Could someone smarter than me explain how the Greens reconcile their 'come one, come all' immigration policy with their 'build absolutely nothing anywhere near anything' housing policy?

Switching 2p from National Insurance to Income Tax would bring the rate of tax paid by pensioners closer to that paid by working-age people. Even so, pensioners with incomes below £40,000 would still be better off next year than this year, due to upcoming increases to the state pension age ⤵️

Increasingly I think one has to accept that a chunk of the Labour party is ideologically committed to an anti-enterprise, pro-losing position.

HOWAY THE LADS 👊

Breakfast. Dinner. Tea. I will die on this hill.

Associate Professor Helen Rutherford has co-written a book on Newcastle Prison. There will be a book launch on Thursday 21 August at 6:30pm at Newcastle City Library. You can book your place at the launch here - www.tiny.cc/newcastlepri...

To those using endnotes.

Lovely piece by Suzi Ring on the surprising resilience of the courtroom sketch. The one of Wayne Rooney is delightful. on.ft.com/4o5rp2M

I will never not understand how a minority of people have decided that wind farms - significantly prettier than pylons, coal power plants, nuclear power plants, and almost certainly fusion power plants - are ugly. In terms of energy generation, what else are you hoping for that is better?

What is wrong with these people.

Professors wear every hat. Who gets burned? Most professors signed up for autonomy. To think. To teach. To write. To finally do meaningful work on your own terms. But here’s what we actually do: • 59% of our time goes to teaching • 23% to service • 18% to research #academicsky #phdsky

A very cool technology that allows students to interact with John Maynard Keynes’ ideas as he develops them is called a book

I don’t want to pile on, but at some point people really do need to engage with a) how high the minimum wage now is and b) that labour costs are, you know, a big part of how much an organisation costs. Minimum wage is now just c£1900 shy of what an early career teacher earns!

I wrote a whole book about this one post....

There’s a lesson here with rather broad applications

Shamelessly replugging this from two years ago. We would never look at the proportion of, say, schools, that don't turn out literate pupils and go 'oh well, probably those kids were better off out of it'. We shouldn't view the short tail of bad courses and/or outcomes any differently:

I once asked a very eminent, and not particularly youthful, expert in the literature of the 18th and 19th centuries if there were any film adaptations of classic novels he really rated. He didn't even have to think: "Clueless. Unquestionably the best adaptation of Austen".

Signing off emails to myself with 'Best wishes'.

Our convenor, @lauragraham86.bsky.social, and @lawandsexuality.bsky.social are co-editing a Concise Encyclopaedia of Gender, Sexuality and Law. Laura and Chris are seeking additional suggestions of entries to the encyclopaedia. See attached poster for full details and get in touch if interested.

JFC! Put your name in - my entire CV comes up! Practically everything I've ever written! 😡

The Ramshaws haven’t been far.

📝 "Dear #NUFC - fans, players, staff. "'No more bloody slushy, emotional letters to players,' you said. "Hang on, lemme just make a note here. NO. MORE. LETTERS. Got it. "But while I'm here..." ⚫⚪ @georgecaulkin.bsky.social's pre-Wembley unique letter to fans: www.nytimes.com/athletic/620...

London! #NUFC

🤩 Amazing opportunity with @officialuom.bsky.social and UKICE's @robfordmancs.bsky.social 👇

Another commentator paid big ££ who's reversed position. Will any of them engage in any self-reflection?

This needs to be front and centre of any discussions we're having about taxation.

Nobody injured or suspended ✅ Three points in the bag ✅🐕 Winning the Carabao Cup on Sunday ✅🏆 #NUFC

Not quite the headline I would put, but: the government needs to think seriously about how its whole agenda is now going to have to change not just end up discarding bits at random:

Modern UKHE: "we have created not only silly systems of governance and regulation, but are also managing to subvert academic life through the creation of bullshit jobs and, I would argue, bullshit practices."

As universities engage in more "death spiral" cuts to academia, we need to focus on the intense bureaucratisation of the C21 university. A wannabe D-VC implements travel management outsourcing, and massive costs ensue. They've moved on before the disaster unfolds: academic.oup.com/brain/articl...

Huge win! Government announces plans to open up the Land Registry. If delivered, will finally reveal more about who owns land in England and Wales. Read my blog post for more details & how you can write to the Minister to make sure this now happens: whoownsengland.org/2025/03/06/h... 🧵1/

Great, troubling scoop. The point of a public service broadcaster is that it’s NOT personalised, IMV.

#NUFC stress

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! In our 2nd ep about the American Revolution David talks to historian Eric Nelson about the ideas that shaped the US Constitution. Was the office of President a victory for the people who still wanted a king or for those who never wanted one again? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

"When asked in a 2011 interview how he would describe his life, he said: “‘He tried.’"

Yeah, more accurately I mean, I’m fascinated as to just how dysfunctional it would be. This is a politician who talks (rightly) of wanting defence spending to near double, claims to be a small stater but opposes *means-testing winter fuel payments*.

You’ve started something now! The urinal at the eastern end of the old #TyneDockArches, SouthShields, was a regular stopping-off point during the long walk home after the last bus had gone. Perhaps the driver of this car had been caught short.

Unclear if Jordan Peterson was entirely read up on Nigel Farage when the two appeared 'in conversation' at the Arc conference this morning...

Hello old friend. #nufc

The domestic treble is on, lads.

Oakshott leaving the UK because of VAT on private school fees is surely a huge endorsement for the policy.

quite a spicy column in this week's newsletter, on the politics of telling people that their lives need to get worse: youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/why-things...

'In 2019 and 2024, the winning party in both elections promised that public services would improve, and that someone else would pay for it.' @stephenkb.bsky.social 🎯

The comments under this week's newsletter, particularly from people who changed their career in their 40s, are extremely lovely. In short: it's not too late. You can still do it iandunt.substack.com/p/happy-new-...

Botman Returns.