Neil Garratt AM

Hello, I’m Neil. Conservative London Assembly Member for Croydon & Sutton. Geek, saxophonist, pontificator, runner, podcaster, Brompton rider.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

What's going on in City Hall? What's the London Mayor up to now? Subscribe to Neil's City Hall Diary and find out!

Now in refreshing new Substack flavour:
https://t.co/fBvCVY7LbY

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@v_j_freeman In fact, a mob shoving people around, blowing whistles, and preventing anyone hearing Stock would not be violence whereas her sitting in a chair speaking to people in an indoor voice would be.

It's pure exercise of power: they simply wish to get their way.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@v_j_freeman What these activists consider violence is entirely defined by whether they agree with the people doing it, and has nothing to do with the actual force or injury involved.

Kathleen Stock is a mile away in a room speaking calmly: violence.
Right wing MP gets mobbed: protest.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@danielmgmoylan He's setting up a new municipal bus company with a "buy British" procurement policy, which would be illegal under his rejoin plan. Just an incoherent vibes monger.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@UkPolitoons This wrap is an ad campaign for Barbour (the wax jacket people) and up close it looks really smart: the black is actually made up of narrow light and dark grey stripes. Though I'm not sure these people are appreciating the design skill involved!

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@UkPolitoons @FixRadioUK @ShaunBaileyUK @EmmaBest22 @MayorofLondon @alexgeorgiou It's actually a well-evidenced problem that although British homes very expensive, the actual construction cost is lower than elsewhere. Simultaneously expensive and cheap.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@K_Niemietz There's a huge new data centre going up outside my office window and it makes me so hopeful - all hope is not lost, a comeback is still possible!

[James Cleverly🇬🇧 @JamesCleverly]

Brilliant to be on the long list to be the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London.

I’m looking forward to the competition and can’t wait to speak to members all over our great city.

Together, we will make London a city we can all be proud of again.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

How are comedians, satirists, and whimsical political humourists meant to earn an honest crust working with material like this? Unparodyable.

[Gareth Roberts @OldRoberts953]

Lola-Fleur Whittaker

[Tom Harwood @tomhfh]

This is what rent control does. When it’s illegal to ration by price, you start rationing by any other means you can.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

They're repurposing their teapot and fireguard factory to ramp up the Chocolate Pylon division.

[BBC Wales News @BBCWalesNews]

Wales plans to ban steel pylons as government launches consultation https://t.co/PF8w3ZcIyK

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

Our existing social rented housing already shows what the second looks like. Some people enjoy 2-bed zone 1 living for £750 pcm, but that price probably isn't available to you.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

Socialists who call for rent controls rarely seem interested in the insider v outsider privilege it creates. That's because they're mostly well-credentialed insiders cynically campaigning for a system that will benefit them personally, using a smokescreen of fake fairness.

[Sam Bowman @s8mb]

A friend of mine had to do a 15 minute interview about his job, income, previous rental history, etc, in order to *view* a flat. Luckily for him, he has a well-paid job, has lived in England all his life, and an impeccable rental history. I feel bad for people who don't.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

The "are you a reliable person with a secure job and a history of being a good tenant" is only the first insider v outsider problem rent control creates.

The 2nd is that eventually you end up with a two-tier rental market with incumbents enjoying terms unavailable to newcomers.

[Christopher Snowdon @cjsnowdon]

It’s weird how the “global price” of gas is lower in countries that drill for it.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

A BBC theatre correspondent would be fired if they said they'd never heard of the RSC, or a foreign correspondent who didn't know that N and S Korea were separate and why.

But as per, maths, computers, all that geeky stuff is weird so no one really understands that, right?

[Damian Counsell @DamCou]

The BBC's "strength in depth" means that its "Cyber Correspondent" has never heard of a language that runs half the websites on the Internet.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@ShruggedAslef @benjyminty Sadiq's been Mayor for a decade and still pays private companies to run the buses, the Elizabeth Line, the Overground Lines. Also to build new railways, tunnels, rolling stock.

I think TfL even pay private companies to supply chairs and pens. It's neoliberalism gorn maaad!

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@benjyminty @ShruggedAslef I used the same word as Sadiq and the TfL Commissioner. This is money paid to private companies so they can provide a service at below cost price: a subsidy. Your political prejudices are blinding you.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

@ShruggedAslef @benjyminty What do you call all the Business Rates that go to TfL?

And if it's so obviously stupid and wrong, where is Labour's plan to change it? I haven't heard a peep.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

They could potentially inject something dubious into my site. Again, not likely: would I be the prime target if someone hacked substack? Maybe not. Still, found and patched.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

In light of the PHP / WordPress security fandango, I decided to get Claude Fable to get the drains up and do a full security audit of my web site. Wow - it's pretty impressive! First time I've used it for security work.

[Neil Garratt AM @NeilGarratt]

Especially as the attacker would have to guess what commands my custom CMS needs, and it would have to be running at the time. Still, it's a hole and it's now patched.

It also flagged that I pull thumbnails and summary text from Substack: if someone compromised Substack,