Reposted by Giles WilkesTwlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 13hHonestly it’s like a parody by this point isn’t it 2224730
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 12hthe most important story in the world keeps getting a bit important-er 28517
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 12hit would be nice if, just once, a politician would stand up for more of the same and business as usual. 130
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 13hwell done to the Government on this planned abandonment of the triple lock. The right people are booing. 1242
Reposted by Giles WilkesTuring Police Andúnië Branch 🇺🇦🇱🇹🇵🇸🏴 @dov.bsky.social · 13hThe case for abolishing the triple lock, the way I see it, is that you should not insulate a single demographic from shocks to the economy at a time when everyone else is being actively asked to take a hit. I think that's valid. "They don't vote Labour anyway" is not 2555
Reposted by Giles WilkesNathanael Smith @nathanaelsmith.bsky.social · 13hI believe it is a moral imperative to adjust the triple lock - the state pension will continue to increase while freeing up money to deliver better public services, which will ultimately benefit pensioners more. Nothing to be angry at here. 191
Reposted by Giles WilkesThe Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 13hNEW: How will the new triple lock work and what effects will it have? 📊 Jonathan Cribb, @heidikarj.bsky.social and @helenmiller.bsky.social's new comment explains how the new triple lock would work, how much it would cost and how it compares to the previous triple lock: ifs.org.uk/articles/how... 0134
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 15hI recently discovered that I had accidentally subscribed to the Specator for almost 2 years, and now feel an urge to wander around tearily apologising to everyone I meet 4230
Reposted by Giles WilkesEric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 15hVia David Paleogos at Suffolk: the latest Suffolk poll numbers in Ohio #OHGov Acton 50 Ramaswamy 41 Kissick 3 Undecided 5 Who is running the more negative campaign Ramaswamy 48 Acton 23 1211225
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 17hLovely piece from @dsquareddigest.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/1993... reminds me of a favourite (possibly apocryphal) Mark Twain quote “It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so. “ft.comJPMorgan and the broking fetish for conviction callsAn admission by some analysts at the bank of an inability to form a baseline view should be thanked rather than mocked 170
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 19hAm old enough to remember Sam Altman or someone airily asserting that *of course* some companies should have AI CEOs by 2027 and I wonder if that assessment is due some revision www.ft.com/content/488c...ft.comOpenAI axes next model citing safety issuesAI lab will hold back GPT-6.1 Astra following mounting pressure over misbehaviour by its agents 84911
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 20hThe Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is criticizing the US healthcare system 2225
Reposted by Giles WilkesDavid Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 21hAs a matter of logic you cannot be “hard working” if you rely on the state pension. I hope ministers will keep (start?) explaining that the state pension isn’t paid out of an investment fund but by the contributions of those currently working. 3118033
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 23h"Yes, he must persuade people that his preferred solution to the social care crisis is the right one, but, before that, he must reach the large number of people who aren’t even aware that there is a crisis to begin with" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... by @stephenkb.bsky.socialgiftarticle.ft.comWhat ‘Choosin’ Texas’ tells us about Burnham’s social care obstaclesConvincing the British public to pay higher taxes for something they wrongly assume the state provides will not be easy 1185
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 23hJust horrendous that this is a thing www.ft.com/content/5ad7...ft.comThe booming business of insuring against US gun violenceCompanies, political campaigns and even schools are taking out policies to shield themselves from litigation that can follow attacks 12811
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026In mid 2015 I wrote a piece for the FT Lex column describing how the only business sector that often reacted significantly to Budget-day announcements was house building. And look at today's action. IMHO this is good news and is related to forecasts of activity as much as margin... 173
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026'Where a typical industrial product might have a few dozen suppliers, an ASML EUV has more than 100,000 parts provided by 200 principal suppliers and 2,000 companies overall." giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Industrial strategy so much harder than monetary policy, Exhibit LXIBgiftarticle.ft.comASML chief: ‘There is only one company making those machines’Christophe Fouquet has built Europe’s biggest business through a total monopoly over the most advanced chipmaking equipment 31311
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026China has the opportunity to do literally the funniest thing 1327
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 28/09/2026The divergence starts in 2016 - I read this in part as "Brexit voting bits of the UK have experienced their revenge* through property price catch up" giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... while making the whole country a bit poorer too *Never quite understood revenge for what... 114813
Reposted by Giles WilkesAlex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 27/09/2026AB: "I don't think you get the welfare bill down with crude cuts. It plunges people into crisis and they show up in other parts of the system which end up costing more." LK: "Yeah, you've said this before, but I'm looking for a specific commitment you will cut the bill by the next election." WOW 112452107
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 27/09/2026aged jazz musician is facing his final moments. They rush to fetch the priest who hurries in, bends to whisper into the dying man's ear, "anything still bothering you my son?". And the musician whispers back "country music". 3131
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Enjoyed Toy Story 5, with its heartwarming message that the kids playing on screens are basically dead inside 0120
Reposted by Giles WilkesChairman Moët @chairmanmoet.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I've already eaten 4 mince pies this month and a packet of lebkuchen and just like Open AI, I'm asking the government to step in and stop me before I do it again. 0166
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026'no officer I'm not "wasting your time", it's September for goodness' sake' 4316
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026“The central economic problem of resilience,” said Lang, “is that it asks capitalism to do what it doesn’t want to do at the moment.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... @willoyd.bsky.social has started writing for the FT! this is good news. Nothing in this article is, though...giftarticle.ft.comHow resilient is Britain?As climate and geopolitical risks cast doubt on the UK’s ability to cope in a crisis, leaders are turning from ‘just in time’ to ‘just in case’ as a governing philosophy 23110
Reposted by Giles WilkesSteven Fielding @polprofsteve2024.bsky.social · 26/09/2026I once had to watch every episode of Downton Abbey and all I can say is that if you think it is one of the 100 best TV shows of the 21st century you urgently need to get checked for concussion. 1412511
Reposted by Giles WilkesTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Fundamentally, the median voter has had a tax cut since 2010 and the result is that nothing works. 1145293
Reposted by Giles WilkesKatie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 24/09/20265.14 on the 10y 🥺 158 USDJPY 😵 Ideas for Scott 🏚️ Bessent: 5869
Reposted by Giles Wilkesex-Lethality Jane @lethalityjane.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Literally everyone will tell you that. 1594732325
Reposted by Giles WilkesHenry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 25/09/2026it's been less than a year, and already the socialists are forcing people to go to the opera 1939874
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Trump hasn't helped. Brexit has been worse: in real terms, UK food and drink exports down well over 20% since that deal was struck www.ft.com/content/82b3...ft.comBrexit and Donald Trump’s tariffs push UK’s food and drink trade deficit to £21bnIn the first half of 2026, the sector’s export volumes fell 11.7% to hit their third-lowest level on record 1185
Reposted by Giles WilkesBrokenBanker @brokenbanker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Trump/Xi all pomp, no circumstance; another rumour re SoH resolution; but yields continue to rise and equities a little subdued, despite oil lower: Asia equities ➡️ (Korea and China closed) US and Europe equity futures small ↘️ Oil ↘️ Gold small ↘️ Bond Yields ↗️ (US 10yr 5.18%) FX $ small ↗️ (JPY 158.4) 0223
Reposted by Giles WilkesSnigdha @snig.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Please can someone call the burns unit? 🔥🔥🔥🔥 36979177
Reposted by Giles WilkesNoel Darlow @noeldarlow.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Elves can fight the orcs, or put a plug in Mount Doom to stop the carbon emissions. We can do anything we want with the resources & labour at our disposal. What we can't do, and what everyone seems to demand, is fight orcs but only if it doesn't cost anything and we don't have to change anything. 141
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026"What the west has is a followership problem. Voters reject policies — however objectively necessary — that cost them anything. One result is huge levels of government debt" www.ft.com/content/67f1...ft.comThe west does not have a leadership problemIf Friedrich Merz and almost everyone else is unpopular, perhaps governments aren’t the issue 2113
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026give me your most Leopards Ate MY Face?? story www.nytimes.com/2026/09/23/u... no no that is too much Leopards ate my facenytimes.comPaul LePage, a Trump Ally, Says a Family Member Is Being DeportedThe former Maine governor, a Republican running for Congress, said the Trump administration is seeking to wrongly deport his son’s father-in-law, who has a work permit. 380
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Because the ONS has discovered we have had more leisure time (see discussions from @chrisgiles.ft.com @ryanbourne.bsky.social and others), I have generated a terribly subtle allegory gileswilkes.substack.com/p/a-tale-of-...gileswilkes.substack.comA tale of Elves and OrcsDon’t make me spell it out 232
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Reform's task is simple: they must simply select people and policies such that they are not so obnoxious that they are the least-liked, must-keep-out-at-all-costs option for all the other parties www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comTactical voting at next election could push Reform into fourth place, poll findsPolling suggests Andy Burnham is attracting progressives back to Labour, motivated by desire to stop Nigel Farage 171
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026quick, mega obvious post about how the US economy is crowding out others gileswilkes.substack.com/p/a-short-di...gileswilkes.substack.coma short, disturbing thought on AI overbuilding and US fiscal laxityirresponsibility spreads across borders 067
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026still and always one of the ten greatest cartoons ever committed to paper 1322
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026this is mostly an excellent aide memoire for the best shows, if you can get past nonsense judgments like e.g. The Bear being lower rated than the nonsense Stranger Things www.nytimes.com/interactive/...nytimes.comThe 100 Best TV Shows of the 21st CenturyMore than 500 influential stars, showrunners and other notable names in the world of TV voted on the best series released since Jan. 1, 2000. See what they chose. 150
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026This is a fantastic conversation. I think Gita Gopinath stands equal to any of the people interviewed by Cowen, and answers all of his questions brilliantly 120
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026BlueSky doesn't need this reminder but remember that Headroom is, roughly, the difference between: - est. revenues a few years out, a >£trillion number - est. spending, similar - removing capital, a semi artificial construct - divided by GDP, Ditto - taken from a self-imposed allowable amount 2215
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Apparently this will work, because he says so, and there will be "extensive planning". And these guys are just demons at the business of bureaucratic efficiency. www.ft.com/content/199d...ft.comReform UK says it would halve size of civil service in radical overhaulRightwing anti-immigration party is warning mandarins that they are prepared to counter any ‘sabotage or resistance’ 8266
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 24/09/2026While rising global rates are clearly a highly inconvenient problem, it is at least extremely funny how foolish they make "The House" Bessent look, with his puny buying programme swamped by this thing called "reality" www.ft.com/content/2d87...ft.comGlobal bond sell-off spreads as oil holds above $100Rising yields strain public finances as expectations of Fed rate rise in October jump to about 70% 0111
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026"This attack on misinformation is an attack on us" is quite the line for a political party to take. 2224
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026"The BIS study ... establishes quite clearly that the imposition of the European bonus cap had very little effect on bank risk-taking. The removal of the cap in the UK in 2023 might have had some small effect, but not very much." by @dsquareddigest.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/a0c1...ft.comConfessions of an accidental bonus basherWhy bonus caps do kinda make sense (ish) though 172
Reposted by Giles WilkesIan Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 23/09/2026This week on Origin Story: The life & ideas of John Rawls, the most celebrated liberal philosopher of the post-war period. These are some of the most beautiful arguments in progressive thought. We do it as a one hour crash course. Everything you need to know. podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/j... 2641497