Chris Hatter

[Tim Walker @ThatTimWalker]

Very cool, entertaining and with high production values: if I were @Nigel_Farage, I’d consider dipping into that £5 million to try to get out a video that can compare to it.

[Chris Hatter @Chris_Hatter]

@BrewDog @tilray Too little too late - when your customers are you investors best not to screw them over.

[Tim Shipman @ShippersUnbound]

Further to Blair. Literally every honest sensible person in all the main parties privately agrees with all these propositions:

- welfare spending is too high and is throwing good people on the scrapheap
- defence spending is too low
- the triple lock is unsustainable
- without cheap energy we cannot exploit the AI revolution
- we should be investing in EVERY form of energy: renewables, nuclear and the North Sea
- migration needs to be controlled to boost social cohesion and because the boats look like a huge failure of the state
- any new relationship with the EU will be imposed on us until we are stronger and cannot involve the closeness some desire without freedom of movement
- we are deeply embedded with America in ways which the public does not understand and cannot be told and however joyous it makes us feel to hate Trump, disengagement at the deep state level is not only wholly unrealistic but also undesirable
- Whitehall needs a total overhaul so specific project expertise and political appointees can be brought in quickly

Blair basically says all that.

The one thing he doesn’t say and which the same group of people agree on is this and it’s something Blair left behind:

- judges and quangos have too much power, are unaccountable and without redressing the balance in favour of parliament it is very difficult to do anything big fast
- the bare minimum that needs to change in this regard is to reform judicial review and planning law so we can put building and economic growth ahead of newts and NIMBYs

None of that above really ought to be up for discussion. It is all common sense but not one of our politicians will publicly say all of it

Whatever you think of Blair, engage with what he’s saying not how he makes you feel. The bare minimum we should expect from any leader is that they have an analysis of the current situation and a plan to deal with it which is as coherent and realistic as his intervention. Pretty well every critique I’ve read so far has failed to meet this requirement.

Over to Andy and Keir and Kemi and Nigel and Zack and all the others

[Portsmouth City Council @portsmouthtoday]

Free tickets are now available for @PortsmouthPort's community open day on Saturday 13 June. Fun for all the family, see behind the scenes at one of the UK's busiest ports and climb aboard ships and machinery. Find out more and grab your free tickets - https://t.co/walT3942OG

[Portsmouth International Port @PortsmouthPort]

Cruise spotters, this one’s for you! How many have you seen over the weekend?

Here’s who’s been stopping by our port...

@SagaUK

[Stephen Morgan MP @StephenMorganMP]

Portsmouth International Port contributed £195m to the local economy, providing thousands of jobs while contributing £10.8m into the council’s coffers.

Pleasure to attend an event in Parliament to celebrate the port’s vital role in our city and as an important trade route for the country.

[Portsmouth International Port @PortsmouthPort]

Read more about the port's impact here: https://t.co/HM3pWcWRmy

[Portsmouth International Port @PortsmouthPort]

Today we launch the findings from our economic impact report, which has shown the port contributes £400m to the UK economy and £195m locally.

We are looking forward to sharing more details with our partners and stakeholders at a reception in Westminster later this evening.

[Hampshire County Council @hantsconnect]

M27 J9-J11 Travel Important Update - We can confirm that the M27 between J9 and J11 will fully reopen 24 hours ahead of schedule at 4am on Saturday 3 January.
#M27J10Closure

[Hampshire County Council @hantsconnect]

M27 J9-J11 Closure - Progress update
Although temperatures have dropped, our teams remain on site around the clock to deliver upgrades to the M27 J10, with the motorway’s base layer now being applied.
#M27J10Closure @HighwaysSEAST

[Portsmouth International Port @PortsmouthPort]

That’s a wrap on 2025 for Portsmouth International Port! 🚢💙

Scroll through some of our highlights from a busy year👇

Happy New Year – see you in 2026 🌟

[Hampshire County Council @hantsconnect]

*M27 J9-J11 Closure*
Thank you for your continued patience as our teams work 24/7 to deliver a new underpass at J10. For anyone planning New Year's Eve travel tomorrow in the area, please check before you travel and plan ahead.
#M27J10Closure @HighwaysSEAST

[Paddy Power @paddypower]

Our Even Bigger 180 campaign is calling on 180,000 men to check their risk of prostate cancer via @ProstateUK's risk checker.

Even @piersmorgan will agree it’s quick, easy and it might save your life.

Over 105,360 have checked their risk. Do yours now: https://t.co/xVJOFp0uiK

[Portsmouth City Council @portsmouthtoday]

🚧 Reminder: M27 J10 closure 🚧
M27 closed both ways between J9 (Whiteley) & J11 (Fareham) from 8pm 24 Dec - 4am 4 Jan for upgrade works.
🚗Plan ahead, use A27 diversion,
🕰 Travel outside of peak times if possible.
🚆Consider train travel.

[Alan Smith @AlanJLSmith]

Suppose that once a week, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to £100.

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.

The fifth would pay £1.

The sixth would pay £3.

The seventh would pay £7.

The eighth would pay £12.

The ninth would pay £18.

And the tenth man (the richest) would pay £59.　

So, that’s what they decided to do.

The ten men drank in the bar every week and seemed quite happy with the arrangement until, one day, the owner caused them a little problem.

“Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your weekly beer by £20.”

Drinks for the ten men would now cost just £80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes.

So the first four men were unaffected.

They would still drink for free but what about the other six men?

The paying customers? How could they divide the £20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?

They realized that £20 divided by six is £3.33, but if they subtracted that from everybody’s share then not only would the first four men still be drinking for free but the fifth and sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.　

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fairer to reduce each man’s bill by a higher percentage.

They decided to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.

And so, the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (a 100% saving).

The sixth man now paid £2 instead of £3 (a 33% saving).

The seventh man now paid £5 instead of £7 (a 28% saving).

The eighth man now paid £9 instead of £12 (a 25% saving).

The ninth man now paid £14 instead of £18 (a 22% saving).

And the tenth man now paid £49 instead of £59 (a 16% saving).　

Each of the last six was better off than before with the first four continuing to drink for free.　

But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings. “I only got £1 out of the £20 saving,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man, “but he got £10!“　

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a £1 too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!”　

“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get £10 back, when I only got £2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”　

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison, “we didn’t get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!”

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.　

The next week the tenth man didn’t show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their beers without him.

But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important – they didn’t have enough money between all of them to pay for even half of the bill!　

And that’s how it works.

Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy and they just might not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.　

For those who understand, no explanation is needed.

For those who do not understand, no explanation is possible.

[Chris Hatter @Chris_Hatter]

@PompeyWomen @BarclaysWSL2 Voted for! She has been excellent in leading the line, effort, finishing and moving into other roles to support changes through matches 👏👏

[Portsmouth International Port @PortsmouthPort]

Cruisin’ through the weekend. August sailed off in style with not one, not two, but THREE cruise ships docking at our port on Saturday:

✨ @virginvoyages' Scarlet Lady

🏛️ @vikingcruises' Viking Vela

🌊 Island Sky from Noble Caledonia

What a summer send-off 🌟

[Portsmouth City Council @portsmouthtoday]

There’s still time to tell us how well you know Portsmouth International Port! Please take five minutes to fill out our survey, and help us to better promote the port and its important contribution to our city: https://t.co/h1UY7g2Bog

[Chris Hatter @Chris_Hatter]

⁦@H_Haughton92⁩ ⁦Thank you for everything you’ve done for the club but also for inspiring so many new players, particularly girls, including our 5 year old! There is only ever one Pompey shirt for her - Hannah’s! ⁦Good luck for the future! ⁦@PompeyWomen⁩

[Chris Hatter @Chris_Hatter]

@MHMMediaGroup what was your best footballing moment? Was any private moment better? #mhmportsmouthlegends