Chaminda Jayanetti
@cjayanetti.bsky.social
Freelance journalist covering British politics and public services - NHS, education, care, housing, disability, benefits. Not a tribalist.
I like good things and I don't like bad things.
I like good things and I don't like bad things.
The revolution eats its grandad. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
November 14, 2025 at 9:32 AM
The revolution eats its grandad. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
Meanwhile the Telegraph also quotes this from James Cleverly.
Presumably those Conservative councils - such as Bromley - that have increased council tax and imposed a second home premium are also "just another Left-wing-economics and high tax party"
Bullshit, bullshit, as far as the eye can see...
Presumably those Conservative councils - such as Bromley - that have increased council tax and imposed a second home premium are also "just another Left-wing-economics and high tax party"
Bullshit, bullshit, as far as the eye can see...
November 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Meanwhile the Telegraph also quotes this from James Cleverly.
Presumably those Conservative councils - such as Bromley - that have increased council tax and imposed a second home premium are also "just another Left-wing-economics and high tax party"
Bullshit, bullshit, as far as the eye can see...
Presumably those Conservative councils - such as Bromley - that have increased council tax and imposed a second home premium are also "just another Left-wing-economics and high tax party"
Bullshit, bullshit, as far as the eye can see...
Enjoyably enough, Farage has now told the Telegraph that they "misquoted" him when they reported this spring that he'd backed their campaign to scrap the second home council tax premium: archive.ph/OlhEZ
Funny how he didn't tell them that when they reported it more than once at the time...
Funny how he didn't tell them that when they reported it more than once at the time...
November 11, 2025 at 5:20 PM
Enjoyably enough, Farage has now told the Telegraph that they "misquoted" him when they reported this spring that he'd backed their campaign to scrap the second home council tax premium: archive.ph/OlhEZ
Funny how he didn't tell them that when they reported it more than once at the time...
Funny how he didn't tell them that when they reported it more than once at the time...
radio friendly unit shifter
November 9, 2025 at 10:18 AM
radio friendly unit shifter
The low existing council tax rates in parts of London also mean the superrich occupants of multimillion-pound homes would get off relatively lightly while households elsewhere on more modest means would be hard hit:
November 8, 2025 at 11:56 AM
The low existing council tax rates in parts of London also mean the superrich occupants of multimillion-pound homes would get off relatively lightly while households elsewhere on more modest means would be hard hit:
the point is that Labour is accusing other parties of doing what it's done itself. which is total hypocrisy.
this stuff is just brazen:
this stuff is just brazen:
November 6, 2025 at 5:39 PM
the point is that Labour is accusing other parties of doing what it's done itself. which is total hypocrisy.
this stuff is just brazen:
this stuff is just brazen:
"Let me eat cake"
November 6, 2025 at 4:40 PM
"Let me eat cake"
This is basically what's happening. If you've been following this stuff then you'll have seen this a hundred times or more
council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s2...
council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s2...
November 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
This is basically what's happening. If you've been following this stuff then you'll have seen this a hundred times or more
council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s2...
council.lancashire.gov.uk/documents/s2...
Not sure I've ever seen a zero star review from the Guardian before www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
November 4, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Not sure I've ever seen a zero star review from the Guardian before www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
only one choice for Strictly
October 23, 2025 at 10:23 AM
only one choice for Strictly
And as I said at the outset, how much people pay in tax or claim in benefits doesn't tell you much about the broad contribution they make.
More here: samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
More here: samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
October 17, 2025 at 12:12 PM
And as I said at the outset, how much people pay in tax or claim in benefits doesn't tell you much about the broad contribution they make.
More here: samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
More here: samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
But this is fundamentally a very bad way to assess what "contribution" people make to society. People's economic life courses are influenced by many factors beyond their control, to their advantage and disadvantage
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
October 17, 2025 at 12:09 PM
But this is fundamentally a very bad way to assess what "contribution" people make to society. People's economic life courses are influenced by many factors beyond their control, to their advantage and disadvantage
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
And ofc governments themselves have significant influence over how much tax people pay
George Osborne bragged that his decision to raise the personal allowance meant loads of low-income people wouldn't pay income tax
Years later, that became a stick to beat them samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
George Osborne bragged that his decision to raise the personal allowance meant loads of low-income people wouldn't pay income tax
Years later, that became a stick to beat them samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
October 17, 2025 at 12:04 PM
And ofc governments themselves have significant influence over how much tax people pay
George Osborne bragged that his decision to raise the personal allowance meant loads of low-income people wouldn't pay income tax
Years later, that became a stick to beat them samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
George Osborne bragged that his decision to raise the personal allowance meant loads of low-income people wouldn't pay income tax
Years later, that became a stick to beat them samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
But on top of that - these figures are *net* figures - they're not all-or-nothing. People who pay lots in tax still use some public provision, while people out of work and on benefits still pay some tax. There's no "something for nothing" here .
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
October 17, 2025 at 11:59 AM
But on top of that - these figures are *net* figures - they're not all-or-nothing. People who pay lots in tax still use some public provision, while people out of work and on benefits still pay some tax. There's no "something for nothing" here .
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
How much individuals pay in tax, and how much they claim in benefits, is more influenced *by* the health of the country's economy that it determines the health of the country's economy.
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
October 17, 2025 at 11:52 AM
How much individuals pay in tax, and how much they claim in benefits, is more influenced *by* the health of the country's economy that it determines the health of the country's economy.
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
samf.substack.com/p/the-someth...
Reform's citing of a discredited and completely wrong figure for the "cost" of immigration - hot top: it'll actually be a fiscal benefit to this country - was the latest example of a trope that judges people based on whether they "contribute" to the country's finances or drain them.
It's nonsense.
It's nonsense.
October 17, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Reform's citing of a discredited and completely wrong figure for the "cost" of immigration - hot top: it'll actually be a fiscal benefit to this country - was the latest example of a trope that judges people based on whether they "contribute" to the country's finances or drain them.
It's nonsense.
It's nonsense.
left side: how it starts
right side: how it goes
right side: how it goes
October 15, 2025 at 4:54 PM
left side: how it starts
right side: how it goes
right side: how it goes
"the soul patch got me laid"
October 13, 2025 at 5:12 PM
"the soul patch got me laid"
Diana Mosley, 1939:
October 8, 2025 at 9:05 AM
Diana Mosley, 1939:
Which is why Barking, Hackney and Newham appear much higher in columns D and F than in column H, which is the one you're effectively relying on
October 7, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Which is why Barking, Hackney and Newham appear much higher in columns D and F than in column H, which is the one you're effectively relying on