Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 15hhaving been thinking about the PM’s speech, I think it’s genuinely great to have someone willing to set out an argument properly, and if he can follow through on some of the direction-of-travel stuff on electoral reform, Europe, social care it will make a serious difference 1111
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 20hPolanski’s “tax the rich” is the same as Badenoch’s “cut benefits”, a one-size-fits-all funding source that appeals to their prejudice but would never generate anything like the money they claim, and prevents them ever having to engage with serious politics 1018435
Reposted by MichaelThe Prophet Cassandra @prophetcassandra.bsky.social · 21hIt feels very dour to be like "yes that was a great speech, great presentation from Andy. It also does not change the critical, terminal, government killing problems of this policy programme which were the same critical, terminal, government killing problems Keir had." but you know. 1141
Reposted by MichaelWill Cooling @willcooling.bsky.social · 22hThe problem is it's nonsense If the state takes charge of delivering public services, that does not give individuals more control or agency. It actually gives them less because they're facing a monopolistic provider This is why both Churchill et al and Thatcher/Major sold privatisation as freedom 483
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 22hfascinated by the product proposition of the BBC News website’s live blogs of speeches/debates. the PM is speaking now - follow along with us! and then it’s last updated 5 minutes ago with what he said 10 minutes before that 180
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 22hthe thing is, voters can see that Labour weren’t saying this was (a) real or (b) a problem until after the big immigration surge had already happened. it is a clearly fake thing to say, at odds with his supposed call for more authenticity from politicians 051
Reposted by MichaelBen @cinemashoebox.bsky.social · 22h"immigration control weakened by Brexit" five-dimensional dogwhistle triangulation-ass line 1287
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026me at the start of a new Free Time period in Fire Emblem: Fortune’s Weave 010
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Hard to square “we are absolutely, positively, not going to have an early election” with having a conference where all the big announcements start “in the next manifesto, …” unless the intended message is “we are taking the next two years off”. 3192
Reposted by MichaelDuncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026If you are going to end the triple lock, you’re better off just ending it. Talking about a process of maybe ending it in the next Parliament, following some sort of review, feels like a way of minimising the fiscal saving while maximising the political pain. 915020
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026- large immigration surge partly down to big one-off factors - the right demands settlement reforms to stop them staying - Mahmood concedes - Labour MPs stop it being retrospective, removing the point of it responding to the surge - future immigrants have to wait longer to settle for no good reason 2251
Reposted by MichaelCiaran @ciaranmcgurdy.bsky.social · 28/09/2026If you want to cut pensions, cut pensions now. Making cutting pensions a manifesto pledge has to be one of the most insane thing I have ever heard 4725
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026Look, I know he was a speechwriter and not the chancellor, but it’s hard to take Starmer people saying “Then there is the fiscal arithmetic. We all know the funding settlement is tight in the later years of this parliament.” 1112
Reposted by MichaelTom Roberts @tpgroberts.bsky.social · 28/09/2026You see this with Trump as well, a weird refusal to accept that having a knowledge based economy is "winning." 1513522
Reposted by MichaelJonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 28/09/2026This is *not* the result of "the success of Mahmood's reforms", but of earlier measures/other factors. Her proposals could make it considerably *worse* in future years. A few other points linked below.. archive.ph/0psJ8 5296110
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026the way he writes the moment where the centurion looks at the cross and says “truly this was the son of God” is unreal. two bars of music 020
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026deeply shameful thing for any politician to say let alone a centre left one. they don’t even realise how abnormal this is 1315
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Edinburgh council should make it a jailable offence to put cones on stuff. tragic yearning to be Glasgow when Edinburgh’s literally better 2162
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026idle thought having just dropped my phone: it’s soooooo good that phones are way more resilient than they used to be 390
Reposted by MichaelBanjon @beardybanjo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026"what if we continued the work of George Osborne to hollow out the broad tax base, but with lefist vibes?" 36111
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026We’ve got a Labour government that is fiscally irresponsible and failing to get a grip on public service reform. Seems like fertile territory for our traditional centre right party. Let’s just see what they’re up to— oh. Oh no. 1141
Reposted by MichaelChaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 27/09/2026adult care reform was always going to have to be phased in, and after Labour wasted two years twiddling its thumbs it's not a huge surprise that major change won't come this side of an election. not really Burnham's fault - blame Starmer/Reeves/Streeting 1215423
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 27/09/2026the second paragraph here is sending me, because it’s also true of me* and the thought of using it to proclaim I know more about Christianity than the actual Church of England…! *technically to 15 but we both mean GCSE or equivalent 3353
Reposted by Michaelmtsw @mtsw.bsky.social · 26/09/2026once again the actual "story" behind Tilly Norwood is how the company's PR firm continues to get these stories placed in ostensibly legit outlets over and over despite zero demonstration of the supposed phenomenon being written about ("AI movie star Tilly Norwood") being real 292447505
Reposted by MichaelGeorge Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Your regular reminder that UK taxes are average by western standards and low on middle-earners. Labour figures, especially, should not fall into the trap of pretending that we have a “high” tax burden and that taxes are to blame for the living standards crisis. www.arguably.uk/p/the-tax-tr... 510137
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 26/09/2026enjoyed the new Sense and Sensibility, and I think it provides a nice different take than the 1995 one (but the 1995 one is better) 000
Reposted by MichaelStephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 26/09/2026'Starmer's failure is because we're post-material' is one of those analyses that you only believe if you flatly ignore who 'the remaining Labour voters in May 2026 were' and 'who the voters Labour lost under Starmer were'. 1813918
Reposted by MichaelJonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Mahmood's rationale remains the same. Fewer (legal, working) migrants => less racism Nothing to do with integration. No evidence. I'd add this *doesn't* show she hates immigrants (FTAOD don't think she does). It shows her contempt/distrust/fear of ordinary Brits. 3218755
Reposted by MichaelSteamed Buns @aremay.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Banned from driving for -7 years- for doing this? No! Permanent ban! We are so soft on drivers! 1244
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026unless we’re getting an announcement this weekend that the policy is changing then this seems *very strong* from someone bound by collective responsibility 040
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026so, amid the pre-Budget speculation, has anyone written a substantive piece about how the government could find substantial spending cuts? feel like a lot of the support for doing so has been pretty vibes-based but it’s actually an important question given the other constraints 270
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026ok some quick hot takes here: - some smaller British/Irish shows should be on here, most notably Derry Girls but I also think Big Boys - Bake Off has probably earned its slot via establishing a widely copied format but the show itself is stale - Downton Abbey is better than The Crown 360
Reposted by MichaelJordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Soe Noire sharing a post by the bar asking their patrons to pay him, and then sharing a post exposing how bad the bar is……nobody is doing it like him. 3271
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 25/09/2026still sort of struggling to believe that amidst everything else going on, Andy Burnham popped up this week to say we should bring back drinking in stands at football. 1515931
Reposted by MichaelHenry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 25/09/2026Sorry, what? Diplomats talk to each other. Miliband has also spoken to his Israeli counterpart. The French foreign minister also met Araghchi this week. X is such a sewer of bad, motivated takes. 2828243
Reposted by MichaelJames Butler @piercepenniless.bsky.social · 25/09/2026When was the last time our Secretary of State for Culture displayed anything approaching this degree of public enthusiasm for our world-class arts industry? Has she been seen anywhere? Given impending charter renewal... did she even bother to visit a single prom? 321328269
Reposted by MichaelTim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 25/09/2026"The party is rather like a computer which has been programmed to beat humans at chess: it is getting better and better at the game, all the while being incapable of understanding why it is playing in the first place."economist.comThe Liberal Democrats are Britain’s pointless partyThey are getting better at politics but have lost their purpose 7424
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026spider breeding season is wild, just had a big-ish one walk up onto the footstool and stare at me on the couch. sir the lights are still on, you’re meant to be out of sight and out of mind 070
Reposted by MichaelJordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026‘School wasn’t for me’ suuuuch a though-terminating cliche. 1402
Reposted by MichaelSam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 24/09/2026*bangs head against wall forever* Apparently the way Burnham thinks we get parity of esteem is by saying vocational quals are for non-academic kids. 4133862
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026tv church services love having absolutely no liturgy at all 130
Reposted by MichaelBeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 24/09/2026yes, I think people trying to turn it into Discourse are missing one crucial element: it was a very well-written and crafted story. 226118
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Can’t argue with their reasoning really but it’s a pretty sad sign about car dependence that the only way in to a shop is via the car park at the back. 160
Reposted by MichaelSunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 24/09/2026Braverman should be asked if she rejects Ed Miliband being English (Jewish European parents). It would be highly racialised to say "no, Jews can't be Englieh for 5-6 generations" which is her logic. But perhaos even more racist to say "Miliband yes, Sunak no" (on visible skin colour, not ancestry) 4628088
Reposted by MichaelWill Cooling @willcooling.bsky.social · 23/09/2026Racist thugs forming paramilitaries to close ports, attack refugees, intimidate the free press & threaten the RNLI are legitimate concerns but making a sport with known issues regarding violence & wider anti-social behaviour, ban alcohol at pitchside is discriminatory. Give me a fucking break 1349
Reposted by MichaelMrs. Detective Pikajew, Esq. @clapifyoulikeme.favrd.social · 23/09/2026Special update to this story for the chronically online only 2124516
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026re: lesbian bar story, if this was old twitter at least five people on here would have changed their display names to DJ Harsh Noise Boyfriend 060
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026one neat trick to make me sit next to you: put your bag on the seat when you know it’s going to be standing room only 190
Michael @michaeljsc.bsky.social · 23/09/2026btw you might be thinking “I’ve seen loads of screenshots on the feed, I don’t need to read the whole piece” but take it from me, you do 35213