Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile
Ben Cobley

@bencobley

Writer. New book, 'The Progress Trap' (Polity), out 30th May 2025. Previous one: 'The Tribe: the liberal-left and the system of diversity' (2018).

ID: 20543696

linkhttps://existentialpolitics.substack.com/ calendar_today10-02-2009 20:41:14

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8,8K Followers

1,1K Following

Denise Fahmy (@denisefahmy) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Free legal advice to arts people signing or considering signing this open letter to EHRC opposing UK law, from equality solicitor Audrey Ludwig docs.google.com/document/d/1oK…

Free legal advice to arts people signing or considering signing this open letter to <a href="/EHRC/">EHRC</a> opposing UK law,  from equality solicitor <a href="/AudreySuffolk/">Audrey Ludwig</a> 

docs.google.com/document/d/1oK…
Alex Webster (@alexmaccaroon) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Ed West Dominic Frisby An addendum - I didn't go into DEI, but that's all there. Diversity quotas are real. On screen - i've had perfectly good contributors dismissed out of hand because they are white men, forcing me to go back, waste more time, and find female and minority contributors who just

The Procurement Files (@procurementfile) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Local elections have made it clear that UK voters have had enough. They have reached the end of their patience. The single biggest issue is, of course, immigration. But it is not just any and all immigration. It is a change in the rules of engagement that has taken place over the

Local elections have made it clear that UK voters have had enough. They have reached the end of their patience. The single biggest issue is, of course, immigration. But it is not just any and all immigration. It is a change in the rules of engagement that has taken place over the
Tony McDonough (@tonymc39) 's Twitter Profile Photo

This isn’t being talked about enough. The old Corbyn left has largely taken over the Greens and the impact has been… like a wet fart. There has been no cuthrough at all. They are flatlining.

This isn’t being talked about enough. The old Corbyn left has largely taken over the Greens and the impact has been… like a wet fart. There has been no cuthrough at all. They are flatlining.
Phil Craig (@philmcraig) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Harry Phibbs Tim Montgomerie šŸ‡¬šŸ‡§ Lucy Powell MP I interviewed Julie Bindell about this yesterday for an upcoming The Scandal Mongers Podcast. She recalls with some bitterness this exact same 'oh that's a dog whistle shut up or you're boost the far right' response from over 20 years ago when she - and others on the British left like Ann

Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

"The state is rich and the people are poor: the Dutch historian Frank Dikƶtter on modern China. youtu.be/goEU7C1xmis?si… via YouTube This interview, with the Hoover Institution, has had more than 1.3 million views in just over a month.

Emily Kate (@bucketsof_rain) 's Twitter Profile Photo

I've always made this comparison. It's like a husband who's cheated on you repeatedly and has topped it off with having an affair with your best friend, and is now amazed that, this time, you won't take him back, despite the 3am pleadings of 'remember the good times'.

John McGuirk (@john_mcguirk) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Tomorrow's Sunday Indo/Ireland Thinks poll is stark: Top two issues for voters are housing and immigration. The Media's and chattering classes top two issues, Climate Change and the war in Gaza, come in at a combined 8%.

Tomorrow's Sunday Indo/Ireland Thinks poll is stark: Top two issues for voters are housing and immigration.

The Media's and chattering classes top two issues, Climate Change and the war in Gaza, come in at a combined 8%.
Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Joe Nutt That's a thing about this. I don't think it's lying per se. In my first book I invoked Harry Frankfurt's distinction between lying and 'bullshit' + Heidegger's notion of 'idle talk'. It's *chatter*, not intended to deceive but rather to pass the word along within the group. It's

<a href="/joenutt_author/">Joe Nutt</a> That's a thing about this. I don't think it's lying per se. In my first book I invoked Harry Frankfurt's distinction between lying and 'bullshit' + Heidegger's notion of 'idle talk'. It's *chatter*, not intended to deceive but rather to pass the word along within the group. It's
Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Lots of activity from Iranian proxies in Britain at the moment: including in pressing for an Islamophobia definition, as I explored here: unherd.com/2025/03/how-is…

Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Culture, Media and Sport - to be subsumed into business, education and finance. Art/music will either have to make money itself or show some educational purpose I presume - so further codifying existing trends within those sectors.

Culture, Media and Sport - to be subsumed into business, education and finance.

Art/music will either have to make money itself or show some educational purpose I presume - so further codifying existing trends within those sectors.
Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Yes, it's just normal and natural. This is the way Labour people tend to react when the rape gangs is brought up. They see it as far right, anti-Muslim, anti-Labour agitation: just another front in the daily war of position. Win or lose is all that matters.

Ben Cobley (@bencobley) 's Twitter Profile Photo

Reflecting on loading gauge, as you do, am thinking it's a massive issue. Means double decker trains in Britain virtually impossible, limiting capacity. Also makes it difficult for domestic companies to get into exports. + converting the network would be prohibitively expensive.