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Jon Mather

@optimised.bsky.social
56 followers 415 following 125 posts

Interested politics, economics, literature, poetry, history. Spain, Istanbul.

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Reposted by Jon Mather
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Being in the club means sometimes you won't get what you want. But guess what, being outside the club doesn't give you full freedom either. Many in Brussels are sceptical that UK politics is capable of this sort of sophisticated discussion.
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Anand Menon @anandmenon.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
ALERT: the bacon bap stand at Labour conference has run out of brown sauce.
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Ron Filipkowski @ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
What a surprise to learn that a Russian oligarch close to Putin paid for Junior’s lavish wedding. Who could’ve expected it?
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Julian Jessop @julianhjessop.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Apropos of nothing in particular... 🤔 Reform is proposing to cut capital gains tax on crypto assets to 10%, establish a Bank of England Bitcoin Reserve Fund, and allow UK taxes to be paid in cryptocurrency.
static.klipy.com
The Simpsons Mr Burns Evil Smile
ALT: The Simpsons Mr Burns Evil Smile
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Such is Trump’s addiction to the gangster idiom.
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Matthew Gertz @mattgertz.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I dunno much about Maness or Anderson but Schlicter is a straight-up fascist who wants to among other things "use the law to ensure blue submission" and "imprison dissenters" to achieve the aim, "force them to be like us."
2021 Schlicter posts: 

For too long red state conservatives have offered to live and let live with blue state liberals but the blues are evangelical Marxists who cannot allow us to provide a counter example of freedom. 1/

So, no more. We must, by any means necessary, force them to be like us. No quarter. No compromise. 2/

Ban CRT, Marxism and anti-American misinformation. Nationalize big tech and academia and mandate conservatism as their operational ideology. Ban leftist media and entertainment from spreading misinformation.3

Penalize barren, non-familial lifestyles through taxes and disqualification from political participation. Establish property and military service qualifications for voting. Increase America’s carbon footprint. Ban masks. Dismantle unions.n4/

Use the law to ensure blue submission. Imprison dissenters. Force them to act against their deepest beliefs to keep their jobs. End all social programs and deport all illegals. Outlaw crime again. 5/
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Adam Tooze @adamtooze.bsky.social · 22/12/2025
Is "decline" really Europe's problem. Or is Europe the more agreeable downleg of a K-shaped OECD? Latest chartbook just dropped. adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...
adamtooze.substack.com
Chartbook 420 Is "decline" really Europe's problem. Or is Europe the more agreeable downleg of a K-shaped OECD?
Is Europe in decline? 2025 was certainly a rough year. Europe is divided and struggling to concert its position both on financial support for Ukraine and trade policy (Mercosur). On trade policy and e...
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Dr Emma Salisbury @salisbot.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
How do you think the unthinkable? Thteer it into an itheberg.
static.klipy.com
Fozzie Bear Stage Hook
ALT: Fozzie Bear Stage Hook
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hilzoy @hilzoy.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Good question.
ft.com
The US has collected about $13bn of Venezuela’s oil money. Where is it?
Washington has given diverging accounts of where the earthquake-shattered country’s funds are going
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Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
Rounding up some translations of Count Binface that have been appearing in foreign press 🇷🇴 Romanian: Contele Tomberonez 🇫🇷 French: Comte Tête-de-Poubelle (bin-head, more accurate than bin-face) 🇮🇹 Italian: Conte Faccia-da-Bidone 🇪🇸 Spanish: "un hombre con un cubo de basura en la cabeza" (!) Cont...
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Amy Borrett @amyborrett.ft.com · 10/07/2026
🚨NHS hospitals have admitted to a litany of errors in the data behind a headline claim about the success of the controversial £330mn Palantir contract after a @financialtimes.com investigation found dozens of irregularities. Scoop w/ @laurahughesft.bsky.social as.ft.com/r/7ab92d75-3...
Line chart of the total additional days in hospital due to delayed discharge, patients with length of stay of 7+ days, showing NHS hospitals admit to errors in data used to justify Palantir contract
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Sam Whyte @samwhyte.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
"Can you give us an example of a time you had to adapt and accommodate rapid change?"
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 08/07/2026
huge if true
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Heather Anne Campbell @heathercampbell.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
can’t believe a narcissist is being so publicly humiliated by a reflecting pool
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Mark O’Neill 🐻 @radiobeartime.com · 20/05/2026
@drlauravarnam.bsky.social
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 16/05/2026
Up to 80 per cent of violent incidents in the West Bank are attacks by Jewish settlers, says the Israeli army
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Financial Times @financialtimes.com · 14/05/2026
Britain isn’t ungovernable. It’s just been badly governed ft.trib.al/NjUlxXE | opinion
ft.trib.al
Britain isn’t ungovernable. It’s just been badly governed
Short-termism and poor choices are to blame for the country’s political predicament
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Mar Hicks @histoftech.bsky.social · 03/05/2026
Chinese researchers have created a bamboo-based plastic as strong as petroleum-based plastics, which can fully biodegrade in soil in just 2 months phys.org/news/2025-10...
phys.org
Bamboo-based plastic can be made to biodegrade quickly, but still holds up in tough conditions
A new method to produce strong, biodegradable plastic from bamboo is reported in Nature Communications this week. The bioplastic resembles oil-based plastics in strength, shapability, and thermal stab...
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General Boles @generalboles.bsky.social · 23/04/2026
Ed Davey canoeing through the Strait of Hormuz to draw attention to the Lib Dems '10p off a litre' fuel policy h/t @worgztheowl.bsky.social
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Robert Smith @bondhack.ft.com · 21/04/2026
But it's also my significantly more famous and talented namesake's birthday! Hopefully he's excited as he was when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 🎉 youtu.be/houFuiYrEi0?...
youtu.be
The Cure's Robert Smith offers blunt response to overzealous TV host
YouTube video by Guardian News
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El @ell17.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
NEWS: Miss S Coyle Cellan-Jones, elite athlete, said when interviewed, “moi is la reine of les zoomies! Moi is super vite et agile. Juno was très impressed et agrees avec moi complètement. Juno hides her émotions beaucoup. It’s typiquement britannique.”
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
He should know things like that like the psalm of his hand. Oh.
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Elizabeth N. Saunders @profsaunders.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
Hahahaha sob
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
“Many were increasingly of the opinion that they’d all made a big mistake in coming down from the trees in the first place. And some said that even the trees had been a bad move, and that no one should ever have left the oceans.” Still chuffed I got that in as intro of my finals paper on Rousseau.
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Yashar Ali 🐘 @yasharali.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
November 2024
Stephen Miller &
@StephenM
X.com
To anyone still gullible enough to fall for scummy media hoaxes: Trump said warmongering neocons love sending your kids to die for wars they would never fight themselves. Liz Cheney is Kamala's top advisor. Liz wants to invade the whole Middle East.
Kamala = WWIII. Trump = Peace.
7:59 AM • 11/1/24 • 53K Views
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
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Victor Ray @victorerikray.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors. Great work everyone.
The Board of Governors decided, unilaterally, that no published textbook in the field of sociology could be used in compliance with the law for an Intro to Sociology class. None.
Victor: There's not a single existing textbook on the market that could be used that would qualify under state law?
Zachary: Correct.
Victor: I'm sorry, that's kind of funny. Like, the absurdity of not a single sociology textbook getting past the censors. I mean, it makes me kind of proud of our colleagues, but...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Great work by Greg Sargent. We are, right now, deciding whether we want to be a land of giant concentration camps and ethnic cleanings. newrepublic.com/article/2060...
newrepublic.com
Trump’s New “Prison Camp” Threat Unleashes Fury Even in MAGA Country
The next phase of ICE’s big ramp-up: a nationwide network of vast detention facilities. But guess what? Even parts of Red America are saying no.
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Ethan Bueno de Mesquita @ethanbdm.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Very exciting news today @harrispolicy.bsky.social! news.uchicago.edu/story/20-mil...
news.uchicago.edu
$20 million gift launches lab at Harris School to advance field of algorithmic public policy
Gift from Thomas and Susan Dunn supports creation of the Bike Shop @UChicago, which aims to shape AI development and build scalable solutions to pressing societal problems
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St. Gael @stgael.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
When I suggested we should do this months ago I didn’t believe it was possible tbh. Creative resistance looks like this. Guerrilla looks like this. A revolution doesn’t need blood, it needs courage.
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Jon Mather @optimised.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
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Jon Mather @optimised.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
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Jon Mather @optimised.bsky.social · 18/01/2026
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Sacha Prins @sacha.prins.net · 17/01/2026
And the Dutch should withdraw all ASML lithography chip machines exports to the US.
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Jon Mather @optimised.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
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Adam Harris @adamhsays.com · 15/01/2026
America has tried to be a real multiracial democracy for just over 60 years and that attempt has been contested at every step along the way. The dinner has been held every year, without fail, since 1969. www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-t...
insidehighered.com
Indiana University Cancels MLK Celebration Dinner
Indiana University in Indianapolis canceled a dinner in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. hosted annually in January by the Black Student Union, Mirror Indy reported.
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Dr Yannick Veilleux-Lepage @yveilleuxlepage.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
🧵In my expert opinion as a researcher of vehicle ramming attacks, what has been publicly described in the video evidence does not support the claim that Renee Nicole Good was attempting a deliberate ramming attack when she was shot in Minneapolis on January 7, 2026. 1/7
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paulpro @mariopro.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
@anntelnaes.bsky.social
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Maximilian Hess @maxhess.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Given Putin is obviously going to reject the peace deal (but try and blame it on Kyiv and Europe), more sanctions should be the base case even from the Trump Admin - as I have long argued - rather than the shock so many treated it as in October and will again soon www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
bloomberg.com
US Readies New Russia Sanctions If Putin Rejects Peace Deal
The US is preparing a fresh round of sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace agreement with Ukraine, according to people f...
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Adam Schwarz @adamjschwarz.bsky.social · 14/12/2025
Ahmed al Ahmed, a Lebanese Muslim who owns a Sydney fruit shop, risked his life to disarm one of the Bondi Beach shooters. His courage gives me hope amidst the horror and darkness. Muslims and Jews are not enemies. Our futures, in the Middle East and beyond, are intrinsically bound. A true hero.
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Ken Klippenstein @kenklippenstein.bsky.social · 08/12/2025
🚨Pam Bondi just ordered the FBI to compile a list of American "extremists" and to establish a bounty fund to reward tipsters, per DOJ memo leaked to me: www.kenklippenstein.com/p/leak-fbi-l...
kenklippenstein.com
FBI Making List of American “Extremists,” Leaked Memo Reveals
Are you on Trump's naughty list?
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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Unaccountably, as always with these pieces, the sub-editors seem to have cut off the conclusion, which was surely “and my judgment has thus been proven so bad no one should ever listen to me on anything again”.
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Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 29/11/2025
I am deeply ashamed of my alma mater. Northwestern, you are dead to me. I am headed to the basement to find my diploma and rip it in two. Northwestern strikes deal with Trump administration to restore federal funding dailynorthwestern.com/2025/11/28/c...
dailynorthwestern.com
Northwestern strikes $75 million funding deal with Trump admin
This is a developing story and will be updated as new information becomes available. Last updated on Nov. 28 at 8:25 p.m.  Northwestern reached a deal with the Trump administration to restore at least...
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Missing The Point @missingthept.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Following the Swiss model for currying favor with President Trump during a White House visit, Mohahammed bin Salman will present the President with a gold bone saw.
nytimes.com
Too Powerful to Ignore, Saudi Prince Returns to Washington’s Embrace
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Torsten Bell @torstenbell.bsky.social · 27/10/2025
Totally untrue garbage from @thetimes.com & @dailymail.co.uk today - smear dressed up as journalism. Some facts: - There is no “£900 desk” - my constituency office has Ikea desks/chairs - we significantly underspent the new MPs allowance to set up an office www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
thetimes.com
Treasury minister leading budget plans spent £900 on desk
Torsten Bell, who is working with Rachel Reeves to fill a £30 billion hole in finances, also used his parliamentary expenses to claim £600 for three chairs
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I hear from informed sources that these #NoKings rallies are more than twice as big as last time, making them easily the largest protests in US history. Thanks to everyone and especially organizers.
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Kate Starbird @katestarbird.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Henry Farrell on the Trump admin’s proposed “compact” for universities, arguing that the rollout signals weakness, and that academics need to band together to reject this authoritarian attack on university independence and academic freedom. Gift link: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.
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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Henceforth the red robes will only be worn as an away kit when the Canadian Supreme Court is playing the US one.
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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Thanks, New Yorker
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