Simon Cook

Data at @the_tpa Helpful regular correspondent

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

Anyone interested in the UK benefits debate should check out https://t.co/KLA5vn4R6V

[Jesse Cohen @JesseCohenInv]

Whoever made this is a genius 😂😂

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@Funactuary2 🤣

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

This is a man who is nowhere near as clever as he thinks he is

[Torsten Bell @TorstenBell]

Retirement for the many, not just the few, was one of the great wins of the 20th century. So there's not much more important than building a pensions system today's workers trust will be there for them too.

Great to speak to the Money & Us podcast.

https://t.co/CElugXyByE

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@JohnRentoul And doesn't take account of up front cost of heat pump

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@JohnRentoul Theoretically yes. Current price cap rates for electricity 26.32p/kWh and gas 7.97p/kWh.
Boiler (90% efficiency) gives 8.86p/kWh out
Heat pump giving 3 units of heat out per unit of electricity in gives 8.77p/kWh out

Obv depends on heat pump efficiency and can get cheaper rates

[The Undercurrent @NotTheirScript]

One of the reasons I don’t like socialism is public bathrooms.

A public bathroom is about as basic a shared resource as you can get. Everyone gets to use it, and everyone is expected to show a little consideration for the next person. The rules aren’t particularly complicated.

And yet, a shocking number of adults can’t even manage to throw their paper towels in the trash. Some will pee all over a toilet seat and leave it for the next person. And the next person, who didn’t make the mess, certainly isn’t going to clean it up either.

Now imagine trusting these same people to collectively manage an entire economy.

We can’t even get everyone to agree that cleaning up their own pee is a personal responsibility, but somehow we’re supposed to believe everyone will become hardworking, responsible, and considerate when we’re sharing the fruits of each other’s labor.

Now, compare your average public restroom to a Buc-ee’s bathroom.

Buc-ee’s figured something out. Clean bathrooms attract customers. Customers spend money. So the company has a financial incentive to keep those bathrooms spotless. They hire people to maintain them, hold employees accountable, and compete for your business.

And people will literally plan their road trips around stopping there.

That’s capitalism. Someone recognized a problem, found a way to solve it, and made money because people valued the result.

Of course, not everyone contributes equally to society. Some people work harder, make better decisions, and take more responsibility. Others seem perfectly content making life more difficult for everyone around them.

I believe people should have the freedom to live however they choose. I also believe in helping people who genuinely need it.

But I have a hard time accepting an economic philosophy that expects me to trust everyone to act in the collective interest when some people can’t be bothered to clean up after themselves.

Buc-ee’s figured out how to get people to willingly pay for a better experience.

Socialism wants me to believe the people leaving paper towels on the floor will suddenly become responsible stewards of everyone else’s resources.

I’m going with the beaver.

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

I mean seriously. If you wanted to go "I have never materially used AI before" then just post it - this just makes you look more than a touch naive

[Jon Trickett MP @jon_trickett]

This morning Gemini AI sought to mislead me repeatedly when I tried to verify research I had done. Eventually it admitted its actions and apologised. Here is screen shot

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@John_Stepek @grenville_1 Wouldn't limit it to economic policy

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@thomasforth Not high enough. That’s for sure

[🇺🇸HG47🇺🇸 @HorseGirl]

This is called the Rocky Running prank, and they do it in England at a park. I can't love this more!

That's what a 'prank' looks like. With everyone smiling and laughing at the end. No trauma. No hurt feelings. Just all round fun.

The fact they can play their instruments and run at the same time is quite impressive.

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@kmei_ @jo3hill No-one forced them to do it of course :-)
It is tricky - don’t deny that. Just wish they’d be a touch more honest…

[Mark Kleinman @MarkKleinmanSky]

Exclusive: The owner of the London Stock Exchange is in talks with top shareholders about proposals to increase CEO David Schwimmer’s maximum annual pay package to over £15m amid warnings that UK-listed companies risk losing more ground to US-listed peers. https://t.co/Dxl4wqVRAz

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

So… all those people who turn 16 able to vote are really going to love having these things banned when they were 15….

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 NEW: Under-16s in the UK could now be banned from Spotify, Lego Play and YouTube Kids under expanded Government proposals to widen the scope of its social media ban

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@AstroJake Did you wait until the hole to find out?

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@NeilDotObrien Is the answer the same as racehorses?

[Robert Colvile @rcolvile]

This is a truly excellent piece of work from @Ben_A_Hopkinson & Edward Donovan. Which is why it's so disappointing that the govt response is so utterly complacent. https://t.co/TiRd3Vydyx

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

@simonharley ChatGPT got there eventually

[Paul Bambury @Paul_Bambury]

@jruddy99 Here's a better way to explain tax

[Simon Cook @cooksimon]

Appalling judgement by @LucyMPowell at that time.

[Kate Ferguson @kateferguson4]

Lucy Powell asked about her decision to arrange Ed Miliband’s notorious interview with Russell Brand in 2015.

She was Ed’s chief of staff at the time.

“Anyone who had contact with him, had they known then what they knew today would have made different choices.”