Bandit's mum
@banditsmum.bsky.social
Mum to the best little dog. Irish, living in UK, moving to Germany (thank you EU passport!) Economist + ex-regulator. Obviously Brexit/Trump are unmitigated disasters. Interested in a wide range of views on politics and policy. And funny things!
I know it's the Mail, but how can anyone think this idiotic drivel is worth publishing? His ability to be wrong and offensive on everything is unparalleled.
July 12, 2025 at 11:21 AM
I know it's the Mail, but how can anyone think this idiotic drivel is worth publishing? His ability to be wrong and offensive on everything is unparalleled.
Well that's just what you want to see on a Saturday morning!
First death from the plague since 2007. The plague is the last thing we need while we have an HHS Secretary who has no understanding of infectious diseases.
#Medsky
apnews.com/article/pneu...
#Medsky
apnews.com/article/pneu...
Northern Arizona resident dies from plague
A northern Arizona resident has died from pneumonic plague. Health officials say it's the first recorded death in the area from pneumonic plague since 2007.
apnews.com
July 12, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Well that's just what you want to see on a Saturday morning!
Reposted by Bandit's mum
You can dress it up any way you wish. You can claim it as a human right, even though you don’t recognise the authority of a body that exists to maintain your human rights but if you choose to smoke, and impose your smoke on the rest of us, you are a selfish dangerous idiot. Talking to you Farage.
July 12, 2025 at 5:39 AM
You can dress it up any way you wish. You can claim it as a human right, even though you don’t recognise the authority of a body that exists to maintain your human rights but if you choose to smoke, and impose your smoke on the rest of us, you are a selfish dangerous idiot. Talking to you Farage.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
A dog and horse selfie posted by @dawnyb.bsky.social...🥰
July 12, 2025 at 6:17 AM
A dog and horse selfie posted by @dawnyb.bsky.social...🥰
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Ditching the Conservatives and joining Reform is rather like trading in your Michael Jackson CD collection for 'The Best of Gary Glitter'.
July 12, 2025 at 6:24 AM
Ditching the Conservatives and joining Reform is rather like trading in your Michael Jackson CD collection for 'The Best of Gary Glitter'.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
~ Lib Dems complain to Ofcom over BBC's coverage of Reform ~
https://www.markpack.org.uk/175359/lib-dems-complain-to-ofcom-over-under-prominence-bbc-gave-to-reform/
https://www.markpack.org.uk/175359/lib-dems-complain-to-ofcom-over-under-prominence-bbc-gave-to-reform/
Lib Dems complain to Ofcom over BBC's coverage of Reform
Liberal Democrat MP Max Wilkinson has written to Ofcom about the prominence the BBC gave to Nigel Farage on Thursday night.
www.markpack.org.uk
July 12, 2025 at 6:49 AM
~ Lib Dems complain to Ofcom over BBC's coverage of Reform ~
https://www.markpack.org.uk/175359/lib-dems-complain-to-ofcom-over-under-prominence-bbc-gave-to-reform/
https://www.markpack.org.uk/175359/lib-dems-complain-to-ofcom-over-under-prominence-bbc-gave-to-reform/
These posts are really important reading (especially the need for solutions). We need to start this process in the UK before it's too late.
🧵 Several people have raised questions about what I meant by "deservedly so" when referring to the decline of institutional trust. It's a fair question, so I want to explain that, because it sits at the heart of my work on how democracies collapse when their epistemic foundations rot.
The conditions that have led to what’s happening in the US today exist in democracies around the world.
They are an inevitable outcome of our collective failure to adapt to fundamental changes in the information ecosystem on which our democracies were originally built.
They are an inevitable outcome of our collective failure to adapt to fundamental changes in the information ecosystem on which our democracies were originally built.
June 9, 2025 at 9:09 PM
These posts are really important reading (especially the need for solutions). We need to start this process in the UK before it's too late.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
The insiders seem to have had a 20min warning before the public
April 10, 2025 at 3:30 AM
The insiders seem to have had a 20min warning before the public
Reposted by Bandit's mum
tl;dr
Trump is (mis)using *emergency* legislation which has not intended for this purpose, and has not before been used for this purpose.
And (mis)using it to usurp Congress’s constitutional role in setting trade policy.
And hardly any Republicans in Congress care.
Trump is (mis)using *emergency* legislation which has not intended for this purpose, and has not before been used for this purpose.
And (mis)using it to usurp Congress’s constitutional role in setting trade policy.
And hardly any Republicans in Congress care.
April 10, 2025 at 6:52 AM
tl;dr
Trump is (mis)using *emergency* legislation which has not intended for this purpose, and has not before been used for this purpose.
And (mis)using it to usurp Congress’s constitutional role in setting trade policy.
And hardly any Republicans in Congress care.
Trump is (mis)using *emergency* legislation which has not intended for this purpose, and has not before been used for this purpose.
And (mis)using it to usurp Congress’s constitutional role in setting trade policy.
And hardly any Republicans in Congress care.
The penguins won the trade war!
Does this make Trump a Panican?
🚨 BREAKING: Trump PAUSES most tariffs for 90 days amid economic turmoil. He adds that he has authorized a "substantially lowered reciprocal tariff during this period, of 10%."
Trump also says he is increasing tariffs on China to 125%.
Trump also says he is increasing tariffs on China to 125%.
April 9, 2025 at 6:05 PM
The penguins won the trade war!
Surprise surprise, trump starts rowing back on the carnage he's created.
April 9, 2025 at 6:03 PM
Surprise surprise, trump starts rowing back on the carnage he's created.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Perhaps one tiny tariff aimed at “American Candy” to free up a lot of retail space on Oxford Street.
April 9, 2025 at 7:59 AM
Perhaps one tiny tariff aimed at “American Candy” to free up a lot of retail space on Oxford Street.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
US tariff policy is a Truss moment where misguided policy and terrible communication has set off a market correction which has its own dynamic. In UK, what followed was a limited CB intervention, a complete fiscal policy reversal and defenestration of the CX and PM. Not obvious what happens in US
April 9, 2025 at 8:07 AM
US tariff policy is a Truss moment where misguided policy and terrible communication has set off a market correction which has its own dynamic. In UK, what followed was a limited CB intervention, a complete fiscal policy reversal and defenestration of the CX and PM. Not obvious what happens in US
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Despite backing the US in every major conflict this century—and offering to water down our tax on US tech billionaires—we’ve been rewarded with the same tariffs as Iran.
It’s like we’re meant to be grateful Trump gave our friends a black eye and left us with just a wedgie.
It’s like we’re meant to be grateful Trump gave our friends a black eye and left us with just a wedgie.
April 3, 2025 at 9:15 AM
Despite backing the US in every major conflict this century—and offering to water down our tax on US tech billionaires—we’ve been rewarded with the same tariffs as Iran.
It’s like we’re meant to be grateful Trump gave our friends a black eye and left us with just a wedgie.
It’s like we’re meant to be grateful Trump gave our friends a black eye and left us with just a wedgie.
Small bit of economic good news!
"Ives said that Wall Street financial analysts knew the first-quarter figures were likely to be bad, but that it was even worse than expected, calling them a 'disaster on every metric'...”
apnews.com/article/tesl...
apnews.com/article/tesl...
Tesla sales tumble 13% as Musk backlash, competition and aging lineup turn off buyers
Tesla sales fell in the first three months of the year in another sign that Elon Musk’s once high-flying electric car company is struggling to attract buyers.
apnews.com
April 3, 2025 at 11:28 AM
Small bit of economic good news!
Reposted by Bandit's mum
At least now I understand how he bankrupted a casino
April 3, 2025 at 2:07 AM
At least now I understand how he bankrupted a casino
This whole thread is hilarious. Makes clear just how ridiculous the justification for these trump tariffs is.
I was going to get the train today. But I am increasingly concerned at the deficit I’m running with Great Northern Rail. I buy a lot from them and they purchase nothing from me.
Tempted to apply a 20% tariff. Sure my tickets will cost 20% more but it might mean I buy fewer and reduce the deficit.
Tempted to apply a 20% tariff. Sure my tickets will cost 20% more but it might mean I buy fewer and reduce the deficit.
April 3, 2025 at 10:53 AM
This whole thread is hilarious. Makes clear just how ridiculous the justification for these trump tariffs is.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Incredibly, this appears to be true. We tariffed our own (jointly operated with the UK) military base.
We tariffed BIOT, Mike.
BIOT. Diego fucking Garcia.
We tarrifed our own military base.
BIOT. Diego fucking Garcia.
We tarrifed our own military base.
April 2, 2025 at 11:37 PM
Incredibly, this appears to be true. We tariffed our own (jointly operated with the UK) military base.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
I think I missed some. But here’s a fun fact: the Heard and Macdonald Islands are uninhabited.
The tariff is on penguins.
The tariff is on penguins.
April 2, 2025 at 10:27 PM
I think I missed some. But here’s a fun fact: the Heard and Macdonald Islands are uninhabited.
The tariff is on penguins.
The tariff is on penguins.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
The question of if a country could fuck itself harder than the UK did with Brexit has today been answered.
April 2, 2025 at 9:03 PM
The question of if a country could fuck itself harder than the UK did with Brexit has today been answered.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
The US stock market has lost over $2 trillion in the last 20 minutes.
Nice, nice. Nice.
Nice, nice. Nice.
April 2, 2025 at 10:38 PM
The US stock market has lost over $2 trillion in the last 20 minutes.
Nice, nice. Nice.
Nice, nice. Nice.
I mean, this is just... I've been an economist for almost 30 years and it is fair to say I have never seen anything like this. What a joke.
james surowiecki has discovered where the completely fabricated trump tariff rate has come from for each country
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
"...for every country, they just took our trade deficit with that country and divided it by the country's exports to us."
April 2, 2025 at 11:54 PM
I mean, this is just... I've been an economist for almost 30 years and it is fair to say I have never seen anything like this. What a joke.
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Why has no European leader said this as clearly and courageously as Canada's Mark Carney?
Why is Friedrich Merz the only one who's even come close?
Are politicians only capable of tough talk when there's an election?
Why is Friedrich Merz the only one who's even come close?
Are politicians only capable of tough talk when there's an election?
Carney: "The old relationship we had with the United States based on deepening integration of our economies and tight security and military cooperation is over."
March 27, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Why has no European leader said this as clearly and courageously as Canada's Mark Carney?
Why is Friedrich Merz the only one who's even come close?
Are politicians only capable of tough talk when there's an election?
Why is Friedrich Merz the only one who's even come close?
Are politicians only capable of tough talk when there's an election?
Reposted by Bandit's mum
Not such a big story today, but how does hoping for a few minor improvements to the EU relationship while also trying to get some sort of US trade deal fundamentally differ from most of the period since 2016? Oh, and the same global trade agreement talks of minor economic importance.
March 26, 2025 at 8:46 AM
Not such a big story today, but how does hoping for a few minor improvements to the EU relationship while also trying to get some sort of US trade deal fundamentally differ from most of the period since 2016? Oh, and the same global trade agreement talks of minor economic importance.