Rob Blackie
@robblackie.bsky.social
Helping innovators tell the right story at the right time. Former Lib Dem London Mayoral candidate. Breaking Putin's censorship
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robblackie/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/robblackie/
And I got to knock on my old front door too!
November 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
And I got to knock on my old front door too!
Today it's been fantastic to go out campaigning with our newest @libdems.org.uk London councillor, former Labour Mayor of Lambeth, Tina Valcarcel.
People are disillusioned with Labour in Lambeth, and ready for a change.
People are disillusioned with Labour in Lambeth, and ready for a change.
November 15, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Today it's been fantastic to go out campaigning with our newest @libdems.org.uk London councillor, former Labour Mayor of Lambeth, Tina Valcarcel.
People are disillusioned with Labour in Lambeth, and ready for a change.
People are disillusioned with Labour in Lambeth, and ready for a change.
Labour's plans on asylum are so extreme that they are being welcomed by Rupert Lowe MP - a man thrown out of Reform for being too extreme.
November 15, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Labour's plans on asylum are so extreme that they are being welcomed by Rupert Lowe MP - a man thrown out of Reform for being too extreme.
Is AI driving productivity in aggregate?
New figures from McKinsey suggest not:
1. Deployment is still fairly early stages - and in limited parts of companies - most commonly marketing, IT, knowledge management.
New figures from McKinsey suggest not:
1. Deployment is still fairly early stages - and in limited parts of companies - most commonly marketing, IT, knowledge management.
November 14, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Is AI driving productivity in aggregate?
New figures from McKinsey suggest not:
1. Deployment is still fairly early stages - and in limited parts of companies - most commonly marketing, IT, knowledge management.
New figures from McKinsey suggest not:
1. Deployment is still fairly early stages - and in limited parts of companies - most commonly marketing, IT, knowledge management.
Energy abundance.... Electricity is almost free at 3am if you have a battery.
cc @jamesomalley.co.uk @mjrobbins.com
cc @jamesomalley.co.uk @mjrobbins.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Energy abundance.... Electricity is almost free at 3am if you have a battery.
cc @jamesomalley.co.uk @mjrobbins.com
cc @jamesomalley.co.uk @mjrobbins.com
The biggest news this week that hasn't been reported:
We now have the technology to cut carbon emissions by 75%.
We can spend the next 10 years just deploying this technology - which usually saves money now - while we find solutions for the remaining 25%.
We now have the technology to cut carbon emissions by 75%.
We can spend the next 10 years just deploying this technology - which usually saves money now - while we find solutions for the remaining 25%.
November 12, 2025 at 9:57 AM
The biggest news this week that hasn't been reported:
We now have the technology to cut carbon emissions by 75%.
We can spend the next 10 years just deploying this technology - which usually saves money now - while we find solutions for the remaining 25%.
We now have the technology to cut carbon emissions by 75%.
We can spend the next 10 years just deploying this technology - which usually saves money now - while we find solutions for the remaining 25%.
Two fascinating nuggets from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com that have largely been missed:
1. Young people *less likely* to say 'don't know' in political polls - does this indicate better knowledge from social media compared to previous generations?
2. Young women are more confident in their opinions...
1. Young people *less likely* to say 'don't know' in political polls - does this indicate better knowledge from social media compared to previous generations?
2. Young women are more confident in their opinions...
November 10, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Two fascinating nuggets from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com that have largely been missed:
1. Young people *less likely* to say 'don't know' in political polls - does this indicate better knowledge from social media compared to previous generations?
2. Young women are more confident in their opinions...
1. Young people *less likely* to say 'don't know' in political polls - does this indicate better knowledge from social media compared to previous generations?
2. Young women are more confident in their opinions...
The Greens think that they could persuade Putin to give up his nuclear weapons.
How exactly?
By hypnotising him?
How exactly?
By hypnotising him?
November 9, 2025 at 4:33 PM
The Greens think that they could persuade Putin to give up his nuclear weapons.
How exactly?
By hypnotising him?
How exactly?
By hypnotising him?
Primary schools are closing across London, because families simply can't afford a home.
The housing crisis needs to be tackled urgently with much more house building to help cut prices.
The housing crisis needs to be tackled urgently with much more house building to help cut prices.
November 6, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Primary schools are closing across London, because families simply can't afford a home.
The housing crisis needs to be tackled urgently with much more house building to help cut prices.
The housing crisis needs to be tackled urgently with much more house building to help cut prices.
It's a cloudy November day, yet incredibly my solar system is still producing more electricity than I'm using.
November 4, 2025 at 12:32 PM
It's a cloudy November day, yet incredibly my solar system is still producing more electricity than I'm using.
Here are today's prices.
My dishwasher uses about 0.7 kWh per cycle.
My dishwasher uses about 0.7 kWh per cycle.
November 4, 2025 at 8:02 AM
Here are today's prices.
My dishwasher uses about 0.7 kWh per cycle.
My dishwasher uses about 0.7 kWh per cycle.
Trivial but did Elon Musk actually manage to finish watching* the Lord of the Rings?
The whole point is that the Hobbits are the modest decent heroes!
The whole point is that the Hobbits are the modest decent heroes!
October 29, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Trivial but did Elon Musk actually manage to finish watching* the Lord of the Rings?
The whole point is that the Hobbits are the modest decent heroes!
The whole point is that the Hobbits are the modest decent heroes!
Most seats it's really obvious who is in contention - because all the signals are in alignment.
Where it gets complicated is where that has changed since the last election - and there I think polls (and especially MRPs) have a big role to play - so there's going to be a huge premium on getting....
Where it gets complicated is where that has changed since the last election - and there I think polls (and especially MRPs) have a big role to play - so there's going to be a huge premium on getting....
October 29, 2025 at 1:20 PM
Most seats it's really obvious who is in contention - because all the signals are in alignment.
Where it gets complicated is where that has changed since the last election - and there I think polls (and especially MRPs) have a big role to play - so there's going to be a huge premium on getting....
Where it gets complicated is where that has changed since the last election - and there I think polls (and especially MRPs) have a big role to play - so there's going to be a huge premium on getting....
To take one obvious rule: mansion flats with air conditioning are banned currently.
These are a great use of limited space, and a/c is increasingly cheap to run because of solar power.
Hot days are sunny, so often the electricity is almost free now.
These are a great use of limited space, and a/c is increasingly cheap to run because of solar power.
Hot days are sunny, so often the electricity is almost free now.
October 17, 2025 at 6:56 AM
To take one obvious rule: mansion flats with air conditioning are banned currently.
These are a great use of limited space, and a/c is increasingly cheap to run because of solar power.
Hot days are sunny, so often the electricity is almost free now.
These are a great use of limited space, and a/c is increasingly cheap to run because of solar power.
Hot days are sunny, so often the electricity is almost free now.
Tax avoidance is a significant industry.... as this magazine supplement suggests.
October 15, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Tax avoidance is a significant industry.... as this magazine supplement suggests.
Virtually no new houses are being sold in London right now - the current & previous government's policies have utterly failed.
October 14, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Virtually no new houses are being sold in London right now - the current & previous government's policies have utterly failed.
This morning I stumbled on the Google Maps reviews for the Lib Dem HQ - and it does not disappoint.
October 14, 2025 at 8:42 AM
This morning I stumbled on the Google Maps reviews for the Lib Dem HQ - and it does not disappoint.
Today our solar panels are arriving, just in time for a cloudy autumn.
October 13, 2025 at 7:35 AM
Today our solar panels are arriving, just in time for a cloudy autumn.
If you want to create an IT disaster that goes over budget:
1. Announce a fixed political deadline, like ID cards by end of the Parliament.
2. Keep on changing the objectives of the project, as Starmer is already doing.
Ask anybody in software development and...
1. Announce a fixed political deadline, like ID cards by end of the Parliament.
2. Keep on changing the objectives of the project, as Starmer is already doing.
Ask anybody in software development and...
October 9, 2025 at 9:33 AM
If you want to create an IT disaster that goes over budget:
1. Announce a fixed political deadline, like ID cards by end of the Parliament.
2. Keep on changing the objectives of the project, as Starmer is already doing.
Ask anybody in software development and...
1. Announce a fixed political deadline, like ID cards by end of the Parliament.
2. Keep on changing the objectives of the project, as Starmer is already doing.
Ask anybody in software development and...
Hamish Badenoch is who?!
October 8, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Hamish Badenoch is who?!
If you want to abolish stamp duty, and bring in a land value tax, here is a good way to do it:
Abolish stamp duty for people moving house - but only levy the land value tax on those properties.
Now there is a short term cost but at the gain of long term tax revenues.
Abolish stamp duty for people moving house - but only levy the land value tax on those properties.
Now there is a short term cost but at the gain of long term tax revenues.
October 8, 2025 at 12:58 PM
If you want to abolish stamp duty, and bring in a land value tax, here is a good way to do it:
Abolish stamp duty for people moving house - but only levy the land value tax on those properties.
Now there is a short term cost but at the gain of long term tax revenues.
Abolish stamp duty for people moving house - but only levy the land value tax on those properties.
Now there is a short term cost but at the gain of long term tax revenues.
October 8, 2025 at 10:09 AM
@jamesomalley.co.uk A classic of the genre here - a complaint against housing on the grounds that it isn't 100% affordable.
October 6, 2025 at 8:09 PM
@jamesomalley.co.uk A classic of the genre here - a complaint against housing on the grounds that it isn't 100% affordable.
Yes we should keep up the pressure - because vaccinations really matter.
But this isn't America.
But this isn't America.
October 6, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Yes we should keep up the pressure - because vaccinations really matter.
But this isn't America.
But this isn't America.
The Conservatives want to turn Britain into Trump's America.
They deserve to be wiped out at the next election.
They deserve to be wiped out at the next election.
October 5, 2025 at 8:27 AM
The Conservatives want to turn Britain into Trump's America.
They deserve to be wiped out at the next election.
They deserve to be wiped out at the next election.