Ben Murphy 📊

REAL

Not for nothing, and definitely not because I'm a wonk that just wants to draw the map, but it should look more like this

The NUTS regions are broadly fine - just need a little tweaking (this isn't perfect by any means - and I'd probably split the Midlands)

The British state’s battle to contain the fallout from catastrophic Afghan data leak Significant decisions affecting immigration and the UK’s fiscal deficit were hidden in effort to protect Afghans

God, this whole thing stinks, right down to the fact our get-out clause seems to be 'we got in a retired official to say eh, they're probably in no more danger than they were for helping us anyway'.

The Green Party being net zero is sensational

the problem with Trump is that he loves imposing tariffs more than just having tariffs, so a couple weeks after any tariff pauses he’ll always get bored want to raise them more

Right where is Rylan Clark-Neal and how much money would it take for him to enter Eurovision for us next year

Thank you but I'll wait for Survation.

It's as simple as 'lack of bandwith' and there are two reasons for the lack of more public in-fighting about who dropped the ball. The first is that Starmer hates the airing of that stuff in public so people don't do it. The second IMO is that everyone is worried *THEY* might be the ball-dropper.

Of all the half-arsed governmental reforms in Britain, English devolution has to be the pinnacle. Just no strategy or coherence, no attempt to build the necessary supporting infrastructure for regional govt, alongside too few powers to be meaningful and a lack of accountability mechanisms.

A lot of Americans don't know this, but the winner of the Canadian election will be required live in a small cottage located in the backyard of the palace where the viceroy to the King of England lives.

The cottage just recently got a new wifi router, which was very exciting for all Canadians.

Our first MRP of the 2025 Canadian election projects a 21-seat majority for the Liberals (based on our central projection)

Liberals: 182 seats (+25 notional change vs 2021)
Conservatives: 133 (+7)
NDP: 4 (-20)
Bloc Québécois: 23 (-11)
Greens: 1 (-1)
People's: 0 (=)

today.yougov.com/politics/art...

SORRY. Sorry.
Have we seen this *incredible* news video coming out of Queensland? Wait for the witness/witnesses statement

urbanist sitting backwards on chair: you kids all know the story of Easter, but let me tell you about another "JC" that "has risen",

On Starmer's Redcliffe-Maud Moment Split Counties into Thirds! Yes and Ho!

I have written my first Substack, about three months after first starting the draft. Who says trips abroad aren't good for anything?

open.substack.com/pub/yesandho...

A table with the rows "US Senators, Canadian Senators, and Ottawa Senators", with the following answers, in order, based on the following columns: DEMOCRATICALLY ELECTED: Yes, no, no AVERAGE SALARY: $174,000, $127,700, $3.5 million REPRESENTATION OF ALBERTANS: 1 (Ted Cruz), 6, 1 (Ridly Greig) LAST VISIT FROM LORD STANLEY: Never, 100+ years ago, 100+ years ago LEFT WING/RIGHT WING MIX: 45/53, 15/12, 4 left wings 4 centers 4 right wings SHOULD BE ABOLISHED? Yes, Yes, Yes

U.S. Senators, Canadian Senators, and Ottawa Senators:
Learn The Differences

delusional. he’s 2 years old tops.

Think yesterday has a claim to be one of best days for this Government. 3 reasons
1. Taking control of the plant/nationalisation popular in of itself
2. More widely it shows Government can take control of situations
3. Gave Labour a definition/purpose that has been lacking

The Le Pen succession crisis Does the National Rally leader’s conviction spell the end of a family dynasty?

While some see justice served in the Le Pen decision, they also know this: her family dynasty might be over, but her movement is far from finished, writes @diane2v.bsky.social.
www.prospectmagazine...

Back in Singapore 🇸🇬 to support a project with one of our APAC-based tech clients. Have enjoyed exploring this city again over the last few weeks (this time feeling more and more like a local), and am looking forward to the next two weeks!

A new model for workplace democracy—the ‘bicameral corporation’ Isabelle Ferreras has spent her career developing a political theory of work. Now she’s trying to test it out

 Spain’s Constitution says governments ought to “establish means to facilitate access by workers to ownership of the means of production”. Not much has been done about this—yet...
www.prospectmagazine..."

Medieval peasant hearing of the baroness’ successful delivery of a male heir:

Greenland: the first Brexit How plucky Greenland escaped the European Communities only to end up threatened by the United States

If America can threaten Greenland and Denmark—and Canada and Panama and Mexico—there is no inherent reason why it cannot also threaten the UK, writes @davidallengreen.bsky.social.
www.prospectmagazine...

For now, the transatlantic alliance is over Trump seems more interested in a deal with Putin than in Ukraine. Europe must rise to this challenge to avoid wider war on our continent

We can all hope that this rift between European democratic states and the US is temporary and certainly try to minimise it if possible. But we should not delude ourselves, writes Dominic Grieve.
www.prospectmagazine...

"Who is more responsible for the current state of the economy?"

Trump: 44%
Biden: 34%

Neither: 9%

YouGov / Mar 11, 2025 / n=1699

EU foreign ministers back Gaza reconstruction plan The Arab-backed plan would cost $53 billion and see the Gaza Strip rebuilt over five years and would avoid displacing Palestinians.

The foreign ministers from France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom released a joint statement Saturday putting their support behind an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

🤩 this one for me is 🤮🤮

US halts intelligence sharing with Ukraine The Trump administration said it wants to pressure Kyiv to get to the bargaining table.

US halts intelligence sharing with Ukraine

As America retreats, Europe must step up An unstable world order, divided between competing superpowers, will force all other nations to make tough choices

With Trump signalling a retreat from Europe, “the rest of the world is being handed the kind of opportunity that only happens in epochal moments of imperial retreat,” writes Michael Ignatieff.
www.prospectmagazine...

Humiliating fr fr