Dave Smith
@davesmithskvn.bsky.social
Watching the world go by with an increasing sense of disbelief.
Document now deleted by the OBR intern, have reuploaded the PDF here: smallpdf.com/share-docume...
November 26, 2025 at 12:42 PM
"Fiscal rules" look at what is going on in 2029/30.
By planning changes then, they can say they meet the fiscal rules without upsetting people now.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cu...
By planning changes then, they can say they meet the fiscal rules without upsetting people now.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cu...
Current UK fiscal rules | Institute for Government
What are the government’s current fiscal rules and is it on track to meet them?
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
"Fiscal rules" look at what is going on in 2029/30.
By planning changes then, they can say they meet the fiscal rules without upsetting people now.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cu...
By planning changes then, they can say they meet the fiscal rules without upsetting people now.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainer/cu...
Only for 5 months. It says it starts going up next Sept.
(We see how long that lasts after contact with tabloid reality.)
(We see how long that lasts after contact with tabloid reality.)
November 26, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Only for 5 months. It says it starts going up next Sept.
(We see how long that lasts after contact with tabloid reality.)
(We see how long that lasts after contact with tabloid reality.)
Not really.
"Other tax measures", of which a tax on a nuclear power station is a part, raising £4bn.
We'll have to wait and see how much of the £4bn is the nuclear thing.
"Other tax measures", of which a tax on a nuclear power station is a part, raising £4bn.
We'll have to wait and see how much of the £4bn is the nuclear thing.
November 26, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Not really.
"Other tax measures", of which a tax on a nuclear power station is a part, raising £4bn.
We'll have to wait and see how much of the £4bn is the nuclear thing.
"Other tax measures", of which a tax on a nuclear power station is a part, raising £4bn.
We'll have to wait and see how much of the £4bn is the nuclear thing.
C'mon. Continuing the freeze on fuel duty for 5 months then "phased increases" from next September.
November 26, 2025 at 12:22 PM
C'mon. Continuing the freeze on fuel duty for 5 months then "phased increases" from next September.
They are going to attempt discipline a space shuttle pilot & commander!
I wonder if they realise?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ke...
I wonder if they realise?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ke...
November 24, 2025 at 6:58 PM
They are going to attempt discipline a space shuttle pilot & commander!
I wonder if they realise?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ke...
I wonder if they realise?
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Ke...
Back in the 90's we rented a student house with someone's Lada in the garage.
You can't move it. Its not your car.
DVLA won't tell you who owns it.
Lived in the house for 6 months then left with a slightly rustier Lada in the garage.
You can't move it. Its not your car.
DVLA won't tell you who owns it.
Lived in the house for 6 months then left with a slightly rustier Lada in the garage.
November 24, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Back in the 90's we rented a student house with someone's Lada in the garage.
You can't move it. Its not your car.
DVLA won't tell you who owns it.
Lived in the house for 6 months then left with a slightly rustier Lada in the garage.
You can't move it. Its not your car.
DVLA won't tell you who owns it.
Lived in the house for 6 months then left with a slightly rustier Lada in the garage.
Saw this in today's Economist. Wasn't aware myself. Perhaps more of an explanation...
www.economist.com/business/202...
www.economist.com/business/202...
![It [Us Gov] could soon own a large stake in Westinghouse, a maker of nuclear reactors](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:j4kgep26bjrmzdbhmphzmll4/bafkreihhpj7xfno3437o3p2fciaicd2bmyx4lwas4izukvhldxoka5wwr4@jpeg)
November 13, 2025 at 4:45 PM
Saw this in today's Economist. Wasn't aware myself. Perhaps more of an explanation...
www.economist.com/business/202...
www.economist.com/business/202...
Was the source of the story about the "halt" on the UK or US side?
If it was on the US side there's little the UK could do about it.
As we all know, many in the US are not comfortable with the Trump policy.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
If it was on the US side there's little the UK could do about it.
As we all know, many in the US are not comfortable with the Trump policy.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
US admiral to retire amid military strikes in Caribbean and tensions with Venezuela
Alvin Holsey just took over the US southern command late last year for a position that normally lasts three years
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Was the source of the story about the "halt" on the UK or US side?
If it was on the US side there's little the UK could do about it.
As we all know, many in the US are not comfortable with the Trump policy.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
If it was on the US side there's little the UK could do about it.
As we all know, many in the US are not comfortable with the Trump policy.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
They seem to be heading towards using the "next generation" small modular reactors not a classic monolithic large reactor like those built by, say, Westinghouse.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
November 12, 2025 at 5:08 PM
They seem to be heading towards using the "next generation" small modular reactors not a classic monolithic large reactor like those built by, say, Westinghouse.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The worst part...
26 July 2025: Trump visits his Turnberry Hotel in Scotland with its "Donald J Trump Ballroom".
31 July 2025: White House announces new ballroom.
Which is which?
www.turnberry.co.uk/weddings-eve...
26 July 2025: Trump visits his Turnberry Hotel in Scotland with its "Donald J Trump Ballroom".
31 July 2025: White House announces new ballroom.
Which is which?
www.turnberry.co.uk/weddings-eve...
October 24, 2025 at 8:15 PM
The worst part...
26 July 2025: Trump visits his Turnberry Hotel in Scotland with its "Donald J Trump Ballroom".
31 July 2025: White House announces new ballroom.
Which is which?
www.turnberry.co.uk/weddings-eve...
26 July 2025: Trump visits his Turnberry Hotel in Scotland with its "Donald J Trump Ballroom".
31 July 2025: White House announces new ballroom.
Which is which?
www.turnberry.co.uk/weddings-eve...
Ah. A "Wide Ranging Speech".
Either a confused rambling dictator or launching a leadership bid...
roberthutton.co.uk/romps/
Either a confused rambling dictator or launching a leadership bid...
roberthutton.co.uk/romps/
Romps, Tots and Boffins – The Strange Language of News – Robert Hutton
roberthutton.co.uk
September 28, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Ah. A "Wide Ranging Speech".
Either a confused rambling dictator or launching a leadership bid...
roberthutton.co.uk/romps/
Either a confused rambling dictator or launching a leadership bid...
roberthutton.co.uk/romps/
Its certainly repellent but I'm not sure he has much option. We have to appease the man-baby in the national interest.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com
September 18, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Its certainly repellent but I'm not sure he has much option. We have to appease the man-baby in the national interest.
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
www.reuters.com/sustainabili...
I'd never heard of it so I looked it up. It seems part was written/directed by his grandson (Dylan Redford) so I'll give him a pass.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omniboa...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omniboa...
Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
September 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
I'd never heard of it so I looked it up. It seems part was written/directed by his grandson (Dylan Redford) so I'll give him a pass.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omniboa...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omniboa...
Thankfully none of our current party leaders would ever do anything like this.
bsky.app/profile/robe...
bsky.app/profile/robe...
Reform is Britain's first alternative investment-alternative political party crossover.
September 8, 2025 at 7:03 PM
Thankfully none of our current party leaders would ever do anything like this.
bsky.app/profile/robe...
bsky.app/profile/robe...
There is a long history of the management of retailers intentionally booking supplier rebate payments ("supplier income") early to trigger their bonus / hide a bad quarter. Often known as "fraud".
See Tesco 10 years ago and Ahold 20+ years ago.
www.accountingweb.co.uk/business/fin...
See Tesco 10 years ago and Ahold 20+ years ago.
www.accountingweb.co.uk/business/fin...
Tesco, revenue recognition and supplier rebates
/Tesco’s *overstatement of profits* [1] is the latest example of an accounting scandal involving revenue recognition./
www.accountingweb.co.uk
August 21, 2025 at 10:46 AM
There is a long history of the management of retailers intentionally booking supplier rebate payments ("supplier income") early to trigger their bonus / hide a bad quarter. Often known as "fraud".
See Tesco 10 years ago and Ahold 20+ years ago.
www.accountingweb.co.uk/business/fin...
See Tesco 10 years ago and Ahold 20+ years ago.
www.accountingweb.co.uk/business/fin...
If you have the patience for a 3.5hr 'lecture'/demo on AI, you might want to have a look at this. Its by one of the founding team of OpenAI (PhD in AI - NOT a Sam-Altman-type). It outlines why some of your assertions may not be on solid foundations.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTG...
Deep Dive into LLMs like ChatGPT
YouTube video by Andrej Karpathy
www.youtube.com
August 12, 2025 at 11:36 AM
If you have the patience for a 3.5hr 'lecture'/demo on AI, you might want to have a look at this. Its by one of the founding team of OpenAI (PhD in AI - NOT a Sam-Altman-type). It outlines why some of your assertions may not be on solid foundations.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTG...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xTG...
"not admitting they don’t know, means they have been trained well."
Doesn't it mean their training set did not have enough examples of saying "I don't know" when confidence is low?
That is they have been trained "badly".
Doesn't it mean their training set did not have enough examples of saying "I don't know" when confidence is low?
That is they have been trained "badly".
August 12, 2025 at 10:25 AM
"not admitting they don’t know, means they have been trained well."
Doesn't it mean their training set did not have enough examples of saying "I don't know" when confidence is low?
That is they have been trained "badly".
Doesn't it mean their training set did not have enough examples of saying "I don't know" when confidence is low?
That is they have been trained "badly".