Sign in

gmdonald.bsky.social

@gmdonald.bsky.social
193 followers 49 following 2.5K posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 3h
I am now hearing that this might not be the final version of the France-Germany paper. And I don't think the EU will adopt it in this form either. A mess, and frankly an embarrassment to the EU policy making process resulting from blind political panic.
1247
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 4h
From a UK point of view, what the French and Germans have proposed on Made in Europe with regard to cars is distinctly *not helpful*. For it implies that ongoing market access is dependent on the changing whims of the EU. This will not encourage investment. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/o...
theguardian.com
France drops opposition to UK being included in ‘Made in Europe’ legislation
British government must however align with the European Union’s position over tariffs on Chinese EVs
33910
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Reform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 4h
Reform UK lose their 3rd by-election in Leicestershire in a row. This time it’s a defence of their own seat.
1021864
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 14h
One distinctive feature of Trump's second term is that it's become impossible to differentiate when he's being stupid and when he's being mendacious. But on this it hardly even matters—his conduct on Ukraine in the last week alone would be grounds for impeachment in any functioning political system.
1847590
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 14h
Talk of a "kill switch" for trade and a Franco-German paper that abandons WTO rules in favour of demanding one partner follows all your rules and the rest are discarded. This isn't serious trade policy. This is two governments utterly losing the plot.
1178
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 16h
So they're at it again 🙄 Torturing valid HMRC data to create wildly misleading headlines, designed to invoke fear and anger about immigrants. Same old, same old... (and you'll see just how old shortly!) 🧵1/28
Daily Mail Front Page headline:

4 out of 5 new jobs went to foreigners in the past decade. 

Monk debunks Stamp over the headlne
22575295
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 15h
Excellent long explainer from @monkemma.bsky.social on the "new jobs"/migrants nonsense. I have already complained to www.ipso.co.uk/making-a-com... about the Mail, but feel free to complain about the Sun, Express, Telegraph, etc...
ipso.co.uk
213466
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Justin Mikulka @justinmikulka.bsky.social · 20h
Happening fast. Most of the data centers haven't been built yet. Ooops!!
graph showing the rapid decline in bonds for US data centers.
15287124
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Full Fact @fullfact.org · 17h
Home Office minister Jo White claimed yesterday that the number of hotels housing asylum seekers “has fallen from 400 when we came into power to fewer than 160.” That’s not correct. The number of hotels in use when Labour took office was 213.
fullfact.org
Minister repeats incorrect claim about Labour’s asylum hotels record – Full Fact
Full Fact is the UK’s independent fact checking charity
14416
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 19h
The initial snarky comment is that the German car makers have finally come to the rescue. The more considered version is that the UK produces far fewer cars than it sells, unlike Japan or South Korea. So this is a way to try and replace Chinese with EU cars.
45823
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Rick @flipchartrick.bsky.social · 18h
Hero to Zero in 3 years. futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com
Google-Tied AI Startup Once Valued at a Billion Dollars Declares Bankruptcy
Character.AI, the AI unicorn that faced several lawsuits over the deaths of minors as well as significant revenue struggles, is bankrupt.
022
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 19h
The US government could spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on a media campaign in South Africa to figure out why more white Afrikaners are not applying to become refugees to the US, as Donald Trump had hoped. TAT: [Nationalism]
theguardian.com
US officials considering ad campaign to urge South African Afrikaners to emigrate
Exclusive: Trump has falsely claimed Afrikaners are facing ‘white genocide’, but very few have applied to live in US
21312
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 19h
The Trump administration ​has rejected a government watchdog's recommendation that US immigration officials (ICE) should use technology that would ‌automatically activate body-worn cameras when an officer pulls their weapon or sets off a car sir... [link] TAT: [Nationalism | Weakening civil rights]
0149
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 19h
Federal authorities investigating Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar have seized her phone and issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas, including to some of her relatives, as part of an inquiry into her immigration paperwork. Washington DC’s US attorney has als... TAT: [Suppressing dissent]
theguardian.com
Ilhan Omar’s phone seized and relatives subpoenaed in criminal inquiry, source says
Federal authorities issued more than a dozen grand jury subpoenas in inquiry into potential immigration fraud
02911
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 20h
President Trump said on Wednesday that government sources who reveal information about military plans should be shot, during a grievance-filled speech at a political rally in Arizona. Even for a president known for his ... TAT: [Controlling information | Suppressing dissent | Undermining democracy]
nytimes.com
Trump Says Those Who Leak Military Plans Should Be Shot
At a rally in Arizona, the president dramatically escalated his attacks on news gathering and those willing to speak to the press.
1198
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Maggie Harrison Dupré @mharrisondupre.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Character.AI, which was valued at more than $1b in 2023, is bankrupt. CAI's founders once argued that they were building superintelligence. The startup went on to face wrongful death lawsuits, safety concerns, financial struggles, and user-hated platform changes: futurism.com/artificial-i...
Character.AI is a fascinating case study of the early AI era. It was the first company to face allegations of psychological harm and wrongful death to users, claims that other major players in the industry are now battling too. Yet in attempting, eventually, to make its freewheeling platform safer, it also made it unusable and deeply frustrating for much of its userbase — suggesting that the qualities that allegedly made its platform so dangerous to some young users were the same features that made it compelling.

At the same time, despite immense investments, it struggled to do something that, from a business perspective, is pretty important: make money. And unfortunately for the broader AI industry — and the American economy — that specific issue isn’t unique to Character.AI.
14559182
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Nicolas Fulghum @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social · 20h
China is pulling further ahead of the US in EVs and clean energy. The US was set to be the global leader in cleantech. Instead, it fell behind, and in the case of EVs, is moving backwards
33919
gmdonald.bsky.social @gmdonald.bsky.social · 21h
Market selloff, rising rates test AI data centre deal boom www.reuters.com/business/fin...
reuters.com
Market selloff, rising rates test AI data centre deal boom
A market selloff is forcing companies driving the global AI boom to delay fundraising plans or pay more for capital as investors demand proof they can absorb rising interest rates and computing-power ...
000
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Digital Health @digitalhealth2.bsky.social · 23h
The British Medical Association (BMA) in Scotland has warned that the migration of GP practices across Scotland to a new clinical IT system is causing significant disruption, increased workloads and concerns about patient safety. www.digitalhealth.net/2026/10/bma-...
012
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
It drives me absolutely mad that Hunt has never been forced to account for this. Interviewers never say "But isn't this your fault?" (It is.)
13461119
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Joseph Rowntree Foundation @jrf-uk.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
It’s hard to focus on your job when you’re worrying about keeping a roof over your head or other essentials. 🔎 The economic growth debate is missing something: financial security. Helping people build a safety net is good for them, as @chrisbelfield.bsky.social explains here 👇
1176
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Digital Health @digitalhealth2.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
The National Data Guardian (NDG) has urged health innovation minister James Frith to give “substantial weight” to public and professional trust when deciding the future of the NHS Federated Data Platform (FDP). www.digitalhealth.net/2026/10/data...
021
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Nicolas Fulghum @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
In September, China's combustion vehicle (ICE) sales dropped to just a third of the market for the first time Battery electric vehicles are getting close to half of the market (47.3%), while Plug-ins added another 19.7%. Only 5 years from >90% to 33% ICE.
78439
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
GylesNaMopaleen @gylesnamopaleen.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
This is quite extraordinary. I don't think I have heard a more coherent, articulate and accurate deconstruction & demolition of Nigel Farage's ReformUK, Tory & Restore policy than this. In under 85 seconds! @rafaelbehr.bsky.social is on here folks and worth a follow.
731926792
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Terrorism law is a special body of law which should be taken seriously. The UK government’s proscription of Palestine Action discredits terrorism law.
8523219
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Phil Tinline @philtinline.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Perhaps they should have a looped audio announcement like reversing vehicles now have in the UK: "This pervert is recording...This pervert is recording...This pervert is recording..."
412635
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
Today's European Council external focus will be on China, but primarily it is domestic in France and Germany at least, trying to show their electorates some sign of action to bring back manufacturing jobs. That's unlikely, but maybe it buys time for companies to restructure.
3116
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Reform's deputy leader on Solihull Council quit to be an independent yesterday, saying it was for personal reasons by mutual consent. It came a day before ITV news broadcast his racist comments when filned undercover. He says mass deportations must make Britain 99% white
8244112
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 14/10/2026
oh my god
30544147
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Zelenskyy: “I thank His Majesty King Charles III for the audience. It is important for me to have the opportunity to personally thank him for his unwavering support for Ukraine. We appreciate all the assistance provided by the United Kingdom.”
Zelenskyy and Charles shake hands. Photo by PA’s Aaron Chown
492021394
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
4fuxake @blueheartedly1.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
This 👇
475155753885
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
This is actually wrong, and plays into the false narrative that recent migrants are "low-skilled/low paid". In fact new migrants do a range of jobs, from low to high paid, with somewhat faster earnings progression than earlier cohorts migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/co...
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk
Upward mobility? Earnings trajectories for recent immigrants - Migration Observatory
This analysis uses new data from HMRC to show how the size and earnings of the migrant employee workforce has changed over time in recent years.
2289
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
On "the China Shock" to Europe, if the issue is roughly that our goods production is no longer globally competitive against China because we have protections, social welfare etc then the choice is stark, cut ourselves off, reduce protection, or focus on higher value add outputs.
5385
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
There was a China-EU deal because as @samuelmarclowe.bsky.social says in his newsletter and I predicted, both sides wanted a deal. Trade wars between economic giants are simply too difficult and messy in an inter-connected world. www.politico.eu/article/how-...
politico.eu
How Maroš Šefčovič talked his way to a China trade breakthrough
Europe’s trade chief has won a first concession from Beijing. Now he must convince EU leaders that dialogue can deliver more.
1115
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Nicolas Fulghum @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
In November 2023, battery electric vehicles became the most sold drivetrain in Denmark for the first time at 44%. That was just 34 months ago. In September 2026, BEVs made up 89% of the market. Petrol sales share fell to just 8%. A sign of things to come for other countries.
15414
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Xela Hart @xelahart.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
833149855513
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Jennifer Shin - WTAF @jennifershin.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Perfect response for people complaining about gas prices at work today.
9853101839
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 14/10/2026
"There is no dancing around it. The sitting President of the United States has shared a snuff video on social media, and he seems to have done it for little reason other than he found it interesting – or he saw an opportunity for self-aggrandisement."
inews.co.uk
Trump's sadistic tiger videos are a hideous window into his mind
The US President shared footage of a British man being mauled to death – followed by AI slop in which he wrestles a tiger
86820
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
I see the "migrants taking all the new jobs" nonsense is back, in the Mail, Telegraph and Times. Reminder that this is BS, and IPSO ruled repeatedly that this is not what the data says. I expect corrections from all of them (Times has already agreed to correct) www.ipso.co.uk/rulings/1183...
39654272
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Emma Monk @monkemma.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
OK, there is something very, very weird going on in the press right now. It certainly appears, from the outside, as if certain people are being very much protected in a way that was not afforded to certain other people! Let's start with the facts around Lola Salem... 🧵1/
331173647
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Nicolas Fulghum @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
NEW | EV Adoption is booming around the world The Hormuz crisis once again revealed the risks of an energy system reliant on fossil fuels and countries are taking notice. Growing EV fleets have saved oil importers more than $20 billion since the start of the war.
312045
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
JWexTheSpa @jwsidders.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Leaving the ECHR, abandoning Net Zero, throwing people out of their homes for being foreign and deporting legally settled immigrants are all far-right positions. They are also advocated by senior Tories with no repercussion or are official Tory policy.
26320
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Ember @ember-energy.org · 14/10/2026
🚨 NEW | Electric cars saved oil-importing countries $20 BILLION in crude oil imports in the six months since the US-Israel war with Iran began ⚡📉 China saved an estimated $14 billion, while EU countries avoided $3.1 billion in oil imports. ember-energy.org/lat... 🧵1/2
🚨 NEW | Electric cars saved oil-importing countries $20 BILLION in crude oil imports in the six months since the US-Israel war with Iran began ⚡📉
615759
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Call me a masochist, but I'm returning to this issue, as I feel it has been poorly understood. Please read the whole thread before responding. First, I hope we can agree that the Israeli government is committing genocide in Gaza and horrific crimes in the West Bank and the wider region.
83867198
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
The editors let Nigel Farage write for the Jewish Chronicle. Nigel Farage. A man who got a standing ovation from Nazis (www.dw.com/en/nigel-far...) before they were mainstream. What a shameful day.
dw.com
Farage speaks to Germany's far-right AfD
Nigel Farage, the ex-leader of UKIP and a chief Brexit campaigner, has addressed a rally of Germany's far-right AfD party in Berlin. He received a standing ovation as a model of right-wing political a...
913149
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
JWexTheSpa @jwsidders.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
The Jewish Chronicle ran a piece by a well-known racist who arged the SS weren’t that bad really - and definitely not as bad as Hamas - because the industrial annihalation of Jews really upset them.
0338
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Trump announced on Truth Social without giving any details, that "massive" oil and gas drilling was about to commence in Greenland TAT: [Foreign policy]
edition.cnn.com
Trump says ‘massive’ oil and gas drilling is about to begin in Greenland | CNN Politics
11812
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Trump Action Tracker @trumpactiontracker.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
In a letter sent to the California Dept of State, the Justice Department (DoJ) gave California officials 48 hours to review a list of alleged noncitizen voters that the DOJ provided, and threatened l... [link] TAT: [Nationalism | Weakening civil rights | Suppressing dissent | Undermining democracy]
0126
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
Nick Gray @path-dependent.bsky.social · 13/10/2026
Whatever anyone's view on the fairness of the home office approach to housing people seeking asylum, Sunderland is objectively not full. The city's population is still smaller than it was thirty years ago.
47420
Reposted by @gmdonald.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 14/10/2026
Does the UK government realise, I was asked yesterday in Brussels, that their actions on China are crucial for the future relationship. Unfair, but such is life as the smaller player, and probably not... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
UK will not put tariffs on Chinese vehicles, says Jonathan Reynolds
Exclusive: Business secretary says he will not change trade rules due to EU pressure and denies UK will become a ‘back door’ for cheap imports
77634