David Booth
@davidmbooth.bsky.social
I help organisations with their ‘strategy journeys’, strengthening their ability to think through and implement their strategies
Reposted by David Booth
Some great stuff in this thread and in @johnharris1969.bsky.social's article.
Wanted to add a chart thread on two points:
1. Online retail matters, but its growth seems to be slowing
2. Retail jobs are in decline, but hospitality / entertainment is growing - that's where high streets need to focus
Wanted to add a chart thread on two points:
1. Online retail matters, but its growth seems to be slowing
2. Retail jobs are in decline, but hospitality / entertainment is growing - that's where high streets need to focus
There is a lot to agree with here - and it comes up over and over again on doorsteps - but its also a huge case of revealed preference.
People want a high street. They just don't want to visit it.
Not sure what can be done aside from huge state subsidy of unviable business.
People want a high street. They just don't want to visit it.
Not sure what can be done aside from huge state subsidy of unviable business.
Latest from me, on an eternally overlooked, sniffed-at issue that is politically huge www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
January 11, 2026 at 9:25 PM
Some great stuff in this thread and in @johnharris1969.bsky.social's article.
Wanted to add a chart thread on two points:
1. Online retail matters, but its growth seems to be slowing
2. Retail jobs are in decline, but hospitality / entertainment is growing - that's where high streets need to focus
Wanted to add a chart thread on two points:
1. Online retail matters, but its growth seems to be slowing
2. Retail jobs are in decline, but hospitality / entertainment is growing - that's where high streets need to focus
Reposted by David Booth
In case you missed it:
Enemies within and without. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog includes a look at Erasmus, the Mail's anti-emigrant campaign, the great hate at home and the threat from Trump abroad, and the government's response: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/enem...
January 10, 2026 at 9:41 AM
In case you missed it:
2015 would have been (was) preferable
January 10, 2026 at 8:33 PM
2015 would have been (was) preferable
Reposted by David Booth
What is the point of social media?
New post on online town squares and niche pubs: kucharski.substack.com/p/in-praise-...
New post on online town squares and niche pubs: kucharski.substack.com/p/in-praise-...
January 3, 2026 at 2:00 PM
What is the point of social media?
New post on online town squares and niche pubs: kucharski.substack.com/p/in-praise-...
New post on online town squares and niche pubs: kucharski.substack.com/p/in-praise-...
Reposted by David Booth
This, from the Home Office strategy "Having a Sensible Conversation about Immigration" is really good: sensible, balanced and evidence-based.
Exactly the right approach for a centre-left government.
Exactly the right approach for a centre-left government.
December 30, 2025 at 10:24 AM
This, from the Home Office strategy "Having a Sensible Conversation about Immigration" is really good: sensible, balanced and evidence-based.
Exactly the right approach for a centre-left government.
Exactly the right approach for a centre-left government.
Reposted by David Booth
How the BBC & ITV give disproportionate coverage to Farage & Reform: hard evidence from a serious study. BBC & ITV now give Reform more coverage than the Conservatives, more than the Lib Dems & nine times the Greens. Superb research from Stephen Cushion.
www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/broadca...
www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/broadca...
December 13, 2025 at 7:08 PM
How the BBC & ITV give disproportionate coverage to Farage & Reform: hard evidence from a serious study. BBC & ITV now give Reform more coverage than the Conservatives, more than the Lib Dems & nine times the Greens. Superb research from Stephen Cushion.
www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/broadca...
www.enhancingimpartiality.com/blog/broadca...
Quite! Need to invest in building the capacity for variation (seasonal and otherwise) rather than attempting to run the system 'hot' and under continual pressure - a false 'economy'.
December 13, 2025 at 12:13 AM
Quite! Need to invest in building the capacity for variation (seasonal and otherwise) rather than attempting to run the system 'hot' and under continual pressure - a false 'economy'.
Reposted by David Booth
Further to this - and once again I am doing the basic research that political journalists should have done six months ago - Lam said on the record in Parliament that this *does* apply to pensions/pensioners.
October 23, 2025 at 9:34 PM
Further to this - and once again I am doing the basic research that political journalists should have done six months ago - Lam said on the record in Parliament that this *does* apply to pensions/pensioners.
Reposted by David Booth
This week's post: Farage and the BBC mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/09/fara...
On Monday 22nd September I watched a party political broadcast on behalf of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. It was on the BBC, and it was entitled ‘News at Ten’.
On Monday 22nd September I watched a party political broadcast on behalf of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. It was on the BBC, and it was entitled ‘News at Ten’.
Farage and the BBC
On Monday 22nd September I watched a party political broadcast on behalf of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. It was on the BBC, and it was en...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
September 26, 2025 at 8:17 AM
This week's post: Farage and the BBC mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/09/fara...
On Monday 22nd September I watched a party political broadcast on behalf of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. It was on the BBC, and it was entitled ‘News at Ten’.
On Monday 22nd September I watched a party political broadcast on behalf of Nigel Farage’s Reform Party. It was on the BBC, and it was entitled ‘News at Ten’.
Reposted by David Booth
Y'days post: Reform and the UK press mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/08/refo...
The recent celebration by the Mail, Sun and Telegraph of someone who pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred makes the Mail's “Hurrah for the Blackshirts” in the 1930s sound rather tame.
The recent celebration by the Mail, Sun and Telegraph of someone who pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred makes the Mail's “Hurrah for the Blackshirts” in the 1930s sound rather tame.
Reform and the UK press
It was entirely predictable that immigration/asylum would become the issue voters thought was the most important facing the country. Many p...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
August 27, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Y'days post: Reform and the UK press mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/08/refo...
The recent celebration by the Mail, Sun and Telegraph of someone who pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred makes the Mail's “Hurrah for the Blackshirts” in the 1930s sound rather tame.
The recent celebration by the Mail, Sun and Telegraph of someone who pleaded guilty to inciting racial hatred makes the Mail's “Hurrah for the Blackshirts” in the 1930s sound rather tame.
Reposted by David Booth
We have a responsibility to ensure those most clinically vulnerable in society aren't unnecessarily exposed to infection.
Whether NHS IPC will admit their mistakes or not, aerosol transmission IS inherent for SARS2 and other diseases.
Please sign 👇
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Whether NHS IPC will admit their mistakes or not, aerosol transmission IS inherent for SARS2 and other diseases.
Please sign 👇
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Petition: Introduce new air quality and PPE rules for health and social care settings
We want the Government to set new rules on air quality and infection control in health and social care settings, to prevent and control airborne infections, with new ventilation and filtration require...
petition.parliament.uk
April 28, 2025 at 7:02 PM
We have a responsibility to ensure those most clinically vulnerable in society aren't unnecessarily exposed to infection.
Whether NHS IPC will admit their mistakes or not, aerosol transmission IS inherent for SARS2 and other diseases.
Please sign 👇
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Whether NHS IPC will admit their mistakes or not, aerosol transmission IS inherent for SARS2 and other diseases.
Please sign 👇
petition.parliament.uk/petitions/70...
Reposted by David Booth
New post: Labour’s strategic error on tax
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/03/labo...
Virtually all our neighbours raise more in taxes than we do. Quite simply, if we want as good public services as France, Germany, Spain or Italy, we need to pay more in taxes.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/03/labo...
Virtually all our neighbours raise more in taxes than we do. Quite simply, if we want as good public services as France, Germany, Spain or Italy, we need to pay more in taxes.
Labour’s strategic error on tax
Two things have become clear to many people since Labour came to government. The first is that the party had done less preparation work fo...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
March 25, 2025 at 9:01 AM
New post: Labour’s strategic error on tax
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/03/labo...
Virtually all our neighbours raise more in taxes than we do. Quite simply, if we want as good public services as France, Germany, Spain or Italy, we need to pay more in taxes.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/03/labo...
Virtually all our neighbours raise more in taxes than we do. Quite simply, if we want as good public services as France, Germany, Spain or Italy, we need to pay more in taxes.
Reposted by David Booth
I’ve never understood why UK is so obsessed with low tax. If they visited high tax Scandinavia & saw the incredible standard of living for everybody they’d understand that low tax only benefits the rich. When will @teamlabouruk.bsky.social find the bollocks & integrity to be honest about tax?
More taxes? Yes please! Patriotic Millionaires want to do more for the country
“Tax our wealth” – that’s the message from millionaires across the UK whose campaign is hitting the road ahead of the government’s spring statement
@patmillsuk.bsky.social @joing.bsky.social
“Tax our wealth” – that’s the message from millionaires across the UK whose campaign is hitting the road ahead of the government’s spring statement
@patmillsuk.bsky.social @joing.bsky.social
More taxes? Yes please! Patriotic Millionaires want to do more for the country
“Tax our wealth” – that’s the message from millionaires across the UK whose campaign is hitting the road ahead of the government’s spring statement
yorkshirebylines.co.uk
March 23, 2025 at 7:37 AM
I’ve never understood why UK is so obsessed with low tax. If they visited high tax Scandinavia & saw the incredible standard of living for everybody they’d understand that low tax only benefits the rich. When will @teamlabouruk.bsky.social find the bollocks & integrity to be honest about tax?
Reposted by David Booth
It's 5 yrs today since lockdown started in England, but "We must never have lockdown again" is the wrong lesson.
Lockdowns are terrible but so are deadly pandemics.
Our choices 5 years ago were limited - we can & must do better in the future.
Do read my post.
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Lockdowns are terrible but so are deadly pandemics.
Our choices 5 years ago were limited - we can & must do better in the future.
Do read my post.
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
We are learning the wrong lessons from lockdown
And unless we learn the right ones, we risk making the same mistakes in a new pandemic
open.substack.com
March 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
It's 5 yrs today since lockdown started in England, but "We must never have lockdown again" is the wrong lesson.
Lockdowns are terrible but so are deadly pandemics.
Our choices 5 years ago were limited - we can & must do better in the future.
Do read my post.
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Lockdowns are terrible but so are deadly pandemics.
Our choices 5 years ago were limited - we can & must do better in the future.
Do read my post.
open.substack.com/pub/christin...
Reposted by David Booth
🧵Censor, purge, defund - how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science & universities.
This isn't chaos - it's deliberate & well-established methods.
I've mapped 40 actions into 3 categories covering attacks on science, attacks on universities and international collaboration.
1/16
This isn't chaos - it's deliberate & well-established methods.
I've mapped 40 actions into 3 categories covering attacks on science, attacks on universities and international collaboration.
1/16
March 12, 2025 at 6:18 PM
🧵Censor, purge, defund - how Trump is following the authoritarian playbook on science & universities.
This isn't chaos - it's deliberate & well-established methods.
I've mapped 40 actions into 3 categories covering attacks on science, attacks on universities and international collaboration.
1/16
This isn't chaos - it's deliberate & well-established methods.
I've mapped 40 actions into 3 categories covering attacks on science, attacks on universities and international collaboration.
1/16
The fourth paragraph is a particularly damning description..
More than a bit 'ick' to say so, I know, but I think this is one of the best, and maybe one of the most important (in terms of the issues involved), of the 460+ posts I've written on this blog over the last 9.5 years.
The new global divide makes Brexit an anomaly. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog on the choices facing the UK, what they show about the realities of sovereignty, how they're already changing domestic politics, and what they mean for Brexit:
chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-...
chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-...
March 8, 2025 at 8:02 AM
The fourth paragraph is a particularly damning description..
Reposted by David Booth
More than a bit 'ick' to say so, I know, but I think this is one of the best, and maybe one of the most important (in terms of the issues involved), of the 460+ posts I've written on this blog over the last 9.5 years.
The new global divide makes Brexit an anomaly. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog on the choices facing the UK, what they show about the realities of sovereignty, how they're already changing domestic politics, and what they mean for Brexit:
chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-...
chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/03/the-...
March 7, 2025 at 5:52 PM
More than a bit 'ick' to say so, I know, but I think this is one of the best, and maybe one of the most important (in terms of the issues involved), of the 460+ posts I've written on this blog over the last 9.5 years.
“…having for nine years been dismayed by what Brexit has done to Britain, I now actually feel frightened by what may happen here.”
How can Brexit Britain navigate Trump's World? New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. With the rapid deepening of a dangerous global divide, the UK faces hard choices. Could the latest proposals for UK-EU 'mutual recognition' be part of the answer? chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/how-...
February 23, 2025 at 1:12 AM
“…having for nine years been dismayed by what Brexit has done to Britain, I now actually feel frightened by what may happen here.”
Reposted by David Booth
Labour has a real counterattack opportunity if they’re brave enough to take it.
More spending, both for public services + defence, using the need to prep the UK for war to justify breaking fiscal rules/tax pledges.
Be unequivocal in calling those seeking to undermine the UK traitors and quislings.
More spending, both for public services + defence, using the need to prep the UK for war to justify breaking fiscal rules/tax pledges.
Be unequivocal in calling those seeking to undermine the UK traitors and quislings.
February 22, 2025 at 10:40 AM
Labour has a real counterattack opportunity if they’re brave enough to take it.
More spending, both for public services + defence, using the need to prep the UK for war to justify breaking fiscal rules/tax pledges.
Be unequivocal in calling those seeking to undermine the UK traitors and quislings.
More spending, both for public services + defence, using the need to prep the UK for war to justify breaking fiscal rules/tax pledges.
Be unequivocal in calling those seeking to undermine the UK traitors and quislings.
Reposted by David Booth
Have written about JD Vance’s Munich speech. In what may prove to be the biggest week for European security since 1991, it’s time Europe listened to what Trump and his Vice President are telling us. open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...
We need to listen to what Trump and Vance are telling us.
This may have been the biggest moment for European security since 1991.
open.substack.com
February 15, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Have written about JD Vance’s Munich speech. In what may prove to be the biggest week for European security since 1991, it’s time Europe listened to what Trump and his Vice President are telling us. open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...
Reposted by David Booth
New personal post: is net zero good or bad for growth?
This is a long post on a tricky topic, so this is a thread too.
I wrote it because people are making strong claims about net zero without really paying attention to the facts. And the facts keep changing
acjsissons.medium.com/is-net-zero-...
This is a long post on a tricky topic, so this is a thread too.
I wrote it because people are making strong claims about net zero without really paying attention to the facts. And the facts keep changing
acjsissons.medium.com/is-net-zero-...
Is net zero good or bad for growth?
The underlying facts about net zero and growth keep changing. The proponents for each side, however, do not tend to change their minds…
acjsissons.medium.com
February 14, 2025 at 9:33 AM
New personal post: is net zero good or bad for growth?
This is a long post on a tricky topic, so this is a thread too.
I wrote it because people are making strong claims about net zero without really paying attention to the facts. And the facts keep changing
acjsissons.medium.com/is-net-zero-...
This is a long post on a tricky topic, so this is a thread too.
I wrote it because people are making strong claims about net zero without really paying attention to the facts. And the facts keep changing
acjsissons.medium.com/is-net-zero-...
Reposted by David Booth
New post: Quantifying the continuing UK public spending squeeze mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/02/quan...
We need the total public spending ratio to be 3% of GDP higher in 2029/30 than current plans to replicate the level of public provision seen in the final years of the last Labour government.
We need the total public spending ratio to be 3% of GDP higher in 2029/30 than current plans to replicate the level of public provision seen in the final years of the last Labour government.
Quantifying the continuing UK public spending squeeze
In her October budget the Chancellor raised total government spending by 1.8% of GDP compared to the plans of her predecessors, which mean...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
February 12, 2025 at 9:18 AM
New post: Quantifying the continuing UK public spending squeeze mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/02/quan...
We need the total public spending ratio to be 3% of GDP higher in 2029/30 than current plans to replicate the level of public provision seen in the final years of the last Labour government.
We need the total public spending ratio to be 3% of GDP higher in 2029/30 than current plans to replicate the level of public provision seen in the final years of the last Labour government.
"Starmer has a real opportunity to exert leadership, and in the process has been gifted an opportunity to release Britain from the drift and dither to which it has been consigned by Brexit"
But has he got the vision, and the courage....?
But has he got the vision, and the courage....?
Trump’s new world chaos offers possibilities for post-Brexit Britain. Latest post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. The UK's choice isn’t just between US & EU, it's about the new global divide, and it could finally change the stale politics of Brexit: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/trum...
February 9, 2025 at 12:18 PM
"Starmer has a real opportunity to exert leadership, and in the process has been gifted an opportunity to release Britain from the drift and dither to which it has been consigned by Brexit"
But has he got the vision, and the courage....?
But has he got the vision, and the courage....?
There's a transfixing media 'fascination' about Trump, Farage et al which provides oxygen to their publicity, a type of soap opera or game show ("Whatever will they do next?"), except it's deadly serious and very dangerous, and they are drawing everyone into their agenda.
February 8, 2025 at 9:04 AM
There's a transfixing media 'fascination' about Trump, Farage et al which provides oxygen to their publicity, a type of soap opera or game show ("Whatever will they do next?"), except it's deadly serious and very dangerous, and they are drawing everyone into their agenda.