Thomas Ableman
@freewheeling.info
🚇 Was Strategy & Innovation Director Transport for London
🖊️ Freewheeling Blog / Podcast www.freewheeling.info/blog
SUBSTACK: Freewheeling Bitesize: https://freewheelingbitesize.substack.com/ & History of Europe in 75 Railway Journeys http://bit.ly/3EQNOPA
🖊️ Freewheeling Blog / Podcast www.freewheeling.info/blog
SUBSTACK: Freewheeling Bitesize: https://freewheelingbitesize.substack.com/ & History of Europe in 75 Railway Journeys http://bit.ly/3EQNOPA
Pinned
Thomas Ableman
@freewheeling.info
· May 4
Welcome to A HISTORY OF EUROPE IN 75 RAILWAY JOURNEYS
Riding the rails through 1,000 years of European history
open.substack.com
My happy place is the compartment of a European train, with a cup of coffee in one hand and a history book in the other.
Hence a Substack exploring European history based on my travels.
Each month the story of a different period through the prism of a ride.
open.substack.com/pub/historyo...
Hence a Substack exploring European history based on my travels.
Each month the story of a different period through the prism of a ride.
open.substack.com/pub/historyo...
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
European Sleeper are more ambitious for my sex life than I am...
See highlighted at the end of the email.
See highlighted at the end of the email.
February 10, 2026 at 6:47 PM
European Sleeper are more ambitious for my sex life than I am...
See highlighted at the end of the email.
See highlighted at the end of the email.
European Sleeper are more ambitious for my sex life than I am...
February 10, 2026 at 6:47 PM
European Sleeper are more ambitious for my sex life than I am...
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.
300,000 children face 10-year wait for settled status under UK plans, says IPPR
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
The consultation closes on Thursday. What is being proposed is dreadful. Can I encourage you to engage with the consultation and put your dissent on record?
February 10, 2026 at 7:23 AM
If Starmer wants a reset - and not yet another U-turn when the parliamentary party balks at a policy - here is his chance.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
I'm no political strategist but has anyone in Labour considered *not* alienating any huge chunk of their base? I just feel like they tried alienating the left and the centre left and the public sector workers and the academics, and none of those things worked great, so maybe give my idea a whirl?
February 8, 2026 at 9:44 PM
I'm no political strategist but has anyone in Labour considered *not* alienating any huge chunk of their base? I just feel like they tried alienating the left and the centre left and the public sector workers and the academics, and none of those things worked great, so maybe give my idea a whirl?
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
I do wonder about anyone who thinks McSweeney single-handedly won Labour its majority. They do realise they were up against a catastrophically unpopular government? The 2024 result was very much an underperformance against the fundamentals.
Not *all* Labour MPs wanted McSweeney out.
“Gutted about Morgan”, one texts.
“So many of us know he’s brilliant to work with, so exceptional at the bigger picture strategic thinking, relentlessly focused on the moving pieces… and credit him with winning the majority”.
“Gutted about Morgan”, one texts.
“So many of us know he’s brilliant to work with, so exceptional at the bigger picture strategic thinking, relentlessly focused on the moving pieces… and credit him with winning the majority”.
February 8, 2026 at 5:39 PM
I do wonder about anyone who thinks McSweeney single-handedly won Labour its majority. They do realise they were up against a catastrophically unpopular government? The 2024 result was very much an underperformance against the fundamentals.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
Most of Westminster is still using a website that has been producing and distributing CSAM, maybe a bit of self-reflection is in order.
Isn’t the point that you shouldn’t be mates with a convicted child sex offender anyway? Like the depth and the money should be add-ons
February 5, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Most of Westminster is still using a website that has been producing and distributing CSAM, maybe a bit of self-reflection is in order.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
Why the "earned settlement" proposals will harm not help integration and social cohesion (and, I'd add, the economy).
This by @colinyeo.bsky.social should be read by every Labour MP...
wewantedworkers.substack.com/p/labours-ea...
This by @colinyeo.bsky.social should be read by every Labour MP...
wewantedworkers.substack.com/p/labours-ea...
Labour's earned settlement proposals: destroying a British success story
The proposals confuse immigration policy with citizenship policy. They will harm not help integration.
wewantedworkers.substack.com
February 4, 2026 at 3:36 PM
Why the "earned settlement" proposals will harm not help integration and social cohesion (and, I'd add, the economy).
This by @colinyeo.bsky.social should be read by every Labour MP...
wewantedworkers.substack.com/p/labours-ea...
This by @colinyeo.bsky.social should be read by every Labour MP...
wewantedworkers.substack.com/p/labours-ea...
What do you think? I think the Starmer argument that he was deceived actually makes it worse.
There’s an argument for appointing an amoral, money-obsessed, fame-obsessed shyster to work with a man like Trump.
But saying Mandelson lied meant Mandelson was open to blackmail and it wasn’t spotted.
There’s an argument for appointing an amoral, money-obsessed, fame-obsessed shyster to work with a man like Trump.
But saying Mandelson lied meant Mandelson was open to blackmail and it wasn’t spotted.
February 5, 2026 at 7:45 PM
What do you think? I think the Starmer argument that he was deceived actually makes it worse.
There’s an argument for appointing an amoral, money-obsessed, fame-obsessed shyster to work with a man like Trump.
But saying Mandelson lied meant Mandelson was open to blackmail and it wasn’t spotted.
There’s an argument for appointing an amoral, money-obsessed, fame-obsessed shyster to work with a man like Trump.
But saying Mandelson lied meant Mandelson was open to blackmail and it wasn’t spotted.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
Name them
shame them
shame them
February 5, 2026 at 2:30 PM
Name them
shame them
shame them
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
This is his most special skill
Starmer finding that place in a Venn Diagram where he manages to annoy allies without defeating enemies
Keir Starmer attacks the racism of Reform and Matt Goodwin but then adds that "Britain has also been let down by a mindset on the left of politics that is too slow to defend core British values"
February 5, 2026 at 11:30 AM
This is his most special skill
The reason the Government can't get onto the front foot is that it doesn't know where it's going. It's not possible to start walking if you don't have a destination.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
February 5, 2026 at 10:06 AM
The reason the Government can't get onto the front foot is that it doesn't know where it's going. It's not possible to start walking if you don't have a destination.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Happy birthday, broken Britain!
Alliteration is dangerous: a reminder that there was a debate about whether Britain was broken in 2010.
This article is a sweet 16 years old today.
Alliteration is dangerous: a reminder that there was a debate about whether Britain was broken in 2010.
This article is a sweet 16 years old today.
How broken is Britain?
It has become fashionable to say that British society is in a mess and getting worse. It isn’t
www.economist.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:54 AM
Happy birthday, broken Britain!
Alliteration is dangerous: a reminder that there was a debate about whether Britain was broken in 2010.
This article is a sweet 16 years old today.
Alliteration is dangerous: a reminder that there was a debate about whether Britain was broken in 2010.
This article is a sweet 16 years old today.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
February 4, 2026 at 4:47 AM
“It's not my duty as Mayor to make sure you have a parking spot. For me it's the same as if you bought a cow, or a refrigerator, and then asked me where you're going to put them.” — Mayor of Pontevedra, Spain (re-elected 6 times)
Role model!
Others please follow
Others please follow
and no I haven't put the Mandelson-Epstein-Reinaldo scoop on twitter
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
we journalists *can* make Bluesky the place to break news
February 3, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Role model!
Others please follow
Others please follow
Vision-Led Planning is the new thing but what does that mean for transport folk?
Less modelling, more iterating, more collaborating and - above all - focusing on human outcomes.
Read more:
Less modelling, more iterating, more collaborating and - above all - focusing on human outcomes.
Read more:
What Vision-Led Planning Means for Transport People — Freewheeling
The National Planning Policy Framework requires transport planners to use a “vision-led” approach. This requires big changes in culture and ways of working. Here’s what needs to happen.
www.freewheeling.info
February 2, 2026 at 10:41 AM
Vision-Led Planning is the new thing but what does that mean for transport folk?
Less modelling, more iterating, more collaborating and - above all - focusing on human outcomes.
Read more:
Less modelling, more iterating, more collaborating and - above all - focusing on human outcomes.
Read more:
Reform voters, you need to understand that London is a city whose indigenous speciality is jellied eels.
We need immigrants to save us from ourselves.
We need immigrants to save us from ourselves.
February 1, 2026 at 1:28 PM
Reform voters, you need to understand that London is a city whose indigenous speciality is jellied eels.
We need immigrants to save us from ourselves.
We need immigrants to save us from ourselves.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
January 25, 2026 at 12:28 PM
A reminder to the news media: “conflicting accounts” is what you say BEFORE the incontrovertible video evidence appears. After that, your job is to ask why one side is lying, not to repeat the lie and pretend no one knows the truth.
Mystified by the DfT potholes rating my local council Waltham Forest as 'red'. I cycle across our borough regularly and have never felt at risk.
As far as I can tell, the ranking seems to be based entirely on inputs: what WF do, not outcomes: what road users experience.
@labourstone.bsky.social
As far as I can tell, the ranking seems to be based entirely on inputs: what WF do, not outcomes: what road users experience.
@labourstone.bsky.social
January 30, 2026 at 2:11 PM
Mystified by the DfT potholes rating my local council Waltham Forest as 'red'. I cycle across our borough regularly and have never felt at risk.
As far as I can tell, the ranking seems to be based entirely on inputs: what WF do, not outcomes: what road users experience.
@labourstone.bsky.social
As far as I can tell, the ranking seems to be based entirely on inputs: what WF do, not outcomes: what road users experience.
@labourstone.bsky.social
Is transport facing a jobs apocalypse?
Maybe.
But I doubt it.
We shouldn’t be preparing for a life of leisure but we do need to retool our sector to be more adaptable to change.
New jobs will replace old, if we get this right.
Get it wrong and we’ll ossify as the world changes around us.
Maybe.
But I doubt it.
We shouldn’t be preparing for a life of leisure but we do need to retool our sector to be more adaptable to change.
New jobs will replace old, if we get this right.
Get it wrong and we’ll ossify as the world changes around us.
AI & Work: Why the Future Might be Weirdly Human — Freewheeling
AI is happening. I don’t buy into the argument that humans are finished, but I do think that the world of work will radically change. My worry is that transport won’t keep up with the pace of…
www.freewheeling.info
January 30, 2026 at 9:53 AM
Is transport facing a jobs apocalypse?
Maybe.
But I doubt it.
We shouldn’t be preparing for a life of leisure but we do need to retool our sector to be more adaptable to change.
New jobs will replace old, if we get this right.
Get it wrong and we’ll ossify as the world changes around us.
Maybe.
But I doubt it.
We shouldn’t be preparing for a life of leisure but we do need to retool our sector to be more adaptable to change.
New jobs will replace old, if we get this right.
Get it wrong and we’ll ossify as the world changes around us.
Fuelled by a bubble? ✅
Useful though not safe? ✅
Dominated by powerful investors? ✅
By the time we realised what we should have done, it was too late to do it. ❓
Lessons from the railway mania and the automotive boom for how we should treat AI
www.freewheeling.info/blog/lessons...
Useful though not safe? ✅
Dominated by powerful investors? ✅
By the time we realised what we should have done, it was too late to do it. ❓
Lessons from the railway mania and the automotive boom for how we should treat AI
www.freewheeling.info/blog/lessons...
We’ve Seen This Before: What Transport’s Past Teaches Us About AI’s Future — Freewheeling
We treat AI like it’s new. But this isn’t the first time aggressive capitalists have pushed a new technology into an uncertain world: it happened with trains 200 years ago, and 100 years ago it happen...
www.freewheeling.info
January 29, 2026 at 6:42 PM
Fuelled by a bubble? ✅
Useful though not safe? ✅
Dominated by powerful investors? ✅
By the time we realised what we should have done, it was too late to do it. ❓
Lessons from the railway mania and the automotive boom for how we should treat AI
www.freewheeling.info/blog/lessons...
Useful though not safe? ✅
Dominated by powerful investors? ✅
By the time we realised what we should have done, it was too late to do it. ❓
Lessons from the railway mania and the automotive boom for how we should treat AI
www.freewheeling.info/blog/lessons...
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
Part of the reason I'll not join @nationaltrust.org.uk is the lack of consideration for non-drivers. I'm not giving my money to companies that prioritise supporting climate change over supporting better behaviours i.e. public transport, walking and cycling
It's 10 years since @nationaltrust.org.uk removed public transport directions from the Handbook. Every year, I hope that (being a conservation charity) they'll change their mind. Sometimes I write to them. And, every year, disappointment. They promote car travel: parking revenues over the planet.
January 27, 2026 at 8:31 PM
Part of the reason I'll not join @nationaltrust.org.uk is the lack of consideration for non-drivers. I'm not giving my money to companies that prioritise supporting climate change over supporting better behaviours i.e. public transport, walking and cycling
It's 10 years since @nationaltrust.org.uk removed public transport directions from the Handbook. Every year, I hope that (being a conservation charity) they'll change their mind. Sometimes I write to them. And, every year, disappointment. They promote car travel: parking revenues over the planet.
January 27, 2026 at 8:28 PM
It's 10 years since @nationaltrust.org.uk removed public transport directions from the Handbook. Every year, I hope that (being a conservation charity) they'll change their mind. Sometimes I write to them. And, every year, disappointment. They promote car travel: parking revenues over the planet.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
The Telegraph’s political editor is saying, more subtly, what others are saying brutally.
January 27, 2026 at 12:55 PM
The Telegraph’s political editor is saying, more subtly, what others are saying brutally.
Reposted by Thomas Ableman
