Sam Freedman

Jonathan Powell's line that they fired her ten times but had to put her back every time because Brown insisted.

There was usually someone in there. Byers and Milburn in term one and then Ruth Kelly was financial secretary in term two. Admittedly I forgot Paul Boeteng did the Chief Sec job for so long.

Allows rival to build powerbases though. E.g. Blair always making sure the Chief Secretary to the Treasury was one of his allies....

We shouldn't rule out the possibility that the Andrea Jenkyns has had a labotomy.

To me that's still a recent event.

Whenever I speak to students I seem to find it impossible to mentally calibrate their age against events properly.

Last night in answer to a question I started talking about the expenses crisis before remembering they were all four years old when it happened and had no idea what I meant.

Public support for US attack on Iran down 10 points since last week. 59% oppose to 25% support. Tory supporters now evenly split. Another Keminaissance triumph.

I do not like it when my bank sends me emails with the word "geopolitics" in the title.

Remember "sharing the proceeds of growth"? Those were the days.

There is no funnier train station sign than "Cambridge home of Anglia Ruskin University". Everytime I see it I'm impressed all over again at the level of trolling.

I'm a freelancer with pretensions...

The list is 99% distinguished academics and one guy who writes a substack. Apologies to the distinguished academics.

The Academy of Social Sciences welcomes outstanding social scientists to its Fellowship in spring 2026 – Academy of Social Sciences

I've been appointed a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences - which is quite cool given I'm not a social scientist. Hoping for physics next.

acss.org.uk/news/the-aca...

Excellent assessment from @ldfreedman.bsky.social on the Middle East conflict.

What happens to Iran and in Iran?

Does Trump have an overall war plan? (spoiler : probably not).

Kind of weird when you can watch the global market collectively go "oh shit he is that crazy".

God they're irrelevant.

Rising stars Blake Stephenson and Jack Rankin? What about Bobson Dugnutt and Steve McDichael?

Trump told me that the Ayatollah was close to collecting all the infinity stones and had to be stopped.

"it is becoming increasingly hard to avoid the conclusion that the Trump administration has embarked on this operation without a plan, and is making it up as it goes along, as if they killed enough of the right people and destroyed enough Iranian assets everything would fall into place"

I guess my question is that given the lag from licences to oil is five years or so I'm not sure how it helps us with Trump or next winter. Doesn't mean it's a bad idea to give us more security in the 2030s... @timleunig.bsky.social

Making it up as they go along Where does the war in Iran go from here?

Latest assessment on US/Israeli attack on Iran. The administration continues to give the impression that it is making it up as it goes along. The choices for the Iranian regime remain dire but it continues to show defiance and cause international economic turmoil. open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/m...?

There are now more tech workers going from the US to Europe than the other way around

"It is [...] hard to avoid the conclusion that the Trump administration has embarked on this operation without a plan, and is making it up as it goes along, as if they killed enough of the right people and destroyed enough Iranian assets everything would fall into place."

Magical thinking.

Also I doubt Labour will hold Newham...

Workshopping my LinkedIn post to announce:

"When I was growing up I would never dreamt of being supreme leader of a theocratic dictatorship. It was something that happened to other people. But during my career journey I've learnt that you can aspire to anything if... [continues for 2000 words...]"

Some personal news...

But in this case even if Starmer didn't have the slightest interest in international law it would still be wrong to get involved in this operation.

It's partly about reflexive Atalantism and imperial nostalgia. But I think a big part of this is their sheer hatred of Starmer's focus on international law. Same as the reason Chagos has become such a big deal for them.

Dad was on the Chilcot Inquiry so he knows a bit about starting wars in the Middle East without clear obtainable objectives.

Making it up as they go along Where does the war in Iran go from here?

New post from @ldfreedman.bsky.social

"Making it up as they go along"

The US has started a war with no idea how to finish it and there's a power struggle within the Iranian regime too.

Where does the war in Iran go from here?

samf.substack.com/p/making-it-...