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JustinClayton

@justinclayton66.bsky.social
202 followers 380 following 1.1K posts

Retired engineer. Tight Yorkshire bas...d. Dog lover - particularly Cairn Terriers. Photographer, model maker, follower of politics. Intermittent hiker & cyclist

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Reposted by JustinClayton
Dr. Aaron Thierry @thierryaaron.bsky.social · 13h
“accompanying faith in future technological salvation provides another crutch: a way of postponing difficult choices today by placing hope in solutions that may arrive tomorrow” - @kevinclimate.bsky.social
theguardian.com
Scientists who put faith in technology less likely to take climate action
‘Techno-optimism’ may lead to reliance on unproven solutions at expense of societal changes needed
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 13h
Can we slip the French a few quid to throw 'em in prison for a while, before expelling & banning them.
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Torsten Bell @torstenbell.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
What you need to know about changes to the state pension 👇 The most important one: it will keep rising every single year.
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Colin Macqueen @ccrgmac.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Dermatologist recommended minor surgery for a non-urgent biopsy today. I braced myself for the 16-18 week wait that’s been widely discussed and she said “Can you wait 20 minutes? We have an opening at 11:30”. They got me in at 11:25 and I was all done by 12:15. Support & celebrate your NHS!
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Engineer Like A Girl @engineerlikeagirl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll believe that fuel is too expensive when I don't routinely see people parked up in their cars with the engine running.
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Torsten Bell @torstenbell.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
All your Triple Lock questions answered: - what is the new policy - why it’s a ‘triple lock’ - why pensioner poverty is expected to fall in the 2030s torstenbell.substack.com/p/the-future...
torstenbell.substack.com
The Future of the Triple Lock
The questions I’ve been asked most after Andy Burnham’s speech - and what the answers are.
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
UAE officials have warned the UK that a severe punishment for Man City could hurt future Emirati investment in Britain, Bloomberg reports. This is the perfect argument for keeping foreign money out of football.
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Alice Roberts @profaliceroberts.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I strongly believe schools should bring children together rather than try to impose one religious identity on them. If you agree - please add your name and call on the Education Secretary to introduce inclusive assemblies for all, and to keep dangerous Christian Nationalism OUT of our schools.
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The Institute for Fiscal Studies @theifs.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
NEW: Savings from triple lock reform could be large but will not be able to fund social care. In a new comment, IFS Deputy Director Jonathan Cribb sets out potential savings from triple lock reform.
Quote from IFS Deputy Director Jonathan Cribb. The quote reads: "The government has estimated that their reform to the triple lock will save £15 billion per year by 2039–40 . That number partly reflects inflation over the next 13 years. In today’s terms, the estimated saving is £11 billion per year. However, the saving is very uncertain, because of how unpredictable the old triple lock is, and new IFS analysis shows it could reasonably be anywhere between £4 billion and £20 billion."
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Kaitlin Kal Lee @kaitlinkallee.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
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Lynn Miclea @lynnmiclea.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
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Declassified UK @declassifieduk.org · 28/09/2026
👉NEW -- I was a senior British army lawyer. This is the truth about ‘lawfare’ by Nicholas Mercer Concerns about elderly Northern Ireland veterans are being used to protect the SAS from the Afghanistan inquiry www.declassifieduk.org/i-was-a-seni...
declassifieduk.org
I was a senior British army lawyer. This is the truth about ‘lawfare’
Concerns about elderly Northern Ireland veterans are being used to protect the SAS from the Afghanistan inquiry
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The Guardian @theguardian.com · 22/09/2026
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy with blade while rescue worker onboard
theguardian.com
Far-right activist Daniel Thomas slashes dinghy with blade while rescue worker onboard
Thomas called followers to disrupt arrival of asylum seekers in Gosport, but Border Force instead transported them to Dover Charities have condemned footage of far-right activist Daniel Thomas using a blade to slash an inflatable dinghy in the Channel while a rescue worker was onboard, in a further escalation of organised anti-immigration protest. Hundreds of protesters gathered in the early evening at Gosport in Hampshire, aiming to disrupt the planned disembarkation of asylum seekers, but the Border Force vessels carrying them landed instead in Dover. Continue reading...
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Party that wants to retrospectively change rules so as to remove migrants also says retrospective rules on party funding are "dictatorship tactics".
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Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Susanna Reid: "what does anyone expect in return for £72m?" Kevin Maguire: ".. funnily enough Reform doesn't have anybody to speak on social care.. but it has a very detailed policy on crypto currency.. & it would coincidentally make these billionaires even more money" #GMB
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David Zipper @davidzipper.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Fresh evidence that car touchscreens are a giant step backwards for road safety: "For all tasks, the touchscreen was associated with increased visual distraction." doi.org/10.1016/j.tr...
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Jon Owen @anotherjon.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Not necessarily. A UK study found that 'mandatory' cycle lanes (marked with solid white lines) were no different from having no infrastructure at all. But advisory cycle lanes (marked with a broken white line, and which motorists are allowed to enter) caused the odds of injury to *increase* by 34%
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
BBC Today leading on Reform (8 MPs, 3rd in polls) tax cut policy. No scrutiny of the cuts to pay for it. Terrible journalism
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The scary thing is the extent to which Reform could do this under our current constitutional arrangements.
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Jon Owen @anotherjon.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
Research undertaken here in the UK (see below) found that unprotected 'paint-only' cycle lanes are actually worse than nothing at all, so their only purpose is for a local authority to be seen to be delivering some cycle provision. road.cc/content/news...
road.cc
Painted advisory cycle lanes increase risk of cyclist casualties, study finds
A study of cyclist casualties in London has found that painted advisory cycle lanes increase the risk of cyclist casualties, with the authors urging that highways authorities cease installing lanes of...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Excellent, pugnacious piece by new Environment Secretary @angelaeagle1.bsky.social on defending England from climate impacts by rewilding & restoring nature - explicitly rejecting the arsonists on the hard right & the grouse moor owners who just want to burn more: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Extract from Angela Eagle’s Guardian piece: “But some, including the Conservatives, have made the argument that rewilding lowers resilience to fire and that we should reverse restrictions on burning heather on our moors and peatlands. The exact opposite is true.

The evidence clearly shows that wetter, healthy peatlands hold more water and are less likely to develop species that are vulnerable to fires. The damage that has been done to these vital habitats by decades of burning has made them more vulnerable to wildfires in the long term, not less.

The solution to raging wildfires is not more burning of our countryside. It is to restore and better manage our environment.

Where rewilding has been prioritised, as at the National Trust’s Holnicote estate, you can clearly see the stark difference that it makes to the ability to withstand extreme weather. In areas where rivers and wetlands have been restored, the plants are green and blooming. Elsewhere, the ground is brown and dry.”
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Prof Matt Hannon @matthannon.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
“Fires still burn in charred landscape as focus turns to wildfire prevention.” A very thoughtful piece that presents solutions that both mitigate climate change and help us adapt to it, like peatland restoration and re-wetting. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Fires still burn in charred landscape as focus turns to wildfire prevention
The RSPB is considering measures it can take to improve resilience in the wake of a five-week long fire in the Cairngorms.
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TonyHQ @tonyhq1985.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
But obviously the big issue is this a precursor to removing citizenship from people. Once you start creating different categories within citizenship it's game over.
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 19/08/2026
This stopped me in my tracks. An independent study by @qmul.bsky.social has found that after ULEZ was introduced, children’s lungs grew faster in Central London and have now caught up with children outside of the capital. Incredible.
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
You'd need to be in zero gravity for the penny to drop slower than it does with Tim.
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Resolution Foundation @resolutionfoundation.org · 10/08/2026
The evidence is clear: countries with lower NEET rates than the UK get there almost entirely through higher rates of post-18 education. In these countries, more young people stay in education for longer and often combine it with work.
Comparison of OECD countries’ differences from the UK in 2024 for 18–24‑year‑old participation in education or work
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Des @desdelboy.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
This is a superb scroll, highly recommended www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
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Guy Shrubsole @guyshrubsole.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
Rewilding is the best defence against wildfires (and why the Telegraph is unsurprisingly wrong): spectator.com/article/rewi...
spectator.com
Rewilding is the best defence against wildfires
Rewilding is not the cause of Britain's worsening upland wildfires. Increasingly, it looks like one of the most promising solutions.
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
I have a modest proposal for a new tax. It involves a deck of cards and a monkey throwing darts. Here are the rules:
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Seen that opinion poll in which millionaires say they're in favour of a wealth tax on millionaires? It's an absolute masterclass in how to get the polling result that you want. And the detail shows the opposite of what we're told it shows. Thread:
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 23/07/2026
Exciting news! 1. Tax Policy Associates HQ will now be serving beer. 2. Our vape shop will sadly be shutting down. In its place will be an American candy store. It will incidentally sell vapes.
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Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
We put out a flurry of papers about energy bills on Saturday morning, and I wanted to follow up on some of the more interesting ideas in there. First, here is the case for setting a Price Ratio Target. We think the UK government should aim for electricity to cost 2.9 times gas or less...
nesta.org.uk
Energy affordability options: establish a price ratio target
The case for establishing a price ratio target.
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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
"Somerville has lowered speed limits all over..., repainted and shortened crosswalks..., added new speed humps, fixed sidewalks, expanded its bike-lane network, installed new bus stops and bus lanes and stepped up ticketing for distracted driving" AND ITS WORKED www.governing.com/infrastructu...
governing.com
This New England City Hasn't Had a Traffic Death in Three Years
Somerville, Mass., officials say their success is rooted in tried-and-true best practices for traffic safety.
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Stuart McDonald @actuarybyday.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
News outlets are leading with modelling suggesting 2,700 people may have died from heat-related causes during recent heatwaves. And yet recent death rates are the lowest on record. A short thread on what recent mortality data actually tells us. Spoiler: not much! 1/5 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Thousands will have died in UK's unprecedented May and June heatwaves
An early estimate suggests more than 2,700 people will have died from heat-related causes during the UK's exceptionally hot weather in recent months.
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Paul Mainwood @paulmainwood.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
On the plus side, there’s a reasonable chance Trump will have to present the World Cup to Spain, so just think about how much he’ll hate that.
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Bikepedantic @pedantic.bike · 15/07/2026
Covering surface parking lots in solar panels is the worst way to use solar panels. It’s expensive, and locks in a land use that facilitates environmentally destructive travel. Solar panels belong on buildings. Buildings belong on surface parking lots.
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
Great model & analysis. Lots of trade-offs for politicians to consider. I suspect it will take a long time to fully implement. Though I'd do Stamp Duty (with credit for recent payment) quickly. One issue will be who receives the tax - Govt or Councils. One for Burnhams devolution agenda.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
So many memes, so little time. Source: substack.com/@nigelfarage...
Count Binface on the beach as Farage rows away in a boat full of cash.
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Count Binface would get my vote simply because he is not Nigel Farage.
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Well done Belgium.
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Iain Roberts @slowbikeiain.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Have you ever wondered why, compared to our friends on the continent, our infrastructure in the UK is…well…pretty rubbish? Why we can't build rail, Leeds doesn't have a tram and the nation's roads are covered in potholes? A 🧵
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JustinClayton @justinclayton66.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
9 pm and it is still 2 degrees C warmer outside than it is inside.
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
🚨 New research by us! 📣 Most British drivers don't know how dangerous SUVs are to other road users, but adding information to SUV marketing materials seems to do almost nothing to change people's plans to buy SUVs Here's a 🧵 on why harder action is going to be needed 1/10
A mockup SUV advert image with a prototype safety warning
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
All going a bit Pete Tong for Kenyon. Now The Telegraph is on his back for being a Brexit Betrayer. Online after the vote, he said Brexit meant Britain had “shot our economy in the foot” and would have “no say whatsoever” on EU rules, adding that the country would have to “pick up the pieces”. 1
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Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
Reform's Makerfield by-election candidate Robert Kenyon tells the Telegraph Russia were well within their rights to invade Crimea in 2014.
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Prof. Ian Walker @ianwalker.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Access to cars declines steadily as income goes down, and really poor people have least access. If we're worried about poorer people we could be increasing tax credits, benefits, etc. and not making it cheaper for the Range Rover drivers at the same time. This duty is a blunt and badly targeted tool
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
I don't think Andy Burnham's victory in the Makerfield by-election should be taken for granted by any means but the noises in Gorton and Denton were promising There was overwhelming derision for Starmer, mixed feelings about Labour generally but a lot of warmth for Burnham himself
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
BREAKING: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage bought a £1.4 million property in cash shortly after receiving a £5m personal gift from billionaire donor Christopher Harborne, according to property records seen by Sky News.
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