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samfr.bsky.social
Writes the most popular UK politics Substack (samf.substack.com) Sunday Times bestselling book "Failed State" out now. (An Economist and Financial Times Book of the Year for 2024). Senior fellow: Institute for Government
6,366 posts 81,012 followers 754 following
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Hospital stocks gotten absolutely smoked today, UHS off 11% and THC off almost 10% on no news other than speculation about how hard the GOP is going to gut Medicaid.

submitted 8 hours ago • 15 comments

Imagine being so wildly incompetent that *this* regime feels the need to get rid of you.

submitted 10 hours ago • 20 comments

The problem the government has is that Palantir built the entire integration system for NHS trust data and can't be replaced without enormous cost / loss of productivity...

submitted 17 hours ago • 38 comments

If you'd like a signed or dedicated paperback copy of my book I'll be signing some later this week which you can order here: www.welbooks.co.uk/shop/p/faile...

submitted 17 hours ago • 2 comments

Excellent analysis, comparing military strategy with Trump’s tariff debacle

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Conclave 2: Electric Boogaloo

submitted 19 hours ago • 2 comments

Going through Reform candidates for the locals and a lot of them sound like Downton Abbey characters. In Wiltshire I've found an Aurelia Margaret Amherst Stephenson and a Violette Ruth Francina Simpson.

submitted 19 hours ago • 32 comments

Liz Truss was PM for just 49 days but her name will go down in history as a verb to describe both creating an economic crisis and killing an eldery and respected leader. Impressive.

submitted 19 hours ago • 47 comments

The favourite to be the new Pope is the Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin (though it being decided in a conclave the favourite often doesn't win). He was the one who formally met with Vance a few days ago.

submitted 20 hours ago • 21 comments

Vatican has announced that Pope Francis has died.

submitted 20 hours ago • 14 comments

Yes it was odd framing and I don't think would have been done that way with men. E.g. Farage is 61 and actually is a grandpa but is never described that way.

submitted 20 hours ago • 24 comments

Once again I am pleading for those who appeal to "Britain's Judeo-Christian traditions" to identify the Judeo bit of whatever it is they are talking about. The York pogrom? The expulsion of 1290? The 1905 Aliens Act?

submitted 1 day ago • 16 comments

Just caught up with this piece and I think it’s the most depressing thing I’ve read in a long time. I agreed with almost every word while thinking “yeah, not gonna happen”:

submitted 1 day ago • 9 comments

For anyone still wondering whether Trump is playing 4-D chess with us all. He is to trade economics what RFK is to epidemiology.

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

My daughter's latest. I love the painting and also that she's painting Thom Yorke.

submitted 1 day ago • 96 comments

What are the best books about the history of popular culture in recent years? I read Pure Invention by Matt Alt about the influence of Japanese pop culture on the world on holiday and it was excellent. Stuff like that...

submitted 1 day ago • 17 comments

Possibly better than usual. @ldfreedman.bsky.social eviscerates Trump. So there really are constraints, but where that leads no one knows.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Knowledge transfer.

submitted 1 day ago • 2 comments

New post just out from @ldfreedman.bsky.social "The Art of Bad Strategy" - on the car crash of Trump's tariff shambles and the wider lessons to be learnt. (£/free trial) samf.substack.com/p/the-art-of...

submitted 1 day ago • 11 comments

Well I'm back in the UK and working on my annual epic local elections preview which will be out later this week.... Sign up at samf.substack.com if you want to get it.

submitted 1 day ago • 4 comments