I started the Monday Memo to improve my writing (which it has been very good for), help me figure out my own perspectives (which it has been pretty good for) and potentially start a popular, well-read newsletter (which it has been pretty bad for).
Today is the 50th edition, so here’s 50 tidbits from the last year of Monday Memos.
Interesting facts
01 - 31% of the most affluent schools have private tutors on their books, compared to just 12% of the most deprived schools (The AI pessimists, Jul 15 2024)
02 - In India, a group of election agents trekked up 7 miles of mountains and crossed a river to set up a polling station in a remote village (India and Indonesia vote, Aug 12 2024)
03 - In Indonesia in 2019, 894 election workers died, overworked and exhausted from overnight counts and sometimes days spent trekking to remote polling stations (India and Indonesia vote, Aug 12 2024)
04 - 60% of South Africans voted against current President Cyril Ramaphosa (South Africa votes, Aug 26 2024)
05 - In 1991, McVities avoided a massive tax bill by successfully arguing that Jaffa Cakes are cakes (What is a woman?, Sep 02 2024)
06 - A quarter of the UK population now have a long-term, chronic condition (Built to cure, forced to care, Sep 16 2024)
07 - Only 4% of people who start an online course will actually complete it (5 predictions for the future of EdTech, Sep 23 2024)
08 - The US has more guns than it has people - and one person will be killed by a gun every 11 minutes (Can America control guns?, Oct 21 2024)
09 - That fake beer iPhone app used to generate $20,000 a day at its peak (The half-life of a miracle, Oct 28 2024)
10 - It takes just 35 minutes to become addicted to TikTok (Cigs for Kids, Nov 25 2024)
11 - Thomas Jefferson compiled his own version of the Bible that left out all of the miracles (1 Guy, Dec 23 2024)
12 - Tonibler is a male first name in honour of Tony Blair (War, Jan 27 2025)
13 - The “rockets’ red glare” in the US anthem refers to Mysorean rockets, developed just outside of Bangalore (The Silicon Valley of India, Feb 10 2025)
14 - Any Catholic male is a candidate for Pope - though a cardinal has been elected every time since the 14th century (Papabili, Feb 24 2025)
15 - The company that makes Cocomelon has more than 300 employees, dedicated to keeping babies hooked (You bet!, Mar 10 2025)
16 - In the 18th century, tariffs accounted for around 90% of the US’s revenue (Tariffying!, April 07 2025)
17 - It takes half of the world’s land to feed a population that lives on 1% of the world’s land (The meat sweats, May 12 2025)
18 - The NHS spends £12 billion a year on mental health (£500 per household per year!) (The trouble with Mental Health Awareness Week, May 19 2025)
19 - Since 1977, the British public has almost always been dissatisfied with its Prime Minister (How's Starmer doing?, Jun 09 2025)
20 - 4 of the 5 hottest days of the last 100 years have happened since 2019 (It's getting hot in here, Jun 30 2025)
21 - Wikipedia lists an average of 8 political gate-scandals per year in the last 5 years, compared to just 3 in the first 5 years of the 2000s (A year of Labour, Jul 07 2025)
Policy ideas
22 - Raise the middle and top rates of income tax (Labour landslide, Jul 09 2024)
23 - Pause the triple lock (Labour landslide, Jul 09 2024)
24 - Reform Criminal Behaviour Orders to enable the police to issue them rapidly on the balance of evidence rather than beyond reasonable doubt (Can anyone stop the thugs?, Aug 05 2024)
25 - Investing in net-zero today is like buying Apple shares in 1999 or Bitcoin in 2010 (Just Stop, Aug 19 2024)
26 - Reduce the role of GPs and introduce self-referrals to specialists (Built to cure, forced to care, Sep 16 2024)
27 - Means test the winter fuel allowance (Things can only get … better?, Sep 30 2024)
28 - Repackage tuition fees as a Graduate Tax - same repayment terms, for 30 years after graduating (The case for tuition fees, Oct 07 2024)
29 - Develop an emotional education curriculum to be taught in schools (Awareness isn’t working, Oct 14 2024)
30 - Force tech companies to introduce benevolent dark patterns: like reducing the quality of content after midnight (Cigs for Kids, Nov 25 2024)
31 - Force social media companies to disclose their research into harms and addictiveness (Cigs for Kids, Nov 25 2024)
32 - Take advantage of Brexit to to cut loose from the overly-stringent EU tech regulation (Clegg it, Jan 06 2025)
33 - Keep China at arm’s length (Sinophiles, Jan 13 2025)
34 - A national effort to make care-based jobs better paid and less stressful, in preparation for a future where AI replaces office work (A workerless future, Feb 03 2025)
35 - Invest in military and health tech in the Oxford-Cambridge transport corridor (The Silicon Valley of India, Feb 10 2025)
36 - Limit the number of gambling ads that people see, give them the power to block gambling adverts online (You bet!, Mar 10 2025)
37 - Force online gambling companies to show a player’s total lifetime losses prominently (You bet!, Mar 10 2025)
38 - Invest in work coaches that can support people with what they need to get into work, whether that’s treatment, training or adjustments (Benefits Britain, Mar 17 2025)
39 - Approve lab-grown meat to urgently tackle the unsustainable food system (The meat sweats, May 12 2025)
40 - Introduce a targeted strategy for suicide prevention, that is separate from mental health strategies (The trouble with Mental Health Awareness Week, May 19 2025)
41 - Do not class capital investment as debt, and spend more (Spend, Rachel, spend!, Jun 16 2025)
42 - Subsidise heat pumps and make them mandatory in new build homes (It's getting hot in here, Jun 30 2025)
43 - Incorporate more nature into urban planning (It's getting hot in here, Jun 30 2025)
Mystic Michael (sort of)
44 -
“It absolutely beggars belief that Diane Abbott, for example, has retained the whip.”
Monday Memo, Jul 07 2025
“Diane Abbott suspended from Labour Party”
Sky News, Jul 17 2025
45 -
“I suspect Iran will do nothing in retaliation against America.”
Monday Memo, morning of Jun 23 2025
“Iran retaliates against U.S. strikes”
NPR, afternoon of Jun 23 2025
46 -
“[A North American Pope] might be good options in a world where the most powerful man has an American-first mentality.
Monday Memo, Feb 24 2025
“New Pope is first North American elected”
The Telegraph, May 08 2025
47 -
“Starmer is finally hitting his stride.”
Monday Memo, Mar 03 2025
“Keir Starmer’s approval hits record low (-41%). He is now as unpopular as Boris Johnson after ‘partygate’.”
Opinium polling, Jul 12 2025
48 -
“Trump’s primary policy goal is popularity at all costs. If the people want TikTok, he’ll give it to them - regardless of the national security implications.”
Monday Memo, morning of Jan 20 2025
“TikTok is back online after Trump pledged to restore it”
CNN, afternoon of Jan 20 2025
49 -
“2025 will be the year of Agentic AI.”
Monday Memo, Feb 03 2025
“40% Of Agentic AI Projects Will Be Canceled By 2027”
Forbes, Jun 28 2025
50 -
“The Eagles will win the Super Bowl”
Monday Memo, Dec 30 2024
“The Philadelphia Eagles Dominate the Chiefs to Win the Super Bowl”
Wall Street Journal, Feb 9 2025
These memos are making me more aware of what exactly is going on in the real world !
I always enjoy the Monday Memo and it may not have reach the audience that it deserves, but it gets me reading at least once a week and working towards last Monday's tip of reading everyday.