Laurence Rowe
@laurencerowe.bsky.social
Sometimes I still tweet about tech. @laurencerowe on Twitter.
UK local authorities need tax and borrowing powers so they can fund local transport projects themselves. France does this through local payroll taxes.
December 18, 2025 at 9:16 AM
UK local authorities need tax and borrowing powers so they can fund local transport projects themselves. France does this through local payroll taxes.
Amusingly I also have a tram 5 minutes walk away too but it is slower and less frequent than the bus even before the bus lane so rarely use it.
(SF trams are the inverse of Manchester, only grade separated in the downtown core tunnel.)
(SF trams are the inverse of Manchester, only grade separated in the downtown core tunnel.)
December 18, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Amusingly I also have a tram 5 minutes walk away too but it is slower and less frequent than the bus even before the bus lane so rarely use it.
(SF trams are the inverse of Manchester, only grade separated in the downtown core tunnel.)
(SF trams are the inverse of Manchester, only grade separated in the downtown core tunnel.)
We got our first self driving cars without test drivers in 2020. In 2021 we got a bus lane. So far the bus lane has been more transformative to my own travel habits since it is no longer worth me walking 20 minutes to go take the train into town now the bus is fast.
December 18, 2025 at 7:37 AM
We got our first self driving cars without test drivers in 2020. In 2021 we got a bus lane. So far the bus lane has been more transformative to my own travel habits since it is no longer worth me walking 20 minutes to go take the train into town now the bus is fast.
…probably Leeds/Manchester since they will clearly induce a huge amount of car traffic and gridlock as people switch from the bus to self driving cars.
Cities can avoid this if they dedicate as much road space per passenger to bus lanes as to cars so taking the bus is faster than driving.
Cities can avoid this if they dedicate as much road space per passenger to bus lanes as to cars so taking the bus is faster than driving.
December 18, 2025 at 7:10 AM
…probably Leeds/Manchester since they will clearly induce a huge amount of car traffic and gridlock as people switch from the bus to self driving cars.
Cities can avoid this if they dedicate as much road space per passenger to bus lanes as to cars so taking the bus is faster than driving.
Cities can avoid this if they dedicate as much road space per passenger to bus lanes as to cars so taking the bus is faster than driving.
As a pedestrian in SF I really like the Waymos as crossing the road around them feels much safer. (The pedestrian death rate is 4-5x higher than in London.)
However beyond making walking and biking much safer I don’t think they will be transformative in cities as dense as SF/London and…
However beyond making walking and biking much safer I don’t think they will be transformative in cities as dense as SF/London and…
December 18, 2025 at 7:04 AM
As a pedestrian in SF I really like the Waymos as crossing the road around them feels much safer. (The pedestrian death rate is 4-5x higher than in London.)
However beyond making walking and biking much safer I don’t think they will be transformative in cities as dense as SF/London and…
However beyond making walking and biking much safer I don’t think they will be transformative in cities as dense as SF/London and…
Oil definitely seemed part of it from Bush speechwriter David Frum’s recollection.
web.archive.org/web/20130316...
web.archive.org/web/20130316...
December 18, 2025 at 3:16 AM
Oil definitely seemed part of it from Bush speechwriter David Frum’s recollection.
web.archive.org/web/20130316...
web.archive.org/web/20130316...
I’m not sure that Bush wanted the oil, but other members of his administration did.
When Baghdad fell they prioritised securing the Oil Ministry while leaving weapons dumps unguarded.
When Baghdad fell they prioritised securing the Oil Ministry while leaving weapons dumps unguarded.
December 18, 2025 at 2:03 AM
I’m not sure that Bush wanted the oil, but other members of his administration did.
When Baghdad fell they prioritised securing the Oil Ministry while leaving weapons dumps unguarded.
When Baghdad fell they prioritised securing the Oil Ministry while leaving weapons dumps unguarded.
Starmer’s Labour is explicitly trying to emulate the Danish SD. It just seems doomed to fail under FPTP which favours broad big tent parties where the coalition of interests is internal.
Blair and Brown looked much more to the US Dems for inspiration and tried to build a broad coalition.
Blair and Brown looked much more to the US Dems for inspiration and tried to build a broad coalition.
December 16, 2025 at 5:41 PM
Starmer’s Labour is explicitly trying to emulate the Danish SD. It just seems doomed to fail under FPTP which favours broad big tent parties where the coalition of interests is internal.
Blair and Brown looked much more to the US Dems for inspiration and tried to build a broad coalition.
Blair and Brown looked much more to the US Dems for inspiration and tried to build a broad coalition.
We should be sceptical of drawing lessons across very different electoral systems. What works for a two party system will be different to what works under multi party FPTP will be different to a proportional system.
December 16, 2025 at 10:15 AM
We should be sceptical of drawing lessons across very different electoral systems. What works for a two party system will be different to what works under multi party FPTP will be different to a proportional system.
However their successful electoral efficiency strategy of splitting the right wing vote only works while the Tories retain a substantial vote or until Reform and the Tories make an electoral pact at which point it is moot.
December 16, 2025 at 10:04 AM
However their successful electoral efficiency strategy of splitting the right wing vote only works while the Tories retain a substantial vote or until Reform and the Tories make an electoral pact at which point it is moot.
There are a lot of retirees! But Labour won a smaller share of the 65+ vote in 2024 (23%) than they did under Corbyn in 2017 (25%), albeit higher than in 2019.
Labour ignored young graduates because they disproportionately live in cities in safe Labour seats so felt they could be safely ignored.
Labour ignored young graduates because they disproportionately live in cities in safe Labour seats so felt they could be safely ignored.
December 16, 2025 at 9:59 AM
There are a lot of retirees! But Labour won a smaller share of the 65+ vote in 2024 (23%) than they did under Corbyn in 2017 (25%), albeit higher than in 2019.
Labour ignored young graduates because they disproportionately live in cities in safe Labour seats so felt they could be safely ignored.
Labour ignored young graduates because they disproportionately live in cities in safe Labour seats so felt they could be safely ignored.
Labour’s ’Hero Voters’ were explicitly defined as swing voters who were not their usual base. Rather than workers they were often retired. Labour’s huge majority on just 34% of the vote was a result of splitting the right wing vote. Reform voters were reassured not voting Tory would be ok.
December 16, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Labour’s ’Hero Voters’ were explicitly defined as swing voters who were not their usual base. Rather than workers they were often retired. Labour’s huge majority on just 34% of the vote was a result of splitting the right wing vote. Reform voters were reassured not voting Tory would be ok.
The BBC chum box is probably worse than the BBC boobs.
December 16, 2025 at 9:05 AM
The BBC chum box is probably worse than the BBC boobs.
@bbcnewsnight.bsky.social do you realise that the BBC is plastering pictures of boobs all over the news site outside of the UK?
December 16, 2025 at 8:53 AM
@bbcnewsnight.bsky.social do you realise that the BBC is plastering pictures of boobs all over the news site outside of the UK?
Left on green can be even more terrifying as a pedestrian. At least cars tend to be going slowly when they turn right on red. I really wish a walk signal meant cars were not allowed through the crossing at all.
December 15, 2025 at 6:18 PM
Left on green can be even more terrifying as a pedestrian. At least cars tend to be going slowly when they turn right on red. I really wish a walk signal meant cars were not allowed through the crossing at all.
To be fair San Francisco liberals are not very liberal and our progressives are not very progressive. Seems only natural that our greens are not very green either.
December 15, 2025 at 6:35 AM
To be fair San Francisco liberals are not very liberal and our progressives are not very progressive. Seems only natural that our greens are not very green either.
Nationally the Sierra Club is pretty good but locally the San Francisco Sierra Club campaigns against building more homes here pushing development to the outer suburbs where people are car dependent.
December 15, 2025 at 5:04 AM
Nationally the Sierra Club is pretty good but locally the San Francisco Sierra Club campaigns against building more homes here pushing development to the outer suburbs where people are car dependent.
US open primaries mean we probably won’t see a similar Green breakout here since the people who would support them can instead get people like AOC and Mamdani elected on Democratic tickets here who would be thrown out of UK Labour Party.
December 15, 2025 at 4:56 AM
US open primaries mean we probably won’t see a similar Green breakout here since the people who would support them can instead get people like AOC and Mamdani elected on Democratic tickets here who would be thrown out of UK Labour Party.
But the large numbers of new Green members in England are in the cities. Younger educated people who would vote Labour if Labour did not actively push them away.
December 15, 2025 at 4:51 AM
But the large numbers of new Green members in England are in the cities. Younger educated people who would vote Labour if Labour did not actively push them away.
You see this with the San Francisco Sierra Club that is notoriously NIMBY despite urban development being clearly good lowering emissions since urban dwellers live more efficiently.
Similar greens in rural England against building the pylons that would allow more renewable energy.
Similar greens in rural England against building the pylons that would allow more renewable energy.
December 15, 2025 at 4:47 AM
You see this with the San Francisco Sierra Club that is notoriously NIMBY despite urban development being clearly good lowering emissions since urban dwellers live more efficiently.
Similar greens in rural England against building the pylons that would allow more renewable energy.
Similar greens in rural England against building the pylons that would allow more renewable energy.
Environmentalism can mean different things to different people though. There’s a small c conservative strain of environmentalism that is mostly about preservation of things as they are which is completely disengaged from the climate emergency.
December 15, 2025 at 4:45 AM
Environmentalism can mean different things to different people though. There’s a small c conservative strain of environmentalism that is mostly about preservation of things as they are which is completely disengaged from the climate emergency.
That actually sounds like it could be a useful service!
December 15, 2025 at 3:29 AM
That actually sounds like it could be a useful service!
Average home prices here in SF are $1.5M. $75k in agent fees is a lot!
December 15, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Average home prices here in SF are $1.5M. $75k in agent fees is a lot!
What do the buyers agents do in Australia? I’ve never understood what they do in the US and why they get 2.5.% on top of the sellers agent’s 2.5%.
We don’t have them in the UK where the sellers agent commission is about 1-1.5% and buyers pay a lawyer a small amount for paperwork.
We don’t have them in the UK where the sellers agent commission is about 1-1.5% and buyers pay a lawyer a small amount for paperwork.
December 15, 2025 at 3:21 AM
What do the buyers agents do in Australia? I’ve never understood what they do in the US and why they get 2.5.% on top of the sellers agent’s 2.5%.
We don’t have them in the UK where the sellers agent commission is about 1-1.5% and buyers pay a lawyer a small amount for paperwork.
We don’t have them in the UK where the sellers agent commission is about 1-1.5% and buyers pay a lawyer a small amount for paperwork.