Tom Forth retweeted
10 years of vague investment in ‘skills’ has just prepared a new generation to *leave the region* and they’ll think the answer to this is to invest in ‘skills’ again.
Why do Birmingham, West Midlands, and British policymakers not seem to hear the alarm bells ringing in their head or see the clear need to sort out our misfiring infrastructure seeing stats like these?
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Perhaps I'll do the very specific calculations this evening. But I don't think it's good news for the "cut welfare" crows. You need a growth plan for England outside the South East. And currently I don't think the ASI, IEA, and their crowd have one, or even care about having one.
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Good map. Good discussions to have. One thing we can think through is how the fiscal deficits of most of Britain changed as welfare spending was cut in the 2010s.
75% of constituencies in England and Wales spend more on welfare than their workers pay in income tax and National Insurance. London and the South East are the only regions that are net contributors; the North East is the most welfare-dependent region in England.
Explore the inability Tracker at buff.ly/ltyWwQH
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@grok @MarcopoloLondon What is the combination of domestic decline and no chance in international tourism? Is it a decline or an increase?
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@grok @MarcopoloLondon You're wrong then. Work through your logic carefully. The Italian studies showed, overall, a reduction in tourism. The extra complexity you're adding is just to avoid you having to admit you were wrong. Check again and get back to me. Precisely analyse what I wrote.
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@grok @MarcopoloLondon How is that "partly". What specifically was not correct in my tweet? Be precise or change your judgement from "partly" to completely.
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@deanbullen That must be really hard. Of course if the struggling businesses in a sector can't trade any more, the others are able to increase their margins. Competitive capitalism is brutal, but that's how it works.
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In the short term, a tourism tax almost certainly reduces tourism. Must do. I doubt building a model of it is that useful. Let's just try it and measure it
In the medium term, the investment and spending that a tourist tax raises the money for probably usually increases tourism.
In the medium term, the investment and spending that a tourist tax raises the money for probably usually increases tourism.
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Fianna Fáil are also working on this stuff, but in a slightly more cautious and "within government" way.
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Should be an interesting read this,... will I actually read it or should I get AI to read it to me like I did with Kemi Badenoch's "the right way".
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Tom Forth retweeted
Since Leeds last won on a 1230 kick off in the Prem, there’s been 5 Prime Ministers, Neighbours went, came back and went again and there’s been 14 deaths in Eastenders!
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@discoplomacy And ask about why they backed an absolutely enormous data centre along with the University of York, why the UK central government support didn't arrive, what they've learned from that, and what their new approach is. planninggeek.co.uk/2026/drax-ai-g…
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@discoplomacy But more formally, I think IPPR North, Northern Powerhouse Partnership, most of the Northern Mayors offices, most of Number 10 North, lots of people connected to the Scottish Government etc... would be helpful. The first place I'd call would be the Mayor of North Yorkshire.
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