Richard Brown
@richardbrown.bsky.social
Cities, urban economics, housing, puns, poetry and pop music. Views are mine.
Since this "nothing has got better" reactionary stuff is doing the rounds again, re-upping a thread plus the many answers to it wherein we identified lots of things that have, in fact, got better.
John Rowan@jrowanbxl.bsky.social · last yr.1 like = 1 thing that has got better since I were a lad
The unnamed Mayor’s remark about Burnham’s MO at the end of this (“go out and say it, then let people catch up later”) is very Heseltinian. 1/2
Jennifer Williams@jenwilliamsft.bsky.social · 7h agoA bit from me on devo max and the outlines of an emerging question: what will councils be for? as.ft.com/r/731ed47f-f...
This was very good and, for a piece in tax, suprisingly enjoyable. One again raises how possible this sort of tax reform at scale is - just reading through Y1/2 is enough to bring me out in political hives. At the very leaat you'd need to do it at the start of a Parliamentary term
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · yesterdayNew post out: There's going to be a lot of talk about wealth taxes in the run up to the budget. So we asked one of the country's leading experts to give us a ten year plan for doing it right. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
One thing that does make a difference to graduate employment (though not nec long term outcomes) is the ability to engage in clubs and societies, years abroad, work experience etc. The last involves connections, but all three depend on students not having to work for £££/care for family. 1/2
Tim Leunig@timleunig.bsky.social · 2d agoThe relative importance of qualifications vs connections - me in the FT responding to @andyburnham.bsky.social m interview with Jimmy McLoughlin - www.ft.com/content/547b...
"Anyway, Sweep, I should stick to reading Bakunin if I were you."
Richard Brooks@thebrookso.bsky.social · 2d agoThis is amazing. youtu.be/qT_TO_GWgj0?...
Being sacked from the BBC in 2002 seems to have been a real watershed moment in Rod Liddle's life, flipping him from a left-leaning journalism/politics insider to someone on the more loopy fringes of the right.
This is great, about the tricky trade-offs involved in opening up more vocational pathways. Sam also makes a good point about employer engagement and the 'free-rider problem' of training people who may go on to work elsewhere. I think genAI will make this a growing problem for graduates too. 1/2
Sam Freedman@samfr.bsky.social · 4d agoNew post just out: "Burnham's first mistake" Splitting 14 year olds into academic and vocational paths seems intuitive. But it's a terrible idea that risks increasing inequality, and closing down options for the young people that need them most. (£/free trial) open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/b...
There’s something weirdly inhuman about the photo captions in this BBC report on Brighton Pride.
I was slightly sceptical about seeing Nick Cave in Preston Park. I like him and his music, but I'm not a mega-fan, and tend to prefer smaller gigs. But there is something special about how he engages a crowd, even a huge one. I'm trying to find a less loaded term, but it's a sense of 'communion'.
Richard Brown@richardbrown.bsky.social · 5d agoSomewhere in the distance, Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave.
Somewhere in the distance, Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave.
If you throttle back immigration, it will inevitably hit international cities like London. That may or may not be what you want, but it's the inevitable result of the policy. www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow...
London's population fall results from politicians cutting immigration
Falling birthrates and high housing costs have been factors too, but the main reason is the intended result of government policy
onlondon.co.uk
London's population drop last year was no surprise, as London Assembly member Susan Hall commented. But it was the intended result of Conservative and Labour immigration policy, not the fault of the Mayor of London. My piece for On London on the mid-year estimates. www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow...
London's population fall results from politicians cutting immigration
Falling birthrates and high housing costs have been factors too, but the main reason is the intended result of government policy
onlondon.co.uk
Football bores me senseless, but I'm here for this.
Nadine Batchelor-Hunt@nadinebh.bsky.social · 6d agoThis statement by UEFA on FIFA attempting to sell off the World Cup gave me goosebumps, what a statement - the beautiful game deserves no less “As so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale.”
There are many long term trends affecting population change in London. But the main factor behind the first fall in population since the pandemic last year was government immigration policy. This is what they want... this is what we get. www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow...
London's population fall results from politicians cutting immigration
Falling birthrates and high housing costs have been factors too, but the main reason is the intended result of government policy
onlondon.co.uk
This is what they want... this is what we get. London's recent population falls are the result of central government policy.
Dave Hill@davehillonlondon.bsky.social · 6d agoSee how neatly and completely @richardbrown.bsky.social dismantles the Right's gloating misrepresentations of why London's population has fallen a bit: www.onlondon.co.uk/richard-brow... #london
Can anyone guess what this map of London is about? Let me hear your best guesses before I reveal all!
oh my god!!!! there's an actual answer!!!! Google Maps does hide Brighton!!!!!!! bsky.app/profile/robi...
Robin Wilde@robinwilde.me · 6d agoI actually know the answer to this and it's slightly insane. Google pulls from Wikipedia to determine if a place is a city, town, neighbourhood, whatever. Brighton's first line describes it as a "seaside resort" so Google Maps thinks it's a neighbourhood and doesn't display it in the "city" font.
Looking at excellent ONS interactive spreadsheet on yesterday's population estimates. Striking how many births in London are of people below one year old.
I appreciate there's a lot of performed outrage around, but I do think it's odd to say that you won't apologise because you made a mistake. Unintentional offence accounts for about 80% of my apologies. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Polanski says guillotine re-post was mistake but refuses to apologise
The Green leader re-posted a photo of a man wearing a guillotine t-shirt and the name Nigel.
bbc.co.uk
This is very good, and this para about Badenoch's 'back to the seventies' rhetoric made me chortle.
Rafael Behr@rafaelbehr.bsky.social · last wk.No, we aren’t heading back to the Seventies. On the intellectual stagnation of UK opposition that got lazy while Starmer was self-destructing. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
💯 … even if you have done the ‘pre-registration’, the process seems Soviet.
Giles Wilkes@gilesyb.bsky.social · last wk.Every few years I get to re-enjoy my astonishment at how bureaucratic the business of hiring a car is. How the people at the booth spend more time than would be needed to arrange a complex mortgage.
So so tired of all this homer-splaining (though as a classics graduate I do appreciate the novelty of having useful knowledge).
Pink robots, balloons, eyeballs, other things. Can only be a Flaming Lips gig. At Somerset House.
Waitrose: I’ll see your ‘picky bits’ and raise you a…
