Magsmanston
@magsmanston.bsky.social
Personal account of a Biologist. General nerd (computer games, physics, Raspberry Pi, tinkering, stats). Likes frogs and fish. Runner. Same handle as on the old place.
Reposted by Magsmanston
And that’s why real comprehensive welfare states don’t tax progressively. They tax relatively regressively and *spend* progressively.
My column
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
February 18, 2026 at 5:18 PM
And that’s why real comprehensive welfare states don’t tax progressively. They tax relatively regressively and *spend* progressively.
Reposted by Magsmanston
As this guy popped up in what was, on a conservative estimate, the 250th Tony Blair documentary, i did wish someone would see fit to make one about how this charlatan's fundamental misunderstanding of economics had broken the British state.
February 18, 2026 at 9:54 PM
As this guy popped up in what was, on a conservative estimate, the 250th Tony Blair documentary, i did wish someone would see fit to make one about how this charlatan's fundamental misunderstanding of economics had broken the British state.
Reposted by Magsmanston
And almost all the things we should or could do to fix it, from 'abolition, fund it via tax' to 'a very different fees system' would in different ways be less 'progressive'. But they would be IMO better all round than 'most high earners have an extra nine per cent marginal rate for 30 years'.
February 18, 2026 at 3:57 PM
And almost all the things we should or could do to fix it, from 'abolition, fund it via tax' to 'a very different fees system' would in different ways be less 'progressive'. But they would be IMO better all round than 'most high earners have an extra nine per cent marginal rate for 30 years'.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Great column. "Everyone wanted the rich to bear a bigger burden and politicians responded. The tax system is much more progressive than it was. And now people hate the results."
"
"
My column
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
February 18, 2026 at 3:37 PM
Great column. "Everyone wanted the rich to bear a bigger burden and politicians responded. The tax system is much more progressive than it was. And now people hate the results."
"
"
Reposted by Magsmanston
My column
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
February 18, 2026 at 2:43 PM
My column
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
Everyone loves progressive tax changes in theory but seem to hate them when they face the consequeuences
One for UK graduates on Plan 2 loans to read...
as.ft.com/r/d9c65a3c-1...
Reposted by Magsmanston
Farage himself is smart in spotting when he's about to be drawn into specifics, and he uses prickliness and distraction to avoid it. He would have blustered and bristled at Victoria Derbyshire but would not have got drawn into it as Zia Yusuf did.
February 18, 2026 at 7:26 AM
Farage himself is smart in spotting when he's about to be drawn into specifics, and he uses prickliness and distraction to avoid it. He would have blustered and bristled at Victoria Derbyshire but would not have got drawn into it as Zia Yusuf did.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Faragism is a political outlook that is driven by simplism, complaining and a generalised/selective nostalgia for 'the good old days'. There's no place within it for specifics so that's where it falls.
February 18, 2026 at 7:20 AM
Faragism is a political outlook that is driven by simplism, complaining and a generalised/selective nostalgia for 'the good old days'. There's no place within it for specifics so that's where it falls.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Sorry, but the guy who has survived longer an achieved more of his priorities than anyone else in politics over the past two decades, who has outmaneuvered multiple leaders of two larger parties and reoriented politics around his priorities is not “bad at politics”. This is cope.
A thing we've forgotten over the past 18 months but is becoming increasingly clear again: Nigel Farage is quite bad at politics
February 17, 2026 at 3:52 PM
Sorry, but the guy who has survived longer an achieved more of his priorities than anyone else in politics over the past two decades, who has outmaneuvered multiple leaders of two larger parties and reoriented politics around his priorities is not “bad at politics”. This is cope.
I wonder how many person hours of thinking has already been dedicated to this.
Reminds me of almost any other planning, building, or any other process in the UK, funnily enough.
Reminds me of almost any other planning, building, or any other process in the UK, funnily enough.
Conservatives call for rethink of Parliament revamp
Conservatives call for rethink of Parliament revamp
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch says current plans to refurbish the Palace of Westminster are "out of control".
www.bbc.com
February 17, 2026 at 10:40 PM
I wonder how many person hours of thinking has already been dedicated to this.
Reminds me of almost any other planning, building, or any other process in the UK, funnily enough.
Reminds me of almost any other planning, building, or any other process in the UK, funnily enough.
Reposted by Magsmanston
why did Farage take five days to wake up to the biggest corruption scandal of the decade?
maybe he’s not on Bluesky idk
maybe he’s not on Bluesky idk
February 17, 2026 at 8:04 PM
why did Farage take five days to wake up to the biggest corruption scandal of the decade?
maybe he’s not on Bluesky idk
maybe he’s not on Bluesky idk
Reposted by Magsmanston
Fact Check:
Nigel Farage claims the FT ignored the Mandelson-Epstein scandal
it was on the front page for SIX days
(long before he appears to have even noticed it)
Nigel Farage claims the FT ignored the Mandelson-Epstein scandal
it was on the front page for SIX days
(long before he appears to have even noticed it)
February 17, 2026 at 7:33 PM
Fact Check:
Nigel Farage claims the FT ignored the Mandelson-Epstein scandal
it was on the front page for SIX days
(long before he appears to have even noticed it)
Nigel Farage claims the FT ignored the Mandelson-Epstein scandal
it was on the front page for SIX days
(long before he appears to have even noticed it)
Reposted by Magsmanston
Yeah - I think that broadly speaking very few of the problems of social media are not consequences of “we chose to forget all of the lessons of broadcast and traditional media regulation…what happened next will not shock you!”
February 17, 2026 at 5:08 PM
Yeah - I think that broadly speaking very few of the problems of social media are not consequences of “we chose to forget all of the lessons of broadcast and traditional media regulation…what happened next will not shock you!”
Reposted by Magsmanston
The only question worth asking at these incredibly flash Reform press conferences that take place every week now, is who is paying for all of this and what do they want in return bsky.app/profile/pete...
I’m in Westminster where Nigel Farage is about to unveil his ‘shadow cabinet’ and the decor is slightly bonkers. Looks like he’s going to launch a Simon Cowell-era boyband instead.
February 17, 2026 at 10:39 AM
The only question worth asking at these incredibly flash Reform press conferences that take place every week now, is who is paying for all of this and what do they want in return bsky.app/profile/pete...
Reposted by Magsmanston
It would be really great to read an article about young boys that didn't have Adolescence and "crisis" as its reference points.
There is something badly wrong in our discourse about teenage boys and girls.
Mostly, they are fine and far better adjusted than their parents and grandparents.
There is something badly wrong in our discourse about teenage boys and girls.
Mostly, they are fine and far better adjusted than their parents and grandparents.
February 17, 2026 at 8:42 AM
It would be really great to read an article about young boys that didn't have Adolescence and "crisis" as its reference points.
There is something badly wrong in our discourse about teenage boys and girls.
Mostly, they are fine and far better adjusted than their parents and grandparents.
There is something badly wrong in our discourse about teenage boys and girls.
Mostly, they are fine and far better adjusted than their parents and grandparents.
Really good and balanced, as ever.
My column in today's paper: on banning the under-16s from social media, the trade-offs and assumptions that the ban makes:
Perhaps we should all be banned from social media
Focusing only on under-16s obscures the lack of internet safeguards for everyone else
www.ft.com
February 17, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Really good and balanced, as ever.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Constant reactions to what has been a period of profound chance since c 2000. Confusingly, this isn’t change in the sense of the guillotine (sudden, decisive), its change in fits and starts with the contours of the pre-system still visible - pronounced elements of continuity as well as change.
An age of insecurity reflected in so many stories today... sometimes tipping over into fear... starting with a story that I first heard last year, fears for other economies if a Trump administration tampered with payment systems... www.theguardian.com/business/202...
UK bank bosses plan to set up Visa and Mastercard alternative amid Trump fears
Exclusive: First meeting to be held over domestic payments system aimed at reducing reliance on US networks
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 7:35 AM
Constant reactions to what has been a period of profound chance since c 2000. Confusingly, this isn’t change in the sense of the guillotine (sudden, decisive), its change in fits and starts with the contours of the pre-system still visible - pronounced elements of continuity as well as change.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Reform are not about solutions; they are about convincing the electorate that everyone & everything is terrible so you should vote for them.
They are the party of net curtain twitching, closed high streets & smoky pubs. They are the nostalgia party. This is a vibe; not a policy
They are the party of net curtain twitching, closed high streets & smoky pubs. They are the nostalgia party. This is a vibe; not a policy
February 17, 2026 at 11:06 AM
Reform are not about solutions; they are about convincing the electorate that everyone & everything is terrible so you should vote for them.
They are the party of net curtain twitching, closed high streets & smoky pubs. They are the nostalgia party. This is a vibe; not a policy
They are the party of net curtain twitching, closed high streets & smoky pubs. They are the nostalgia party. This is a vibe; not a policy
Reposted by Magsmanston
This is I think basically correct. The TikTokers who go 'hey, I have done some research' and go viral, and actually they are just attractive people who have read an FT article or a New Yorker piece do not *genuinely* believe they have discovered the thing they have ripped off, nine times out of ten.
My default position on TikTok is that every video I see is someone saying whatever shit they think will go most viral with 0% overlap with their actual beliefs and information levels
All right, this just about wrecked me
February 17, 2026 at 12:32 AM
This is I think basically correct. The TikTokers who go 'hey, I have done some research' and go viral, and actually they are just attractive people who have read an FT article or a New Yorker piece do not *genuinely* believe they have discovered the thing they have ripped off, nine times out of ten.
Reposted by Magsmanston
I feel so miserable about this. Nearly broke myself working 16, 18 hour days during the pandemic. We did everything we possibly could, then doubled it, tripled it. HE is still struggling to get back off the floor, years later. Now another financial punch in the face.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities
It comes after University College London settled a claim from students there over lost learning in the pandemic.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 16, 2026 at 9:25 PM
I feel so miserable about this. Nearly broke myself working 16, 18 hour days during the pandemic. We did everything we possibly could, then doubled it, tripled it. HE is still struggling to get back off the floor, years later. Now another financial punch in the face.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Magsmanston
I find myself in an increasing number of conversations, in which I must somehow suppress the response I want to scream: "NOOOO, NOT EVERYTHING WAS BETTER THEN, YOU JUST HAD MORE HAIR ON YOUR HEAD, LESS HAIR EVERYWHERE ELSE, AND YOUR DICK GOT HARDER, THAT IS ALL."
One day I will fail and scream it.
One day I will fail and scream it.
February 16, 2026 at 10:11 PM
I find myself in an increasing number of conversations, in which I must somehow suppress the response I want to scream: "NOOOO, NOT EVERYTHING WAS BETTER THEN, YOU JUST HAD MORE HAIR ON YOUR HEAD, LESS HAIR EVERYWHERE ELSE, AND YOUR DICK GOT HARDER, THAT IS ALL."
One day I will fail and scream it.
One day I will fail and scream it.
Similar. At the start every lecture took between 4-6 hours to subtitle and edit. Not to mention the workshop walkthrough videos (which were actually new), completely new forms of assessment and remote tutorials. All done during the night while looking after 2 kids on my own during the days.
I feel so miserable about this. Nearly broke myself working 16, 18 hour days during the pandemic. We did everything we possibly could, then doubled it, tripled it. HE is still struggling to get back off the floor, years later. Now another financial punch in the face.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Students begin Covid compensation claim against 36 more universities
It comes after University College London settled a claim from students there over lost learning in the pandemic.
www.bbc.co.uk
February 16, 2026 at 10:13 PM
Similar. At the start every lecture took between 4-6 hours to subtitle and edit. Not to mention the workshop walkthrough videos (which were actually new), completely new forms of assessment and remote tutorials. All done during the night while looking after 2 kids on my own during the days.
Reposted by Magsmanston
This... exactly this.
Remember 2020 students still in halls v. much wanted to go home to their parents & did get hall fee rebates. They didn't get TEACHING fee rebates BECAUSE WE WERE STILL TEACHING THEM. Pre-pandemic: in room w 12 medical students. Pandemic: on Zoom w 12 medical students. Etc.
Remember 2020 students still in halls v. much wanted to go home to their parents & did get hall fee rebates. They didn't get TEACHING fee rebates BECAUSE WE WERE STILL TEACHING THEM. Pre-pandemic: in room w 12 medical students. Pandemic: on Zoom w 12 medical students. Etc.
I understand that those who were at university during the pandemic did not get the kind of education they expected, but it seems strange to blame universities for this. It’s not as if they had a lot of options to do things differently. (If compensation has to be paid, the government should do it.)
February 16, 2026 at 9:50 PM
This... exactly this.
Remember 2020 students still in halls v. much wanted to go home to their parents & did get hall fee rebates. They didn't get TEACHING fee rebates BECAUSE WE WERE STILL TEACHING THEM. Pre-pandemic: in room w 12 medical students. Pandemic: on Zoom w 12 medical students. Etc.
Remember 2020 students still in halls v. much wanted to go home to their parents & did get hall fee rebates. They didn't get TEACHING fee rebates BECAUSE WE WERE STILL TEACHING THEM. Pre-pandemic: in room w 12 medical students. Pandemic: on Zoom w 12 medical students. Etc.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Exactly, this has to be the starting point of any further reform.
February 16, 2026 at 8:19 PM
Exactly, this has to be the starting point of any further reform.
Reposted by Magsmanston
Prompted by Jonathan’s excellent piece, if immigration is a structurally vital part of the economy (it is) which doesn’t respond to political volatility (boom and bust) why not think about it more in the context of other structurally important areas such as central bank independence or the OBR?
"Without a convincing narrative that goes beyond vague paeans to diversity, Starmer—and the UK—will remain trapped: each attempt to “restore control” undermines the very economic and social foundations on which durable political consent depends."
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/724...
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/724...
Labour’s migration doom loop
The Starmer government risks trapping the United Kingdom in a spiral of discontent and decline
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
February 16, 2026 at 7:39 PM
Prompted by Jonathan’s excellent piece, if immigration is a structurally vital part of the economy (it is) which doesn’t respond to political volatility (boom and bust) why not think about it more in the context of other structurally important areas such as central bank independence or the OBR?
Reposted by Magsmanston
LOOK AT THAT THING GO!
November 1, 2025 at 8:51 PM
LOOK AT THAT THING GO!