Jim Obey
@jimob1.bsky.social
All opinions are other people's passed off as my own.
Reposted by Jim Obey
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
November 12, 2025 at 9:03 AM
Disturbing read with striking charts, especially on the new capital goods trade deficit with China and on the share of sectors in which DE and CN share a comparative advantage.
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
People have been warning that the export-led model was headed for this wall for many years...
www.ft.com/content/239e...
Reposted by Jim Obey
The Scottish Government's plans for offshore wind expansion continue to fall apart as Shell cancels a 3GW floating wind project.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
Shell quits giant floating projects in blow to ScotWind
Oil giant hands back lease for 3GW Campion Wind after swap deal with former partner Iberdrola
www.rechargenews.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM
The Scottish Government's plans for offshore wind expansion continue to fall apart as Shell cancels a 3GW floating wind project.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
Reposted by Jim Obey
Batteries are coming to Europe. Earlier this year Europe’s largest battery storage site went live at Blackhillock, Scotland.
The facility has a capacity of 300MW/600MWh.
Much larger batteries are under development: A huge 1 GW / 4 GWh system is being constructed in Jänschwalde, Germany.
The facility has a capacity of 300MW/600MWh.
Much larger batteries are under development: A huge 1 GW / 4 GWh system is being constructed in Jänschwalde, Germany.
November 10, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Batteries are coming to Europe. Earlier this year Europe’s largest battery storage site went live at Blackhillock, Scotland.
The facility has a capacity of 300MW/600MWh.
Much larger batteries are under development: A huge 1 GW / 4 GWh system is being constructed in Jänschwalde, Germany.
The facility has a capacity of 300MW/600MWh.
Much larger batteries are under development: A huge 1 GW / 4 GWh system is being constructed in Jänschwalde, Germany.
Similarly In the UK some folk think Labour just need a P.T Barnum and all will be fine.
The thing about Mamdani is that he’s a talented politician but not otherworldly or one in a billion, he’s just a competent guy with popular ideas who ran against an entitled piece of shit and to me it’s a lot more optimistic to imagine 1000 campaigns like his than to view him as a unique phenomenon
November 11, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Similarly In the UK some folk think Labour just need a P.T Barnum and all will be fine.
Reposted by Jim Obey
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Reposted by Jim Obey
It's the definition of capitalism! (good ole Kalecki). If you are a class defined by control of the means of production then production is a nice to have, but control is a got to have.
November 10, 2025 at 4:46 PM
It's the definition of capitalism! (good ole Kalecki). If you are a class defined by control of the means of production then production is a nice to have, but control is a got to have.
Reposted by Jim Obey
They didn’t even do it to reduce inflation, which was at 2 % at the time. It was pure idiocy
November 10, 2025 at 2:38 PM
They didn’t even do it to reduce inflation, which was at 2 % at the time. It was pure idiocy
Ouch!
Time for the Democrats to get rid of Chuck Schumer and the other "Centrists" in the Party.
November 10, 2025 at 1:50 PM
Ouch!
Reposted by Jim Obey
Sky News just had Kelvin Mackenzie on, former editor of The Sun, one of the people at the centre of probably the most disgraceful front page in newspaper history, complaining about BBC journalists not being objective and 'fake news'. Astonishing. ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 10:53 AM
Sky News just had Kelvin Mackenzie on, former editor of The Sun, one of the people at the centre of probably the most disgraceful front page in newspaper history, complaining about BBC journalists not being objective and 'fake news'. Astonishing. ~AA
Reposted by Jim Obey
It’s ironic but predictable that the BBC duo -who tried so hard to please the right wing papers-are removed by the right wing papers.
November 9, 2025 at 6:46 PM
It’s ironic but predictable that the BBC duo -who tried so hard to please the right wing papers-are removed by the right wing papers.
Sick to the pit of the stomach seeing such mindless cruelty.
ICE agents in Chicago violently detain a non verbal autistic man for being “non compliant”
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
He couldn’t “comply” because of his disability…they don’t care
This is not the first time they’ve gone after a disabled person
They target the most vulnerable because it’s an easy way to meet their quota
November 9, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Sick to the pit of the stomach seeing such mindless cruelty.
Reposted by Jim Obey
These guys are constantly saying that Dems need to abandon identity politics and run on kitchen-table issues. They get the most kitchen table-ass candidate imaginable, spend months saying he's secretly radical, then as soon as he wins they say he's secretly moderate.
November 9, 2025 at 3:35 PM
These guys are constantly saying that Dems need to abandon identity politics and run on kitchen-table issues. They get the most kitchen table-ass candidate imaginable, spend months saying he's secretly radical, then as soon as he wins they say he's secretly moderate.
Reposted by Jim Obey
This is what deindustrialization in a carbon shock therapy setting looks like. If the state doesn’t do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses downward, private equity will do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses upward (and out of country).
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
November 9, 2025 at 11:36 AM
This is what deindustrialization in a carbon shock therapy setting looks like. If the state doesn’t do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses downward, private equity will do the planning and redistribute any remaining surpluses upward (and out of country).
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
on.ft.com/3WNWnA9
Have previous housing solutions guided by developers (involving deregulation and subsidies) resulted in a greater volume of housing, or the same housing with higher profit rates? But you never know it might be different this time.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Developers met ministers dozens of times over planning bill while ecologists were shut out
Exclusive: Leading ecologists say warnings over threat to wildlife have been ignored in drive to build 1.5m new homes
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 1:44 PM
Have previous housing solutions guided by developers (involving deregulation and subsidies) resulted in a greater volume of housing, or the same housing with higher profit rates? But you never know it might be different this time.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Yes, honesty about what you can potentially deliver is highly important, but you *must* offer hope.
Also, what is tangibly better, delivering 10% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Also, what is tangibly better, delivering 10% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Greens’ ‘undeliverable’ promises will let voters down, says Labour minister
Exclusive: Darren Jones says Labour has to convince young people it is ‘modern party of the future’
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Yes, honesty about what you can potentially deliver is highly important, but you *must* offer hope.
Also, what is tangibly better, delivering 10% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Also, what is tangibly better, delivering 10% of a lot, or 100% of nothing?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Yes. Labour betting the house on an unlikely best case scenario was a deliberate choice in full knowledge of the tradeoffs.
The IFS report on Labour’s manifesto may not have put a number on it but they made clear in their instant reaction piece that Labour’s tax pledges were not consistent with their promises. It’s cargo cult thinking if Starmer’s team really didn’t notice this.
“Nobody thought a Labour government would have to raise taxes by more than £70bn,” claims one insider in this excellent piece. Shows the problem of the climate of fear in meetings created by some of Starmer’s aides, in that plenty of Labour insiders, did, in fact, think this!
November 8, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Yes. Labour betting the house on an unlikely best case scenario was a deliberate choice in full knowledge of the tradeoffs.
"Democrats have two choices: fight to make life affordable again for ordinary people or watch voters embrace authoritarians" Making life affordable (aka business less profitable) and vice versa are choices. Debunking TINA myths will set the hares racing. 🍿
If guaranteeing essentials sounds radical, it speaks to how far we have drifted from democracy‘s core promises. Markets will not beat back the far right. An antifascist economics might. Mamdani provides a playbook for democrats around the world.
My latest
My latest
Zohran Mamdani shows how Democrats can defeat authoritarians like Trump | Isabella Weber
Democrats have two choices: fight to make life affordable again for ordinary people or watch voters embrace authoritarians
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
"Democrats have two choices: fight to make life affordable again for ordinary people or watch voters embrace authoritarians" Making life affordable (aka business less profitable) and vice versa are choices. Debunking TINA myths will set the hares racing. 🍿
Reposted by Jim Obey
Zazen. Japan. Zazen is a type of meditation unique to Zen Buddhism that functions at the heart of the practice, Zen is the Japanese word for meditation, so Zen Buddhists could be called “Meditation Buddhists.”
November 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM
Zazen. Japan. Zazen is a type of meditation unique to Zen Buddhism that functions at the heart of the practice, Zen is the Japanese word for meditation, so Zen Buddhists could be called “Meditation Buddhists.”
Reposted by Jim Obey
Elon Musk Is repsonsible for the deaths of 600,000 human beings and yet is being rewarded by capitalists with 1000 billion dollars
bsky.app/profile/newy...
bsky.app/profile/newy...
One analytical model shows that, as of November 5th, the dismantling of U.S.A.I.D. has already caused the deaths of 600,000 people, two-thirds of them children. https://newyorkermag.visitlink.me/jUzNSc
The Shutdown of U.S.A.I.D. Has Already Killed Hundreds of Thousands
The short documentary “Rovina’s Choice” tells the story of what goes when aid goes.
newyorkermag.visitlink.me
November 6, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Elon Musk Is repsonsible for the deaths of 600,000 human beings and yet is being rewarded by capitalists with 1000 billion dollars
bsky.app/profile/newy...
bsky.app/profile/newy...
Yes, fiscal prudence is invariably used as a smokescreen for ideological objections.
Critics dismiss this as “pie-in-the-sky socialism.” But what they truly object to is something more fundamental: the notion that democratic governments should guarantee people’s basic needs, even if that means intervening in markets.
November 6, 2025 at 11:49 PM
Yes, fiscal prudence is invariably used as a smokescreen for ideological objections.
Reposted by Jim Obey
Zohran Mamdani polled +40% on men under 30. So we wasted all that time on all those think pieces about how we need a Joe Rogan for the left, when what we actually needed were *policies* for the left.
November 5, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Zohran Mamdani polled +40% on men under 30. So we wasted all that time on all those think pieces about how we need a Joe Rogan for the left, when what we actually needed were *policies* for the left.
Reposted by Jim Obey
uk labour lost **half** their coalition playing to racist fears & attacking trans people
us dems just won big without any of that
us dems just won big without any of that
November 5, 2025 at 12:57 PM
uk labour lost **half** their coalition playing to racist fears & attacking trans people
us dems just won big without any of that
us dems just won big without any of that
And exhale...
A great victory for liberals, socialists, and liberal socialists across the country
Zohran Mamdani, whose triumphant campaign was built on progressive ideas and a relentless focus on affordability, will become the city’s youngest mayor in more than a century. Along the way, he energized South Asian and Muslim communities that rarely receive sustained attention from politicians.
November 5, 2025 at 8:48 AM
And exhale...
Bodycam footage of the suspect just before the incident occurred
November 4, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Bodycam footage of the suspect just before the incident occurred
Great to see a serious economist advocating radical solutions.
Official publication day www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shared-pro...
Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World: A New Economics for the Middle Class, the Global Poor, and Our Climate|Hardcover
New, practical approaches to confronting today’s most daunting global issuesFighting climate change, saving democracy, and eradicating poverty are urgent global challenges, yet the world’s...
www.barnesandnoble.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Great to see a serious economist advocating radical solutions.