Peter Tompkins/St Pancras Clock Tower

@PJTheEconomist Looks excellent. Politicians love to talk this up without achieving but they have to be persuaded to give up popular policies that actually do the exact opposite.

Pretty excited to be doing this. A real chance to bring together serious economics, very senior business leaders, and in depth political research to, hopefully, help politicians and policymakers plot a credible route to a much better set of economic outcomes in the 2030s.

@NJM71 @wight1984 I’ve seen this before but it’s quite interesting to read and realise all this was put together in the aftermath of global conflict.

I know it's Sunday night but @wight1984 has just posted a link to the fascinating "Family Guide To The National Insurance Scheme" covering the state pension, NHS, etc. I broke off from watching telly to share it with you all. You're welcome 🤓 wdc.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collec…

@PJTheEconomist Well written Paul. It was a promise made on the basis of misunderstanding of economics of defined benefit promises. But it got through equally because of the lack of engagement by the opposition parties and even support from Reform. The scale of this gift is extraordinary.

Did you notice £2.3bn giveaway in Budget to small group of public sector pensioners? Another transfer from young to old. After years of companies pouring hundreds of billions into DB pensions the companies, not pensioners, should benefit from surpluses. thetimes.com/article/0b38ed…

@WASPI_Campaign @PHSOmbudsman @DWPgovuk It is notable how all the replies to your post so far disagree with you. It would not have been right to make younger taxpayers pay to extend a continuing unequal payment to one cohort of affected pensioners.

Government chooses to treat #WASPI women and @PHSOmbudsman with utter contempt, refusing to acknowledge the harm done by @DWPgovuk maladministration. We are considering all options.

@TRobinsonNewEra Tie rack would have done better then.

The powers that be like to tell today's generation that London was always a multicultural city. This was the London Underground in the 1970s. Notice anything?

@FraserNelson You are right to challenge freebies for the elderly. One of the successes of the 20th century was the growth in funded pension provision which gives greater freedom than travel passes. Alas that is now also in serious jeopardy for future generations.

People aged 65-74 have five times the wealth of those aged 25-34. So why do shop workers and cleaners pay full fare while pensioners ride free? A good question from Stephen Bleach... times-comment.com/bus

@CHICAGOjoe60644 @GaiusKonstantin @SeniormanKelzz We called it BODMAS Brackets Of Division Multiplication Addition Subtraction

@GaiusKonstantin @SeniormanKelzz P.E.M.D.A.S

@Matt_Pinner All of the above!

10 for me!!….I feel confident nobody Has all 20!! How many for you?

🗣️ 'No one cycles when it's cold!' Kids & parents of #Oulu🇫🇮 didnt get that memo. At –20°C, 7-year-olds in Oulu bike to school alone. Not because they’re tougher—but because the city made it safe & easy. This isn’t about weather. It’s about priorities. (🎞: @harrivaarala)

@fietsprofessor If London could do this wouldn’t this be wonderful @London_Cycling

#Helsinki🇫🇮 jshows us: It is possible to go a full year with zero traffic deaths.🚶‍♀️🚲🚗 Not a matter of luck. But a matter of policy. 🚗 Slower streets 🚲 Protected bike lanes ❎ Safer crossings 📝 Data > excuses Vision Zero works. Cities can choose safety. Who’s next?

@OJoelsen Has it really come to this that the leader of one NATO member state has to publicly warn another not to invade his country?

Statement from the Prime Minister of Denmark 🇩🇰: “I must say this very clearly to the United States: It makes absolutely no sense to speak of any necessity for the United States to take over Greenland. The United States has no legal basis to annex one of the three countries of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Kingdom of Denmark — and thus Greenland — is a member of NATO and is therefore covered by the Alliance’s collective security guarantee. We already have a defence agreement between the Kingdom of Denmark and the United States that grants the U.S. broad access to Greenland. In addition, the Kingdom has made significant investments in security in the Arctic. I therefore strongly urge the United States to cease its threats against a historically close ally, and against another country and another people who have stated very clearly that they are not for sale.” Mette Frederiksen Prime Minister of Denmark

@MichaelAArouet I’m not sure the global world order includes a clause allowing a richer country to invade an impoverished one.

Venezuela used to be much wealthier than Poland, which was suffering under socialism. Then Poland implemented free-market and capitalist principles and enjoyed an economic boom. Venezuela chose socialism, which brought poverty and misery to its people. That’s the difference.

@edwardlucas @ScottishWidows And it’s the same in all the nationality processing. Marry a Brit and you will spend years getting your British nationality, including repeated unwarranted returns to your home country.

@edwardlucas @ScottishWidows Well done and well written. When people like us go through kafkaesque bureaucratic nightmares one realises less financially literate people just give up.

in which I take a crack at the so-called customer service at @ScottishWidows where transferring a small pension has taken nine months. thetimes.com/comment/column…

@imanobo02670922 @sciencegirl Agreed

@sciencegirl Turkiye is FULL of incredible history!! If you love history, you could spend your entire life in Turkiye and still not see a fraction of the history there.

There’s a mountain in southeast Turkey called mount Nemrut whose summit is famous for large sculptures erected around what is assumed to be a royal tomb from the 1st century BC. All built under the Commagene Kingdom by King Antiochus In 62 BC

@SkyNews To bring lasting peace to the region the volume of daily checkpoints in the occupied territories has to come down. Life is unbearable for people trapped in villages with no means of livelihood.

The Archbishop of York has revealed he was 'intimidated' by Israeli militias during visit his to the Holy Land this year. Most Reverend Stephen Cottrell said he was stopped at checkpoints, and militias told him he could not visit Palestinian families in the occupied West Bank.

@AmbJapanUK Japan is very fortunate to have your enthusiasm for U.K./Japan relations and we are pleased to see you enjoy so much of our way of life.

🇬🇧 is GREAT!!👍 Highlights of our 1st year with Paddington 😄 👇👇👇

Perhaps the greatest failure of the economics profession has been our inability to sell the idea that we should tax "bads" like congestion and pollution. One reason building is so expensive is that we have so many regulations instead of just prices.

@DrSteveTaylor If you turn the statistics round and show how many people are successfully seen or treated then the story is not so miserable. The timetabling I have experienced for things has been very fair.

Let’s go back to 2010! We didn’t need cancer pathways as urgent referrals were seen in 2-3 weeks, routine in 2-3 months Recruitment was rising, jobs were good. It wasn’t perfect but in 4 decades of NHS work it was the best it had been THEN SOMETHING HAPPENED ….

You’ve been lied to about Africa. @MagatteW: “Africa is not poor because of colonialism. Africa is poor because we have made it impossible for our people to create wealth.”