Matthew Wall

@afneil @GMB Since Brexit, the UK's goods exports to the EU have dropped around 18% (Source: ONS). This is the reality, not pie-in-the-sky forecasts.

The UK/EU reset has reignited the claim in much of the media that Britain’s GDP is 4% lower than it would have been but for Brexit, citing the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). It was just cited yet again on @GMB Good Morning Britain, as it has all over the place. But it is not what the OBR said. Since March 2020 the OBR has argued that Brexit will reduce the UK’s long-run potential productivity by approximately 4%. It is not an estimate of an immediate or annual GDP loss — much less one that has already happened — but a long-term reduction in the economy’s productive capacity which will take OVER 15 YEARS to materialize fully. The OBR argues this on the well-founded economic basis that free trade boosts productivity and trade barriers reduce it over time. Hence the potential long-term hit to GDP because, even with the EU/UK free trade agreement there will be more trade barriers than before. At no stage does the OBR claim Brexit is a direct 4% annual GDP loss — as the media so often repeats — but a lower growth trajectory over time i/e GDP could be 4% lower than otherwise by 2035. The OBR projection is based on an assumption of a 15% reduction in trade intensity (exports plus imports as a share of GDP) over time. If that proves pessimistic, the 4% projection will be too high. If optimistic, too low

@TrentAA You've been a great servant for this club @TrentAA. Thanks for all the memories. Don't listen to the haters. Disagree with your decision to leave on a free and think you'll find it hard at Real, but respect your right to make it. All the best lad.

After 20 years at Liverpool Football Club, now is the time for me to confirm that I will be leaving at the end of the season. This is easily the hardest decision I’ve ever made in my life. I know many of you have wondered why or been frustrated that I haven’t spoken about this yet, but it was always my intention to keep my full focus on the team’s best interests, which was securing No.20. This club has been my whole life – my whole world - for 20 years. From the Academy right through until now, the support and love I have felt from everyone inside and outside of the club will stay with me forever. I will forever be in debt to you all. But, I have never known anything else and this decision is about experiencing a new challenge, taking myself out of my comfort zone and pushing myself both professionally and personally. I’ve given my all every single day I’ve been at this club, and I hope you feel like I’ve given back to you during my time here. From the bottom of my heart, I thank everybody – my coaches, my managers, my teammates, the staff and our incredible supporters - for the last 20 years. I’ve been blessed enough to live out my dreams here and I will never, ever take for granted the special moments I’ve been fortunate enough to have lived through with you all. My love for this club will never die.

@JohnSimpsonNews With the greatest respect @JohnSimpsonNews , I'm not sure we have do a right NOT to be insulted, providing the insult doesn't tip over into illegal hate speech or harassment. We have a fine tradition of insult in this country - think of our scabrous and satirical cartoons!

Of course you have every right to disagree with absolutely anything I say — but you don’t have the right to insult or threaten or abuse me, or my colleagues, or the outfit I work for. If you do, I’ll block you; so why not disagree in a civilised fashion?

Economically @realDonaldTrump is making @trussliz look like John Maynard Keynes! It didn't end well for Liz and the UK, and it's going to end bigly worsely for Trump's America. Forget #MAGA, this is #MAPA - Make America Poor Again!! 😥

@elonmusk Cue lots of "clutching at straws" puns around the 🌎 🙄

Greatest President ever!

@BevHarvey_ Thinking of you Bev. It must be awful for you. Try to stay positive. Easier said than done I know.

@afneil Where and how does he style himself as 'anti-establishment'? Your rants are becoming ever more incoherent and unfounded. Shame.

Reports that London Mayor Sadiq Khan will be knighted in New Year’s Honours List — must be for services to Paris. [Also … why would a self-styled anti-establishment left winger even think of accepting a knighthood?]

@TheABD @Ed_Miliband This a fallacious argument, the same they used against wind power at the start. All new technology costs are high in the early days because of lack of scale and investment. Energy storage has been ignored by governments, but with investment and innovation, costs would tumble.

F.A.O. @Ed_Miliband

Given the intermittency of wind and solar power, why is there not far more investment in energy storage? It's hardly ever mentioned and yet would seem to be a crucial element of the transition towards a low-carbon economy. @Ed_Miliband #RenewableEnergy #energystorage

@seanaa88 I wonder how many of these petitioners bothered to vote in the very recent general election? To use a phrase beloved of Brexiteers, this new Labour Government is "the will of the people". Why not respect democracy, eh?

Bringing up a petition that was signed by bots and people who don't even live in Britain just shows how desperate and shaken Kemi Badenoch is. Keir Starmer is running rings around her! #PMQs #PoliticsLive

@jonsopel There is no point other than feeding the denialism of Tory voters who've just lost a general election by a landslide and are shocked that a Labour government might actually want to change things.

When a petition like this can be so easily manipulated, what is its point?

Microsoft has launched the GenAI Accelerator initiative to develop the UK’s brightest and best #AI-focused start-ups. Discover how @MicrosoftUK's partnership with @nvidia and @github can springboard these startups to future success: msft.it/6011WXRel #Startup #Microsoft

Have just blocked @elonmusk - a small but satisfying protest over his abuse of power and alarming views.

@RoryStewartUK @RoryStewartUK You'll often warn about optimism bias. Maybe you have a tendency towards pessimism bias?! The problem with pessimism is that it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. But I agree that groupthink is dangerous.

I get particularly worried when there is a positive energy everywhere 🥺

When Corbyn failed to win an election the Far Left said "we should have gone more to the left". When the Tories failed to win, the Far Right now say "we should have gone further to the right". Both points of view are demonstrably wrong.

Really looking forward to @bettanyhughes new #Treasures series starting tonight. Always fascinating and informative. Do give it a watch!

@campbellclaret @RoryStewartUK Worth bearing in mind - when you're fretting about the malign influence of @GBNEWS - that the average daily viewing time is just 55 seconds! (Source: BARB)

@campbellclaret @RoryStewartUK @RestIsPolitics

Well blow me down with a feather! Who'd have thought it? If only the experts has warned us this would happen...😤 #BrexitReality thetimes.co.uk/article/cost-o…

@BylineTV Isn't it more to do with globalisation and competition from China? We just can't make steel as cheaply here.

The largest steel works in Britain closed and the media didn’t even ask WHY We exposed the real reason - which was Brexit & cuts. It was watched by two million people. As independent media we need your help to keep exposing the truth about what’s really going on. Please support us ❤️❤️❤️ byline.tv/join