Matt

ELP guy. Ex bank guy. Meme enjoyer. All views my own and not XTX’s.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@ArchieHall @JeevunSandher This is an extremely painful misreading from Jeevun. Eg energy costs are holding back growth - true. So we must build more renewables? Have a listen to Dieter Helm on the recent IFS podcast. Almost all the proposed solutions will make the problems worse. Pragmatism > ideology.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@duncanrobinson One of the best features of the American tax system is the relatively high % of tax raised by states vs federal. Better local decision making/accountability and also competition across states keeps ideology honest.

[FT for Schools @ft4s]

Trading firm XTX donates £26mn for maths research at UK universities https://t.co/n1ZYv8xovY

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@BenZaranko Fun explanation. And voters are the parents (hey it’s our booze/tax) who are disappointed to see Rachel has broken her solemn promise not to have another house party (after getting in trouble for her first unauthorised one)

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@kateferguson4 I like @NeilDotObrien a lot but it’d be a lot punchier and more credible if he could address the Triple Lock alongside these to show they’re serious and willing to do hard things even where their median voter needs convincing.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@Frencheconomics @SallyBundockBBC @BBCNews All fair but it’s hardly like current energy policy is showing any sign of improving on the past and that’s, again, a decision they make

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@DanNeidle @gallacj4 Wealth taxes are no panacea; average workers seem under taxed wrt peers in high spending nations ; high earners actually were taxed more recently etc. etc. Knowing those things just seems so discordant with what so many on “the left” seem to think, evidenced by the nasty replies?

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@DanNeidle @gallacj4 @DanNeidle . Firstly, thank you for your brilliant work, regardless of some of the nasty replies on here. Secondly a question: i understand you are a Labour Party member and genuinely am curious how you reconcile its views vs the ‘facts of life’ in your work? For example …

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@DanEtchells @DanNeidle The inequality in how people are being taxed currently is probably not the direction you imagine it to be. To make UK more consistent with other high spending European countries taxes would proportionally have to rise more on average income people not high income taxpayers.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

It really is a bug in our political system. If you look at ministers who really achieved things (from both parties) they were in the role for a sustained period and built up expertise and institutional relationships - often preparing for years in opposition.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

If a company is not performing the CEO does not make the Overseas Director deputy CEO, swap the Industrial director to Personnel and the Security Chief to International Sales. It sorts out why its top people are failing in key roles. Why does the PM think the reshuffle will work?

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

Required reading for anyone who cares about economic growth (and/or global emissions).

https://t.co/iVJFNCcu0E

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

Wish we had politicians like this

[Angelica 🌐⚛️🇹🇼🇨🇳🇺🇸 @AngelicaOung]

ABSOLUTE CINEMA!

Anti-nuclear DPP staffer Chen Sheng-wen thought he had a good gotcha going...he placed a bunch of bottled water overnight in Lan-yu's low-level radioactive waste facility overnight. Then he took them to KMT headquarters to dare them to drink the "irradiated water."

"I wanted to remind them that nuclear waste is more than politics...it's a real issue!" said Chen.

KMT Party Spokeswoman Crystal Yang ripped the bottled water from Chen and chugged it on camera, saying "tastes good!" "Taiwan needs clean energy!" and "nuclear energy should be discussed logically and scientifically, not used as a prop for emotional manipulation."

The flabbergasted Chen could only shoot back "you are super childish!" and "it's not a point of pride!" as he scurried away and turned into a corncob.

KMT Legislators Hsu Chiao-Hsin and Taoyuan City Councilor Ling Tao later also enjoyed the refreshment curtesy of the DPP.

Hsu said nuclear waste is safe when it is properly stored and reminds everyone to vote YES on the Restart Maanshan referendum on Saturday, adding "this is the weakest political stunt in history."

Ling said they've visited the Langyu facilities and the radiation level near the storage area is lower than Taipei Main Station. "That guy wants to run for office? Could be bad for constituent IQ."

[Callum @AkkadSecretary]

Every time you use a VPN

A child dies

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@K_Niemietz I enjoy the political/economic commentary but the sausage bias is extreme. I lived in Germany a while and honestly the sausages were below average.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@DanielJHannan @sarollia Meh candidate pool of MPs is already crap and there are only 600 of them. I’d rather 5x their salary and get better decisions.

Agree we need Milei approach and big cuts but saving ~0.001% at the expense of good decisions is a false economy.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

Reducing the quantity and improving the candidate pool quality of decision-making MPs would be great and pay for itself many times over. I shudder to think what Lee Kuan Yew would make of the current generation.

[KingoftheCoast @kingofthecoastt]

Top pay in the Singaporean government is kind of crazy. Base salary tied to the top 0.02% of earners, and bonuses tied to macroeconomic aggregates.

[Paul Johnson @PJTheEconomist]

Key point in Dan’s brilliant take down of fantasies of left on tax. Equivalent fantasy on right is huge painless spending cuts.

We can have bigger state and more tax on average earners. We can have smaller state and real cuts in public services/benefits.

Thats it. The choice

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@PaulEmbery You don’t need to provided you can run a surplus. If you are incapable of doing so and need to borrow then “indulge” markets you must.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@KevWrigley @DanNeidle @EdmundAvalon Oh yeah it’s completely inconsistent and tax system is a shambles ; I’m just saying what I think she *will* do, alongside fiscal drag.

[Matt @Matt_Clark3]

@maxcownie_ @DanNeidle @EdmundAvalon Triple lock is something I’d agree with but now we’re back in the land of “ordinary people paying”. Do you think Labour has a mandate for that based on their election pitch? I’m not sure if people would vote for ever more spending if they knew they personally would help fund it.