William Atkinson

What a superb year to gloom-pill and misery-maxx

Few people know this trick, but if you read all four then you will have more scientific knowledge than the last eight energy secretaries and the dozen leading SW1 think tanks combined.

oh to be a pig with no specific duties

🧵Sufficiently advanced regulation is indistinguishable from nationalisation. The British economy, far from being the Wild West that leftist commentators portray it as, contains large swathes which are effectively controlled (even if not owned) by the state.

‘Alcoholism versus Communism’ banner from the Scotland versus the Soviet Union match at the 1982 World Cup.

“Flying Seal Pup,” by artist Michelle Miron-Rebbe

A bit of me’s hoping he gets in simply because the inevitable backlash will destroy twee synthetic Norfernness as a cultural force. Alan Bennett diaries burnt en masse; the Angel of the North toppled.

So funny that Plaid Cymru is all about protecting Welsh from the English but if you raise the fact that Welsh is under threat from (far more alien) international immigrants you get suspended from the party. The next couple of decades are going to be a big reckoning for Celtic nationalism as they approach the immigration levels of England, and realise that their fantasy nationalism of anti England, pro the rest of the world is no longer tenable.

Great piece in the @Telegraph today outlining how Natural England has become the "judge, jury, and executioner" of nutrient mitigation. When it comes to nutrient mitigation, in the face of growing political pressure, successive governments have enabled Natural England (NE) to become both a player and referee of the schemes. This is bad for several reasons: 1️⃣ NE faces clear perverse incentives through this conflict of interest, even if it denies that it will act on them ("decisions are taken objectively and in line with its statutory purpose and direction from minister") 2️⃣ Taxpayer money will be spent ineffectively and inefficiently. NE's scheme has already come under fire, with just 3,000 homes being approved for development in the period from its launch up to the end of last year. 3️⃣ It is an unnecessarily statist approach that crowds out private investment and, therefore, prevents the growth of a private natural capital market, an approach that successive governments have championed. Unfortunately, we are likely to see more of the same with the Nature Restoration Fund that will be created as part of the Planning and Infrastructure Act. While many have been right to celebrate the move away from expensive site-by-site mitigation (ensuring more money from developers is spent on protecting nature, rather than paying consultants and lawyers), the risks laid out above will likely remain. Political pressure to act has led governments to carve out specific types of infrastructure (usually housebuilding) from existing requirements, rather than to grapple with the requirements themselves (nutrient neutrality and the broader EU-derived habitats regulations). If something is broken, it is our duty to fix it. Whether in favour of more development, or less nutrient pollution, or both, it is important to recognise the need to change our current approach. Until we do, we will likely face more inefficiencies, more inefficiencies, and more perverse incentives. That is why @CEN_HQ has long been calling out this issue of NE as judge, jury, and executioner + the need to reform the underlying regulations. Relevant links below ⬇️

If you attack Reform this is who you're attacking.

BREAKING NEWS: @SCCCBrianTheCat back at the CACG and gearing up for #SOMvYOR Day Two ❤️ #YouAreSomerset

>have to pass through the australian migrant ghetto in london >walk by gang of youths wearing cork hats and khaki shorts >they start shouting “g’day mate give us yah phone yah flamin’ drongo” >they throw a boomerang at me >it hooks my phone out my hand and brings it back to them

There's a common misconception that Brutalist buildings were unpainted, but thanks to microscopic analysis of the exteriors we can now recreate what they looked like in their prime.

Good bit on the Spectator podcast when Tim Shipman says the new Labour MPs are all earning double what they did doing comms for a local council/working in policy at a charity and so are all happy to keep their heads down and not rock the boat.

Norfolk's new council borders seem oddly familiar, but I just can't quite figure out why....

I regret to inform everyone that King's Cross in Ulaanbaatar has closed its doors, no doubt yet another victim of Rachel Reeves' blinkered and crackpot hospitality policies.

Grand Theft Auto: Iraq War (A.I. Video)

🌳Trees can cool our streets, but they do so much more too. They are pillars of beauty and biodiversity. In our towns and cities, a row of trees can transform a dull road into a leafy avenue that becomes beloved by those who walk, cycle or drive down it. Unfortunately, as research by @createstreets has shown, the Highways Act 1980 makes it unnecessarily difficult to establish street trees. In order to stop treating every roadside tree as a potential liability and start seeing them as the invaluable assets they are, this legislation must be amended. Attempts were made by @AphraBrandreth & Lord Gascoigne during the passage of the Planning and Infrastructure Act, but the government did not pursue them. It should reconsider this in the new session!

🐿️❤️ Squirrel Nutkin belongs to English woodlands. The grey interloper does not. Those who claim to love English nature must now love it enough to take some unpleasant actions in its defence. The Beatrix Potter inspired conclusion to my latest piece for @TheCriticMag reminded me of @holland_tom's contributions a few years ago at @CEN_HQ's nature conference regarding the importance of conservatives talking in terms of environmental specifics, rather than abstractions. Links for both below 👇