Tom Clark

West Riding

Contributing Editor at Prospect Magazine

Contributing Editor, @prospect_uk. Principal Editor, @ResFoundation. Stints: @jrf_uk; @guardian; @theIFS. BROKE out now: https://t.co/jWSHf4QucE

Articles

Can Smart Smoke Detectors Actually Call 911?

1 week ago | slashgear.com | Tom Clark

Smoke detectors are a critical first line of defense in home safety, alerting residents to danger before smoke and flames spread. Using loud alarms to signal trouble, traditional smoke detectors can sometimes blink red, which may lead to confusion about whether or not you're truly in danger. But as technology advances, smart smoke detectors are changing the game by offering real-time alerts and remote monitoring. But can they go one step further and actually call 911 in an emergency?
Don’t bother arguing with Trump on tariffs and VAT

3 weeks ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

Amid the rants, raves and tirades with which Donald Trump launched his global trade war on Wednesday night, the president identified one whipping boy we can all agree deserves the treatment. Everyone despises VAT—the tax he singled out as “exorbitant”—almost as much as the president, right? Businesses are baffled by it, leftists insist it’s unfairly shouldered by the poor and all of us feel a bit resentful when we clock that a bill is going to cost 20 per cent more than we had thought. All agreed?
What turned John and Paul into Lennon & McCartney

3 weeks ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

The obsessives tally 18 Beatles songs mentioning “sun” or “sunshine”. That fits with their luminous place in the national story: a burst of colour and sound that presaged the passing of postwar hardships. The 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony featured a dayglo parade of Sgt Pepper soldiers pursued by a giant gramophone horn. The truth, however, is that it was darkness as much as light that bound the heart of the band together.
There are serious questions about Labour and poverty

4 weeks ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

If you had to boil the image that the Starmer-Reeves Labour party wants to project down to one word it would surely be “serious”. Underlying so many of its favourite phrases—from “power, not protest” to “iron-clad fiscal rules”—is the claim to this one quality, something Labour’s leaders imagine distinguishes them from the likes of both Jeremy Corbyn and Liz Truss.
Jon Cruddas on ‘doing God’ in politics

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

Jon Cruddas is an anachronism: a Labour intellectual. While the party’s leading minds these days are consumed by picking out “hero voters” on polling tables, conversation with the man who topped back in 2007 can still be relied on to arrive at the writings of RH Tawney or the nature of the good life. He always had a relaxed air, but beaming away in his sweatshirt on Zoom Cruddas now looks positively zen.
The Best Practices For Maintaining Your Air Compressor

1 month ago | slashgear.com | Tom Clark

Air compressors are an invaluable part of a professional's job, as they can power a wide range of tools. From paint sprayers to nail guns, air compressors are also utilized for DIY projects, not only around the house, but also in the garage. Regular maintenance is the key to keeping those compressors working well, and neglect can lead to poor performance. So what are the best practices for maintaining an air compressor?
When the courts can’t save us, who can?

1 month ago | thehill.com | Tom Clark

In nearly two and a half centuries, American democracy has faced its challenges, and in those times, our courts have played a role in saving us from the brink of collapse. But today, we confront perhaps the most coordinated attack on our democracy yet, and our courts are not designed for the threat that Trumpian authoritarianism poses. We cannot count on them this time. In just the first two months, the Trump administration has attacked the free press.
The devastating reality of disability benefit cuts

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

The second Iraq war dossier was, conveniently, lost in the endless rows and inquiries about the first. This February 2003 paper, handed to journalists by Alastair Campbell, drew heavily on a PhD thesis ripped off the internet. It related to the time of the First Gulf War—since when the large majority of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction had not only been destroyed, but documented by the UN as destroyed.
Sticking plaster politics and the sticky realities of the housing crisis

1 month ago | prospectmagazine.co.uk | Tom Clark

Keir Starmer hit on the metaphor for how he hoped to govern a couple of years ago, when he first vowed to end “sticking plaster politics”. He repeated it endlessly, because it encapsulated so much of what he wanted to say to the country. The nation was beset by festering wounds that the shambolic Conservatives were neglecting to treat, other than slapping on the odd emergency bandage to contain the mess and smell.
How To Wash A Makita Heated Jacket Without Frying The Battery

1 month ago | slashgear.com | Tom Clark

Heated jackets date back to the early 1920s, and over the years, they've become a reliable way for many people to endure the cold. The Makita heated jacket, for example, is a popular choice that not only keeps you warm but is also safe to wear in bad weather, including rain and snow. However, the real problem lies not with the jacket's performance but how it should be cleaned.