Matt Smith

Bikes, music, coffee

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@thomasforth @FT Worth staying away from the comments on this article unless you want your eyes to roll out of your head

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

@PJTheEconomist I disagree, as always, that it's a national disgrace. It's a problem for London. The national disgrace comes when UK gov. continues to pour public money into London via institutions like ARIA and transport infrastructure which we could build in places like Leeds and Manchester.

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@rwatmo @timleunig I don’t think that’s the only issue with the tram in Sheffield, as the centre is getting more dense now. The tram network here is just really limited, it doesn’t touch many parts of the city.

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

And there it is. Embargo is finished. Yorkshire Post press publish first. But I have my suspicions there's quite a lot more to this story than what they're reporting. https://t.co/MOcYqoCT9c

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

I went to a dinner with the AI Minister and I read a paper on Lovelace Institue --- a proposal from Tony Blair's Institute on how we could fund breakthrough science better. And I wrote that all up into one incoherent mess for you to enjoy. https://t.co/88guLSQ5ha

[Sam Dumitriu @Sam_Dumitriu]

Sheffield is the largest city in Europe without a single electrified railway.

The Midland Mainline electrification would have changed that, but the Govt has now 'paused it'.

Meanwhile, £600m has been spent on a fare freeze that will mainly benefit commuters in the South East.

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@RobertSterry6 @thomasforth I’m not sure that is what is happening here (maybe in the past, not sure). Sheffield City Council is generally pro-development from what I have seen. I think the issue here is that the building is in a real state so it’ll cost a fortune to redevelop

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@thomasforth Funny that people are saying the council are at fault for it not selling - they don’t even own it!

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@JamesHSBrown @thomasforth I don’t think it’s fair to blame the council here, they don’t own it.

Part of the reason it’s been in this state for years it’s because it is privately held with a plan to convert it to apartments, but the work never happened.

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

One of my favourite maps this (though I wish I could get a higher quality and zoomed out version, with the font fixed) because it shows,
1/ How close we all are round here.
2/ How poor the Sheffield to Manchester connectivity is and what a priority it is to fix that.

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

I wrote about controversial opinions. Britain would probably be somewhat more prosperous if the roads between Manchester and Sheffield were better and it should not result in a torrent of abuse if someone writes something like that. https://t.co/zCf0y8ka8B

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

Just learned that there's an MP with last name Bool and I really hope that she's never abstained on a single vote. Always a clear Yes or No.

[Andy Murray @andy_murray]

Never even liked tennis anyway.

[Tom Forth @thomasforth]

Can the UK go back to being the richest big country in the world? I think that we can, and that it's a perfectly reasonable goal, but that we're probably not going to do the things that would make it happen. https://t.co/qmhetW7qj5

[Tom Fordyce @tomfordyce]

That one sprint on its own - its tactics, instant decisions, bike handling and timing of max speed - explains everything about how Mark Cavendish has won more Tour stages than anyone else in history

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@cage_podcast @PerfVenuesSheff I’m much closer and I’m not sure I even fancy the trip! Wouldn’t be surprised if they end up cancelling it in an hour or two - due for more snow until 8pm 😬

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

🙄 who needs houses, anyway?

[Oxford Mail @TheOxfordMail]

Warning as Oxford's push beyond city borders set to continue
https://t.co/Pms6HNT4Ln

[Matt Smith @tangohead]

@apmapmapm @cyberCDT That's true, but who knows, maybe something as exciting as the CDT is just around the corner. Hope unpacking goes well!