How does HM Government spending take place? A Thread:

HM Government spending begins in Parliament via various annual legislative mechanisms: Supply and Appropriation Bills (Main Estimates) and Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Bills.

As per the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1866, S.15 para.2, HM Treasury places a request, known as a requisition, with the Comptroller and Auditor General, who first scruntinises and then grants HM Treasury a ‘credit’ on the 'Exchequer Account' at the Bank of England.

The grant of credit is not a balance of money, but a ledger balance that shows how much money will be made *available* for HM Treasury to spend, according to the requirements of government departments and in accordance with parliamentary Supply and Appropriation Acts.

In theory a government department could draw down its Exchequer credit on an annual basis, as it does not require a money balance to be put immediately at its disposal. Typically, however, government departments draw down their Exchequer credit on a monthly basis.

1. Short thread - on the various claims we're seeing from Republican politicians over the last few days that the Democratic push for accountability is "divisive." Damn right it's divisive - that is what it has to be.

2. It is intended to enforce a clear division between those who accept and are committed to democracy and those who are willing to turn to violence when the vote doesn't turn out the way that they want it to.

3. One of the basic implications of Adam Przeworski's theoretic work is that democracy is made out of mutually reinforcing expectations, and those expectations are fragile. If some actors think they would be better off defecting from the democratic bargain, they will.

4. In other words: democracy and armed factionalism are far closer than we think, or we would like them to be. This means that it is incredibly important to police the boundaries between them. Allowing some to turn to violence can lead to expectation collapse and cascading ruin.

5. When we allow the divisions to become blurred, that means that we are running the perpetual risk of things getting fucked up. If a major faction turns to violence, and no-one responds, things can get really fucked up really, really fast.

Here's our Sunday Wrapup
- Our 2021 Spring Previews are out (will be linked below
- Bike shortages will be a real thing this year. We're already feeling it with some brands.
- We're upset/scared/frustrated about Covid, and are limiting appointments to urgent repairs only.

City Bike Preview--> Breezer, @VSFManufaktur, @gazellebikesusa
Affordable transportation. Reliable & built to last (with 10 year warranties). Fun and easy to ride every day.

Gazelle E-bike Preview--> Ultimate Series (Completely Amaazing, and new!), Medeo Series (sporty and fun), Upright Series (Maximum Dutchiness).
--
Good availability on most models, limited availability on Arroyo Elite and EasyFlow

Family Cargo Bike Preview--> @ternbicycles @UrbanArrowcom @larryvsharry @babboe_bakfiets
--
So many amazing choices to have fun with your family while getting stuff done. Our family is rolling with a Larry vs Harry Bullitt, and a Tern GSD in 2021.

Cargo Bikes for Business -->
This is a new opportunity for local businesses to take advantage of an incredible $2000 grant toward an electric cargo bike. We're here to consult with you on the best way to move your business forward, on a

1/42 Good to see yesterday’s @thetimes editorial attacking the pandemic of covid misinformation. Here’s my twitter contribution to fighting it, as suggested. Lockdown and covid sceptics continue to consistently misuse cherry picked data to argue NHS not unusually busy.

2/42 NHS trust leaders believe this disinformation is profoundly disrespectful to staff and risks reducing vital compliance with restrictions on social contact. Below is a long two part thread answering the main "NHS not unusually busy" and other NHS related disinformation.

3/42 Much of the disinformation comes from simplistic year on year percentage comparisons of data. Some types of NHS demand are flat or lower year on year. But it’s a huge distortion to argue that these individual statistics mean the NHS is not unusually busy.

4/42 For example, there ARE much lower levels of winter flu year - a global phenomenon. There ARE fewer elective operations - because of covid pressures. And there are many other examples. But there are five problems with cherry-picking/using these individual datasets.

5/42 1. They do not capture anything like the current total level of NHS demand which is very differently shaped due to COVID-19. Traditional, existing, NHS datasets were built to reflect “normal” levels of demand, “normal” operations and "normal" capacity. This isn’t normal.

1/21 The pros and cons of cryptocurrencies with an immutable, decentralized, public blockchain, why banks aren't going away, and what that means for XRP.

A thread. 👇

2/21 When I got into crypto, one of the first things I learned was that the blockchain is immutable. Once something is stored on it, it can't be changed. Once you decide to make a transaction, nobody can reverse your decision, not even the State. This gives you real power.

3/21 The blockchain is also public. Anyone with the right software can view every transaction on it. This keeps people honest and builds trust b/c everyone knows everyone else can audit the blockchain and ensure everything is on the up-and-up.

4/21 A good blockchain is also decentralized. No individual, company or State can exert control over it independently. Without consensus, things cant't change, and that kind of monetary stability is exactly what we need to stop the current brrrrr of inflationary money printing.

5/21 Crypto also offers you the ability to "be your own bank". You don't have to pay high fees or keep your money in inflationary fiat that's losing value every year. Want to send money to another country? Open an app and make it happen. Fast, cheap, no bank required.

🍑🧵Our voting rights litigation was instrumental to winning Georgia in the 2020 election. As a result of our lawsuits, over 3,000 ballots were cured statewide. The post-cure rejection rate DECREASED by 6% since 2016. How did we get there?

On behalf of the @dscc, @dccc and @GeorgiaDemocrat, we sued and obtained a favorable settlement with the state regarding #GA's signature matching laws and Gwinnett County's absentee ballot design. Why was this so important? (2/16)


Up until our settlement, VBM ballots were being thrown out in #GA for no lawful reason due to standard-less signature matching processes that failed to notify voters. As I warned in my #FourPillars, signature matching laws drive disenfranchisement.

Under the terms of the settlement, #GA agreed to provide prompt notification of absentee ballot rejections and increased signature matching regulations and trainings. Gwinnett County also adopted a clearer absentee ballot envelope design in the settlement. BIG wins!🥳 (4/16)

Our victory was critical in the face of #COVID19. Like other states, #GA experienced a giant surge in VBM. Our settlement installed stronger guardrails against VBM disenfranchisement and set the tone for what states had to do to protect their voters amid the pandemic. (5/16)

Imagine if, in the midst of the massive BLM riots this summer, the entire tech infrastructure had deplatformed Facebook because some had used that app to plan events devolving into violence. People would rightly have called that an insane act of ideological fascism.

Yet today, media will celebrate Amazon doing exactly that to Parler. The tech bros are making a horrible and dangerous moment significantly more horrible and dangerous. There are no consistent standards being applied. There is reactionary deplatforming in the name of one side.

Private companies are by law free to do what they like. That’s why I have always said that the solution to the censorship of Twitter is alternatives -- which is what Parler was attempting to be, whatever its flaws.

But when the technological instruments necessary for speech are located in essentially three companies, all of which are moving toward like-minded censorship (Amazon controls about half of all public-cloud infrastructure, Microsoft 16%, and Google 4%), that avenue closes.

I am by nature anti-regulation. But even the consumer-based theory of anti-monopoly championed by free market advocates cuts in favor of anti-monopolistic regulation if these companies are acting in de facto collusion to shut all avenues of dissent.

Patriots,
I'm hearing from multiple, credible sources about this Apple Update. I put out a request for information from fellow Patriots and received a response from someone in either France or Switzerland. They wrote a 6 page document

Post pandemic, it is time to relook at the digital opportunity in India.

We are on the cusp of a once-in-a-lifetime transformation of our Nation.

A thread from my conversation with @NandanNilekani on @FoundingF

👇

2/n The digital *consumption* economy (YouTube, Netflix, Facebook) in India will get dwarfed by the digital *transaction* economy (payments, shopping, digital services).

The change is happening as we speak.

3/n Why?

The digital infrastructure in the West was built on advertising. Over 200B$ flows through their digital economy via ads.

In contrast, India’s ad spend is small.

(Digital 3B$. Total 10 B$). Digital consumption, while growing rapidly cannot power the ecosystem.

4/n India’s future will be led by the transaction-led boom (low-cost, high-volume, small ticket size transactions).

Covid has brought this digital infrastructure to the fore and now it’s ready for phase2 with auto-debit & embedded lending

5/n India’s telecom boom kicked off on the back of creating pre-paid transactions.

The Telcos went into the nooks & corners of the country and activated customers.

This was pre-Aadhaar, with limited trust & lending history, we had no choice but to ask people to pay first.

Modern viewers may be horrified by medieval images of people hunting unicorns, but--to judge by medieval images of unicorns--medieval people may have seen unicorns as a little....murdery.

(BL, MS Sloane 3544, f. 4) #MedievalTwitter

When not being hunted, medieval unicorns mostly seem to be attacking other creatures, like this poor elephant.

(BL, MS Royal 2 B VII, f. 100v)

Or these bears.

(BL, MS Royal 10 E IV, f. 157)

Or this lion.

(BL, MS Royal 2 B VII, f. 190v)

Here's a whole troop of them fighting Alexander the Great.

(BL, MS Royal 15 E VI, f. 21)

*Thread* - (e)motion

Manipulate Energy, leverage emotions, & defeat low energy

Emotion = energy in motion

You don't own feelings, they are not who you are

Just like you don't own radio stations you tune into

Feelings are signals of the amount of energy around you & flowing through you

If you are feeling low energy it means high energy is unfamiliar to you

Depression = Repression

It's a lack of expression - cells, brain, body

Energy is not flowing

If you were to:
- Exercise intensely
- Do something creatively stimulating (socializing, writing, producing)

Dopamine would light up
ATP would begin producing

Heart rate would go up
Blood flow would increase

Nervous system would be active
Oxygen would be flowing to the brain & through the body

"Ask and you shall receive"

Until demand is seen you will not be supplied what you need

We are wired to conserve energy

If you inhale too much
You'll FEEL a need to exhale

Lots of upset Hollywood Stalinists calling my representatives and demanding to know why they still represent me.

This is how they work, people.

But since I'm already rich, they can't hurt me. It's the aspiring artists they destroy, either mentally, by making them afraid 1/

#jaeyong AU — 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑳𝑬𝑻𝑬 ༄
⠀
⠀ ❥ ҉ 𝐶𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑒 — 𝐎𝐍𝐅
0:45 ———⊙————— 3:45
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
⠀

↳ wherein jaehyun is the new boy at school and loner taeyong falls head over heels.

𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐈𝐌𝐄𝐑:
this story belongs to me. the characters used obviously are not, and any occurrence in this story that could relate to any real life event is purely coincidental. I also DO NOT own ANY of the photos used in this AU.

now, I'm sure you all know this but:
𝟏. do not comment, just quote.
𝟐. do not copy or steal.
𝟑. ignore the timestamps.
𝟒. ignore any typos I make.
𝟓. I am from Australia so I may use some Aussie slang in my writing.
𝟔. 𝑒𝑛𝑗𝑜𝑦!

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆!
there will be angst. if the story triggers you in any negative way, do NOT continue. this is not a horror nor thriller, but inside may contain certain elements that may be triggering for some.

Beliefs affect behaviour

Bad behaviour can have detrimental consequences with wealth building

Being aware of your own innocent beliefs is powerful, but only if you apply this knowledge

A thread inspired by @GeorgeDKinder and the @KinderInstitute

1. My self worth is based on what others think of me

Some people define themselves based upon how they guess others see them

When they are convinced that others think poorly of them, such people lack the self-confidence necessary to consistently take action

2. My past = My future

If some people experience a series of setbacks they assume their goals are not achievable

Over time they become dispirited & discouraged, then they avoid situations where failure is a risk

As any significant effort entails risk, such people are then unable to make significant achievements

3. My destiny is controlled by the supernatural

The belief that status in life or even potential as a human is determined by luck, fate, or divine intervention, can rob such people of initiative, making them passive as they wait for "luck" to change

On March 17, the Netherlands will have general elections.

Two parties - PVV & FVD - want a Nexit, a departure from the EU, in line with Brexit.

As the reality of the EU-UK trade agreement kicks in, let's take a look at what these parties

Firstly, good to note, here is their recent polling,

PVV: 14% - 23 seats (currently 20 seats)
FVD: 2.5% - 4 seats (currently 2 seats)

A government needs 76 seats to govern.

Give or take, these parties appeal to about 20% of the electorate.

/2

FVD wants a so-called "intelligent Nexit" because - arguably - they think the UK's departure was not-so-intelligent.

"Intelligent" Nexit. Lots of nodding

But FVD doesn't want to leave the EU, they want an end to the EU.

/3

They want a "different cooperation model among sovereign states" based around free trade, conveniently assuming that the EU will automatically cease to exist once the Dutch vote 'Leave'.

And EFTA should be the basis for the new model.

/4

It's full-on 'magical thinking'.

If you want to join EFTA, sure, make the case.

But be truthful about what it means.

The FVD decides to disregard the EEA agreement, which governs trade between the EFTA-4 and the EU27, and the EU rules and regs that EFTA countries follow.

/5

I had never heard of a man named Ferdinand Pecora before I had met the likes of the legendary William K Black who is the foremost expert in bank control fraud. But Bill was adamant that we learn about Ferdinand Pecora who had apparently brought the banksters to their knees 1/x

I was then introduced to @PatrickLovell1 and his brilliant partner Eric Vaughan who reemphasized the need for a modern day Pecora hearing.

I started to dig in. These guys Eric, @PatrickLovell1 and Bill had created a docuseries called "The Con" and it broke the story of the housing collapse and the fraud that fueled it from the GFC in 2007-2009 and beyond.

Our financial system is a backstop for elite control fraud. Elite bail outs while the same wretches predate on the poor and minorities, these rich cons live off of their misery foreclosing on homes people spent their lives securing.

The Con is about every person. Regular you and I. But it centered on an elderly black woman named Addie Polk who committed suicide as her home was being taken from her. Millions of Addie Polks exist today. Many of us experienced the fall out of Countrywide and subprime mortgages.

1/ It's like the B117s are playing "Love Shack" there's so much dancing around whether it's here. Look at UK and Ontario case count and age infection charts. If you still think it's not circulating here then assume it is and take the appropriate action based on that "assumption".

2/ Government action, when they're finally motivated enough to do something, must be based on the worst case scenario, not the best case held together by prayer and duct tape. You cannot have 500 people wandering around Home Depot, Costco, Walmart etc. in a zombie like state.

3/ All retail, bar "true" grocery stores and pharmacies, must be curbside pickup only. Walmart and Costco are not grocery stores so must be closed for inside shopping. They, more than any others, will figure out an efficient curbside pickup strategy. Ford must ignore the retail

4/ lobby because pissed-off shareholders are acceptable whereas hundreds or thousands more unnecessary deaths are NOT. The list from the March lockdown was good but might not be enough to suppress case counts from the VOCs.

6/ We are not far away from an influx of vaccine supply and the return of warmer weather so now is the time to act firmly and quickly.
Businesses forced to close must be compensated from the 9-12 billion $$ of Federal funds the government are sitting on as must employees of