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Odds and Ends of History

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Christmas Mailbag! Is Elon Musk actually smart? Will HS2 ever be properly finished? Do I like Dominic Cummings? And...
3 months ago
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Odds and Ends #49: How bat protection regulations broke Britain's planning system Plus how Europe isn't *all bad* at growth, why every Netflix film is forgettable, and why you should...
3 months ago
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Odds and Ends #50: The weird thing about London's New Year's Fireworks Plus how the government should respond to Musk's nonsense, and an AI video that might just show us...
3 months ago
46
3 months ago
Plus how the government should respond to Musk's nonsense, and an AI video that might just show us how video production is going to change.
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Yes, AI really can be used to tackle potholes It's not bullshit, it's already happening.
3 months ago
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Odds and Ends #51: Transport for London made a terrible decision and I hope they reverse it Plus Britain's broken car market, what the LibDems should do next and how some lefty institutions...
3 months ago
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Why we need seven bins It's time for some #binchat
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #48: The most important week of Labour government so far? Plus a British tech unicorn, a nuclear energy ticking time bomb and... New Zealand's weird...
3 months ago
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Odds and Ends #53: Now TfL is betting on AI cameras to improve safety Plus Leicester's neo-imperial ambitions, why governments are too scared to govern, a theory on why...
2 months ago
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Britain should ban TikTok My uncharacteristically illiberal opinion
2 months ago
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The social justice case for self-driving cars Abundant mobility should be a moral crusade
3 months ago
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New event! How AI can (maybe) fix the government! Book your tickets now!
3 months ago
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Odds and Ends #52: A right to air conditioning? Plus how New Zealand solved a housing crisis, dodgy Chinese robotaxis and Newsnight reviewing...
3 months ago
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LISTEN: The future of transport – with Michael Dnes Where we're going, we need roads (and trains) (and maybe drones)
2 months ago
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Odds and Ends #54: Voters in 2019 and 2024 were (mostly) the same – it was the parties that changed Plus can Trump revive the British left's patriotism? And some quick wins for growth, and the...
2 months ago
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DeepSeek isn't a victory for the AI sceptics Am I mad... or is everyone else?
2 months ago
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Odds and Ends #47: I think this YouTube video just changed my life Plus vertical farming, the Russia/EU border, and more on why the Lobby is bad.
4 months ago
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5 questions about the "AI opportunities action plan" What the lobby should have asked.
3 months ago
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Important information if you used my Bluesky MP follows bot Please read this immediately.
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #55: The left needs to learn to love AI Plus Waymo's masterplan, life on a container ship, and the one guy responsible for slowing down road...
2 months ago
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Odds and Ends #43: An awesome drone trial in central London, legalised e-scooters at last, and... And yes, I am on Bluesky.
4 months ago
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Book now! Where we're going, we need roads (and trains) My next in-person event/meet-up, with transport policy expert Michael Dnes!
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #46: The transformation of London's skyline, a big week for nuclear, and installing... Plus how to avoid the road pricing landmine
4 months ago
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Here's a pitch for what the National Data Library should actually be Do you want to be a National Data Librarian?
a month ago
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WATCH: Talking trains with Jonn Elledge! The new Overground names, why the north always loses out, and more!
4 months ago
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We need more than Westminster reporters to understand government Lobby correspondent hegemony is bad.
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #44: The New Statesman still needs fixing Plus Channel Tunnel news, a NIMBY assault on an excellent pub, and more!
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #42: An Elizabeth Line extension, some mad planning law nonsense, and the world's most... Your regular round-up of interesting links
5 months ago
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Christmas Mailbag - Questions Wanted! Ask me stuff!
4 months ago
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Keir Starmer needs to prepare for a world without America Today's empires, tomorrow's ashes.
5 months ago
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Here's how AI can REDUCE health misinformation How the government can build a bullshit detector
5 months ago
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AI is going to break how schools work – but that will be good The awkward reality the government seems scared to talk about
2 months ago
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NEW EVENT: How the YIMBYs won Book now to see my conversation with housing hero Anya Martin!
2 months ago
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Just Stop Oil is doing more harm for the cause than good Mitigating climate change requires more than poems and protest
a month ago
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Four big US election takes: Yes, it was the woke stuff. Plus how to know when the Democrats are taking their problems seriously, the one good thing Trump...
5 months ago
22
5 months ago
Plus how to know when the Democrats are taking their problems seriously, the one good thing Trump might do, and why the polls were right
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Odds and Ends #45: Deliverism, blasphemy and selfies from space Plus the best Minecraft-themed political deepfake you'll see today
4 months ago
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Odds and Ends #57: The government isn't as sluggish as it feels Why Labour supporters should hold their nerve (for now)
2 months ago
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The government ordering Apple to break its encryption is stupid, counter-productive and unworkable For the love of god, ask the computer people if your plan might actually work first.
2 months ago
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Building luxury homes for millionaires is good for poor people Yes In My Back Yard!
a month ago
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WATCH: Were the US election polls right? My conversation with polling guru Mark Pack
5 months ago
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Odds and Ends #56: The awkward truth about Brexit Plus a giant leap for devolution, the nuclear industry being cowards, and some crazy humanoid robots
2 months ago
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I'm pro-assisted dying in principle, but I'm not sure about the proposed law Is no law better than a bad law?
4 months ago
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How to fix the New Statesman In which I probably burn some bridges.
a month ago
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Nobody knows what the National Data Library is (not even the government) A policy wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma
5 months ago
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Odds and Ends #59: The end of "woke capitalism" Plus the government did the stupid thing after all.
a month ago
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Odds and Ends #58: An even greater London? Plus a revealing portrait of Westminster's hidden connections and some cope on why Trump might not...
a month ago
19
a month ago
Plus a revealing portrait of Westminster's hidden connections and some cope on why Trump might not be *so* catastrophic. Maybe. If we're lucky.
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The new GOV.UK login system is the first step in a radical transformation of the British state A British "DOGE" (of sorts) is rearchitecting the government
a month ago
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How to fix The Observer Slow news is good news?
4 months ago
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Four nuggets of Postcode Address File news To free the PAF we must first solve a coordination problem
2 months ago
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Listen to The Abundance Agenda A new podcast about growth and progress
a month ago
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Odds and Ends #60: Greenpeace is complaining about... solar energy? Plus why the west has semiconductor politics all wrong, and why you should watch Conclave.
a month ago
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How I learned to stop worrying and love the military industrial complex Whether Trump wins or loses today, Europe should tool up and prepare to fight.
5 months ago
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Odds and Ends #61: Fake Woolly Mammoths Plus why intelligence is social, Land Registry open data, and some completely invisible VFX
a month ago
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Empty climate gestures, Peter Hitchens' timezone crusade, and the big questions about New Towns Let Barry have his solar panels!
3 weeks ago
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How the government can raise taxes – and get away with it It's time to treat Trump like the crisis he is
2 weeks ago
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A significant UK think-tanking is backing the campaign to liberate the Postcode Address File The pressure is on the government to abolish the Innovation Tax
a month ago
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Britain needs a national drone company Forget GB Railways and GB Energy... how about GB Drones?
a month ago
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Odds and Ends #63: A major electric vehicle breakthrough?! Plus why the Democrats lost, the AI camera explosion, and more.
4 weeks ago
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Listen: How the YIMBYs won My event with Anya Martin (with a brief cameo from Chris Curtis MP!)
3 weeks ago
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Odds and Ends #62: Right-wing populism is over... maybe... possibly... hopefully Plus over-diagnosis, governance theatre, and... crisps.
a month ago
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The Planning Bill, Lab Meat, and why Milton Keynes isn't afraid of growth The Abundance Agenda - Episode 2 - with Chris Curtis MP
a month ago
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The government should stop worrying about the Daily Mail Test You can't fix the Civil Service by penny-pinching
2 weeks ago
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Why we love Luton Airport, and a terrible plan for changing the London Mayoralty Plus the exciting launch of the Centre for British Progress
a week ago
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The Lower Thames Crossing, getting mad at boomers and the scourge of Everythingism Plus we're 18,000 homes closer to the, er, 1.5 million homes target
2 weeks ago
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The Abundance Vibe Shift What is Abundance, where did it come from, and what is its wife's name?
4 weeks ago
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Odds and Ends #64: Why we cancelled our trip to America Plus how to save Blue Peter
3 weeks ago
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Odds and Ends #65: Everything is about everything Plus why Britain can't build things... except for the Lower Thames Crossing, apparently.
2 weeks ago
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Odds and Ends #65: Economic growth is core to a progressive agenda Plus the terrifying story of what actually happened to Boeing's Starliner capsule, and a terrible...
a week ago
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This road is broken – and nobody can fix it The spiders aren't the only thing stopping Ebbsfleet's development
a week ago
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Spring Mailbag - Questions Wanted! Ask me stuff!
6 days ago
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A tale of two theme parks Plus why British Steel turned into a crisis, and how to level up... but do it properly
3 days ago
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Odds and Ends #66: The winner of the 2040 US Presidential election is in space Plus ultra-grim Nazi revisionism, why Kemi is right about Adolescence, and my Gladiators conspiracy...
18 hours ago