Thursday, 17 August 2023

Robert 'Canute' Kimbell

I see a lot - a lot - of tweets from Mr. Robert Kimbell, who sounds like an authoritative albeit slightly deranged and hysterical Brexiteer. He pumps out what he calls ‘positive stories from the UK’ with the clear implication that they are in some way a result of Brexit. These come out between 8am and 9am in the morning. I always assumed that he was some sort of economist for Brexit, a bit like Julian Jessop, but doing some basic research I see that he is really just an ordinary bloke, but with more than 96,000 Twitter followers.

His Twitter profile describes him thus: Optimist. Brexiteer. Extensively travelled. Northamptonian. British. Never knowingly under-researched.

Here is the latest from just after 8am this very morning:

Or this one:

As you can see, there is no link to Brexit. I don't think developers have suddenly decided to create 152 studio apartments on land once owned by University College Birmingham or sales have risen at Elddis Transport because of Brexit. Most of these 'positive' news stories are like this - as they have to be of course, since Brexit has brought no good news.

Nevertheless, Kimbell spends his day furiously tweeting and re-tweeting whatever he can find.

Anyway, I did a bit of research on him and noted an article in Country Squire magazine from 2018 where he is described as a "Time Lord" and a "management consultant specialising in the field of global executive search." Apparently worked  Robert worked in London and the Far East with his interests given as including "travel, international trade, geopolitics, and domestic politics." He is said to be "driven by his desire to see Britain reach its ultimate potential."

Kimbell was at the time apparently the leader of The Time party, which still has its own website but seems to have risen without trace, since I've never heard of it although it's said to be registered with the Electoral Commission.

Last year he upset a lot of SNP types north of the border apparently by writing: “Orkney and Shetland have both stated they would exit Scotland should Scotland vote in a referendum to leave the United Kingdom.”

The SNP’s Michael Russell responded: “All untrue and as a bonus he unwittingly demonstrates his spectacular ignorance with regard to one of the places.

“British arrogance and exceptionalism at its worst.”

He has clearly been at it - producing highly misleading tweets on Brexit and the economy - for a long time since six years ago a blogger published "The Robert Kimbell guide to creating shockingly misleading Brexiteer statistics" which is well worth reading before venturing on to his Twitter feed.

Kimbell praises GB News as "high-calibre" and their economics editor Liam Halligan, a fellow nutjob whose particular  specialty is in constantly forecasting the imminent demise of the EU, the euro, or both:

He describes GB News as a 'news' channel although OFCOM don't appear to think it is but they are now investigating it for "four further potential breaches of impartiality rules, as the media regulator Ofcom struggles with the rightwing channel’s willingness to push the boundaries of British broadcasting rules."

His judgment about what is or isn't 'high-calibre' is questionable at the very least.

Needless to say, Kimbell is also a climate change denier:

Kimbell's problem is a bit like that of King Canute. He can no more prevent the rising tide of bad news stories lapping at our shores as the all-powerful man who was briefly King of England between 1016-1018. 

What this does tell us, is how Britain came to be in the position it is.

Men like Kimbell have been advising businesses and recruiting executives into high-powered positions in this country for years and years. I have no doubt his advice and the candidates he selected all had the same stupid opinions as his own.

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