James Austin

Yeah, I mean the graduate level degree thing is clearly incorrect (tho, tbh, graduate level degrees arent that uncommon) so hes hes overstepped there. The wider point has some merit but he overstates.

Still not sure he'll back down on it

Half a lifetime ago, when I was a cabinet member on a local council pre 2010, the director of public health used to come and see me if there was *one* family in a B&B for more than an emergency weekend or so. Just the least safe and healthy place for children

Will there be one?

There us this (Stewart is speaker 1) but I dont think I see it as a dismissal of Meadway directly in the same way he does Stephenson. More saying there arent huge numbers there.

Clearly there is a coordinated pushback on the interview. I guess because its a bit of a economic car crash

Im not seeing that from the transcript. Its very focused Stephenson

Yes - and the Uk public as a whole are far less partisan and pilled

Of course, the clip that was circlated delibrately clipped James' from it to butress the 'no economists point' because you cant dismiss him in the same way

I'd need to go back and relisten but I think he only dismisses Stephenson directly? I dont think anyone would say James (and probably Grace, as much as I dont have much time for her) arent.

It is. We are maybe a year behind.

Yeah, this. I mean you look at the stuff the US departments see now putting out as comms and... yeah, i get the codes, allusions and style. But im going to guess 95% or politicos dont

The UK right is heading that was but nowhere close to as far gone

In a world where much of the current governing US elite has been driven insane through decades of being very online some of the best analysts of US elite behaviour are people like Mihnea who have detailed knowledge of the internet spaces that drove them round the bend

Posh people huh

Yeah, were nowhere near as bad yet, but still

There is a real problem that most mainstream politucians and media are both too online - particularly on X - and not online enough.

Theyve never gone deeper than politics X, or got actual net culture. And unless you do you simply cant understand a lot of the present political moment.

People ignore how much this is led by admin sclerosis and 4chan R interns wanting to brag to their chat buddies in Europe that they are gonna save them from the globalist filth

Much of all public online nature of this admin is that all interns are Nazi /pol/ posters

Quite: you need a totally different mindset and expertise. Its a set of views rhat havent been formed by traditional politics but by the online feaverswamps. Its why tech media has been far better at getting whats going on

This is the nub of it. If you want to understand this RationalWiki is a better starting point than most Beltway insider stuff

Im not sure Rory would view tbis as an error

I'm still waiting for his predictions about UK borrowing costs spiking and the govt being forced into emergency spending cuts from Jan to come true

Yeah, I mean just being a average trader means you make a lot of money - but it doesn't give you the credibility/story you need to go on to do what he has

Oh, Han.

(I note he didn't do a similar post about the FT's / former colleagues posts about his... sexing up his career)

Clearly his being dismissed like that hurt

Thank God for Bluesky Yes, it's eager. Yes, it's censorious. But it has the very considerable advantage of not being fascist.

Thank God for Bluesky: A little love letter to the people who would not compromise with Nazis iandunt.substack.com/p/thank-god-...

EUROVISION IS AMAZING

Oh, my word - he ties it to PR! Properly mental

I'm sorry, what?

The Conservatives are polling at 20% for the first time since the Local Elections - with Reform and the LDs at recent lows.

➡️ RFM: 29.3% (Lowest since Jul)
🌹 LAB: 20.5%
🌳 CON: 20.0% (Highest Since Apr)
🔶 LDM: 12.5% (Lowest Since Feb)
🌍 GRN: 12.2%

electionmaps.uk/polling/vi

Today is a good day to be a Labour member.

(accept the point that the admin is very divided and has limited capacity: but this is a clear statement of intent by people in the world's most powerful office. It needs to be taken seriously and be widely know)