better? They are really badly written dross. I can certainly believe they were written by a TV personality rather than a professional writer.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Dammit. My chance for a beat Lewis day and I messed up number 2. Long skinny countries shouldn't be allowed.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Don't get me started. The mass market filth he drinks. The scores he gives it!

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

They are still rubbish in their own way. If I wanted to track the eldest I could do it through his Untappd check ins.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Exactly. Mrs W did this with both our kids when they were younger, which rapidly resulted in them changing their settings on their phones so they couldn't be tracked.

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Reposted by Anthony Wells

Elizabeth Zelle @kohizeri.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

"the assessment did not consider the crocodiles" is my new metaphor for people choosing to just ignore the data point that doesn't agree with them

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Jealous of you all now! See you next year

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Ah, but that's *after* he died. The commenter here is presumably thinking more "FT lunch with Gavin Ewart"

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Be proud General! Why shouldn't there be a hotline for asking why cones are on the motorway?

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Dammit. 12 years too late. Definitely missed the window for passing him off as a toddler.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Let he whose post hasn't been improved by the addition of a random potato anecdote cast the first stone.

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Anthony Wells @anthonyjwells.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Mum just back from a visit back to Harrogate

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