@gmdonald.bsky.social
Pinned
1/ RTT performance August - From the RTT Overview Timeseries - public.tableau.com/views/Englan...
Pathways 7,414,794
Over 18 weeks 2,891,485
Over 52 Weeks 191,493
Over 65 Weeks 12,805
Over 78 Weeks 1,416
Over 104 weeks 168
Pathways 7,414,794
Over 18 weeks 2,891,485
Over 52 Weeks 191,493
Over 65 Weeks 12,805
Over 78 Weeks 1,416
Over 104 weeks 168
Latest threads on NHS performance data for all four UK countries:
NHS England - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Scotland - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Wales - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Northern Ireland - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS England - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Scotland - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Wales - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
NHS Northern Ireland - bsky.app/profile/gmdo...
Reposted
To explain briefly: at the moment people successful in their asylum claims get permission to stay in the UK for 5 years, then have to apply for permanent residency. At that point a review of their status is done, but it’s rare not to succeed at that point unless they‘ve committed an offence 1/
To reiterate, this is about making life immeasurably more miserable and stressful for some of the most vulnerable people, in the almost certainly vain hope of winning over the votes of racists.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Anything more shabby and shameful is difficult to envisage.
Asylum in UK to be made temporary under Home Secretary’s plans
Shabana Mahmood will lay out reforms modelled on the Danish system on Monday.
www.independent.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 9:36 AM
To explain briefly: at the moment people successful in their asylum claims get permission to stay in the UK for 5 years, then have to apply for permanent residency. At that point a review of their status is done, but it’s rare not to succeed at that point unless they‘ve committed an offence 1/
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I don't think this will actually happen. But if it does, the UK should simply start subjecting the actions of US-owned social media platforms in this country to British law. Incitement, defamation, intellectual property.
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM
I don't think this will actually happen. But if it does, the UK should simply start subjecting the actions of US-owned social media platforms in this country to British law. Incitement, defamation, intellectual property.
Reposted
Full-on, unapologetic racism, not dog whistle but bloody foghorn, is now mainstream on the right.
November 15, 2025 at 7:41 AM
Full-on, unapologetic racism, not dog whistle but bloody foghorn, is now mainstream on the right.
Reposted
Nigel Farage's party is going ahead with council tax premiums on second homes despite having previously decried them as "madness"
✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀
✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀
Reform break another council tax pledge
Nigel Farage's party is going ahead with council tax premiums on second homes despite having previously decried them as "madness"
www.thenewworld.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 8:00 AM
Nigel Farage's party is going ahead with council tax premiums on second homes despite having previously decried them as "madness"
✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀
✏️ Rats in a Sack 🐀
Reposted
Farage, Boris Johnson & Rees-Mogg apparently plotting assaults on UK democracy with Bannon, who was reporting back to Epstein. Nothing to see here, newspaper folk…
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Emails highlight Jeffrey Epstein and Steve Bannon relationship
New documents show the pair discussing travel arrangements and UK politics in messages from 2018.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Farage, Boris Johnson & Rees-Mogg apparently plotting assaults on UK democracy with Bannon, who was reporting back to Epstein. Nothing to see here, newspaper folk…
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted
Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war"
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
November 15, 2025 at 8:04 AM
Home Office claims changes proposed on Monday are "the most significant shift in the treatment of refugees since the second world war"
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
These changes are unlikely to significantly shift flows or deliver control.
The language used is questionable in principle - and v likely to be untrue in practice
Reposted
Seems like a good time to remind people that Farage is Trump’s man.
November 15, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Seems like a good time to remind people that Farage is Trump’s man.
Reposted
Temerko, a Soviet-born oligarch and a major Conservative donor, told Belton that he and Johnson spent time… plotting the overthrow May. According to Temerko, Johnson had finally been persuaded to back Brexit in 2016 by a group of “eastern European businessmen”.
bylinetimes.com/2023/01/19/l...
bylinetimes.com/2023/01/19/l...
Landmark Ruling in Strasbourg as MPs Challenge UK Government over Failure to Investigate Russian Interference in Brexit
'Nothing less than the future of democracy is at stake' says Caroline Lucas as a cross-party coalition and The Citizens win an unprecedented hearing over electoral safety and national security
bylinetimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 4:15 AM
Temerko, a Soviet-born oligarch and a major Conservative donor, told Belton that he and Johnson spent time… plotting the overthrow May. According to Temerko, Johnson had finally been persuaded to back Brexit in 2016 by a group of “eastern European businessmen”.
bylinetimes.com/2023/01/19/l...
bylinetimes.com/2023/01/19/l...
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Is the right-wing establishment getting worried about the possibility of Torsten Bell becoming Chancellor?
At last, a fearless @thetimes.com enquiry into the Institute of Economic Affairs’ economically disastrous effects and Policy Exchange’s pernicious legacy of division? No, just an attack one of the few think tanks that did not shape Labour’s toxic inheritance.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Meet the elite think tank responsible for Britain’s decline
The Resolution Foundation wants to make life better for the poorest in society but its noble aims result in policy that stifles growth and penalises the rich
www.thetimes.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Is the right-wing establishment getting worried about the possibility of Torsten Bell becoming Chancellor?
Reposted
This is not as bad a what Reform have planned - but thats beside the point.
It is still awful and inhumane - and any Labour person who believes in human rights should be pushing back strongly against it.
Dire.
It is still awful and inhumane - and any Labour person who believes in human rights should be pushing back strongly against it.
Dire.
This is as bad as anything proposed by Reform.
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:28 AM
This is not as bad a what Reform have planned - but thats beside the point.
It is still awful and inhumane - and any Labour person who believes in human rights should be pushing back strongly against it.
Dire.
It is still awful and inhumane - and any Labour person who believes in human rights should be pushing back strongly against it.
Dire.
Reposted
𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩, 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐱.
November 13, 2025 at 5:39 PM
𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩, 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞, 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐩𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐥 𝐚 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐚𝐱.
Reposted
NEW: Tony Hall, who Tim Davie replaced as BBC director general, leads calls for the end of political appointees to the BBC board.
PLUS - the Guardian learns Robbie Gibb has the power to unilaterally commission research on bias that worries him.
Story:
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
PLUS - the Guardian learns Robbie Gibb has the power to unilaterally commission research on bias that worries him.
Story:
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Ex-BBC boss leads calls for end to political appointments to board
Tony Hall urges government to bolster BBC’s independence as MPs and union seek Robbie Gibb’s removal from board
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 7:19 PM
NEW: Tony Hall, who Tim Davie replaced as BBC director general, leads calls for the end of political appointees to the BBC board.
PLUS - the Guardian learns Robbie Gibb has the power to unilaterally commission research on bias that worries him.
Story:
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
PLUS - the Guardian learns Robbie Gibb has the power to unilaterally commission research on bias that worries him.
Story:
www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Reposted
Premium: This is Vol 2 of the Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, an 18k word guide to the major public/private players in AI, with bits on why ads won't save OpenAI, why vibe coding is a scam, and how we must hold every booster accountable once the bubble bursts.
www.wheresyoured.at/premium-the-...
www.wheresyoured.at/premium-the-...
Premium: The Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble Vol. 2
We’re approaching the most ridiculous part of the AI bubble, with each day bringing us a new, disgraceful and weird headline. As I reported earlier in the week, OpenAI spent $12.4 billion on inference...
www.wheresyoured.at
November 14, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Premium: This is Vol 2 of the Hater's Guide To The AI Bubble, an 18k word guide to the major public/private players in AI, with bits on why ads won't save OpenAI, why vibe coding is a scam, and how we must hold every booster accountable once the bubble bursts.
www.wheresyoured.at/premium-the-...
www.wheresyoured.at/premium-the-...
Reposted
Exclusive: Based on documents viewed by this newsletter, OpenAI spent over $12.4 billion on inference from 2024 to September 2025. As part of its Microsoft revenue share, it sent $493.8m in 2024/$865.8m Jan-Sep 2025, implying lower revenues than previously reported.
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
Exclusive: Here's How Much OpenAI Spends On Inference and Its Revenue Share With Microsoft
As with my Anthropic exclusive from a few weeks ago, though this feels like a natural premium piece, I decided it was better to publish on my free one so that you could all enjoy it. If you liked or f...
www.wheresyoured.at
November 12, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Exclusive: Based on documents viewed by this newsletter, OpenAI spent over $12.4 billion on inference from 2024 to September 2025. As part of its Microsoft revenue share, it sent $493.8m in 2024/$865.8m Jan-Sep 2025, implying lower revenues than previously reported.
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
www.wheresyoured.at/oai_docs/
Reposted
Forgive me if I'm wrong, I can't think of a single politician who campaigned hard for Brexit who has since come out and said that they think it was a mistake. Surely, in their heart of hearts, literally one or two of them must know that. So is it that they can't admit it to themselves or just to us?
November 14, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Forgive me if I'm wrong, I can't think of a single politician who campaigned hard for Brexit who has since come out and said that they think it was a mistake. Surely, in their heart of hearts, literally one or two of them must know that. So is it that they can't admit it to themselves or just to us?
Reposted
A key point about "volunteering" is that it should be "voluntary". By forcing migrants to volunteer this government not only treats us as if we are a free resource, but also ignores everything else we go through. This policy is dehumanising and exploitative.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
UK charities condemn ‘immoral’ plans to force asylum seekers to volunteer
Making volunteering compulsory for refugees slammed as exploitative, bureaucratic and un-British
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 5:15 PM
A key point about "volunteering" is that it should be "voluntary". By forcing migrants to volunteer this government not only treats us as if we are a free resource, but also ignores everything else we go through. This policy is dehumanising and exploitative.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
Reposted
Fiscal creep has been an amazingly easy way for recent Governments to raise tax without anyone noticing.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
November 14, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Fiscal creep has been an amazingly easy way for recent Governments to raise tax without anyone noticing.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Here's the higher rate tax band since 1990.
It rose faster than inflation from 1994 to 2009. Then began a steep decline - with many more people paying higher rate.
Reposted
New laws have been introduced in Parliament to help protect the NHS and other sectors from the threat of cyber attacks.
www.digitalhealth.net/2025/11/cybe...
www.digitalhealth.net/2025/11/cybe...
Cyber Security Bill introduced to Parliament to help protect NHS
New laws have been introduced in Parliament to help protect the NHS and other sectors from the threat of cyber attacks.
www.digitalhealth.net
November 14, 2025 at 2:59 PM
New laws have been introduced in Parliament to help protect the NHS and other sectors from the threat of cyber attacks.
www.digitalhealth.net/2025/11/cybe...
www.digitalhealth.net/2025/11/cybe...
Reposted
Jeremy Hunt pulled this trick a lot… the way of stopping hospitals declaring black alerts was to ban the term “black alert”, the way of stopping the NHS posting dreadful weekly waiting figures was to scrap weekly reporting… depressing to see Streeting following the Hunt playbook (*again*)
This government‘a genius idea to deal with the problems raised on behalf of the public by Healthwatch… is to scrap Healthwatch
What parents of children with SEND told their local Healthwatch about their children’s health provision www.healthwatch.co.uk/blog/2...
November 14, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Jeremy Hunt pulled this trick a lot… the way of stopping hospitals declaring black alerts was to ban the term “black alert”, the way of stopping the NHS posting dreadful weekly waiting figures was to scrap weekly reporting… depressing to see Streeting following the Hunt playbook (*again*)
Reposted
The fact that OpenAI even tried to frame their defence in this absurd manner betrays how morally bankrupt they are. But perhaps also how desperate.
We didn't plagiarize, you made us plagiarize by asking questions to which we stole the answers.
"Because its output is generated by users of the chatbot via their prompts, OpenAI said, they were the ones who should be held legally liable for it – an argument rejected by the court."
"Because its output is generated by users of the chatbot via their prompts, OpenAI said, they were the ones who should be held legally liable for it – an argument rejected by the court."
ChatGPT violated copyright law by ‘learning’ from song lyrics, German court rules
OpenAI ordered to pay undisclosed damages for training its language models on artists’ work without permission
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The fact that OpenAI even tried to frame their defence in this absurd manner betrays how morally bankrupt they are. But perhaps also how desperate.
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Why the BBC is right not to pay damages to Trump
By apologising, the broadcaster has taken the sting out of Trump’s excessive attack
By me, at New Statesman
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
By apologising, the broadcaster has taken the sting out of Trump’s excessive attack
By me, at New Statesman
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
The BBC is right not to pay damages to Trump
By apologising, the broadcaster has taken the sting out of Trump's excessive attack
www.newstatesman.com
November 14, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Why the BBC is right not to pay damages to Trump
By apologising, the broadcaster has taken the sting out of Trump’s excessive attack
By me, at New Statesman
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
By apologising, the broadcaster has taken the sting out of Trump’s excessive attack
By me, at New Statesman
www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Reposted
I still stand by these, even as universities around the world, including my own, brainlessly capitulate to AI.
As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.
TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄
TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄
November 14, 2025 at 9:51 AM
I still stand by these, even as universities around the world, including my own, brainlessly capitulate to AI.
Reposted
Regretfully (for the sake of the authors and journal staff), I have this morning declined an invitation to review for a @royalsociety.org journal because of the Society’s continued refusal to stand up for its values in dealing with Elon Musk FRS.
November 14, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Regretfully (for the sake of the authors and journal staff), I have this morning declined an invitation to review for a @royalsociety.org journal because of the Society’s continued refusal to stand up for its values in dealing with Elon Musk FRS.
Reposted
Bigger picture of Labour's tax shenanigans is to delay once again, possibly beyond the next election, the point at which UK politics makes some attempt to compromise with reality.
November 14, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Bigger picture of Labour's tax shenanigans is to delay once again, possibly beyond the next election, the point at which UK politics makes some attempt to compromise with reality.