Paul Brown
@pauljkbrown.bsky.social
Somerset native enjoying Devon. Husband, parent, geek.
Reposted by Paul Brown
When it rains, it now rains more.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
January 27, 2026 at 10:02 PM
When it rains, it now rains more.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
For those experiencing the flooding in south-west England, it is worth remembering that rainfall in winter has increased by about 25% overall.
And, the rainfall has also become more intense: when it rains, it now rains more, increasing the risk of flooding.
Reposted by Paul Brown
UK gambling regulator accuses Meta of lying about its struggle to spot illegal ads
UK gambling regulator accuses Meta of lying about its struggle to spot illegal ads
Labels Zuck’s ad library ‘a window into criminality’ and the Social Network as ‘happy to turn a blind eye’
The head of the UK’s Gambling Commission has accused social media giant Meta of lying about its ability to proactively detect operators of illegal casinos advertising on its services.…
dlvr.it
January 20, 2026 at 6:46 AM
UK gambling regulator accuses Meta of lying about its struggle to spot illegal ads
Reposted by Paul Brown
Recently published figures showing a huge drop don't take into account new restrictions introduced by this government. So further falls are very likely.
To give one figure from the post in August 2023 we gave out 18,300 health/care worker visas. Last month it was just 600.
To give one figure from the post in August 2023 we gave out 18,300 health/care worker visas. Last month it was just 600.
December 16, 2025 at 8:47 AM
Recently published figures showing a huge drop don't take into account new restrictions introduced by this government. So further falls are very likely.
To give one figure from the post in August 2023 we gave out 18,300 health/care worker visas. Last month it was just 600.
To give one figure from the post in August 2023 we gave out 18,300 health/care worker visas. Last month it was just 600.
Reposted by Paul Brown
Fantastic piece of work this
I wanted dinner recommendations so I scraped 13,000+ London restaurants and accidentally discovered Google Maps is running a shadow economy. Anyway here's a dashboard and a political economy thesis: open.substack.com/pub/laurenle...
How Google Maps quietly allocates survival across London’s restaurants - and how I built a dashboard to see through it
I wanted a dinner recommendation and got a research agenda instead. Using 13000+ restaurants, I rebuild its ratings with machine learning and map how algorithmic visibility actually distributes power.
open.substack.com
December 9, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Fantastic piece of work this
Reposted by Paul Brown
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
December 9, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Welcome to Britain, a country so short of dentists that an MP's 87-year-old mum pulled her teeth out with pliers. Also a country with thousands of foreign-qualified dentists who can’t work until they pass an exam so oversubscribed it’s like trying to book Glasto tickets. www.ft.com/content/f4e5...
Reposted by Paul Brown
Couching it in terms where the "overdiagnosis" implicitly places the blame on the patient for speaking out about their suffering is nasty. If this gov is concerned about mental health as a troubling variable economic factor, they should invest in treating it. Not creating further barriers.
December 4, 2025 at 8:27 AM
Couching it in terms where the "overdiagnosis" implicitly places the blame on the patient for speaking out about their suffering is nasty. If this gov is concerned about mental health as a troubling variable economic factor, they should invest in treating it. Not creating further barriers.
Reposted by Paul Brown
My attendance record in the European Parliament was the 4th worst out of 751 MEPs, yet I managed to turn up to vote AGAINST plans to tackle Russian misinformation.
Thankfully this is of no interest to the media.
Thankfully this is of no interest to the media.
November 24, 2025 at 9:20 PM
My attendance record in the European Parliament was the 4th worst out of 751 MEPs, yet I managed to turn up to vote AGAINST plans to tackle Russian misinformation.
Thankfully this is of no interest to the media.
Thankfully this is of no interest to the media.
Reposted by Paul Brown
More than half of ethnic minority Brits say the England flag has now become a racist symbol, with Brits of all colours now tending to say the raising of the flag is mostly about expressing anti-migrant, or anti ethnic-minority sentiment
November 21, 2025 at 9:54 AM
More than half of ethnic minority Brits say the England flag has now become a racist symbol, with Brits of all colours now tending to say the raising of the flag is mostly about expressing anti-migrant, or anti ethnic-minority sentiment
Reposted by Paul Brown
Ed Luce watching democracy die in the United States of America
October 24, 2025 at 6:53 AM
Ed Luce watching democracy die in the United States of America
Reposted by Paul Brown
People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
October 22, 2025 at 8:32 AM
People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
Reposted by Paul Brown
Everyone who advocates for turning the UK into the UAE assumes they'll be the one with a marina penthouse rather than the guy working on a building site in 50c heat
October 7, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Everyone who advocates for turning the UK into the UAE assumes they'll be the one with a marina penthouse rather than the guy working on a building site in 50c heat
Reposted by Paul Brown
On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n
British Politics' Midlife Crisis
Why British Parties Can't Make Peace with Their Actual Voters
benansell.substack.com
September 30, 2025 at 6:40 AM
On the morning of Keir Starmer's conference speech here's a new post on an odd psychopathology in British politics - our main parties don't like the people who vote for them - the dreaded Professional Managerial Class. And so they are acting out like a divorced dad seeking cooler voters. 1/n
Reposted by Paul Brown
Thing about this sort of answer from the BBC is that I don’t remember them adjusting their coverage much in 2022-24 when the polls were in Labour’s favour. I may be misremembering, but I thought they kept to the proportions from GE2019.
Complaint to BBC made, not that it will do much good as my previous complaint about excessive Reform coverage got a bland answer about them doing well in the opinion polls and they always strive to give fair and balanced coverage...yeah right
September 22, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Thing about this sort of answer from the BBC is that I don’t remember them adjusting their coverage much in 2022-24 when the polls were in Labour’s favour. I may be misremembering, but I thought they kept to the proportions from GE2019.
Reposted by Paul Brown
The Labour government's response to a summer of open racism, including physical attacks and the demonisation of some of its own Cabinet, has been to hide. 'Anti-racism' is something you actually have to do, not something you are. Seriously, why can't people like this hear themselves?
Ouch. I’m talking about a general approach, not a single instance. And I think you’ll find, as a generalisation admittedly, that Labour supporters are anti-racism.
September 10, 2025 at 12:52 PM
The Labour government's response to a summer of open racism, including physical attacks and the demonisation of some of its own Cabinet, has been to hide. 'Anti-racism' is something you actually have to do, not something you are. Seriously, why can't people like this hear themselves?
Reposted by Paul Brown
You couldn't script this stuff. The flag fanatics are defacing war memorials now it seems www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwal...
Idiots deface memorial to Cornish war dead with St George's flag
Cornwall Council's leader, who lives near the defaced clock tower, slammed the 'mindless vandalism' as 'disrespectful' and insulting 'to the memory of the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice...
www.cornwalllive.com
September 1, 2025 at 9:59 PM
You couldn't script this stuff. The flag fanatics are defacing war memorials now it seems www.cornwalllive.com/news/cornwal...
Reposted by Paul Brown
Excellent. Farage's plan would mean police -or new paramilitary forces - rounding up tens of thousands of people in *every major city* (hundreds of '000s in London).
It really shouldn't be hard to make this politically toxic.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/it-wont-wo...
It really shouldn't be hard to make this politically toxic.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/it-wont-wo...
"It won't work" Won't Work
Labour's response to Farage is bound to founder
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk
August 29, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Excellent. Farage's plan would mean police -or new paramilitary forces - rounding up tens of thousands of people in *every major city* (hundreds of '000s in London).
It really shouldn't be hard to make this politically toxic.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/it-wont-wo...
It really shouldn't be hard to make this politically toxic.
www.joxleywrites.jmoxley.co.uk/p/it-wont-wo...
Reposted by Paul Brown
Nigel Farage and the Reform Party’s Taliban Tax means sending hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money to an oppressive regime that British soldiers fought and died to defeat.
August 27, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Nigel Farage and the Reform Party’s Taliban Tax means sending hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money to an oppressive regime that British soldiers fought and died to defeat.
Reposted by Paul Brown
“you have to ignore their reasonable arguments because their end goal is to be terrible, awful people” is IMHO a principle which needs to be applied much more in politics. Moderates assume good faith because they are reasonable people. But that doesn’t work when engaging unreasonable, bad faith ppl.
August 18, 2025 at 7:55 PM
“you have to ignore their reasonable arguments because their end goal is to be terrible, awful people” is IMHO a principle which needs to be applied much more in politics. Moderates assume good faith because they are reasonable people. But that doesn’t work when engaging unreasonable, bad faith ppl.
Reposted by Paul Brown
One thing I would like more people, and I mostly mean my fellow men, to understand is that no matter how smart you are, other people are also smart and some of them have tried to work on the same problems you’re working on. If a simple solution hasn’t been found yet, there probably isn’t one.
Coding interviews from people who left government earlier this year, and this is a fantastic quote in response to a question about what DOGE tech folk don't understand.
August 5, 2025 at 1:03 PM
One thing I would like more people, and I mostly mean my fellow men, to understand is that no matter how smart you are, other people are also smart and some of them have tried to work on the same problems you’re working on. If a simple solution hasn’t been found yet, there probably isn’t one.
Reposted by Paul Brown
Fascism For First Time Founders
Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who…
Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who…
Fascism For First Time Founders
Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who didn't really surprise anyone—Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, Elon Musk (pre-fallout)—but the more troubling trend has been watching younger entrepreneurs and VCs listen to their podcasts, read their posts and books, and slowly nod along to the idea that democracy is holding back innovation.
www.techdirt.com
July 17, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Fascism For First Time Founders
Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who…
Over the last year or so I've seen a disturbing tendency in tech/startup/VC worlds to buy into the neoreactionary view that for startups to be successful they need to get on board the Trump train. Yes, there are the big name folks who everyone knows about and who…
Reposted by Paul Brown
Reform's Richard Tice has written to energy firms to inform them of the 'political risk' of Reform to renewables
Labour official: “Reform are now actively trying to discourage businesses from investing in clean energy in the UK...
"They are disgracefully... undermining the UK's national interest."
Labour official: “Reform are now actively trying to discourage businesses from investing in clean energy in the UK...
"They are disgracefully... undermining the UK's national interest."
July 16, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Reform's Richard Tice has written to energy firms to inform them of the 'political risk' of Reform to renewables
Labour official: “Reform are now actively trying to discourage businesses from investing in clean energy in the UK...
"They are disgracefully... undermining the UK's national interest."
Labour official: “Reform are now actively trying to discourage businesses from investing in clean energy in the UK...
"They are disgracefully... undermining the UK's national interest."
Reposted by Paul Brown
What’s the odds on “a major social network has an antisemitic AI built into it” being raised by lobby with PM’s spokesperson today? A special DCMS committee? Ofcom launching an emergency investigation? Seems it’s so hard to comprehend that people will just focus on more manageable screaming at BBC.
It would be nice to, among other things, get an answer from the UK government about why they still feel comfortable using this as one of their primary communication channels
Elon's AI is now actively recommending a second Holocaust
July 9, 2025 at 6:26 AM
What’s the odds on “a major social network has an antisemitic AI built into it” being raised by lobby with PM’s spokesperson today? A special DCMS committee? Ofcom launching an emergency investigation? Seems it’s so hard to comprehend that people will just focus on more manageable screaming at BBC.
Reposted by Paul Brown
New notes from the culture war crossroads...
'Breaking Convention' - Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
'Breaking Convention' - Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
Breaking Convention
Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com
June 15, 2025 at 6:31 PM
New notes from the culture war crossroads...
'Breaking Convention' - Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
'Breaking Convention' - Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com/p/breaking-c...
Reposted by Paul Brown
This is the freight train almost no one has noticed coming down the tracks.
Wage stagnation, expensive housing, smaller private pensions are going to be a terrible combination.
Wage stagnation, expensive housing, smaller private pensions are going to be a terrible combination.
Only 3% of median-income Millennial households (27-42 year olds) are predicted to achieve "moderate" living standards in retirement
Save more / work longer / generate higher investment returns
Save more / work longer / generate higher investment returns
June 25, 2025 at 10:12 AM
This is the freight train almost no one has noticed coming down the tracks.
Wage stagnation, expensive housing, smaller private pensions are going to be a terrible combination.
Wage stagnation, expensive housing, smaller private pensions are going to be a terrible combination.
Reposted by Paul Brown
