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Joel Budd

@joelbudd.bsky.social
8.8K followers 220 following 602 posts

Journalist at the Economist, writing about life in Britain. Author of "Underdogs".

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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I feel this story omits the one detail that I really want. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/28/u...
nytimes.com
A Driver Desperate to Use the Bathroom Plows Into a Kroger in Texas, the Police Say
The driver, James Mansell Lancaster Jr., was upset to find the supermarket in Rosenberg, Texas, closed early Sunday morning, the police said.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Since people are still talking about “Seven Up”, here’s my brief write-up. Do other viewers of the series have a favourite person? I do. It’s Sue, the most stylish of the three East End women. More than any of the other participants, she looks forward, adopting www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
The “Up” series, an epic of ordinary life, comes to an end
A serious ancestor of reality TV
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
My piece on the fraught subject of asylum housing. I pull the unusual move of asking current and recent asylum-seekers about their experiences. www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
By housing asylum-seekers so badly, Britain is harming itself
Most will become citizens in time
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Archie Hall @archiehall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My latest for @economist.com: AI writing is taking over politics. 10% of what was is said in Parliament is now AI-drafted, per Pangram. Yet more in the House of Representatives, or in Australia and Canada. Link: www.economist.com/britain/202... And a 🧵 below, w/ some main offenders
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Gina-Julia Westenberger @gjwestenberger.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
3rd PhD baby is out in the world 🎉 Voting far right because your region is left-behind? Not necessarily. "Left-behind" regions — slower growth, higher unemployment, industrial decline — are said to drive votes for the radical right. My new paper in @actapolitica.bsky.social complicates this story.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
If the government's budget for environmental actions leads to an Oasis-like phone frenzy by farmers, you could draw the conclusion that the budget is too small. This is the NFU's reading. You could also draw the conclusion that the actions are too generously funded. www.nfuonline.com/news/sfi26-w...
nfuonline.com
NFU responds to SFI26 Window 2 take-up
The SFI26 Window 2 application window closed less than six hours after opening on 22 September 2026 – the NFU responds to the rapid window closure, highlighting the urgent need for a budget that allow...
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The truth is that the London congestion charge doesn’t work all that well. It’s not really a congestion charge at all, but a daily permit to travel in a congested area. It deters commuters much more than delivery drivers. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
London buses in decline? Why public transport in global cities is slowing to a crawl – visualised
As experts fear for future of UK capital’s bus network, some commuters are giving up entirely. London is not alone – with worrying implications for poorest in society
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Excellent illustration of the Wile-Coyote-off-a-cliff nature of some big Hollywood players. The industry has changed utterly, the culture has not (though some are wiser than others). www.economist.com/culture/2026...
economist.com
Ari Emanuel, Hollywood’s raging super agent, shares his playbook
But it is not one you can get away with following these days
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
economist.com
In MAGA-land people are dying faster than they are being born
Our analysis suggests Trump country is only growing because of migration
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Angry People in Local Newspapers @apiln.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"I have become increasingly convinced that we are heading for a disastrous confrontation and that the 21st century will be remembered for a terrible war between mankind and goats"
Goat war: an apology
FRIDAY'S Argus featured a Your Interview with Richard Robinson.
We would like to clarify that the quote "I have become increasingly convinced that we are heading for a disastrous confrontation and that the 21st century will be remembered for a terrible war between mankind and goats" was a reader question and not a response from Mr Robinson.
The next paragraph: "People often underestimate how dangerous a goat can be - I personally know six people who have become severely injured by goats, and the annual death toll racked up by goats is over
2,000,000",
, is also a reader question and not a response from Mr Robinson.
The Argus is happy to correct this and would like to apologise for the error.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It's too late for today's papers, but remember the golden rule for reading opinion pieces. If you see the word "liberal" prefixed with anything other than "il", stop reading the piece.
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Alex Selby-Boothroyd @alexselbyb.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Awesome chart
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Gautam Vyas @gautamvyas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Where in Britain do people enjoy the highest living standards? In a new Journal of Applied Econometrics paper (joint with @peterlevell.bsky.social & Lars Nesheim), we combine several datasets using Bayesian methods to find out. 🧵 1/7 onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/... @escoeorg.bsky.social
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Small Area Consumption Estimates Combining Survey and Financial Footprints Data
We estimate average equivalised consumption measures across 370 local authority districts in Great Britain, using small-area estimation methods that combine information from a household budget survey...
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Christian Odendahl @codendahl.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I am going to get into so much trouble for this. But it is true. Free public transport is bad economics. My latest for The Economist. www.economist.com/finance-and-...
economist.com
The economic folly of free buses
There are better ways to fight climate change, immobility and inequality
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
One of those instances where a change is better expressed in absolute terms www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
Burning Man deaths this year triple the average as attendee age at Nevada’s desert festival ticks upward
More attendees are in their 40s and 50s, with fewer festival-goers in their 20s
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Brief explanation of these daft terms, which the OECD continues to use for some reason. A "non-immigrant" pupil was born in Britain, to parents born in Britain. A "first generation" pupil is an immigrant. A "second generation" pupil was born in Britain, but at least one of their parents was not.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
British journalists have become very fond of the expression “dunking on”. The Times has “dunking on the hecklers” this morning, which is a confusing mental image.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I hear a million altos cry out as one: “figures”.
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Sophie Pedder @sophiepedder.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
From Paris with love Why is France being so nice to the UK? 🇫🇷 🇬🇧 economist.com/britain/2026...
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
The important thing to know about Rachel Cusk's writing is that Saving Agnes is an excellent book. Though the world it describes is not exactly under-examined in the arts (young woman, big city, low-paid middle-class job) it does it well. It's also very good on the menace of 1980s London.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Bottom right: an immigrant gets the job done
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Lots of dry, back-to-school stories in British newspapers this morning. The challenges facing Andy Burnham, etc. Can I suggest a piece on how forests are growing and changing? www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
Trees are spreading in one of Europe’s least forested countries
Britain now needs to learn to cut them down
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Oh, for goodness sake www.nytimes.com/2026/08/27/s...
nytimes.com
Dinner and a Movie? In Denver, a First Date Might Include Bouldering
For some, dating in Denver is an endurance sport.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Holiday-themed quiz question: what thing, which two decades ago seemed to prove that Britain had become good at delivering large infrastructure projects, now demonstrates the bad consequences of Britain’s tendency to run everything lean, and not provide enough staff to deal with unexpected problems?
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
People (including me) who are wary of claims that crime is rising based on recorded-crime statistics should be equally wary of claims that crime is falling based on recorded-crime statistics.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Nice short piece by my colleagues about that startling paper on Chinese teenagers and AI. Three quick thoughts: www.economist.com/graphic-deta...
economist.com
Does AI stop children from learning?
New data show the peril and promise of the technology
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Elliott Kime @elliottkime.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Back in February I travelled to Canada to do some writing for The Economist. Spent time in Toronto’s poorest suburbs, where locals have built a new dialect called ‘Toronto Mans’ from Jamaican patois, Somali, Arabic and London rap. www.economist.com/the-americas...
economist.com
The strange, multicultural slang of Toronto’s teenagers
London rappers have an outsize influence
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
I would like to know how dry the ground needs to be before the dandelions die.
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Gavin Jackson @gavinjackson.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Should every Indian follow the same rules? www.economist.com/asia/2026/08...
economist.com
Should every Indian follow the same rules?
The ruling party’s apparently liberal argument for making everyone marry, divorce and inherit like Hindus
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
I would like to read a well-researched police or Home Office report on money laundering. My starting assumption is that a shop is a desperately risky, inefficient way to launder money, compared with all the alternatives out there. It’s not 1965. The Krays are not at large.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
Fine piece on the enduring appeal of Radio 2, by @sonny101.bsky.social That’s right: the hardy band who make up the Britain desk at the Economist are working through this unpleasant summer. We appreciate it when you read our pieces! www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
If you want to understand modern Britain, listen to BBC Radio 2
Jeremy Vine’s show is a microcosm of Britain
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
The state gives lots of rights to people, assuming they won’t be able to exercise them most of the time. What happens if it suddenly becomes much easier? Great piece by my colleague.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
A few years ago the residents of Thetford were still squirming over an attack on a Portuguese pub, which happened in 2004. A town can acquire a racist or xenophobic reputation very quickly. It loses it very, very slowly. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Further arrests in Thetford as disorder continues for third night
The arrests follow disorder linked to anti-immigration protests in the Norfolk market town.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Those who complain about journalists' failure to write about the comparatively small number of small-boat migrants this year, rejoice! www.economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com
The English Channel is quieter than usual. Why?
Policy changes probably matter more than policing
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
Great piece on a Green / Reform alliance over solar farms www.ft.com/content/6fe7...
ft.com
The one climate issue uniting Greens and Reform in Kent
Insurgent parties of left and right find common cause in stance over major solar farm scheme but UK government will have final say
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NBER @nber.org · 05/08/2026
LinkedIn histories aren’t fixed; 19 percent of users edit past jobs. These “time-travel” edits track job moves and reveal rising AI language after 2022, and fading DEI mentions after 2025, from @nickbloom.bsky.social, @gideonmoore.bsky.social, Simon, and Wilkie-Rogers www.nber.org/papers/w35546
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I once heard a journalist say that they could paper a room with articles they had written about the decline of Las Vegas. San Francisco, which attracts even gloomier coverage, is coming back (again). A nice piece by my colleagues. www.economist.com/united-state...
economist.com
The tide turns for a Florida darling and California loser
Miami faces new problems as San Francisco makes a comeback
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Intriguing stuff here, from an economist who is always interesting
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
I like this piece, but the whole Nolan / Wilson interaction illustrates the imbalance in skill between the inhabitants of Hollywood and US academia, when it comes to maintaining relationships under public scrutiny. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Emily Wilson · An Uncomplicated Man
As they say at the awards shows, I was humbled to learn that Christopher Nolan has read at least the first line of my...
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
JICYMI #Clacton by-election ballot paper
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The Economist @economist.com · 25/07/2026
For most of the past 30 years, the person in charge of The Economist’s covers has been Graeme James. We remember our dear friend and colleague
bit.ly
The Economist’s cover designer, Graeme James, has died, aged 65
His more than 2,500 covers cleverly captured, mocked and ridiculed the world
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
The Odyssey film is pretty good, but there isn't enough emphasis on bedding materials, especially fleeces and furs. Homer's story reads much like a trip to Dunelm Mill.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
New Swingometer! A preview of next week's Greater Manchester by-election - the largest by-election Britain has ever seen: open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
open.substack.com
The Greater Manchester Mayoral by-election
What if you called the biggest by-election ever and no one noticed?
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
When it comes to the oil price, it looks increasingly like The Economist was wrong about being wrong: www.economist.com/interactive/...
economist.com
Is The Economist always wrong?
We used artificial intelligence to test the accuracy of our forecasts
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Sonny Loughran™️ @sonny101.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
I went to CPAC GB for The Economist. It was... interesting
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
Lovely piece by @matthewholehouse.bsky.social about the appeal of modernist walking tours. Even the buildings that haven’t worked as places to live can be great to look at. www.economist.com/interactive/...
economist.com
Tours of British post-war housing are a quiet hit
Perambulations of the anti-Instagram kind
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EMILY WILSON @emilyrcwilson.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
On the language of Homeric Greek, and the language of a certain forthcoming film: here are a few simple observations.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Someone has to say it: this is poor technique. You shouldn't use this much detergent--it will dry the baby's skin. And the sitting position is daft. Kneel, not because it's Lamine Yamal, but because it gives you more stability.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Notice the people who said "1976". One of the lesser, but still irksome, effects of climate change is that it has become impossible to believe that the hot, dry summer one is experiencing is going be an all-time hot, dry summer.
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Joel Budd @joelbudd.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
This is just outrageous www.nytimes.com/2026/07/14/s...
nytimes.com
‘Welcome to West Village’? The ‘the’ Is Not Optional, Say Some New Yorkers.
Some newcomers in the city say they are meeting in Bronx, or living in East Village.
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