Mike R

Free markets, libertarianism, free speech, low tax and small state.
LFC, cycling, guitars, heavy metal and a bit of gardening.
Tweet a lot about VAT too.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

Alexa.... Pin this tweet for me

[Vivek Ramaswamy @VivekGRamaswamy]

Name ONE time in human history when the group fighting to ban books and censor speech were the good guys.

I’ll wait...

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@ka_zarwa1 City have 8....

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@Rob_NBF Send it

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@johnnyxbrown 2023

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@haydnschofield Which is why the UK has it at 5%.... but couldn't lower it any further. Because, well, the EU prevents those states from going below 5% currently.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@Ryderback3 But you know that those EU members could only cut it to the same level it is in the UK right now right, and can't cut it any further because of those EU rules?

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@1_pye @201ginny This is completely untrue. I'm sorry to be so blunt about it, but it is.

The EU has the VAT Directive in force, which literally dictates ALL of the rules about VAT to each member state.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@1_pye @201ginny But you understand that they've reduced it to the same level as it is in the UK, i.e. the minimum 5% rate that the EU allows?

Any attempt to reduce it further would not be permitted.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@mikelovestweets @Halestorm @LZZYHALE I'm sure you are aware but they've just launched a UK "Evening with..." tour - last time they did this, and basically opened for themselves, it was a quite amazing show...

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

One of the best interviews on Triggerpod recently. It will be a huge loss to the teaching profession if a man so passionate about critical thought and equipping students with key skills is driven out of his vocation by hurt feelings.

Well worth an hour of your listening time.

[TRIGGERnometry @triggerpod]

Former teacher at Eton College, Will Knowland

I received a complaint saying that “To debate certain topics would place a member of staff in a hostile environment”

Hosts
@francisjfoster @KonstantinKisin

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

The ink on the Scottish Hate Crime Bill is still wet, and yet without even a hint of irony, we have this.

[Ian Blackford @blackfordian1]

The SNP will vote against the Tory Police Bill, which imposes disproportionate restrictions on our freedom of expression and right to protest. It is a rushed and poorly considered bill, which would damage the rights of people across the UK. It should be withdrawn immediately.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

Breaking news....

Rishi Sunak, Tory Chancellor, is a Tory....

[Freddie @FreddieBailey96]

Rishi Sunak went to a top private school, Oxford University, married into a billionaire family, was a banker then parachuted into a safe Tory seat.

He tried to end the furlough scheme early, voted against £20 a week uplift for UC & voted against free meals.

He's a massive Tory.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@mcpete @cordwainia Exactly this. The operation of "Freeports" under EU jurisdiction is different to how the UK *might* operate them.

But the devil is in the detail.

Specifically issues around scope and range of tax breaks/incentives will be different now.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@PeterCosten @stephencanning I bet even you didn't expect to be this right.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

For posterity:

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

Is this some sort of world record for Godwin's Law?

[Dany @CryptoRD88]

@tomhfh @JuliaHB1 Totally agree with you, Tom. If Hitler was alive today then he would totally deserve his right to free speech!

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

Instalment 31....

Anyone would think he had a book coming out or something....

🤔

[Alex Deane @ajcdeane]

This is the 31st instalment of #deanehistory.

Adeline, Countess of Cardigan and Lancastre, (not a typo, albeit it's sometimes anglicised) played fast & loose with naming conventions.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

@kenanmalik Is there any merit in the argument that the intention is to limit what cannot be said, rather than what can?
It doesn't feel like relying on the organic development of free speech is going to especially successful.

But of course there is a natural unease at official invovlement.

[Mike R @MikeRowlands]

Is the only conclusion of this awkward realisation that the new policy is a "bad one"? Or a necessary evil?
Can it be rationalised away by "it's only controlling what cannot be said" or is that really no different to state control?
Something needs to be done - but not this?

[Kenan Malik @kenanmalik]

The confusion of the free speech debate is perhaps best expressed by the fact that most of those nominally in favour of free speech support Gavin Williamson’s proposals while many of those often contemptuous of “freeze peach” point out the problems of government intervention.