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Picky
@counterpicky.bsky.social
· Aug 8
Sympathy for the insecure, ire for the coward
Discourse around Obsession has been refreshingly forward thinking, but there's a lesson many seem to be missing
substack.com
Obsession was so good it made me finally decide to publish my ramblings.
substack.com/@counterpick...
substack.com/@counterpick...
Reposted by Picky
For too long "Treasury Brain" has prevented governments from pursuing truly transformative agendas.
No 10 North is a welcome first step on a path that could lead to a new culture in government. One that could allow us to rebuild democracy, public ownership and resilience in our public services.
No 10 North is a welcome first step on a path that could lead to a new culture in government. One that could allow us to rebuild democracy, public ownership and resilience in our public services.
October 1, 2026 at 1:46 PM
For too long "Treasury Brain" has prevented governments from pursuing truly transformative agendas.
No 10 North is a welcome first step on a path that could lead to a new culture in government. One that could allow us to rebuild democracy, public ownership and resilience in our public services.
No 10 North is a welcome first step on a path that could lead to a new culture in government. One that could allow us to rebuild democracy, public ownership and resilience in our public services.
Plenty of "decent centre-right politicians" have left the Tories over the last decade on principle.
Most of them however did not since fundamentally their adherence is to retaining power, as the right always craves.
If your politics evidently lies beyond that line, you're of no value to democracy.
Most of them however did not since fundamentally their adherence is to retaining power, as the right always craves.
If your politics evidently lies beyond that line, you're of no value to democracy.
A helpful way to look at this is to ask: would e.g. Michael Gove count as a “decent centre right” politician? I think the overwhelming answer from other politicians and pundits would be Yes, Of Course. And yet Gove is a prolific source of insane far right conspiracy theories and bullshit.
‘Decent centre right’ here means “someone who is still violently bigoted but does so in a way that is civil and quiet enough that it doesn’t impact me”.
These centrists will not protect us. They will leave us to be sacrificed for their comfortable status quo.
These centrists will not protect us. They will leave us to be sacrificed for their comfortable status quo.
September 24, 2026 at 12:33 PM
Plenty of "decent centre-right politicians" have left the Tories over the last decade on principle.
Most of them however did not since fundamentally their adherence is to retaining power, as the right always craves.
If your politics evidently lies beyond that line, you're of no value to democracy.
Most of them however did not since fundamentally their adherence is to retaining power, as the right always craves.
If your politics evidently lies beyond that line, you're of no value to democracy.
Has anyone ever done a study on whether autistic people are better at using reaction GIFs?
September 23, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Has anyone ever done a study on whether autistic people are better at using reaction GIFs?
Clutchest thing I've ever done in this game
September 19, 2026 at 11:14 PM
Clutchest thing I've ever done in this game
Has humanity ever seen so many GDP projections around a piece of technology? Around anything at all for that matter?
Maybe I'm wrong but this strikes me as a weak way to advertise your product. It's all getting very abstract...
Maybe I'm wrong but this strikes me as a weak way to advertise your product. It's all getting very abstract...
New from us:
Anthropic just published scenarios for AI’s possible economic impacts, which range from minimal, to explosive GDP growth of 15% by 2030 as knowledge-worker unemployment hits 18%.
I sat down with their co-founder Jack Clark to pick his brains on how they’re thinking about all of this.
Anthropic just published scenarios for AI’s possible economic impacts, which range from minimal, to explosive GDP growth of 15% by 2030 as knowledge-worker unemployment hits 18%.
I sat down with their co-founder Jack Clark to pick his brains on how they’re thinking about all of this.
September 10, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Has humanity ever seen so many GDP projections around a piece of technology? Around anything at all for that matter?
Maybe I'm wrong but this strikes me as a weak way to advertise your product. It's all getting very abstract...
Maybe I'm wrong but this strikes me as a weak way to advertise your product. It's all getting very abstract...
Front of the top deck on the new superloop service in Havering feeling like the Top G
September 7, 2026 at 5:32 PM
Front of the top deck on the new superloop service in Havering feeling like the Top G
Obsession was so good it made me finally decide to publish my ramblings.
substack.com/@counterpick...
substack.com/@counterpick...
Sympathy for the insecure, ire for the coward
Discourse around Obsession has been refreshingly forward thinking, but there's a lesson many seem to be missing
substack.com
August 8, 2026 at 7:40 PM
Obsession was so good it made me finally decide to publish my ramblings.
substack.com/@counterpick...
substack.com/@counterpick...
The media ecosystem as is can't really hold people accountable anymore.
Farage makes a sensationalist short video for social media, sends a crony to downplay/undermine his words in some MSM interview to quell the institutional backlash, which the audience for his social media content entirely miss
Farage makes a sensationalist short video for social media, sends a crony to downplay/undermine his words in some MSM interview to quell the institutional backlash, which the audience for his social media content entirely miss
"When Nigel was talking about rage he wasn't talking about rage against anyone... he was talking about rage at a system."
Reform UK's Laila Cunningham defends Nigel Farage's "pure cold rage" comments in response to the treatment of Henry Nowak by police.
#Newsnight
Reform UK's Laila Cunningham defends Nigel Farage's "pure cold rage" comments in response to the treatment of Henry Nowak by police.
#Newsnight
June 3, 2026 at 1:33 PM
The media ecosystem as is can't really hold people accountable anymore.
Farage makes a sensationalist short video for social media, sends a crony to downplay/undermine his words in some MSM interview to quell the institutional backlash, which the audience for his social media content entirely miss
Farage makes a sensationalist short video for social media, sends a crony to downplay/undermine his words in some MSM interview to quell the institutional backlash, which the audience for his social media content entirely miss
Reposted by Picky
This is a miserable start to Pride month. All indicators show that the EHRC’s new code of practice will contribute to the erosion of LGBT rights in the UK.
Ministers and the EHRC must show how they will protect trans people and those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
Ministers and the EHRC must show how they will protect trans people and those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
June 1, 2026 at 4:42 PM
This is a miserable start to Pride month. All indicators show that the EHRC’s new code of practice will contribute to the erosion of LGBT rights in the UK.
Ministers and the EHRC must show how they will protect trans people and those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
Ministers and the EHRC must show how they will protect trans people and those who don’t conform to gender stereotypes.
Why have we become so ubiquitously absorbed by celebrity culture that we must discuss whatever comes out of their noise holes, no matter how inane it may be?
Peer-reviewed papers are ‘old hat science’, says millionaire investor.
Candy Crush businessman Mel Morris says universities “must embrace AI” to transform into economic powerhouses.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...
Candy Crush businessman Mel Morris says universities “must embrace AI” to transform into economic powerhouses.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-i...
Peer-reviewed papers are ‘old hat science’, says millionaire investor - Research Professional News
Candy Crush businessman Mel Morris says universities “must embrace AI” to transform into economic powerhouses
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
June 1, 2026 at 10:07 AM
Why have we become so ubiquitously absorbed by celebrity culture that we must discuss whatever comes out of their noise holes, no matter how inane it may be?
Reposted by Picky
The meta now is to wait for some big exogenous event > increase prices far more than is justified by said event > never lower prices when the event passes > 'what are you going to do? Not drive? Not use electricity? Not eat?'
🚨 BREAKING: British oil and gas giant BP has more than doubled profits due to the Iran war - from $1.38bn to $3.2bn
April 28, 2026 at 9:55 AM
The meta now is to wait for some big exogenous event > increase prices far more than is justified by said event > never lower prices when the event passes > 'what are you going to do? Not drive? Not use electricity? Not eat?'
Good things are still possible in this world
youtube.com/shorts/NZwip...
youtube.com/shorts/NZwip...
April 20, 2026 at 6:40 PM
Good things are still possible in this world
youtube.com/shorts/NZwip...
youtube.com/shorts/NZwip...
Had a dream that England lose to Brazil in the Quarters of this world cup
I look up the seeding and we are literally due to play them in the quarters
I've had prophetic dreams before... If I'm right I'm buying an octopus costume, some flags and putting a lot of money on bet365 for the semis
I look up the seeding and we are literally due to play them in the quarters
I've had prophetic dreams before... If I'm right I'm buying an octopus costume, some flags and putting a lot of money on bet365 for the semis
April 18, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Had a dream that England lose to Brazil in the Quarters of this world cup
I look up the seeding and we are literally due to play them in the quarters
I've had prophetic dreams before... If I'm right I'm buying an octopus costume, some flags and putting a lot of money on bet365 for the semis
I look up the seeding and we are literally due to play them in the quarters
I've had prophetic dreams before... If I'm right I'm buying an octopus costume, some flags and putting a lot of money on bet365 for the semis
Reposted by Picky
Universal Basic Income — like Social Security — isn't about creating dependency; it's about ending it. It gives people the leverage to negotiate better wages and better conditions. It turns the labor market from a coercive "choice" into an actual choice. That's the freedom we should be fighting for.
April 2, 2026 at 4:25 PM
Universal Basic Income — like Social Security — isn't about creating dependency; it's about ending it. It gives people the leverage to negotiate better wages and better conditions. It turns the labor market from a coercive "choice" into an actual choice. That's the freedom we should be fighting for.
Reposted by Picky
🤔Could it be? Reform quietly shelving a vote-winning policy the moment former Tory Robert Jenrick becomes Treasurer?
The party that cosplays as “for the people” is bankrolled by & takes their orders from the same kind of profiteers who’ve run our water system into the ground.
The party that cosplays as “for the people” is bankrolled by & takes their orders from the same kind of profiteers who’ve run our water system into the ground.
March 25, 2026 at 5:28 PM
🤔Could it be? Reform quietly shelving a vote-winning policy the moment former Tory Robert Jenrick becomes Treasurer?
The party that cosplays as “for the people” is bankrolled by & takes their orders from the same kind of profiteers who’ve run our water system into the ground.
The party that cosplays as “for the people” is bankrolled by & takes their orders from the same kind of profiteers who’ve run our water system into the ground.
Does every political party have people with humiliation fetishes that just *love* to go out on the broadcast rounds the day after a by-election to brag about how proud they are to have lost it?
"Yes actually we cracked open the champagne at 5am when we found out that 5 people had voted for us"
"Yes actually we cracked open the champagne at 5am when we found out that 5 people had voted for us"
February 27, 2026 at 12:17 PM
Does every political party have people with humiliation fetishes that just *love* to go out on the broadcast rounds the day after a by-election to brag about how proud they are to have lost it?
"Yes actually we cracked open the champagne at 5am when we found out that 5 people had voted for us"
"Yes actually we cracked open the champagne at 5am when we found out that 5 people had voted for us"
It actually must be quite sad to be someone who can't take sincere and candid art and just enjoy it. That there must be subtle messaging or restraint in something in order for it to be provocative or worthwhile to engage with whatsoever...
Anyway guess I'm gonna get into Bruce Springsteen!
Anyway guess I'm gonna get into Bruce Springsteen!
there are no tears like the tears you cry over bruce springsteen’s music. that man has never heard of irony or subtext. his lifelong task is to tell you things are bad by quite simply telling you things are bad and he’s the best there ever was at it
January 29, 2026 at 2:01 PM
It actually must be quite sad to be someone who can't take sincere and candid art and just enjoy it. That there must be subtle messaging or restraint in something in order for it to be provocative or worthwhile to engage with whatsoever...
Anyway guess I'm gonna get into Bruce Springsteen!
Anyway guess I'm gonna get into Bruce Springsteen!
The "collapse of liberal democracy" is simply the result of "socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor".
People don't trust institutions, because they're the middle men systematically keeping this status quo in place.
People don't trust institutions, because they're the middle men systematically keeping this status quo in place.
As I've written before, people don’t trust institutions because institutions aren't doing the job. Democracy rests on three pillars: Verification, Deliberation, Accountability, which can be understood as being substantial, performative, and simulated.
demos.co.uk/research/ver...
demos.co.uk/research/ver...
Verification, Deliberation, Accountability: A new framework for tackling epistemic collapse and renewing democracy
Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.
demos.co.uk
January 26, 2026 at 3:06 PM
The "collapse of liberal democracy" is simply the result of "socialism for the rich and capitalism for the poor".
People don't trust institutions, because they're the middle men systematically keeping this status quo in place.
People don't trust institutions, because they're the middle men systematically keeping this status quo in place.
What's it going to take to get twitter banned in the UK?
If you made an AI webapp that didn't stop users from making deepfake child sexual abuse images, it would surely not last?
Just please put it in the bin and set it on fire, good job to the MPs standing up for this cause
If you made an AI webapp that didn't stop users from making deepfake child sexual abuse images, it would surely not last?
Just please put it in the bin and set it on fire, good job to the MPs standing up for this cause
January 7, 2026 at 4:47 PM
What's it going to take to get twitter banned in the UK?
If you made an AI webapp that didn't stop users from making deepfake child sexual abuse images, it would surely not last?
Just please put it in the bin and set it on fire, good job to the MPs standing up for this cause
If you made an AI webapp that didn't stop users from making deepfake child sexual abuse images, it would surely not last?
Just please put it in the bin and set it on fire, good job to the MPs standing up for this cause
The thing is, I actually hadn't heard of elf on a shelf
December 22, 2025 at 7:29 PM
The thing is, I actually hadn't heard of elf on a shelf
When I tell people I work at a magnet factory, I usually have to explain that we do complex engineering and it's actually quite technical and difficult
But to be fair this morning I am trying to pick up paperclips with magnets we're trying to make rn, so, maybe my whole career is a joke, actually
But to be fair this morning I am trying to pick up paperclips with magnets we're trying to make rn, so, maybe my whole career is a joke, actually
December 5, 2025 at 10:35 AM
When I tell people I work at a magnet factory, I usually have to explain that we do complex engineering and it's actually quite technical and difficult
But to be fair this morning I am trying to pick up paperclips with magnets we're trying to make rn, so, maybe my whole career is a joke, actually
But to be fair this morning I am trying to pick up paperclips with magnets we're trying to make rn, so, maybe my whole career is a joke, actually
"House owners", as in, well under 1% of house owners. Many of whom will undoubtedly be (often foreign) investors.
So, so sad they'll be hit with a tax far, far below the average growth in value of their notoriously reliable and profitable asset.
So, so sad they'll be hit with a tax far, far below the average growth in value of their notoriously reliable and profitable asset.
This house tax pretending is making me more insane than usual because as a renter I’ve had to move every 1-3 years just as standard because rents always rise. And no one cares. House owners get a tiny fraction of that precarity and suddenly it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened
November 27, 2025 at 5:41 PM
"House owners", as in, well under 1% of house owners. Many of whom will undoubtedly be (often foreign) investors.
So, so sad they'll be hit with a tax far, far below the average growth in value of their notoriously reliable and profitable asset.
So, so sad they'll be hit with a tax far, far below the average growth in value of their notoriously reliable and profitable asset.
The electorate aren't whiney babies, they're struggling. Just because Reeves has done the most notable actual tax hike since the 70s doesn't make up for the half century of trickle up economics that preceded it.
What point are you even making? That the public sector is actually well funded now?
What point are you even making? That the public sector is actually well funded now?
Starmer and Reeves run probably the most economically left-wing government of past five decades and yet bleeding support to its left thanks to dumb strategy www.economist.com/britain/2025...
November 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
The electorate aren't whiney babies, they're struggling. Just because Reeves has done the most notable actual tax hike since the 70s doesn't make up for the half century of trickle up economics that preceded it.
What point are you even making? That the public sector is actually well funded now?
What point are you even making? That the public sector is actually well funded now?
Details aside, I never really understood why there's a need to just assume history is inevitably cyclical.
New things can happen and new patterns can develop. We can influence the curve of history, it's naïve and intentionally defeatist to suggest otherwise.
New things can happen and new patterns can develop. We can influence the curve of history, it's naïve and intentionally defeatist to suggest otherwise.
James is chin-stroking about the end of democracy here, and I’d point out that the key issue for almost two decades has been a political/media class increasingly making it very clear they will choose actual Norsefire fascism over any kind of backsliding on Thatcherism, if pushed archive.ph/qBzgr
November 25, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Details aside, I never really understood why there's a need to just assume history is inevitably cyclical.
New things can happen and new patterns can develop. We can influence the curve of history, it's naïve and intentionally defeatist to suggest otherwise.
New things can happen and new patterns can develop. We can influence the curve of history, it's naïve and intentionally defeatist to suggest otherwise.
Some kind of effort should be made to reconnect schoolchildren with the practise of farming - mainly animals.
It's the worst example of how the modern world has babied us and detached us from reality, and it's been done without computer or internet technology.
It's the worst example of how the modern world has babied us and detached us from reality, and it's been done without computer or internet technology.
Do you have any extremely niche, but serious, ethical stances?
October 20, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Some kind of effort should be made to reconnect schoolchildren with the practise of farming - mainly animals.
It's the worst example of how the modern world has babied us and detached us from reality, and it's been done without computer or internet technology.
It's the worst example of how the modern world has babied us and detached us from reality, and it's been done without computer or internet technology.