#  @RetroRobson PaulRobsonRetro PaulRobsonRetro posts on X about if you, mortgage rate, in the, insurance the most. They currently have [--] followers and [---] posts still getting attention that total [-----] engagements in the last [--] hours. ### Engagements: [-----] [#](/creator/twitter::1990385777822609408/interactions)  - [--] Week [------] +865% - [--] Month [------] +317% ### Mentions: [--] [#](/creator/twitter::1990385777822609408/posts_active)  - [--] Week [---] +144% - [--] Month [---] +195% ### Followers: [--] [#](/creator/twitter::1990385777822609408/followers)  - [--] Week [--] +36% - [--] Month [--] +150% ### CreatorRank: [-------] [#](/creator/twitter::1990385777822609408/influencer_rank)  ### Social Influence **Social category influence** [finance](/list/finance) 33.09% [countries](/list/countries) 8.82% [celebrities](/list/celebrities) 4.41% [automotive brands](/list/automotive-brands) 3.68% [social networks](/list/social-networks) 1.47% [technology brands](/list/technology-brands) 1.47% **Social topic influence** [if you](/topic/if-you) 11.76%, [mortgage rate](/topic/mortgage-rate) 8.09%, [in the](/topic/in-the) 4.41%, [insurance](/topic/insurance) #1583, [ineos](/topic/ineos) #19, [threshold](/topic/threshold) #129, [matter](/topic/matter) 2.21%, [the most](/topic/the-most) 2.21%, [inflation](/topic/inflation) 2.21%, [france](/topic/france) 2.21% **Top accounts mentioned or mentioned by** [@laurenceblackad](/creator/undefined) [@peterstefanovi2](/creator/undefined) [@olidugmore](/creator/undefined) [@andyfitchet](/creator/undefined) [@karlturnermp](/creator/undefined) [@tweetforthemany](/creator/undefined) [@tomhfh](/creator/undefined) [@drdangreaves](/creator/undefined) [@keirstarmer](/creator/undefined) [@eazymeat](/creator/undefined) [@ieuanhughes19](/creator/undefined) [@kiityc](/creator/undefined) [@alijanemoore](/creator/undefined) [@implausibleblog](/creator/undefined) [@glynjamyn](/creator/undefined) [@callumcmason](/creator/undefined) [@afneil](/creator/undefined) [@matelot411758](/creator/undefined) [@drstevetaylor](/creator/undefined) [@borisjohnson](/creator/undefined) ### Top Social Posts Top posts by engagements in the last [--] hours "@benhabib6 The interest rates aren't extraordinary high (RPI+3) and that's without adjusting for the other goodies you don't get in most loans. Have a look at mortgage rates (which are backed by something) Nor does the interest really matter because of the capping" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2017907577938489523) 2026-02-01T10:27Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@Haggis_UK Rishi Sunak apparently refers to himself as "British Indian". As Starmer well knows (he's just desperately trying to keep his job) it's about culture not race" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019409758667571558) 2026-02-05T13:56Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@DamianLow3 Cretin. Epstein died in mid [----]. At that time Starmer was a fairly well known opposition MP in the UK. He was "not mentioned" because from the USA point of view he's a nobody. Do you think any Americans know who Mel Stride is for example" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019410731394036191) 2026-02-05T14:00Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@StephenWicks83 @wjs1410 @David__Osland There are at least [--] loans in my immediate family and to date not a single penny has been paid back by any of them" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019701022466408538) 2026-02-06T09:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@caibyy @Federick90_ @HugoPap2 Which is a percentage of GDP not spending. If you look at actually *money* it looks different. Even on this you can see Brown trying to buy the [----] election. It is true that "income dropped" 2008-10. The problem is spending did not decrease either the gap being made by" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019703693629853812) 2026-02-06T09:24Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@caibyy @Federick90_ @HugoPap2 borrowing hence the 130+bn annual deficit or "black hole". (If you watch the first [----] debate you'll hear Brown repeatedly intoning about 6bn cuts like it is Armageddon). The problem is the 2000-8 boom (end to boom and bust ) was built on a house price boom. Not sustainable" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019704010740293745) 2026-02-06T09:25Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@McardleTrevor Bit of lateral thinking for you. Who was Starmer when Epstein died Answer about the equivalent of (say) Mel Stride now ; a politician of interest to precisely nobody in the USA. Farage and Mandelson have been about much longer" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019706723217608789) 2026-02-06T09:36Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@harmsy @Simon_Nixon Student Loan Company is owned by the government" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019883893726543948) 2026-02-06T21:20Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Woo100 @BrynHGriffiths @OliDugmore It's not "unfair" either ; the arguments made by graduates are laughably ignorant. Any loan you don't pay the interest due off goes up. The rates they whine about are the same as a variable mortgage rate (see Martin Lewis page on them for example)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2019885326412480522) 2026-02-06T21:26Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@KarlTurnerMP @Keir_Starmer @Ed_Miliband So being the US Ambassador isn't a promotion" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020084019811979329) 2026-02-07T10:35Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Barbarasreps @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy They don't. Have a look at variable mortgage rates ; which is a very competitive market. A mortgage is also not written off and guaranteed against the property it is used to purchase. Unsecured loans - what this actually is - are significantly higher" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020084891170533785) 2026-02-07T10:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Thgoit @JamesDeroest @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy It's a loan. There's an annual interest which is usually 6.2% applied. If you pay less than this the amount owing goes up. This is basic mathematics. One way round that is to pay the annual interest not the minimum amount. Think of it as a credit card balance. You can pay off" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020086292927693183) 2026-02-07T10:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Thgoit @JamesDeroest @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy the minimum and you won't be chased for it. But the interest will be piled on (credit card debt is usually horribly expensive) and it will grow rapidly. You can pay more off or all of it off which reduces the problem proportionately" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020086654942216383) 2026-02-07T10:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@ajadamd @_Liam_McCormack @AJNewbury94 Economically it makes sense to encourage those who do degrees of value surely This is what has been lost. In my time your sociologists (we had these jokes too ) were not easily employable but having a degree was exclusive so you were worth retraining" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020159156884263166) 2026-02-07T15:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@ClinOncDoc What really bothers me is that a Doctor can't work out if you don't repay a loan at at least the interest rate the loan goes up" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020159784381468729) 2026-02-07T15:36Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@xxLimaSierraxx @AndyFitchet Why is it criminal to increase with RPI You want a fixed rate Then you'd be whining about "oh but it's so much more than the base rate"" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020259092779159604) 2026-02-07T22:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet Good luck find a mortgage that's at 3-4% (except starter deals). Go onto any comparison website and find the VMR ; it's about the same (and it's guaranteed with the property and not written off)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020259459164172427) 2026-02-07T22:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@BombadilJayJay @Ad_1net @Sponge75303 @AndyFitchet The rates charged are very close to the variable mortgage rate. Which is of course backed by the property it was bought with" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020261935904969160) 2026-02-07T22:22Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@afneil Do they really have a mandate for Rayner or someone further left People might loathe Starmer but he was elected under the rules by the voters. In the 'replacements' I can remember going back to Jim Callaghan the new PM was "similar-ish". Perhaps not Blair-Brown so much" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020406333875384602) 2026-02-08T07:56Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@gavmarten @afneil I rather liked Clint Eastwood on this. Apparently someone was lecturing him about North Korea being the most equal society on the planet "Go live there then"" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020410772120355250) 2026-02-08T08:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@TweetForTheMany @Matelot411758 @SChristopher27 @AndyFitchet My bad the "who" should be "how". It's classic theoretical planning something works on paper but it doesn't in the real world. If you like it's like saying there'd be no wars if everyone was nice to each other. It's true not going to happen" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020455332783272041) 2026-02-08T11:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@TweetForTheMany @Matelot411758 @SChristopher27 @AndyFitchet MMT has been stress tested over Covid and despite the BoE actually trying QT caused an inflation spike. Which is what will happen. Note: LLMs are not thinking machines so when you quote them it's the same as quoting twitter (sort of )" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020455601654972515) 2026-02-08T11:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet I think the adding to the mortgage is quite a good idea the problem is the same though a mortgage rate is set because it's guaranteed - if you don't pay they reclaim your house. If you don't pay a student loan nothing happens" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020456008385003662) 2026-02-08T11:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet What you might be able to do is add it to a mortgage if there is sufficient equity in the mortgage to do so" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020456118523199665) 2026-02-08T11:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet The mortgage rate is about the same though" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020456256759046593) 2026-02-08T11:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@tiltedtom @AJNewbury94 Oh I don't blame Oil Dugmore though he's talking nonsense. The "the" (should be they ) is the 'generation that ran the admissions office'. Blair and Major both expanded University entrance significantly without actually making the finances plausible" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020457105124159509) 2026-02-08T11:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@tiltedtom @AJNewbury94 Brown organised a review in 2008ish not sure which was implemented by the Coalition government on arrival in 2010" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020457308015239371) 2026-02-08T11:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@ViolaAppleton6 @MattLismore He says "it went up to [---] at one point". The interest rate does vary slightly but not that much. The interest due is reduced/capped by salary which was an attempt to protect those on lower salaries but which has knock on effects" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020458610174599511) 2026-02-08T11:24Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DisgruntledPat1 @ClinOncDoc I'm not sure who "they really don't" refers to. The comment about firsts is based around the 36% (last year) 30% (this year) who got Firsts with maybe [--] times the number of graduates. It's grade inflation again ; the II.2 is the old third" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020459733447016661) 2026-02-08T11:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@mindofprospect The student loan rate is 6.2% (mostly). The variable mortgage rate is around that (see Martin Lewis' page). Unsecured payday loans (which Wonga is/was I think the company as was is defunct) start at about 12%" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020461010289561728) 2026-02-08T11:33Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Markos_mom One of the problems of complex messy tax systems is you create these anomalies is that you end up with these oddities unfortunately. But assuming he's a high rate earner he be taxed about half anyway" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020505962872996045) 2026-02-08T14:32Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@BMA_James_Steen @BMALondon I couldn't find it ; I'll take your word for it. If so I think that is wrong. It should be proportional (as the teacher one is and I suspect the others may be)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020553257613988349) 2026-02-08T17:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@BMA_James_Steen @BMALondon Problem with the graph is everything is in together and the 11k is the figure for a Headteacher. The standard teacher (which most are) is much closer to the Doctors figure it's misleading" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020553349934813239) 2026-02-08T17:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@horton_official What terms of the loan have been changed" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020760807051591979) 2026-02-09T07:24Z [--] followers, [----] engagements "@MSH446 @trevgoes4th I'm well aware of how it works. I think you perhaps misunderstood me I have committed the common error of using the word "interest" (rate or amount). Should read "interest () rate wouldn't change at all". My bad" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020761360544547318) 2026-02-09T07:27Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor I don't think it is mostly that (I'm guessing you mean taking income as dividends). It's difficult to say really because when does tax planning become morally questionable There are good reasons for not taxing dividends at the income tax rate (to do with multiple tax)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020763206013034860) 2026-02-09T07:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor It's much harder to evade than is thought ; you may recall two huge leaks of data one was Panama one was Liechenstein () touted by HMRC as a big thing and they found pretty much nothing" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020763439350591923) 2026-02-09T07:35Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@GlenSmith174927 @TheSecretAcct @alicelfwright Both. People could be taught about the difference between Trackers and funds which have higher risk and more potential benefit and buying shares. And about speculation and scams ; a relative on mine is in the hole for five figures in a Forex scam" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020800966732230671) 2026-02-09T10:04Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor Probably that's right. Sizeable companies are watched closely. (and there's the black economy). My wife's a beautician and gets paid cash periodically and she doesn't but others quietly pocket it. If you are a small operator and don't do anything stupid HMRC will not notice" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020826976890880027) 2026-02-09T11:47Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer Don't know. I heard @KarlTurnerMP on the radio on Talk and he was actually very sensible and thoughtful. Which is probably a better approach than the desperate cheerleading" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020840409455562843) 2026-02-09T12:41Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer It might just be a stay of execution though. Interesting Electoral Calculus numbers on the by-election it's shifted from a [--] way tie to a walkover. If those numbers occur - and things can change fast - it's going to be very difficult to continue. I think it might be like" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020840844019019972) 2026-02-09T12:42Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer Black Wednesday for John Major after that it almost doesn't matter. The economy was actually improving by the election [--] years later but it had no impact. I really don't get it. Even if Mandelson had never met Epstein there's enough history to make him a bad choice for a" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020841289894543566) 2026-02-09T12:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer - the - high profile Ambassadorship. If he'd been made Ambassador for Spain nobody would care. Especially with Trump in situ" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020841457373098008) 2026-02-09T12:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@tomhfh @tomhfh I would suggest the student loan rate isn't that big. It's the same as the variable mortgage rate near enough which is property backed and doesn't expire. But yes you should pay down loans first you won't get 6.2% on savings" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020842161689006401) 2026-02-09T12:48Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@RhysBenjamin @tomhfh @johnkroencke I think the worst off are those in the middle not salaried enough to really make a dent but not so close to median that the payments are almost nothing. (This is a function of the 29k offset)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020842503524786531) 2026-02-09T12:49Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@JamesMacauley01 @therightarchi @tomhfh I think what happens is the "skew" introduced by the low wage exemption part - which I don't think applies to any other loan - means this varies significantly with salary. If you earn 30k or 130k you pay nothing or reduce it reasonably rapidly. (not modelled estimate)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020843093810143421) 2026-02-09T12:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@TheFrogDies @tomhfh Greater risk though and interest rate differentials could be an issue. But certainly worth considering" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020845117704405401) 2026-02-09T12:59Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@MartinSLewis Whilst I agree increasing the threshold will make the common complaint "I paid what was required but my loan amount is still going up" worse" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020847716725604445) 2026-02-09T13:10Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@jgfxexuk @AdamBaker6 @MartinSLewis It's not a loan shark (do you really have no idea what they charge ) and it's not in the contract. There was a political promise it would go up that's worthless" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2020849127538540631) 2026-02-09T13:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore There's an argument for using CPI rather than RPI. There's a better one for using the BoE base rate. Student loans aren't profitable. They're loss making. From your POV they may look like that but you (assuming you are repaying) are paying for those that pay little or nothing" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021149622836601294) 2026-02-10T09:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore There's definitely an issue at about 60k. It's unavoidable if you have the excess at the bottom. Some pay nothing some pay off the loan. There has to be a position in the middle where effectively you are treading water. I haven't done the maths yet though" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021150413857210395) 2026-02-10T09:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore Saying "degree education is a net social good" is a moot point. It probably actually is not. STEM such as yourself mostly yes though even in my field (I have a Comp Sci degree) many of the degrees are weak and would make someone a challenge to employ - they'd need a lot of" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021150678853288186) 2026-02-10T09:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@KarlTurnerMP I was very impressed by your honesty on TalkRadio but I think this is a bit optimistic. I don't believe Angela Rayner has magically changed her views because he sacked McSweeney. I think it's a standoff. A bit like the Christmas Truce in WW1" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021159114382995860) 2026-02-10T09:47Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DavidPintoD Electoral Calculus which is pretty reliable and has no reason to lie or exaggerate does not agree with you. Perhaps Reform voters told you to XXXX off https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.pyseat=Gorton%20and%20Denton https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.pyseat=Gorton%20and%20Denton" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021166803343319491) 2026-02-10T10:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@KLloyd30053821 @WendyEMorton @joenutt_author That's as common as muck these days. I would love to go back when we had people who had worked proper jobs whether they actually ran a business or been a magistrate trade union leader or teacher. Anything actually useful" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021171796955766900) 2026-02-10T10:38Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@KLloyd30053821 @WendyEMorton @joenutt_author Charitable work is often an employment scam these days but I doubt Phillipson worked at the sharp end with women in trouble. These sort never do. One of the few things that impressed me about Starmer was learning he'd worked as a care worker and in his father's factory" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021172058273587565) 2026-02-10T10:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@OperaSocialist . and when Epstein died Starmer was a not that well known opposition MP in a foreign country. Epstein would probably not even know who he was. Ask any American who Mel Stride is" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021174006833897692) 2026-02-10T10:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@KarlTurnerMP @Keir_Starmer @Ed_Miliband No they wouldn't. This is wishful thinking ; and tbh you (Labour not you personally) are already as chaotic if not more so" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021209786570686727) 2026-02-10T13:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LauraTrottMP estate on the south of the city. I would suggest it likely has a difficult intake and it may be doing a very good job with what it has. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Their intake will probably not have been successful at KS1/2 either and will come to the" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021215798132359404) 2026-02-10T13:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LauraTrottMP school short of expectations. Some schools if you can get them in *any* uniform it's an achievement. A uniform even if not classical can help with stability. Now I don't know this I haven't been to Derby for years. But there are many schools like this. You should visit some" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021216256557244692) 2026-02-10T13:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Elainebks @PippaMusgrave1 @ZoeJardiniere I'm not entirely sure it will make much difference. The issue is really Rayner not the cabinet (except Wes Streeting maybe). There are two choke points ; the first in the Manchester byelection which has shifted from a three way tie (more or less) to Reform significantly ahead on" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021218666684006540) 2026-02-10T13:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Elainebks @PippaMusgrave1 @ZoeJardiniere Electoral Calculus (usually pretty accurate) which may be all this squabbling but because of the time frame may not be. The other is the May elections. Can't cancel all of them. Eye of the hurricane I think and it may not even be that" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021219074097676677) 2026-02-10T13:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@BangGoesSparks @tomhfh Apparently he can't. He can ask the King to dissolve Parliament *but* if there is a group that can "command the support of the house" protocol is that the King should say no. He cannot just call it on his personal whim" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021226407326560644) 2026-02-10T14:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@reporterboy @Robtheaetheling pretty much all of them. Any even slightly competent journalist knows Starmer is in trouble. Terminal maybe maybe not but fighting for his premiership" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021227502870352248) 2026-02-10T14:19Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@raip1312 @lewis_goodall @TheNewsAgents You wouldn't say things like "I repaid something but the loan has still gone up". Basic mathematics should tell you if you pay less than the interest added it will go up" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021230727392555500) 2026-02-10T14:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@RhonddaBryant Yeah Oxbridge and Imperial. University of Bognor Regis (West) not so much" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021311649332806078) 2026-02-10T19:53Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@IGMansfield Wow. In other news Nazis think "Der Sturmer" was objective journalism" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021312091471196319) 2026-02-10T19:55Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@MattLismore Desperate. What's the variable mortgage rate What's the student loan rate More to the point what's the rate on an unsecured loan (You can't get one which stops after 30/40 years)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021501888441745645) 2026-02-11T08:29Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@DrSteveTaylor @NatalieFleetMP You've forgotten inflation. In the previous [--] years the value of the currency has roughly halved ; so that salary has not moved at all. That is also a period of lowish inflation. It is like mortgages ; the most difficult part is the start" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021697690451468382) 2026-02-11T21:27Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@itvnews Graduates proving that no intelligence is required to become a graduate and that they have no idea what loan sharks charge" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021698572467548507) 2026-02-11T21:31Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@implausibleblog Somebody leaving with a debt of [-----] has probably been there [--] or [--] years (or is a special case)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021834456173035646) 2026-02-12T06:31Z [--] followers, [----] engagements "@begoniatulip @Azeem_Majeed We don't without AI" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021838032098275498) 2026-02-12T06:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@roaring2047 @Azeem_Majeed The interest is very close the the standard mortgage rate (which isn't capped doesn't expire and is guaranteed by the property it is purchasing)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021838268979908812) 2026-02-12T06:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@glynjamyn @implausibleblog That is an issue I agree. I would fix that by not having everyone have a degree. We have really just devalued the meaning of the word "graduate" "first" "degree" and "University". (I think it's a bit high for [--] years )" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021838608143913419) 2026-02-12T06:47Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@glynjamyn @implausibleblog Having taught A (now A2) level Comp Sci in [----] the standards of a degree in too many Universities isn't really that much ahead of it" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021838804789891512) 2026-02-12T06:48Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@glynjamyn @implausibleblog My wife did one and I edited every word. It was pretty basic and easy to understand (and I didn't do O-Level Biology). I would be an awful nurse probably couldn't do it degree is easy. Mostly paraphrased essays [--] I think. None of which were "technical" or even useful" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021839660515729572) 2026-02-12T06:51Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@glynjamyn @implausibleblog I remember "Write about loss" "Describe the roles in the hospital" and "Make a board game to explain some medical thing to people" being three of them. Not really degree level stuff. In the whole thing there was about half a page I didn't understand because of knowledge deficit" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021840275778240569) 2026-02-12T06:54Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@karlrgibson1 @peterrhague It's a little odd (I'd be happier if the BoE base rate was used) I think the increase is the flip side of the threshold. It's probably that or a classic loan" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021841166866485519) 2026-02-12T06:57Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@karlrgibson1 @peterrhague Having taught and worked with this age group they're often pretty savvy even if not academic. A graduate should be able to do the basic arithmetic. Many complain about the rate which is about the same as the standard mortgage rate" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021841499369943138) 2026-02-12T06:59Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Roberts_Mark_ @PeterKLamb Well yes but this is a lie as well. It was originally a [--] way tie with Reform slightly behind (percent or two) but now they seem to be ahead not quite sure why. Possibly people seeing Zack for what he is and the shenanigans in Labour" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021843024003600399) 2026-02-12T07:05Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Roberts_Mark_ @Yosha7 @PeterKLamb You think that's an answer" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021843193340281177) 2026-02-12T07:05Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@witham_shaun @Roberts_Mark_ @PeterKLamb Actually they are very left wing really it's a natural ground for those who loved Corbyn. Green frippery is just a wrapper. Nothing wrong with that but probably they will have a fixed upper limit" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021843483565203724) 2026-02-12T07:07Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@hall60 @julianHjessop @RachelReevesMP Well I thought growth for Q4 was 0.1%. Which isn't very good considering it has a big annual spending binge" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021889364201025896) 2026-02-12T10:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@edenbound_ In what way (serious question)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021891206444442066) 2026-02-12T10:16Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@edenbound_ Interesting. Definitely an issue but I'm not convinced by the conclusions ; the correlation between private equity and other issues could be something else e.g. the equity is relatively cheap because of poor student levels. But it's something we need to keep an eye on. Thanks" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021895491995197513) 2026-02-12T10:33Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@taylod1974 @afneil No because we are like France and Germany ; the alternative scenarios ignore this in favour of the USA Estonia and Iceland which we are not even slightly like" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021897715354153087) 2026-02-12T10:42Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@BBCPolitics Anyone who gave Alex Stanley a loan to study anything (Beano studies ) should probably be sectioned" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021907541094281362) 2026-02-12T11:21Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@RaymondDuck6 @MerrynSW This is true. Dyslexia : can't spell Autism : mildly eccentric ADD/ODD; BBLS again. These things do exist (except ODD) but they're ridiculously overdiagnosed because we pay people to have children with them" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021964714205683909) 2026-02-12T15:08Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore It's different. You need enough to know what the AI doesn't know and can't extract. LLMs have a habit of "guessing" if they don't know and they make very crass mistakes. If it is soft skills it doesn't really matter :)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022039071049306534) 2026-02-12T20:04Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DarrenG12176297 @Robbie_Render @toadmeister It's here. There's some generic smearing (as there is in his response) but it comes down to "But the latest Epstein files release raise questions about Youngs association with Epstein and Maxwell." https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/02/03/epstein-documents-reveal-lord-youngs-direct-contact-with-ghislaine-maxwell/ https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/02/03/epstein-documents-reveal-lord-youngs-direct-contact-with-ghislaine-maxwell/" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022039855275159568) 2026-02-12T20:07Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DarrenG12176297 @Robbie_Render @toadmeister It then makes the bizarre claim that TY played down the extent of his contacts with Maxwell. But again there's nothing but these two irrelevant texts roughly [--] years ago. Do they think it's some sort of code" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022040482646508006) 2026-02-12T20:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore I'm slightly worried about a loop where the input becomes driven by the output. You can already see this on things like "Morality Tales" a subset of youtube. The same things circle endlessly. We could end up with a big puddle of useless information" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022041854607602015) 2026-02-12T20:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Roberts_Mark_ @Yosha7 @PeterKLamb And you think that's an answer. I've been on the web for about [--] years had a computer when they had individual LEDs. I just get banned periodically" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022042477767926094) 2026-02-12T20:17Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@CallumCMason Having said that it appears to be necessary to make it clear to graduates (which is sad really) that if you have a loan and make little or no repayments the owing amount will go up rapidly. There was some woman complaining about it doubling in [--] years as if there was" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022203703458140344) 2026-02-13T06:58Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@NoobUKInvestor1 @InvictaRegina @MerrynSW @get_involved1 Plausible. I only know one unit numbers not the whole. They tend to travel further (fewer SEND schools) they can't be paired up they sometimes need an escort and there are potentially insurance issues for some SEND students who can be violent or display other challenges" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022204667380584694) 2026-02-13T07:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@oscbella @PeterStefanovi2 The interest rates are generous for an unsecured loan which is salary capped not guaranteed by anything and has no limitations on who can claim it" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022207467023962598) 2026-02-13T07:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@AoifeLass @PeterStefanovi2 Depends what payments you make. A graduate really ought to be able to do basic arithmetic" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022207620157948326) 2026-02-13T07:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@jenn26265 @CallumCMason It's like any other loan which would literally be a lifelong premise. It's not a "tax" either ; they are capped repayments" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022209912793948578) 2026-02-13T07:23Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Person of low intelligence who should never have been allowed near a University because they think that's an answer" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022226345619865648) 2026-02-13T08:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@Moshe_89 @CallumCMason Nope . it's a loan. It's not income contingent. The repayments are. You're just making things up so you hope you can be let off" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022370693107593483) 2026-02-13T18:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 The 9k loans came in way too late. There are a group from about 1995-2010 (which probably included Rachel Reeves) who got the benefit of the expansion of numbers but offloaded the costs though it was probably the end of the house price boom in [----] that made Brown reconsider" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022371095421084069) 2026-02-13T18:03Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@109mph @CallumCMason Having taught for years mostly older I disagree that 16/17 year olds are as dumb as you seem to think" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022372800669851717) 2026-02-13T18:10Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@ajgrundy1980 @wendlingere49 No he has they don't agree with your conclusion (fantasy) that he will instantly switch to the USA model. I know this is tough for the hard of thinking but there are other insurance based systems France for example" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022395328776048991) 2026-02-13T19:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Partly. It depends on their exact ages. This ignores the elephant in the room that many of those complaining some of whom have firsts wouldn't have got into University when they went. Though some of them (Reeves is one) are a beneficiary of a period when numbers were up" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022584814839226593) 2026-02-14T08:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Yep and a lot of those sorts of jobs have been mechanised I suspect or effectively "exported" to China or similar" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022591814033645672) 2026-02-14T08:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Very minor point in practice. It's like immigration ; it's touted as a magic fix but it isn't. There are far fewer loopholes than people think. You may not recall them there were two investigations based on leaks one in Panama and the other Liechenstein (I think)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022592673522004150) 2026-02-14T08:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Both touted as going to yield huge sums of unpaid tax neither yielded anything much. There's a common trick used where they quote the amount of "unpaid tax" but omit that 90% of it is insolvency which is rarely recoverable" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022592929089675587) 2026-02-14T08:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore No that's the total unpaid tax - the "tax gap" as it is usually called. It includes bankruptcy. HMRC is a preferential creditor in bankruptcy but you can't get blood out of a stone" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022594281064595567) 2026-02-14T08:50Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore It makes very little difference ; it's the insurance that's the driver. Care Homes is down to regulation ; that system is useless. It's the ultimate in "if you write it down it happens if you don't it doesn't whatever the reality"" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022599569868034246) 2026-02-14T09:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis Actually quite likely. This was very common amongst BBC staff and was what the Lineker court case was about. It's using a shell company to avoid paying National Insurance. Legal . but the same thing on a smaller scale. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/22/bbc-stars-tax-row https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/22/bbc-stars-tax-row" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022201832064630930) 2026-02-13T06:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis To quote "Reports have suggested that newsreaders Fiona Bruce Joanne Gosling Emily Maitlis Gavin Esler Sophie Raworth as well as radio broadcaster Chris Evans are paid this way." Not conclusive by any means but a reasonable question" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022201983214776533) 2026-02-13T06:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis If you use a shell company and pay yourself a dividend it did not involve paying National Insurance Contributions. It has now changed (I think). It is borderline legal. The company has to have a genuine purpose it can't be "disguised employment" (which is why Lineker could do" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022202598724710735) 2026-02-13T06:54Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@CallumCMason I think the interest is perfectly reasonable ; it's probably actually generous. However I do agree about the threshold being frozen. Whilst technically allowable (Parliament cannot bind a successor and it's not in the paperwork) it was promised and that should be upheld" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022203435043762339) 2026-02-13T06:57Z [--] followers, [----] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore So I looked up Ineos on Wikipedia and it's a multinational. It says "The majority of Ineos's geographic earnings are distributed across Germany (16.8%) USA (16.1%) UK (12.3%) France (11.6%) and Benelux (10.8%)". Given the business they will pay CT and other taxes in those" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022656189168046455) 2026-02-14T12:56Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore I don't blame him for asking but they're morons if they do it. (Don't know if you know the history of such in the USA . not good ). Whatever tax he does or doesn't pay" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022668462582366667) 2026-02-14T13:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@trevgoes4th There is no student loan scheme that takes half your earnings as they all have a threshold for payment (not sure about the very early maintenance loans)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022672291583111406) 2026-02-14T14:00Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@jollyboyscar @DanNeidle @Heccles94 He doesn't "work in the UK". Ineos is an umbrella of many companies about 12% of it is in the UK" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022673807912415237) 2026-02-14T14:06Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@jollyboyscar @DanNeidle @Heccles94 No it really is. If you are simple you think of things in simple black and white. Most of the whingers aren't aware of how 'British' Ineos actually is (or to be more accurate isn't)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022675966145806656) 2026-02-14T14:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore We have HMRC. And it would be about 10% of your quoted figure because you can't get things back from bankrupts (and the OR is much smarter about people hiding stuff and selling their wife the car and that sort of thing)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022597326410289254) 2026-02-14T09:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore It's the left side myth ; it appeals to the views held. It has an exact parallel on the right ; that there would be plenty of money if we sorted out benefits and migrants. Both have a kernel of truth but neither would yield the magic numbers claimed (e.g. 40bn)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022597607596437764) 2026-02-14T09:03Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@afneil AOC like very few other politicians (Trump and Johnson do it) just say what they think. Which is occasionally nonsense. I think Kamala Harris is internally monitoring everything she says which is why she goes into gobbledegook" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022753074326970701) 2026-02-14T19:21Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@Andr3iCon @santoshjsh @ReneSellmann Or as a pointer to what to do. It's very useful when used intelligently. Anyone replacing all white collar jobs is using it like an idiot. "Yeah sure LLMs can control nuclear missiles"" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022920944105460057) 2026-02-15T06:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@jason_clack @MartinSLewis Whilst that's true I think teaching people about financial reality about loans "free phones" and similar legal but not financially smart things is essential. I wonder often how much of it is budgeting not the actual raw amount. I sometimes think the worst off may be those" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021531694407573607) 2026-02-11T10:28Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 Rachel from accounts can barely add up. It's profitable on a year on year basis which is because they quietly ignore the massive backend losses which would be some other government's problem" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022226932298133578) 2026-02-13T08:30Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 You're a surgeon so I guess you always paid something off and paid it off quite rapidly. Your additional interest over base is paying for those that pay little or nothing. Maybe that's unfair but that's the way it currently is. Maybe it needs to be looked at realistically" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022227316517343320) 2026-02-13T08:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@tomhfh It's da rulez. I believe it's greater than [--] miles primary and [--] miles secondary. LEAs plan transport based around catchment. Dumping a pile of children mid year means they may have to go where there is a space which means LEA pays" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022653478443847967) 2026-02-14T12:45Z [--] followers, [---] engagements "@worstall I'm not quite sure how he "saves 4bn in tax". He's [--]. Won't moving to Monaco just save personal tax rather than tax on the various subsidiaries of Ineos The Grauniad article just presents this number out of nowhere AFAICS. Only 12% of Ineos operates in the UK (apparently)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022751586498249155) 2026-02-14T19:15Z [--] followers, [----] engagements "@worstall So [------] nurses. Nursing is an increment system so let's go for a figure in the middle. [-----]. I make that [---] billion. (Presumably the Guardian chose the rookie fees). That's annually (you pay nurses every year right ) let's assume he's taxed at 50% so that's an annual" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022918481008824476) 2026-02-15T06:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@worstall income of [---] billion. In 2017/18 the only figure I can find (can't be bothered to waste time) he paid 117m income tax. So it's probably not personal. Ineos is about 50bn annual revenue but only about 12% of that is in the UK so that's not going to generate 4bn tax" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022919215561478214) 2026-02-15T06:21Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@TheMG3D Still fails my test (write a routine to calculate cos(x) for the RCA1802 microprocessor) something you can do from scratch with information publicly available but can't munge from existing data. You have to work it out" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022958597962138034) 2026-02-15T08:58Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@MartinSLewis . are you sure they're unregulated. Don't get me wrong I'm all for your financial education - quite often use and point people at your website - but outside the criminal lending which is a different issue is it really unregulated (and that needs prosecution not regulation)" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2021531375459852406) 2026-02-11T10:26Z [--] followers, [----] engagements "@taff224 @tomhfh I think they're lying to you. LEAs do this more than people think. In my day "we don't do statements here" (equivalent to saying "we allow murder here" . no you don't it's the bloody law) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/659d7ebb0dd0a200138b612a/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/659d7ebb0dd0a200138b612a/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022915364829696372) 2026-02-15T06:06Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@AjWilkinson7 @areyoflight No they don't. It's actually pretty even. Most of the catastrophising relies on fantasies like the most recent nonsense claiming our economy is 60% like the USA and 10% like Estonia. You're assuming I voted to leave" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022959407433445448) 2026-02-15T09:01Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore That's ridiculous. I live on a farm (different rate) and I pay less than that" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022594416696054097) 2026-02-14T08:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@I_amMukhtar This is coming from the person who fought a court case to dodge National Insurance Contributions" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022750181146406963) 2026-02-14T19:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements "@ManilVasantha @Srini_Pa It's someone who claims they "invest in [---] Startups a year"" [X Link](https://x.com/RetroRobson/status/2022963467188318405) 2026-02-15T09:17Z [--] followers, [--] engagements Limited data mode. Full metrics available with subscription: lunarcrush.com/pricing
@RetroRobson PaulRobsonRetroPaulRobsonRetro posts on X about if you, mortgage rate, in the, insurance the most. They currently have [--] followers and [---] posts still getting attention that total [-----] engagements in the last [--] hours.
Social category influence finance 33.09% countries 8.82% celebrities 4.41% automotive brands 3.68% social networks 1.47% technology brands 1.47%
Social topic influence if you 11.76%, mortgage rate 8.09%, in the 4.41%, insurance #1583, ineos #19, threshold #129, matter 2.21%, the most 2.21%, inflation 2.21%, france 2.21%
Top accounts mentioned or mentioned by @laurenceblackad @peterstefanovi2 @olidugmore @andyfitchet @karlturnermp @tweetforthemany @tomhfh @drdangreaves @keirstarmer @eazymeat @ieuanhughes19 @kiityc @alijanemoore @implausibleblog @glynjamyn @callumcmason @afneil @matelot411758 @drstevetaylor @borisjohnson
Top posts by engagements in the last [--] hours
"@benhabib6 The interest rates aren't extraordinary high (RPI+3) and that's without adjusting for the other goodies you don't get in most loans. Have a look at mortgage rates (which are backed by something) Nor does the interest really matter because of the capping"
X Link 2026-02-01T10:27Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@Haggis_UK Rishi Sunak apparently refers to himself as "British Indian". As Starmer well knows (he's just desperately trying to keep his job) it's about culture not race"
X Link 2026-02-05T13:56Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@DamianLow3 Cretin. Epstein died in mid [----]. At that time Starmer was a fairly well known opposition MP in the UK. He was "not mentioned" because from the USA point of view he's a nobody. Do you think any Americans know who Mel Stride is for example"
X Link 2026-02-05T14:00Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@StephenWicks83 @wjs1410 @David__Osland There are at least [--] loans in my immediate family and to date not a single penny has been paid back by any of them"
X Link 2026-02-06T09:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@caibyy @Federick90_ @HugoPap2 Which is a percentage of GDP not spending. If you look at actually money it looks different. Even on this you can see Brown trying to buy the [----] election. It is true that "income dropped" 2008-10. The problem is spending did not decrease either the gap being made by"
X Link 2026-02-06T09:24Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@caibyy @Federick90_ @HugoPap2 borrowing hence the 130+bn annual deficit or "black hole". (If you watch the first [----] debate you'll hear Brown repeatedly intoning about 6bn cuts like it is Armageddon). The problem is the 2000-8 boom (end to boom and bust ) was built on a house price boom. Not sustainable"
X Link 2026-02-06T09:25Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@McardleTrevor Bit of lateral thinking for you. Who was Starmer when Epstein died Answer about the equivalent of (say) Mel Stride now ; a politician of interest to precisely nobody in the USA. Farage and Mandelson have been about much longer"
X Link 2026-02-06T09:36Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@harmsy @Simon_Nixon Student Loan Company is owned by the government"
X Link 2026-02-06T21:20Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Woo100 @BrynHGriffiths @OliDugmore It's not "unfair" either ; the arguments made by graduates are laughably ignorant. Any loan you don't pay the interest due off goes up. The rates they whine about are the same as a variable mortgage rate (see Martin Lewis page on them for example)"
X Link 2026-02-06T21:26Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@KarlTurnerMP @Keir_Starmer @Ed_Miliband So being the US Ambassador isn't a promotion"
X Link 2026-02-07T10:35Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Barbarasreps @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy They don't. Have a look at variable mortgage rates ; which is a very competitive market. A mortgage is also not written off and guaranteed against the property it is used to purchase. Unsecured loans - what this actually is - are significantly higher"
X Link 2026-02-07T10:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Thgoit @JamesDeroest @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy It's a loan. There's an annual interest which is usually 6.2% applied. If you pay less than this the amount owing goes up. This is basic mathematics. One way round that is to pay the annual interest not the minimum amount. Think of it as a credit card balance. You can pay off"
X Link 2026-02-07T10:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Thgoit @JamesDeroest @BBCNewsnight @bbcpaddy the minimum and you won't be chased for it. But the interest will be piled on (credit card debt is usually horribly expensive) and it will grow rapidly. You can pay more off or all of it off which reduces the problem proportionately"
X Link 2026-02-07T10:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@ajadamd @_Liam_McCormack @AJNewbury94 Economically it makes sense to encourage those who do degrees of value surely This is what has been lost. In my time your sociologists (we had these jokes too ) were not easily employable but having a degree was exclusive so you were worth retraining"
X Link 2026-02-07T15:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@ClinOncDoc What really bothers me is that a Doctor can't work out if you don't repay a loan at at least the interest rate the loan goes up"
X Link 2026-02-07T15:36Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@xxLimaSierraxx @AndyFitchet Why is it criminal to increase with RPI You want a fixed rate Then you'd be whining about "oh but it's so much more than the base rate""
X Link 2026-02-07T22:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet Good luck find a mortgage that's at 3-4% (except starter deals). Go onto any comparison website and find the VMR ; it's about the same (and it's guaranteed with the property and not written off)"
X Link 2026-02-07T22:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@BombadilJayJay @Ad_1net @Sponge75303 @AndyFitchet The rates charged are very close to the variable mortgage rate. Which is of course backed by the property it was bought with"
X Link 2026-02-07T22:22Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@afneil Do they really have a mandate for Rayner or someone further left People might loathe Starmer but he was elected under the rules by the voters. In the 'replacements' I can remember going back to Jim Callaghan the new PM was "similar-ish". Perhaps not Blair-Brown so much"
X Link 2026-02-08T07:56Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@gavmarten @afneil I rather liked Clint Eastwood on this. Apparently someone was lecturing him about North Korea being the most equal society on the planet "Go live there then""
X Link 2026-02-08T08:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@TweetForTheMany @Matelot411758 @SChristopher27 @AndyFitchet My bad the "who" should be "how". It's classic theoretical planning something works on paper but it doesn't in the real world. If you like it's like saying there'd be no wars if everyone was nice to each other. It's true not going to happen"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@TweetForTheMany @Matelot411758 @SChristopher27 @AndyFitchet MMT has been stress tested over Covid and despite the BoE actually trying QT caused an inflation spike. Which is what will happen. Note: LLMs are not thinking machines so when you quote them it's the same as quoting twitter (sort of )"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet I think the adding to the mortgage is quite a good idea the problem is the same though a mortgage rate is set because it's guaranteed - if you don't pay they reclaim your house. If you don't pay a student loan nothing happens"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet What you might be able to do is add it to a mortgage if there is sufficient equity in the mortgage to do so"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@EazyMeat @AndyFitchet The mortgage rate is about the same though"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@tiltedtom @AJNewbury94 Oh I don't blame Oil Dugmore though he's talking nonsense. The "the" (should be they ) is the 'generation that ran the admissions office'. Blair and Major both expanded University entrance significantly without actually making the finances plausible"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@tiltedtom @AJNewbury94 Brown organised a review in 2008ish not sure which was implemented by the Coalition government on arrival in 2010"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@ViolaAppleton6 @MattLismore He says "it went up to [---] at one point". The interest rate does vary slightly but not that much. The interest due is reduced/capped by salary which was an attempt to protect those on lower salaries but which has knock on effects"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:24Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DisgruntledPat1 @ClinOncDoc I'm not sure who "they really don't" refers to. The comment about firsts is based around the 36% (last year) 30% (this year) who got Firsts with maybe [--] times the number of graduates. It's grade inflation again ; the II.2 is the old third"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@mindofprospect The student loan rate is 6.2% (mostly). The variable mortgage rate is around that (see Martin Lewis' page). Unsecured payday loans (which Wonga is/was I think the company as was is defunct) start at about 12%"
X Link 2026-02-08T11:33Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Markos_mom One of the problems of complex messy tax systems is you create these anomalies is that you end up with these oddities unfortunately. But assuming he's a high rate earner he be taxed about half anyway"
X Link 2026-02-08T14:32Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@BMA_James_Steen @BMALondon I couldn't find it ; I'll take your word for it. If so I think that is wrong. It should be proportional (as the teacher one is and I suspect the others may be)"
X Link 2026-02-08T17:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@BMA_James_Steen @BMALondon Problem with the graph is everything is in together and the 11k is the figure for a Headteacher. The standard teacher (which most are) is much closer to the Doctors figure it's misleading"
X Link 2026-02-08T17:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@horton_official What terms of the loan have been changed"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:24Z [--] followers, [----] engagements
"@MSH446 @trevgoes4th I'm well aware of how it works. I think you perhaps misunderstood me I have committed the common error of using the word "interest" (rate or amount). Should read "interest () rate wouldn't change at all". My bad"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:27Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor I don't think it is mostly that (I'm guessing you mean taking income as dividends). It's difficult to say really because when does tax planning become morally questionable There are good reasons for not taxing dividends at the income tax rate (to do with multiple tax)"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor It's much harder to evade than is thought ; you may recall two huge leaks of data one was Panama one was Liechenstein () touted by HMRC as a big thing and they found pretty much nothing"
X Link 2026-02-09T07:35Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@GlenSmith174927 @TheSecretAcct @alicelfwright Both. People could be taught about the difference between Trackers and funds which have higher risk and more potential benefit and buying shares. And about speculation and scams ; a relative on mine is in the hole for five figures in a Forex scam"
X Link 2026-02-09T10:04Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@crawshaw_steve @DrSteveTaylor Probably that's right. Sizeable companies are watched closely. (and there's the black economy). My wife's a beautician and gets paid cash periodically and she doesn't but others quietly pocket it. If you are a small operator and don't do anything stupid HMRC will not notice"
X Link 2026-02-09T11:47Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer Don't know. I heard @KarlTurnerMP on the radio on Talk and he was actually very sensible and thoughtful. Which is probably a better approach than the desperate cheerleading"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:41Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer It might just be a stay of execution though. Interesting Electoral Calculus numbers on the by-election it's shifted from a [--] way tie to a walkover. If those numbers occur - and things can change fast - it's going to be very difficult to continue. I think it might be like"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:42Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer Black Wednesday for John Major after that it almost doesn't matter. The economy was actually improving by the election [--] years later but it had no impact. I really don't get it. Even if Mandelson had never met Epstein there's enough history to make him a bad choice for a"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@IeuanHughes19 @KarlTurnerMP @BorisJohnson @Conservatives @UKLabour @Keir_Starmer - the - high profile Ambassadorship. If he'd been made Ambassador for Spain nobody would care. Especially with Trump in situ"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@tomhfh @tomhfh I would suggest the student loan rate isn't that big. It's the same as the variable mortgage rate near enough which is property backed and doesn't expire. But yes you should pay down loans first you won't get 6.2% on savings"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:48Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@RhysBenjamin @tomhfh @johnkroencke I think the worst off are those in the middle not salaried enough to really make a dent but not so close to median that the payments are almost nothing. (This is a function of the 29k offset)"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:49Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@JamesMacauley01 @therightarchi @tomhfh I think what happens is the "skew" introduced by the low wage exemption part - which I don't think applies to any other loan - means this varies significantly with salary. If you earn 30k or 130k you pay nothing or reduce it reasonably rapidly. (not modelled estimate)"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@TheFrogDies @tomhfh Greater risk though and interest rate differentials could be an issue. But certainly worth considering"
X Link 2026-02-09T12:59Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@MartinSLewis Whilst I agree increasing the threshold will make the common complaint "I paid what was required but my loan amount is still going up" worse"
X Link 2026-02-09T13:10Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@jgfxexuk @AdamBaker6 @MartinSLewis It's not a loan shark (do you really have no idea what they charge ) and it's not in the contract. There was a political promise it would go up that's worthless"
X Link 2026-02-09T13:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore There's an argument for using CPI rather than RPI. There's a better one for using the BoE base rate. Student loans aren't profitable. They're loss making. From your POV they may look like that but you (assuming you are repaying) are paying for those that pay little or nothing"
X Link 2026-02-10T09:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore There's definitely an issue at about 60k. It's unavoidable if you have the excess at the bottom. Some pay nothing some pay off the loan. There has to be a position in the middle where effectively you are treading water. I haven't done the maths yet though"
X Link 2026-02-10T09:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore Saying "degree education is a net social good" is a moot point. It probably actually is not. STEM such as yourself mostly yes though even in my field (I have a Comp Sci degree) many of the degrees are weak and would make someone a challenge to employ - they'd need a lot of"
X Link 2026-02-10T09:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@KarlTurnerMP I was very impressed by your honesty on TalkRadio but I think this is a bit optimistic. I don't believe Angela Rayner has magically changed her views because he sacked McSweeney. I think it's a standoff. A bit like the Christmas Truce in WW1"
X Link 2026-02-10T09:47Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DavidPintoD Electoral Calculus which is pretty reliable and has no reason to lie or exaggerate does not agree with you. Perhaps Reform voters told you to XXXX off https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.pyseat=Gorton%20and%20Denton https://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/fcgi-bin/seatdetails.pyseat=Gorton%20and%20Denton"
X Link 2026-02-10T10:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@KLloyd30053821 @WendyEMorton @joenutt_author That's as common as muck these days. I would love to go back when we had people who had worked proper jobs whether they actually ran a business or been a magistrate trade union leader or teacher. Anything actually useful"
X Link 2026-02-10T10:38Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@KLloyd30053821 @WendyEMorton @joenutt_author Charitable work is often an employment scam these days but I doubt Phillipson worked at the sharp end with women in trouble. These sort never do. One of the few things that impressed me about Starmer was learning he'd worked as a care worker and in his father's factory"
X Link 2026-02-10T10:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@OperaSocialist . and when Epstein died Starmer was a not that well known opposition MP in a foreign country. Epstein would probably not even know who he was. Ask any American who Mel Stride is"
X Link 2026-02-10T10:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@KarlTurnerMP @Keir_Starmer @Ed_Miliband No they wouldn't. This is wishful thinking ; and tbh you (Labour not you personally) are already as chaotic if not more so"
X Link 2026-02-10T13:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LauraTrottMP estate on the south of the city. I would suggest it likely has a difficult intake and it may be doing a very good job with what it has. You cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Their intake will probably not have been successful at KS1/2 either and will come to the"
X Link 2026-02-10T13:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LauraTrottMP school short of expectations. Some schools if you can get them in any uniform it's an achievement. A uniform even if not classical can help with stability. Now I don't know this I haven't been to Derby for years. But there are many schools like this. You should visit some"
X Link 2026-02-10T13:34Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Elainebks @PippaMusgrave1 @ZoeJardiniere I'm not entirely sure it will make much difference. The issue is really Rayner not the cabinet (except Wes Streeting maybe). There are two choke points ; the first in the Manchester byelection which has shifted from a three way tie (more or less) to Reform significantly ahead on"
X Link 2026-02-10T13:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Elainebks @PippaMusgrave1 @ZoeJardiniere Electoral Calculus (usually pretty accurate) which may be all this squabbling but because of the time frame may not be. The other is the May elections. Can't cancel all of them. Eye of the hurricane I think and it may not even be that"
X Link 2026-02-10T13:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@BangGoesSparks @tomhfh Apparently he can't. He can ask the King to dissolve Parliament but if there is a group that can "command the support of the house" protocol is that the King should say no. He cannot just call it on his personal whim"
X Link 2026-02-10T14:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@reporterboy @Robtheaetheling pretty much all of them. Any even slightly competent journalist knows Starmer is in trouble. Terminal maybe maybe not but fighting for his premiership"
X Link 2026-02-10T14:19Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@raip1312 @lewis_goodall @TheNewsAgents You wouldn't say things like "I repaid something but the loan has still gone up". Basic mathematics should tell you if you pay less than the interest added it will go up"
X Link 2026-02-10T14:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@RhonddaBryant Yeah Oxbridge and Imperial. University of Bognor Regis (West) not so much"
X Link 2026-02-10T19:53Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@IGMansfield Wow. In other news Nazis think "Der Sturmer" was objective journalism"
X Link 2026-02-10T19:55Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@MattLismore Desperate. What's the variable mortgage rate What's the student loan rate More to the point what's the rate on an unsecured loan (You can't get one which stops after 30/40 years)"
X Link 2026-02-11T08:29Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@DrSteveTaylor @NatalieFleetMP You've forgotten inflation. In the previous [--] years the value of the currency has roughly halved ; so that salary has not moved at all. That is also a period of lowish inflation. It is like mortgages ; the most difficult part is the start"
X Link 2026-02-11T21:27Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@itvnews Graduates proving that no intelligence is required to become a graduate and that they have no idea what loan sharks charge"
X Link 2026-02-11T21:31Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@implausibleblog Somebody leaving with a debt of [-----] has probably been there [--] or [--] years (or is a special case)"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:31Z [--] followers, [----] engagements
"@begoniatulip @Azeem_Majeed We don't without AI"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@roaring2047 @Azeem_Majeed The interest is very close the the standard mortgage rate (which isn't capped doesn't expire and is guaranteed by the property it is purchasing)"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:46Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@glynjamyn @implausibleblog That is an issue I agree. I would fix that by not having everyone have a degree. We have really just devalued the meaning of the word "graduate" "first" "degree" and "University". (I think it's a bit high for [--] years )"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:47Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@glynjamyn @implausibleblog Having taught A (now A2) level Comp Sci in [----] the standards of a degree in too many Universities isn't really that much ahead of it"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:48Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@glynjamyn @implausibleblog My wife did one and I edited every word. It was pretty basic and easy to understand (and I didn't do O-Level Biology). I would be an awful nurse probably couldn't do it degree is easy. Mostly paraphrased essays [--] I think. None of which were "technical" or even useful"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:51Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@glynjamyn @implausibleblog I remember "Write about loss" "Describe the roles in the hospital" and "Make a board game to explain some medical thing to people" being three of them. Not really degree level stuff. In the whole thing there was about half a page I didn't understand because of knowledge deficit"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:54Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@karlrgibson1 @peterrhague It's a little odd (I'd be happier if the BoE base rate was used) I think the increase is the flip side of the threshold. It's probably that or a classic loan"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:57Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@karlrgibson1 @peterrhague Having taught and worked with this age group they're often pretty savvy even if not academic. A graduate should be able to do the basic arithmetic. Many complain about the rate which is about the same as the standard mortgage rate"
X Link 2026-02-12T06:59Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Roberts_Mark_ @PeterKLamb Well yes but this is a lie as well. It was originally a [--] way tie with Reform slightly behind (percent or two) but now they seem to be ahead not quite sure why. Possibly people seeing Zack for what he is and the shenanigans in Labour"
X Link 2026-02-12T07:05Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Roberts_Mark_ @Yosha7 @PeterKLamb You think that's an answer"
X Link 2026-02-12T07:05Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@witham_shaun @Roberts_Mark_ @PeterKLamb Actually they are very left wing really it's a natural ground for those who loved Corbyn. Green frippery is just a wrapper. Nothing wrong with that but probably they will have a fixed upper limit"
X Link 2026-02-12T07:07Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@hall60 @julianHjessop @RachelReevesMP Well I thought growth for Q4 was 0.1%. Which isn't very good considering it has a big annual spending binge"
X Link 2026-02-12T10:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@edenbound_ In what way (serious question)"
X Link 2026-02-12T10:16Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@edenbound_ Interesting. Definitely an issue but I'm not convinced by the conclusions ; the correlation between private equity and other issues could be something else e.g. the equity is relatively cheap because of poor student levels. But it's something we need to keep an eye on. Thanks"
X Link 2026-02-12T10:33Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@taylod1974 @afneil No because we are like France and Germany ; the alternative scenarios ignore this in favour of the USA Estonia and Iceland which we are not even slightly like"
X Link 2026-02-12T10:42Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@BBCPolitics Anyone who gave Alex Stanley a loan to study anything (Beano studies ) should probably be sectioned"
X Link 2026-02-12T11:21Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@RaymondDuck6 @MerrynSW This is true. Dyslexia : can't spell Autism : mildly eccentric ADD/ODD; BBLS again. These things do exist (except ODD) but they're ridiculously overdiagnosed because we pay people to have children with them"
X Link 2026-02-12T15:08Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore It's different. You need enough to know what the AI doesn't know and can't extract. LLMs have a habit of "guessing" if they don't know and they make very crass mistakes. If it is soft skills it doesn't really matter :)"
X Link 2026-02-12T20:04Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DarrenG12176297 @Robbie_Render @toadmeister It's here. There's some generic smearing (as there is in his response) but it comes down to "But the latest Epstein files release raise questions about Youngs association with Epstein and Maxwell." https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/02/03/epstein-documents-reveal-lord-youngs-direct-contact-with-ghislaine-maxwell/ https://hopenothate.org.uk/2026/02/03/epstein-documents-reveal-lord-youngs-direct-contact-with-ghislaine-maxwell/"
X Link 2026-02-12T20:07Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DarrenG12176297 @Robbie_Render @toadmeister It then makes the bizarre claim that TY played down the extent of his contacts with Maxwell. But again there's nothing but these two irrelevant texts roughly [--] years ago. Do they think it's some sort of code"
X Link 2026-02-12T20:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@DrDanGreaves @kiityc @AliJaneMoore I'm slightly worried about a loop where the input becomes driven by the output. You can already see this on things like "Morality Tales" a subset of youtube. The same things circle endlessly. We could end up with a big puddle of useless information"
X Link 2026-02-12T20:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Roberts_Mark_ @Yosha7 @PeterKLamb And you think that's an answer. I've been on the web for about [--] years had a computer when they had individual LEDs. I just get banned periodically"
X Link 2026-02-12T20:17Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@CallumCMason Having said that it appears to be necessary to make it clear to graduates (which is sad really) that if you have a loan and make little or no repayments the owing amount will go up rapidly. There was some woman complaining about it doubling in [--] years as if there was"
X Link 2026-02-13T06:58Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@NoobUKInvestor1 @InvictaRegina @MerrynSW @get_involved1 Plausible. I only know one unit numbers not the whole. They tend to travel further (fewer SEND schools) they can't be paired up they sometimes need an escort and there are potentially insurance issues for some SEND students who can be violent or display other challenges"
X Link 2026-02-13T07:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@oscbella @PeterStefanovi2 The interest rates are generous for an unsecured loan which is salary capped not guaranteed by anything and has no limitations on who can claim it"
X Link 2026-02-13T07:13Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@AoifeLass @PeterStefanovi2 Depends what payments you make. A graduate really ought to be able to do basic arithmetic"
X Link 2026-02-13T07:14Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@jenn26265 @CallumCMason It's like any other loan which would literally be a lifelong premise. It's not a "tax" either ; they are capped repayments"
X Link 2026-02-13T07:23Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Person of low intelligence who should never have been allowed near a University because they think that's an answer"
X Link 2026-02-13T08:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@Moshe_89 @CallumCMason Nope . it's a loan. It's not income contingent. The repayments are. You're just making things up so you hope you can be let off"
X Link 2026-02-13T18:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 The 9k loans came in way too late. There are a group from about 1995-2010 (which probably included Rachel Reeves) who got the benefit of the expansion of numbers but offloaded the costs though it was probably the end of the house price boom in [----] that made Brown reconsider"
X Link 2026-02-13T18:03Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@109mph @CallumCMason Having taught for years mostly older I disagree that 16/17 year olds are as dumb as you seem to think"
X Link 2026-02-13T18:10Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@ajgrundy1980 @wendlingere49 No he has they don't agree with your conclusion (fantasy) that he will instantly switch to the USA model. I know this is tough for the hard of thinking but there are other insurance based systems France for example"
X Link 2026-02-13T19:39Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Partly. It depends on their exact ages. This ignores the elephant in the room that many of those complaining some of whom have firsts wouldn't have got into University when they went. Though some of them (Reeves is one) are a beneficiary of a period when numbers were up"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:12Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Yep and a lot of those sorts of jobs have been mechanised I suspect or effectively "exported" to China or similar"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:40Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Very minor point in practice. It's like immigration ; it's touted as a magic fix but it isn't. There are far fewer loopholes than people think. You may not recall them there were two investigations based on leaks one in Panama and the other Liechenstein (I think)"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:44Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore Both touted as going to yield huge sums of unpaid tax neither yielded anything much. There's a common trick used where they quote the amount of "unpaid tax" but omit that 90% of it is insolvency which is rarely recoverable"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore No that's the total unpaid tax - the "tax gap" as it is usually called. It includes bankruptcy. HMRC is a preferential creditor in bankruptcy but you can't get blood out of a stone"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:50Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore It makes very little difference ; it's the insurance that's the driver. Care Homes is down to regulation ; that system is useless. It's the ultimate in "if you write it down it happens if you don't it doesn't whatever the reality""
X Link 2026-02-14T09:11Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis Actually quite likely. This was very common amongst BBC staff and was what the Lineker court case was about. It's using a shell company to avoid paying National Insurance. Legal . but the same thing on a smaller scale. https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/22/bbc-stars-tax-row https://www.theguardian.com/media/2012/dec/22/bbc-stars-tax-row"
X Link 2026-02-13T06:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis To quote "Reports have suggested that newsreaders Fiona Bruce Joanne Gosling Emily Maitlis Gavin Esler Sophie Raworth as well as radio broadcaster Chris Evans are paid this way." Not conclusive by any means but a reasonable question"
X Link 2026-02-13T06:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@VronP7 @TheNewsAgents @maitlis If you use a shell company and pay yourself a dividend it did not involve paying National Insurance Contributions. It has now changed (I think). It is borderline legal. The company has to have a genuine purpose it can't be "disguised employment" (which is why Lineker could do"
X Link 2026-02-13T06:54Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@CallumCMason I think the interest is perfectly reasonable ; it's probably actually generous. However I do agree about the threshold being frozen. Whilst technically allowable (Parliament cannot bind a successor and it's not in the paperwork) it was promised and that should be upheld"
X Link 2026-02-13T06:57Z [--] followers, [----] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore So I looked up Ineos on Wikipedia and it's a multinational. It says "The majority of Ineos's geographic earnings are distributed across Germany (16.8%) USA (16.1%) UK (12.3%) France (11.6%) and Benelux (10.8%)". Given the business they will pay CT and other taxes in those"
X Link 2026-02-14T12:56Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore I don't blame him for asking but they're morons if they do it. (Don't know if you know the history of such in the USA . not good ). Whatever tax he does or doesn't pay"
X Link 2026-02-14T13:45Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@trevgoes4th There is no student loan scheme that takes half your earnings as they all have a threshold for payment (not sure about the very early maintenance loans)"
X Link 2026-02-14T14:00Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@jollyboyscar @DanNeidle @Heccles94 He doesn't "work in the UK". Ineos is an umbrella of many companies about 12% of it is in the UK"
X Link 2026-02-14T14:06Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@jollyboyscar @DanNeidle @Heccles94 No it really is. If you are simple you think of things in simple black and white. Most of the whingers aren't aware of how 'British' Ineos actually is (or to be more accurate isn't)"
X Link 2026-02-14T14:15Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore We have HMRC. And it would be about 10% of your quoted figure because you can't get things back from bankrupts (and the OR is much smarter about people hiding stuff and selling their wife the car and that sort of thing)"
X Link 2026-02-14T09:02Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore It's the left side myth ; it appeals to the views held. It has an exact parallel on the right ; that there would be plenty of money if we sorted out benefits and migrants. Both have a kernel of truth but neither would yield the magic numbers claimed (e.g. 40bn)"
X Link 2026-02-14T09:03Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@afneil AOC like very few other politicians (Trump and Johnson do it) just say what they think. Which is occasionally nonsense. I think Kamala Harris is internally monitoring everything she says which is why she goes into gobbledegook"
X Link 2026-02-14T19:21Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@Andr3iCon @santoshjsh @ReneSellmann Or as a pointer to what to do. It's very useful when used intelligently. Anyone replacing all white collar jobs is using it like an idiot. "Yeah sure LLMs can control nuclear missiles""
X Link 2026-02-15T06:28Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@jason_clack @MartinSLewis Whilst that's true I think teaching people about financial reality about loans "free phones" and similar legal but not financially smart things is essential. I wonder often how much of it is budgeting not the actual raw amount. I sometimes think the worst off may be those"
X Link 2026-02-11T10:28Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 Rachel from accounts can barely add up. It's profitable on a year on year basis which is because they quietly ignore the massive backend losses which would be some other government's problem"
X Link 2026-02-13T08:30Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@neilorpen @PeterStefanovi2 You're a surgeon so I guess you always paid something off and paid it off quite rapidly. Your additional interest over base is paying for those that pay little or nothing. Maybe that's unfair but that's the way it currently is. Maybe it needs to be looked at realistically"
X Link 2026-02-13T08:32Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@tomhfh It's da rulez. I believe it's greater than [--] miles primary and [--] miles secondary. LEAs plan transport based around catchment. Dumping a pile of children mid year means they may have to go where there is a space which means LEA pays"
X Link 2026-02-14T12:45Z [--] followers, [---] engagements
"@worstall I'm not quite sure how he "saves 4bn in tax". He's [--]. Won't moving to Monaco just save personal tax rather than tax on the various subsidiaries of Ineos The Grauniad article just presents this number out of nowhere AFAICS. Only 12% of Ineos operates in the UK (apparently)"
X Link 2026-02-14T19:15Z [--] followers, [----] engagements
"@worstall So [------] nurses. Nursing is an increment system so let's go for a figure in the middle. [-----]. I make that [---] billion. (Presumably the Guardian chose the rookie fees). That's annually (you pay nurses every year right ) let's assume he's taxed at 50% so that's an annual"
X Link 2026-02-15T06:18Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@worstall income of [---] billion. In 2017/18 the only figure I can find (can't be bothered to waste time) he paid 117m income tax. So it's probably not personal. Ineos is about 50bn annual revenue but only about 12% of that is in the UK so that's not going to generate 4bn tax"
X Link 2026-02-15T06:21Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@TheMG3D Still fails my test (write a routine to calculate cos(x) for the RCA1802 microprocessor) something you can do from scratch with information publicly available but can't munge from existing data. You have to work it out"
X Link 2026-02-15T08:58Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@MartinSLewis . are you sure they're unregulated. Don't get me wrong I'm all for your financial education - quite often use and point people at your website - but outside the criminal lending which is a different issue is it really unregulated (and that needs prosecution not regulation)"
X Link 2026-02-11T10:26Z [--] followers, [----] engagements
"@taff224 @tomhfh I think they're lying to you. LEAs do this more than people think. In my day "we don't do statements here" (equivalent to saying "we allow murder here" . no you don't it's the bloody law) https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/659d7ebb0dd0a200138b612a/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/659d7ebb0dd0a200138b612a/Travel_to_school_for_children_of_compulsory_school_age.pdf"
X Link 2026-02-15T06:06Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@AjWilkinson7 @areyoflight No they don't. It's actually pretty even. Most of the catastrophising relies on fantasies like the most recent nonsense claiming our economy is 60% like the USA and 10% like Estonia. You're assuming I voted to leave"
X Link 2026-02-15T09:01Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@LaurenceBlackad @PeterStefanovi2 @OliDugmore That's ridiculous. I live on a farm (different rate) and I pay less than that"
X Link 2026-02-14T08:51Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@I_amMukhtar This is coming from the person who fought a court case to dodge National Insurance Contributions"
X Link 2026-02-14T19:09Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
"@ManilVasantha @Srini_Pa It's someone who claims they "invest in [---] Startups a year""
X Link 2026-02-15T09:17Z [--] followers, [--] engagements
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