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Philip Coggan

@philipcoggan.bsky.social
679 followers 131 following 744 posts

journalist and writer

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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 8h
Partly inspired by the Gang of Three play, a new post on how political instability seems set to spread across the western world philipcoggan.substack.com/p/politics-m...
philipcoggan.substack.com
Politics may get even more unstable
The infighting on the left is now matched by infighting on the right
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John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 11h
What’s the evidence on rent control? I charted the findings from 112 studies: Great for rent-controlled tenants ✅ But: Pushes up rents for other people ❌ Pushes down new housing construction ❌ Pushes down building quality ❌
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 16h
Much enjoyed "The Gang of Three" at the King's Head last night. Plenty of humour in this play about three Labour "friends and rivals" in the 1970s; you don't have to be steeped in Labour history to enjoy it as it has plenty of contemporary resonance. It's about to go on national tour
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
If ever a story was designed to illustrate the phrase, quis custodiet ipsos custodes, this is it www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Flydubai co-pilot attacked captain with axe, UAE official says
The man accused of trying to take over the Israel-bound jet is named as Hamam al-Hammami by several media outlets.
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A man builds an IED. He sets it off in a busy public street. Shrapnel flies about hitting cars, homes and a child's bedroom. It's a miracle nobody is injured. And Reform MP Sarah Pochin calls his imprisonment "disproportionate" and "two tier justice."
It does raise this point of two-tiered
justice..


Reform's Sarah Pochin believes the
sentence handed to the 64-year-old who
blew up a ULEZ camera was
disproportionate'.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
One difference with last year's Celebrity Traitors is that the person who everybody would think is smart (Hannah Fry) is actually very perceptive. Unlike Stephen Fry and David Olusoga...
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For Traitors fans, I recommend Stuart Heritage's live blog in the Guardian. Yesterday's efforts had me giggling, particularly with regard to one ever-so-slightly self-important contestant www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
theguardian.com
The Celebrity Traitors: episode one – as it happened
TV’s best entertainment show is back – with an unbelievably star-stuffed lineup. But who will be the faithful and who will head straight for the tower?
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
After 2 episodes of The War Game I hope that decisions are not really made like this. The PM (Gove) says ASAP a lot and then cites bits of history everyone knows. And an armed forces chief who urges retaliation and ONLY THEN says he has no way of protecting civilians if the Russians strike back
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Ian Smith @iankmsmith.ft.com · 29/09/2026
“For the last three to six months, we’ve basically just been oil traders.” Bond yields, which determine the cost of borrowing across the global economy, have been reduced to a second-order effect of crude prices since the Iran war began. with @emilydherbert.bsky.social www.ft.com/content/f894...
ft.com
Oil price and US Treasury yields in tightest relationship since 1990
Bond investors watch Iran conflict and crude price for signs as to where government borrowing costs will go
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Very nice to be quoted in Alan Beattie's always sharp trade newsletter www.ft.com/content/6b21...
ft.com
Why the EU fears Britain becoming a back door for Chinese cars
Brussels is urging UK tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, but it might take more than that
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Andrew Burton @burtonad.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Good piece of financial history and its implications for the next decade or so.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
How might governments deal with high debt levels? The most likely answers lie in what they did in the past. New Substack article philipcoggan.substack.com/p/how-past-g...
philipcoggan.substack.com
How past governments have tackled high debts
They used inflation, and financial repression, to address the problem
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Dean Baker @deanbaker13.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Elon Musk is shutting down the Catholic Bishops in Brazil account on X to help the right-wing win the election there paydayreport.com/x-blocks-acc...
paydayreport.com
X Blocks Account of National Conference of Bishops of Brasil As Catholics Back Lula
Polls show Catholics backing Lula as the church denounces foreign interference.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I don't like to complain about the BBC but there was an egregious error on yesterday's Newscast. Paddy O'Connell compared the gilt yield of over 5% with growth of "0.3%". Don't know where the latter number came from but it is probably the monthly figure from June. 1/2
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Richard Baldwin's analysis of the 20 trade deals Trump did in 2025 shows that the share of US exports going to those countries has fallen rbaldwin.substack.com/p/before-you...
rbaldwin.substack.com
Before You Read the China Deal, Check the 2025 Trumpian Trade Deals
2025 saw lots of new trade deals without much new trade.
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Luke LeBrun @lukelebrun.ca · 26/09/2026
Tech companies suddenly decide they can, in fact, moderate content on their platforms after all
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Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 26/09/2026
This shitshow in bonds is the perfect environment for an accident. Fun! Me, 300 free clicks Bond ructions point to new danger zone in markets - as.ft.com/r/95199679-b...
as.ft.com
Bond ructions point to new danger zone in markets
Sell-offs of this scale and speed have the potential to light fires in other parts of the financial system
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Looking good for Arsenal's title chances this year www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...
bbc.co.uk
Man City charges latest: City found guilty of majority of 115 financial rule breaches
Reaction as sources tell BBC Sport that Man City have been found guilty of breaking the majority of financial rules they were accused of breaching.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Trump really is the Basil Fawlty of international diplomacy. He only has two modes: unctuous flattery and petulant aggression. www.ft.com/content/cdff...
ft.com
Pomp prevails over substance as Donald Trump hosts Xi Jinping
Fanfare masks some of the US president’s own troubles, including his war in Iran and plummeting domestic popularity
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Killer line from the Economist on Meta's new Muse Charm "Imagine a tiny smartphone that can’t do 95% of the things that the one in your pocket can.2
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Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Re last RT, some somewhat facile observations: the national symbol of England is African (a lion). Its monarchs have been French, Dutch and German. Its ruling elite spoke a variety of French for around 300 years. Its national football team has been managed by a Swede, /mf
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Dan Snow @thehistoryguy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
England is a made up thing. It has no basis in the ineluctable laws of nature. Its extent is defined by Edward II getting his arse handed to him. Athelstan conquering York. The Welsh of Cumbria were incorporated, the Welsh of Gwynedd were not. It is a political idea, an aspiration - not taxonomy.
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Rory Stewart turning to stare weirdly at @pronouncedalva.bsky.social on Newsnight last night
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
You dream of becoming Prime Minister and then it actually involved sitting next to an old man rambling on about his poor grasp of geography
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Edward Luce @edwardluce.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
"The term “lame duck” would be haunting any other president’s sleep. But the concept is alien to Trump. He spends more of his time telling people about his architectural plans than he devotes to Iran, AI or the economy. Insoluble problems hold no interest." My column. as.ft.com/r/928f5cb7-6...
as.ft.com
Trump is checking out of his presidency
With no way out of his war with Iran, he is increasingly obsessed with monuments to himself
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Eamonn-Forde @eamonn-forde.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Oh, Viz.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Mock the Week is being sponsored by the film "Digger" and every clip makes it look absolutely dreadful
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Die Hard 6: Terrorists seize the Arc de Trump. Navy Seals are sent from the WH underground complex via a tunnel to the reflecting pool but die from algae poisoning. McClane kills the terrorists by making a catapult and firing rubble from the demolished Kennedy Center www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/u...
nytimes.com
Trump Says His D.C. Arch Would Be a ‘Military Complex’ Housing Drones and Snipers
The president’s announcement on Sunday echoed his justification for the White House ballroom: that the project was necessary for national security.
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Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 20/09/2026
I can't get over how visibly insane he is these days. This is like reading a note from your great aunt who insists she used to be married to Winston Churchill.
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Jim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
my brilliant colleague @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on the threat from Elon Musk’s X platform www.ft.com/content/f270...
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Old rich people complaining that Britain is going to the dogs. It is a tradition that probably dates back to when Lloyd George introduced death duties (and fewer betting shops on the high street would be a good thing)
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
It is five months since Torsten Slok said this about the Iran war
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Reform have launched an app & game for real-time tracking of boats crossing the channel. But some supporters have said it is boring because so little happens. There were 3 boats in last 7 days www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
independent.co.uk
Fury as Reform UK launch small boats mobile ‘game’
Reform launches mobile game amid questions over party’s £72 million donations
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The question investors must face: what to buy when the President is unhinged. New post philipcoggan.substack.com/p/what-to-bu...
philipcoggan.substack.com
What to buy when the President is unhinged
Markets and the media underplay his nonsensical policies
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John Finn @seanfionn.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
From the other place
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Eddie Burfi @eddieburfi.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just look at the glee on Nigel Farage’s face as he watches a Piddington resident cry about the overt racism she, her Caribbean heritage husband, and their two children have felt in the village during the referendum. Time and again he’s showing us exactly who he is.
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Peter Walker @peterwalker99.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Reform in Wales having quite a bad day. Announced in the last 5 mins: • Leader Dan Thomas steps down due to "personal reasons" (he was arrested). • Reform MS Sarah Cooper-Lesadd defects to Plaid, saying Reform are "far more interested in division, opposition and headlines than finding solutions"
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Not that logic matters but lower interest rates would boost consumer demand, meaning higher imports and a bigger deficit
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Spurs fans were disappointed with their team's 17th place finish in each of the last two seasons. The club spent £320m on new signings in the summer and the club currently sits in....17th place
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Pakistan on track for one of the great comeback victories in cricket history; two wickets in the first over
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The most plausible ways in which AI could destroy humanity are by triggering nuclear war (as in The Terminator) or releasing a deadly virus. www.ft.com/content/b7fe... But of course, we can do this ourselves. Annie Jacobsen's book doesn't need AI as a trigger www.amazon.co.uk/Biological-W... 1/2
ft.com
Why the AI race has its creators fearing human extinction
Advances in autonomous agents and bitter rivalry between Anthropic and OpenAI have pushed once-fringe fears into the mainstream
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Monthly figures are volatile and subject to revisions. But it is worth reflecting that if this figure was reported in the US fashion of annualising growth numbers, the press would be reporting that the UK economy is growing at nearly 5% www.ft.com/content/e1aa...
ft.com
UK economy unexpectedly grew 0.4% in July boosted by AI boom
Resilient start to third quarter comes as surging oil price reignites inflation fears
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Can never get through a Gerry Baker column (he's too irritating) but I see he trots out the Yeats poem today. But he's not alone in having a doom-laden assessment of the current political climate. This, from Margaret MacMillan, is definitely worth reading www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | A New World Order Is Coming. We Aren’t Ready.
We must be honest about the seriousness of the situation we’re in.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Things starting to unravel in the markets. There is enough bad news to offset investors' AI enthusiasm www.ft.com/content/083a...
ft.com
Markets live: US Treasury yields rise to session highs after Scott Bessent’s buyback operation undershoots target
Global bond sell-off reignited by confluence of higher oil prices, sticky US inflation and ECB’s decision to raise interest rates
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Bad news seems everywhere but the stock market keeps partying. How long can it last? New post philipcoggan.substack.com/p/when-will-...
philipcoggan.substack.com
When will bad news derail the stock market?
Investors party while the rest of us doomscroll
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It is a sign of how plausible this Liz Truss-style promise is that Treasury bond yields haven't budged since the speech was made
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
So Anthropic says there is a 10% chance AI will kill us all but it won't submit its latest model for testing in the UK news.sky.com/story/more-t...
news.sky.com
More than 10% chance AI 'could kill all humans' - Anthropic researcher
Evan Hubinger said in a post on X that while "the risk from present models is low," he was worried about future "superintelligence".
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
2019 he said on ABC News: “I was sitting at home watching a major business television show early that morning. Jack Welch, the legendary head of General Electric, was about to be interviewed when all of the sudden they cut away.” www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/u...
hindustantimes.com
Where was Donald Trump on September 11, 2001? What he said about that morning as 9/11 marks 25 years
President Donald Trump has shared his most detailed account yet of what he saw and did on the morning of the 9/11 attacks.
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Philip Coggan @philipcoggan.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Excellent graphics in this piece. Governments did borrow when interest rates were low but not in a way that boosted growth. Bond yields are not that high by historical standards but the problem is that debt levels have risen significantly www.ft.com/content/4f28...
ft.com
The world’s $2tn interest bill
Many countries now spend more on debt servicing than defence, including the US, France and the UK
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George E. Osborn @georgeosborn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I think we're at the point where we can incredibly comfortably say that your attitude towards Reform, Restore, MAGA, the AfD etc is how you'd have responded to fascism in the 1930s
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