Julian Ranger

@JoshuaSteinman Allergic to raisins, currants and sultanas- but live grapes and wine. Go figure

Am I the only person who’s not down with raisins.

@Rainmaker1973 A petrified tree trunk that is 240 million years old

Name one thing

@WorldByWolf @mattwridley Knock a 100,000 off immediately an debate is a £10B saving right there, with Another 100,000 over say 5 years. And then keep the pressure downwards.

Britain now has 603 government departments, agencies and public bodies and 550,000 civil servants. On a per capita basis we have more civil servants than Communist China does. In 1900 at the height of the Empire Britain only had 50,000 civil servants.

@Nigel_Farage @Sozzinski We need a new countryside party to tell the city folk to go do one - country folk know how to manage the countryside, the greenery and the animals and we don’t need armchair city folk telling us what to do.

So now Labour wants to ban trail hunting. You might as well ban walking dogs in the countryside as they chase rabbits, hares, deer and foxes. Labour are authoritarian control freaks.

@Rainmaker1973 23

I've been to 12, how many have you been to?

@JChimirie66677 I don't do politics publicly, but i stand with the Farmers on inheritance tax (I have posted on that previously) and these arrests are a horrendous abuse of power. The cities should be ashamed of their attitude to the countryside.

Britain crosses these lines brazenly now. No debate. No shame. A government decree, a police order, and suddenly the people who feed the country – the most rooted, law-abiding citizens we have – are the ones being marched away in handcuffs. Not for rioting. Not for violence. For turning up to protest a tax raid that threatens the survival of family farms. This is what decay looks like when it turns into something darker: the state deciding who may speak and who must be silenced. The images from Westminster should chill anyone with a sense of Britain's old freedoms. Dozens of tractors draped in Union flags. Farmers who spend their lives in mud, dawn light and hard graft, standing in the capital because Rachel Reeves has reached for the most brutal tool in the Treasury drawer – inheritance tax – and pointed it straight at the land itself. One death in the family and the farm breaks into pieces, sold off to pay the bill. That is the reality behind the Budget's polite language. These men aren't in London for show. They are there because their futures have been put on the block. And what did the state do? The Met, which can't find the strength to stand up to eco-fanatics or pro-Hamas mobs, suddenly discovered iron in its spine the moment it faced peaceful rural protest. Section 14 orders. Sudden bans. Farmers singled out and cuffed like criminals. Officers who were helping them park an hour earlier switched roles and started clearing them out. This is not policing. This is obedience enforcement – selective, political, and aimed squarely at the demographic this government thinks it can steamroller without consequence. The excuse was "disruption." As if tractors circling Trafalgar Square for a morning threaten the life of the nation, while city-blocking marches and flag-waving fanatics do not. It's the same double standard we've seen for years: indulgence for the activist Left; force for the ordinary citizen who dares to object. A country that treats its farmers as a nuisance is already half-lost. A country that arrests them for standing in public is well on the way to something worse. This isn't happening by accident. It's the logical end of a government drunk on its own authority. They raid family farms for cash; then they send the police to muzzle the people affected. They ban tractors for "serious disruption" while gutting the mechanisms that once protected the public from the state. Speech tightened. Protest restricted. Juries stripped from trials. Now this. One brick at a time, the wall between the government and unchecked power is being pulled down. Farmers don't protest unless they have been pushed to breaking point. A ruling class that still understood the country it governs would know that. This one doesn't care. It sees them as an obstacle, not a backbone. And that is why the images from Westminster matter: they reveal a state no longer restrained by shame or tradition. A state that believes it can handcuff the hands that feed it and get away with it. The truth is simple: a government that fears peaceful farmers fears the country itself. And a government that turns the police on them is not preserving order; it is testing how far it can go. Britain isn't at the end of this road yet. But the direction of travel is plain to anyone with eyes open. "Farmers singled out and cuffed like criminals. Officers who were helping them park an hour earlier switched roles and started clearing them out."

@ClarksonsFarm1 Invest Amazon Bitcoin

@Wisdom_HQ He lived, badly He died, gruesomely He married, bunny-killer

@Adam8Knight @Ed_Miliband It is worse that that @Adam8Knight What labour are proposing is not even technically (or behaviourally) achievable. So all that cost and pain for a nothing, no achievement, nada - a real net zero gain for everyone

@Ed_Miliband Easy to say but explain how higher power costs help anyone today or provide security for the future? You miss the point entirely - everyone is abandoning your party as you just make statements but fail to deliver anything productive or useful. Cheap power = growth + better fut

Progressives need to stand up and fight for climate action. It is the route to better lives for people today, and security for future generations to come. theguardian.com/environment/20…

@Sadie_NC 44 fun times!

I have been to three. I think I need to travel more. 😂😂

If you'd like a nicely formatted Word version just DM me

You could subscribe to fancy financial news sites for analysis or you could use Julian’s budget bingo card below for what our beloved Chancellor’s budget will contain later this year – please enjoy. (Compiled with a little bit of human intelligence backed by the services of multiple AI LLMs.) UK 26 Nov Budget predictions 07 November 2025 11:42 UK Budget for 26 Nov 25: Plausible Revenue-Raising Measures (Prredictions as of 7 Nov 25) This paper assess options reportedly under discussion for closing a fiscal gap near £50bn/yr. Figures are indicative steady-state yields; near-term takes can be smaller if phased. Ranked Revenue Options (Updated with Latest HMT Modelling) Rank & MeasureWhat might change (plain English)Why it’s on the table / signalsIndicative annual yield 1) Income tax: +1–2p across bandsLift the basic (20%), higher (40%) and additional (45%) rates by 1–2p.Direct, high-yield lever; +1p widely cited at £10–11bn; +2p at £20–22bn. Politically bold but effective.+1p ≈ £10–11bn +2p ≈ £20–22bn 2) Extend freeze of income tax & NI thresholdsKeep personal allowance (£12,570) and higher-rate threshold (£50,270) frozen longer (“fiscal drag”).Stealth revenue; protects headline rate pledges; already in place until 2028 — extension adds £8–10bn.≈ £8–10bn (grows over time) 3) Employer NI on investment income (>£50k)Apply employer NI (~15.05%) to dividends, carried interest, and other investment income above £50k for owner-directors and high earners.Closes “worker vs owner” gap; Labour pledge-compatible; HMT now modelling full scope.≈ £4–6bn (IFS Nov 2025) 4) NICs on LLP partners (“employer NI” parity)Apply employer NI (~15%) to working partners in LLPs and some partnerships.Think-tank favourite; levels playing field with employees.≈ £1bn 5) Fuel duty: reverse 5p cut / resume indexationReverse 2021 temporary 5p/litre cut and/or resume RPI indexation from 2026.OBR assumes reversal later; bringing forward yields £1.8–2.2bn in-year.5p reversal ≈ £4–5bn steady-state In-year (2026/27) ≈ £1.8–2.2bn 6) Pensions tax relief reformFlat-rate relief at 30% (or reduce annual allowance to £40k) instead of 40%/45% for higher earners.~50% of relief goes to top 10%; framed as fairness for basic-rate taxpayers.≈ £3–5bn (IFS central case) 7) NICs on rental incomeLevy NI (e.g., 8%) on landlords’ net rental profits up to higher-rate band.Broadens base beyond ‘working people’; regular HMT option.≈ £2–3bn (design-dependent) 8) Capital gains tax (structural fixes)End CGT uplift at death; tighten Business Asset Disposal Relief; limit other exemptions.IFS: rate hikes underperform — structural fixes score better.End uplift ≈ £1.6bn Relief tightening ≈ £1–2bn 9) Non-dom regime: 2-year FIG + trust crackdownShorten Foreign Income & Gains regime from 4 to 2 years; end protected trust loopholes.Manifesto commitment; HMT now sees higher yield from tougher enforcement.≈ £2.5–3bn 10) Council tax: top-band surge / partial rebandingDouble Bands G–H charges; add Band I; limited revaluation in high-value areas.Targets property wealth; long reform case. Devolved opt-out risk.≈ £3–4bn over time (~£3.3–3.8bn UK-wide by 2029/30) 11) VAT base broadening (not headline rate)Lower VAT registration threshold (£90k → £30–60k); move some reduced-rate items to 20%.Avoids inflation hit of rate rise; fits efficiency narrative.Threshold cut to ~£30k ≈ £2bn Other changes vary 12) R&D relief cap + bank surcharge +1ppCap SME R&D credit; raise bank corporation tax surcharge from 3% to 4%.Low political cost; targets profit-shifting and subsidy abuse.≈ £1.5–2bn combined 13) Air Passenger Duty (APD) tiltsFurther increases on premium cabins / private jets on top of RPI.Already hiked; scope for ‘polluter pays’ tweaks.≈ £0.2–0.6bn 14) Inheritance tax (targeted relief reforms)Tighten agricultural & business reliefs; include more pensions in IHT; refine residence nil-rate band.Narrows avoidance; protects typical family homes.Up to ~£1–2bn (package) 15) EV “pay-per-mile” duty (~3p/mile from ~2028)Distance-based charge on EVs (~3p/mile), reconciled annually via odometer or app (separate from VED).Replaces eroding fuel duty; press reports of ~£250/driver/yr average.≈ £1.0–1.3bn early years Rising to ~£1.8bn by ~2031 Illustrative £50bn Package (In-Year 2026/27 → Steady-State) MeasureIn-Year Take (2026/27)Steady-State Income tax +1.5p across bands£15–16bn£15–16bn Threshold freeze extension£8–10bn£9–11bn Employer NI on investment income£4–5bn£5–6bn NI on landlords£2–3bn£2–3bn Fuel duty partial reversal£1.8–2.2bn£4–5bn Pensions relief reform£3–4bn£4–5bn CGT structural fixes£1.6–2bn£2.5–3bn Council tax top-band move£2bn£3.3–3.8bn Non-dom tightening£2.5bn£2.5–3bn VAT threshold cut£2bn£2bn Total£42–49bn£53–60bn+ If still short in-year, a +1pp VAT rise (~£9–10bn by 2029/30) remains a backstop — but politically least likely. Notes & Caveats •Yields drawn from HMRC ready-reckoners, IFS Green Budget 2025, Resolution Foundation, OBR March 2025, and financial press (FT, Telegraph, Nov 2025 leaks). •Steady-state = full-year effect after phasing. In-year reflects 2026/27 start (e.g., Apr 2026 or part-year). •Behavioural responses (e.g., CGT forestalling, landlord incorporation, pension withdrawal spikes) can reduce net take by 10–25%. •Devolution risk: Scotland/Wales may resist council tax and EV duty — reduces UK yield by ~8–10%. •EV mileage duty grows with fleet size; becomes £5bn+ by mid-2030s as fuel duty collapses.

@mazemoore Can someone now sink without trace all vials and information relating to Bovea and ensure our milk is free of inserted poisons? It was crazy even before this semi-U turn; it is a criminal assault on our health now.

In 2019 Bill Gates was saying that we had to stop cows from farting, eat fake meat, and get to net zero emissions globally to prevent climate catastrophe. If you questioned any of it, you were called an uneducated, science-denying caveman. Today Gates said that we will never stop the climate from changing and that other things (such as feeding people) are just as important as emissions reduction. Imagine that.

Could really do with Vodafone at least making a statement at this time. Do I switch on and pay for Starlink which I have as backup or wait?

@Scobleizer Yes, but what actually want is a committee of Grok, ChatGPT, Claude et al. Different skills and viewpoints. (Also no two LLMs hallucinate in the same way, so risk of error drops dramatically. )

By the way, someday AI's like Grok will be able to create "contextual committees" of such personas to help your agents, or you, do any task. If you are fixing a car, don't you want a group of car mechanics to help you? Yes! If you are touring Disneyland, don't you want a committee of virtual people to help you, like I did? (The CTO of Disney gave me a tour and along with that tour was a guy who did a weekly podcast on Disneyland/Disneyworld. Between those two I had a far better experience at the park than I did went they weren't around). For everything you do in life creating synthetic humans, and committees of them, will improve your life and the operation of your agents.

This is a good chance to show you a new thing that Grok can do for you. The argument on the table is whether Meta's new Rayban glasses with displays are augmented reality. Ben lays out that they are not, but that caused others to say they are. So, let's ask Grok to create a digital twin of me and one of Steve Mann to go into depth about what his view might be, based on his writings (and mine). Damn it is amazing. I've done this dozens of times with real humans and it impresses every single time. This technique is important to building agentic systems, too. After I turned the camera off at @FactoryAI today I talked with the leaders there about just this and it's a very powerful technique to get your agents "extra help" to do their tasks. Think about it, if you are picking a bottle of wine out at the grocery store, wouldn't you make a better decision if you had a sommelier and a chef there who knew wine and food pairings to help you? Yes. So let's get into the argument Ben is having. Grok's discussion is highly accurate, by the way (I wrote two books on spatial computing and have had this argument with many who have taught me the correct terminology to use): +++++ Here is a simulated conversation between me and augmented reality pioneer Steve Mann (who wore digital devices on his face for decades). It goes into every part of this argument and clearly lays out why Meta's Display glasses are NOT augmented reality: grok.com/share/bGVnYWN5… By the way, I'm working on learning how to use a new people search capability from @lessie_ai to help you find real humans and if you can find real humans you can have Grok make a digital twin of them, or at least of someone with that role. More on that this weekend. I just used it to find lathe operators at big manufacturing companies, for instance, and it also shows you a lot of information about those people, so you can use that to create personas to help your agents. @samuelekpe showed me how he uses those to help his agents do tasks for companies and it was highly informative, as per above. Thanks Sam!

A very measured and sensible analysis to rebalance the UK books. Pity he is speaking into the void.

Rachel Reeves doesn’t have to raise taxes - it’s a political choice- read my article today in the @DailyMail mol.im/a/15134679

It’s Battle of Britain Day, when the world pauses to remember the huge debt it owes to the Hawker Hurricane. Repeat please.

Welll about 2 years ago you cancelled my new Tesla X order that I had waited 2 years (!!!) for you to fulfill. I understand you stop selling RHD Xs for UK but really why was I not sold anything for 2 years? The good countervailing news is that I still drive the Tesla X we bought 8 years ago and it is going strong (and you still pay our supercharger fillups - thanks!!)

Please reply to this post with any difficulties you may have had in trying to buy a Tesla. Our goal is for the purchase and delivery experience to be fast and simple, with accurate answers to your questions. The key test is that you would recommend it to a friend.