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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost

@utilitymonster2.bsky.social
154 followers 222 following 675 posts

Utilitarian. Philosophical Radical. 'The good of any one individual is of no more importance, from the point of view of the Universe, than the good of any other’ — Henry Sidgwick.

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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Mahmood is actually doing a good job and responds to the wishes of the British people. Naturally, Bluesky doesn't like this.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Mahmood is responding to the wishes of the British people, so naturally Bluesky doesn't like her.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 20/07/2026
Mahmood is doing an excellent job as Home Secretary, because she actually understands what the British people want. There's nothing more to it than that.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
You have been arguing for open borders, though: you've been saying that denying people the chance to migrate is terrible. Unless you have open borders, you are doing this for some people. I'd prefer to give more people the chance to migrate at the expense of them not having the same status.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Again, I think reasonable people can disagree on the retroactive changes, though the aim isn't to put them off (they can quite easily just reject visa applications if they want). It's to get to net-negative migration by having lots of people who came here leave.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Sorry, but Denmark is obviously in a better position than we are: the Social Democrats and Green Left were the top two parties, followed by two centre-right parties, followed only then by the populist right party. Clinton and Obama deported large numbers of people and won re-election too.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Immigration basically became a non-issue after the Brexit vote in 2016. People felt they had control again, and net migration hovered between 184,000 and 276,000 a year from 2017-2019. Boris Johnson completely squandered this by giving us record high legal and illegal migration.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Spain's Socialists are behind in the polls and the far-right are making gains. Denmark's Social Democrats went right on immigration and are still in power 7 years later, having been re-elected twice. Harris lost precisely because there were a record number of border crossings under her watch.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
No, it doesn't. Even a plurality of Green voters support retrospectively changing the ILR rules.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
But I agree with you that the Tories are very unlikely to become the dominant force on the right again. I know that apart from @legalmusings.bsky.social , @residentadviser.bsky.social disagrees with me. Not sure if you've had a debate with him before.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Agree that Kemi often unnecessarily riles up centrist or liberal-minded people, but her response to the Nowak murder was far better than Farage's. In all honesty, my glee at Reform's loss would be stronger than my disappointment at Labour's loss if Badenoch somehow became the next PM.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Natural England and all of the other quangos that impose conditions on development would have to be completely scrapped. We'd have to build incredibly fast at an incredibly low cost. Minimum wage would have to be scrapped, as would the welfare state (at least for these new arrivals).
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Obviously in that case there'd be no question that we'd need to get rid of our current planning laws altogether: no local vetoes whatsoever on reservoirs, housing, nuclear power stations, pylons and everything else needed to accommodate a growing population. But people on Bluesky love NIMBY vetoes.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Another issue is that freedom of movement between Britain and other high-income countries will be more of a two-way street, and guest worker programs are inherently time-limited, whereas millions and millions of people would come from the developing world. Too fast for integration, infrastructure.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
For one thing, open borders between Britain and sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia and South Asia would be rocket fuel for the far-right. Reform and Restore finished second and third in a major by-election after record high legal and illegal immigration from 2021-2024.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
In Britain, we often make do with the care units and schools that our parents, grandparents and children get. I speculate that as an American, you have a more capitalist mindset regarding choice in education, healthcare and indeed labour mobility (not a bad thing to have).
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
So, I'm more sympathetic to your pro-open borders position than 95% of the British population. As for personal interests influencing my policy preferences, I support a land value tax and a higher inheritance tax despite my family being fairly wealthy land and property owners.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
As I say elsewhere, I'm in favour of open borders between Britain and the EU, North America, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia. I'd be happy with lots of low-skilled immigration from developing countries in the form of guest worker programs too. Bulldoze the green belt to house everyone.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I'm perfectly aware of that. I just don't think remittances are necessarily a sustainable, long-term substitute for a more productive and brainy workforce that can innovate, build new things and positively influence institutions in the country of origin.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Open borders between Britain and North America, Australia and New Zealand, the EU, East Asia. Very little high-skilled immigration from developing countries. Lots of low-skilled immigration in the form of guest worker programs from developing countries. Bulldoze the green belt to house everyone.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
It's perfectly liberal for guest workers to voluntarily enter into a contract with an employer, and more liberal than the likely alternative which is having very little low-skilled immigration at all. Guest workers in places like Singapore see a boost to their quality of life and income.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Even if I wanted to emigrate, I don't think I'd be particularly annoyed if I wasn't able to. In any case, I don't think my personal interests should influence my policy preferences.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
And a lot of the literature, at least when I last looked, made brain drain seem more worrisome than I'd been led to believe. I'm not sure how much I believe the story that some high-skilled emigration is good but too much is bad. I can see mechanisms, but I think IQ does matter a lot, linearly.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
It's been a while since I looked at the literature, but my understanding of the consensus is that each origin country has a different capacity for emigration but that too much is bad for any country and the income-maximising threshold has probably been exceeded in most countries.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Purnell is a good appointment. If Burnham appoints Streeting as Chancellor, possible that his ministry will be more Blairite than Starmer's (fingers crossed), which I didn't think was likely, so your instincts may have been closer to the mark. Most likely a mish-mash, like the current one.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
Well, it looks like Burnham may well be scrapping the retroactive changes.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I'm a utilitarian, so everyone's well-being matters equally. I donate a significant portion of my income to charities that improve global health. I donate nothing to charities based here, apart from £10 to The Guardian's Christmas fundraiser for charities working on improving community relations.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
On the impacts on destination countries, I tend to lean toward Garett Jones rather than Alex Nowrasteh, but net migration of 250,000 a year is fine and even a few years of 850,000 a year is fine. I like guest worker programs. Open borders would also require massive planning liberalisation.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 24/06/2026
I'm personally very relaxed about immigration. It's a non-issue for me. I primarily don't support open borders because I think brain drain (loss of human capital) effects are larger than economists tend to think and that things like remittances can't fully make up for this for developing countries.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
You can open a door without opening it fully.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Thanks, I'm open to the idea that the retroactive changes are wrong. On the other hand, Reform are absolutely going to make those retroactive changes anyway, including for people who already have indefinite leave to remain. So, I don't see it as a reason to let Reform in through the back door.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I didn't say we have open borders, I am saying that people on this app don't appear to support any restrictions on immigration or visa conditions. It's hard to see how they can.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Boris Johnson massively loosened visa rules, resulting in an immigration surge. If people's number one issue is maximising the number of immigrants who can come to or stay in Britain, as it seems to be on this app, they should've supported Boris Johnson.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
But anything other than "open borders" surely counts as "pulling up the drawbridge". And the public see tens of thousands of people crossing into Britain every single year. And they don't want safe routes because that implies that we should take however many people happen to reach Calais.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I find it odd that some on the left think that immigrants or non-white people are somehow obligated to support open borders. Especially as it contradicts the left-wing stance that "we're all immigrants".
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Yes, she also doesn't support open borders and thinks it's within the gift of the British state to decide how many foreign nationals can enter and on what conditions they can stay. A view shared by almost everyone who doesn't frequent this app. She also doesn't want Reform to come to power.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
If immigration is such a big deal to people, so much so that they're willing to allow Reform into power, then they should've been voting for Boris Johnson, who opened the borders and increased net migration from around 200,000 a year to close to 900,000 a year.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
My partner is an immigrant and I'd much rather Labour respond to the massive public appetite for controls on immigration than have Reform or even Restore gain power. The idea that Labour would be better off leaving net migration at the unprecedented highs seen under the Conservatives is ludicrous.
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Reposted by Jeremy Bentham's Ghost
Ursula von der Leyen @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu · 22/06/2026
It can take many leaders years to grow into the statesman you became in just two years. European and Ukrainian security is stronger because of you. Thank you, dear Keir.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
The state pension is not miserly. If you add in occupational pensioners, our pensioners have it perfectly fine compared to those in other countries. And 75-80% of pensioners own their homes outright, meaning that £12,500 a year is perfectly sufficient to cover their costs.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
How about targeting support to those who need it rather than giving the 75-80% of pensioners who own their homes outright (and who therefore don't have an average of £18,000 a year in housing costs to pay) free money for no reason.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 14/06/2026
Those who need help with housing costs should get targeted housing benefit, and we have more pension savings because of auto-enrolment. The 75-80% of current pensioners who own their homes should not be benefiting from this mathematically ludicrous policy.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
If only people on this platform hadn't spent months attempting to have Keir Starmer removed as Prime Minister. This is what comes next. Enjoy!
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
If only people on this platform, including you, hadn't spent months agitating to remove Starmer and Reeves. You made your bed, now you'll lie in it.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Thanks. Hopefully you're right.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Exactly as I predicted. The grass isn't always greener on the other side, as I kept saying to everyone on this platform who spent months agitating to remove a good, decent Prime Minister.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
Wow, if only people on this platform hadn't spent months and months agitating to have Sir Keir Starmer removed as Prime Minister. Bad policy, bad politics.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
What they said in 2020 or 2022, before the mini-Budget, is not very relevant. They ruled it out during the general election campaign, rightly. The general public need to grow up.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
As I was saying, Burnham is probably going to hand over "some" money to the Waspi women.
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Jeremy Bentham's Ghost @utilitymonster2.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
I'm also curious how confident you are that "his replacements are not going to hand over money to the Waspi women" now? Presumably you still think it won't happen? bsky.app/profile/step...
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