Ken Penton
@kenpenton.bsky.social
Executive member, Labour’s Environment Campaign - @serauk, UK Advisor to @fossiltreaty campaign. RT not an endorsement.
Thread.
The great enemy of fiscal prudence is a disinclination to do anything difficult that may help your political rivals, who may enjoy the fruits of it in the future. Remember that Hunt and Sunak ran the Exchequer with just as little headroom* as Reeves. Remember this when Conservatives berate them
November 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
Thread.
Reposted by Ken Penton
The European countries with the most comprehensive and best quality welfare states all have very broad tax bases as well as universal services - everyone pays in a lot, everyone receives a lot. That is a better model. Trying to shift everything onto "the wealthy" is a destabilising fantasy.
November 14, 2025 at 4:01 PM
The European countries with the most comprehensive and best quality welfare states all have very broad tax bases as well as universal services - everyone pays in a lot, everyone receives a lot. That is a better model. Trying to shift everything onto "the wealthy" is a destabilising fantasy.
Absolutely. This.
Though that party is pretending that all those rises can be paid for by "other people".
November 14, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Absolutely. This.
Reposted by Ken Penton
The fact that OpenAI even tried to frame their defence in this absurd manner betrays how morally bankrupt they are. But perhaps also how desperate.
We didn't plagiarize, you made us plagiarize by asking questions to which we stole the answers.
"Because its output is generated by users of the chatbot via their prompts, OpenAI said, they were the ones who should be held legally liable for it – an argument rejected by the court."
"Because its output is generated by users of the chatbot via their prompts, OpenAI said, they were the ones who should be held legally liable for it – an argument rejected by the court."
ChatGPT violated copyright law by ‘learning’ from song lyrics, German court rules
OpenAI ordered to pay undisclosed damages for training its language models on artists’ work without permission
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 12:12 PM
The fact that OpenAI even tried to frame their defence in this absurd manner betrays how morally bankrupt they are. But perhaps also how desperate.
Reposted by Ken Penton
The actual anti-Starmer posting on here comes from people who are incredibly worried about what comes after.
November 14, 2025 at 1:26 PM
The actual anti-Starmer posting on here comes from people who are incredibly worried about what comes after.
Reposted by Ken Penton
Ah the 1970s.
Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.
Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.
November 14, 2025 at 8:40 AM
Ah the 1970s.
Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.
Stagflation, three day weeks, collapsing infrastructure. Civil War in Northern Ireland. In yer face racism and bigotry everywhere. Bin strikes. Strikes in general. Blackouts. Industrial decline. Wage inequality. Dog crap everywhere. And households spent 25% of their income on food.
Reposted by Ken Penton
I just think what this is missing is that income tax is going up under Labour and people already feel that a bit and will feel it more by the next election.
Labour's 'not touching, can't get mad' approach to raising income tax can't work, won't work, is part of why they've lost trust.
Labour's 'not touching, can't get mad' approach to raising income tax can't work, won't work, is part of why they've lost trust.
Too much analysis was still treating breaking the tax pledge as “just another unpopular decision” rather than recognising consequence of breaking a promise which defined an election for the public. If is correct the govt won’t now break it they may have avoided a deeply scarring loss of public trust
November 14, 2025 at 10:49 AM
I just think what this is missing is that income tax is going up under Labour and people already feel that a bit and will feel it more by the next election.
Labour's 'not touching, can't get mad' approach to raising income tax can't work, won't work, is part of why they've lost trust.
Labour's 'not touching, can't get mad' approach to raising income tax can't work, won't work, is part of why they've lost trust.
Thread.
A chart from "The British General Election of 2024" (out soon!) which is relevant to this debate - here's what voters wanted (black line) and what they though Labour (red) and Cons (blue) would do on tax and spend during the campaign. Higher figures = "put them up". Some important lessons here 1/?
November 14, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Thread.
Reposted by Ken Penton
For all the discourse around tax pledges, during the election campaign voters tended to think taxes needed to rise and that Labour were the party more likely to do that.
See @britishelectionstudy.com data from Chapter 14 of The British General Election of 2024, out in the coming weeks...
See @britishelectionstudy.com data from Chapter 14 of The British General Election of 2024, out in the coming weeks...
November 14, 2025 at 10:47 AM
For all the discourse around tax pledges, during the election campaign voters tended to think taxes needed to rise and that Labour were the party more likely to do that.
See @britishelectionstudy.com data from Chapter 14 of The British General Election of 2024, out in the coming weeks...
See @britishelectionstudy.com data from Chapter 14 of The British General Election of 2024, out in the coming weeks...
Reposted by Ken Penton
For years, people argued that there's no point in taking climate action unless China is onboard. I'm at a COP30 event where Chinese government officials and renewable industry reps are outlining the fast-paced renewable energy transition and long-term carbon neutrality plan. The story has flipped.
November 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM
For years, people argued that there's no point in taking climate action unless China is onboard. I'm at a COP30 event where Chinese government officials and renewable industry reps are outlining the fast-paced renewable energy transition and long-term carbon neutrality plan. The story has flipped.
Harsh, but...
Calgie seemed much keener on paying his taxes last month...
November 14, 2025 at 1:39 AM
Harsh, but...
Harsh, but...
“We don’t want to do things that antagonize Labour MPs and voters”.
Guys that ship sailed. That ship disappeared over the horizon. That ship is docking in New Zealand.
You have 400 seats. Just do the policy that makes sense. Stop running away from shadows.
Guys that ship sailed. That ship disappeared over the horizon. That ship is docking in New Zealand.
You have 400 seats. Just do the policy that makes sense. Stop running away from shadows.
November 14, 2025 at 1:36 AM
Harsh, but...
Hard to disagree with this.
Unite: “Today’s half a billion-pound profits in just six months for privatised water company United Utilities is yet more evidence that our energy and water systems are broken."
"With overseas shareholders set to receive a record dividend, this is profiteering at the expense of consumers."
"With overseas shareholders set to receive a record dividend, this is profiteering at the expense of consumers."
November 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Hard to disagree with this.
Reposted by Ken Penton
No need to worry. Just a former PM losing her mind/chasing the money in public.
November 13, 2025 at 10:55 AM
No need to worry. Just a former PM losing her mind/chasing the money in public.
Reposted by Ken Penton
The UK does need a chunk of grid upgrade, but £80bn is a lot when there’s such a challenge with energy bills
Surely we need a clear justification for every major transmission project
If these justifications are essentially secret, it’s a huge governance fail
www.theguardian.com/business/nil...
Surely we need a clear justification for every major transmission project
If these justifications are essentially secret, it’s a huge governance fail
www.theguardian.com/business/nil...
SSE is a winner in the great grid upgrade. Who is looking out for consumers and small businesses? | Nils Pratley
Nobody doubts chunky spending is necessary to improve the grid. But how much of that money will be funded through consumer bills?
www.theguardian.com
November 13, 2025 at 8:37 AM
The UK does need a chunk of grid upgrade, but £80bn is a lot when there’s such a challenge with energy bills
Surely we need a clear justification for every major transmission project
If these justifications are essentially secret, it’s a huge governance fail
www.theguardian.com/business/nil...
Surely we need a clear justification for every major transmission project
If these justifications are essentially secret, it’s a huge governance fail
www.theguardian.com/business/nil...
Reposted by Ken Penton
The thing to understand about this is that this catastrophe in the UK has redounded to the political benefit of the very same people and political movement that pushed for it! Extremely perverse.
I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world?
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
November 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The thing to understand about this is that this catastrophe in the UK has redounded to the political benefit of the very same people and political movement that pushed for it! Extremely perverse.
Reposted by Ken Penton
New from me: I spoke to two scientists who originally helped spread the use of carbon capture. They now say it's being misused. Here's why (gift link):
The Scientists Who Popularized Carbon Capture Have a Warning About It
Many countries are relying on it to meet their climate goals, but it might hurt more than help, they say.
www.bloomberg.com
November 12, 2025 at 11:23 AM
New from me: I spoke to two scientists who originally helped spread the use of carbon capture. They now say it's being misused. Here's why (gift link):
Reposted by Ken Penton
Focus on reducing emissions.
7/
7/
November 12, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Focus on reducing emissions.
7/
7/
Reposted by Ken Penton
The critical thing is that "gross emissions" go down rapidly, to near zero in 2050 or so, for ~1.5°C. This is how you solve the climate problem.
That green slither of carbon dioxide removal is a nice to have, not a do-or-die requirement.
Focus on reducing emissions.
6/
That green slither of carbon dioxide removal is a nice to have, not a do-or-die requirement.
Focus on reducing emissions.
6/
November 12, 2025 at 10:25 AM
The critical thing is that "gross emissions" go down rapidly, to near zero in 2050 or so, for ~1.5°C. This is how you solve the climate problem.
That green slither of carbon dioxide removal is a nice to have, not a do-or-die requirement.
Focus on reducing emissions.
6/
That green slither of carbon dioxide removal is a nice to have, not a do-or-die requirement.
Focus on reducing emissions.
6/
Reposted by Ken Penton
This is the sort of small but meaningful thing that helps to tackle a major frustration for one group of people inability to do something as basic as book a driving test furthers their feeling Britain is broken. Sort of thing govt should be leading with not infighting.
November 12, 2025 at 11:07 AM
This is the sort of small but meaningful thing that helps to tackle a major frustration for one group of people inability to do something as basic as book a driving test furthers their feeling Britain is broken. Sort of thing govt should be leading with not infighting.
Reposted by Ken Penton
Fossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn people – report #Climate
Fossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn people – report
Exclusive: ‘Deep-rooted injustices’ affect billions of people due to location of wells, pipelines and other infrastructure
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Fossil fuel projects around the world threaten the health of 2bn people – report #Climate
Reposted by Ken Penton
15+ years old, but still VERY relevent — and if we had acted 15 years ago, the “better world” we’d be creating would be a LOT better & easier to reach. There are real consequences we’re just starting to see to not heeding this cartoon a lot sooner.
Even worse if we don’t heed it now. #ClimateCrisis
Even worse if we don’t heed it now. #ClimateCrisis
November 12, 2025 at 5:04 AM
15+ years old, but still VERY relevent — and if we had acted 15 years ago, the “better world” we’d be creating would be a LOT better & easier to reach. There are real consequences we’re just starting to see to not heeding this cartoon a lot sooner.
Even worse if we don’t heed it now. #ClimateCrisis
Even worse if we don’t heed it now. #ClimateCrisis
Great appointment. Alan is one of Labour’s best energy thinkers and policymakers.
November 11, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Great appointment. Alan is one of Labour’s best energy thinkers and policymakers.
Reposted by Ken Penton
Finally, a bit of a reality check from our 2024 election book (out soon!) for everyone hyperventilating about collapsing public trust in the BBC - free to air TV (mostly the BBC) is still the most widely consumed and widely trusted source of news - blows print, online & social media out of the water
November 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM
Finally, a bit of a reality check from our 2024 election book (out soon!) for everyone hyperventilating about collapsing public trust in the BBC - free to air TV (mostly the BBC) is still the most widely consumed and widely trusted source of news - blows print, online & social media out of the water
Reposted by Ken Penton
"Internal reports show that 10 per cent of the company’s income last year was expected to be made from banned goods and scam adverts....[U]sers are shown 15 billion adverts a day for things such as fraudulent investment schemes, illegal online casinos and the sale of banned medical products."
Meta makes billions from scam adverts | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 11, 2025 at 2:12 PM
"Internal reports show that 10 per cent of the company’s income last year was expected to be made from banned goods and scam adverts....[U]sers are shown 15 billion adverts a day for things such as fraudulent investment schemes, illegal online casinos and the sale of banned medical products."