If you're wondering why Starmer first refused US access to UK bases then granted it, I suspect the answer is the same in both cases: US plan is flaky as hell. Shd we join illegal strikes on a country capable of retaliating, with someone this clueless about what next? www.nytimes.com/2026/03/01/u...

Rough rule of thumb: 10% *sustained* oil price rise adds about 0.4/0.5% to inflation and reduces GDP growth by around 0.1/0.2%

the next ayatollah should be a woman of color

If anyone subscribes to the Goodwin substack please do the decent thing and send around screenshots of the entire sore, vengeful post- election text.

London’s “worst mass eviction in recent history” is underway; hundreds of households across London told to get out of their homes this week by the same landlord, ahead of the renters rights act. The landlord? Billionaire Asif Aziz’s Criterion Capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

I have asked the BBC to scrutinise + correct the factually inaccurate claims made by Mr Nigel Farage about why net migration fell in 'Political Thinking with Nick Robinson' Here is the link if you want to do something like this. www.bbc.co.uk/contact/comp...

Today’s public finance figures show borrowing is falling, and falling even faster than forecast back in November. This is important: the Chancellor’s plan for meeting her fiscal rules is predicated on borrowing falling significantly this year and next.

Good overview of the workload on staff and MPs, and what the role of the MP is/could/should be. I prioritise dealing with casework quickly over replying to policy emails because e.g. helping a person access disability support is more important to me... 1/?

Bucket theory is unglamorous but very important. @ersatzben.com is forensic here - a must read for those interested in UK research policy www.ersatzben.com/p/the-bucket...

Gary Lineker, "Jim Ratcliffe is a migrant himself, an economic migrant, he lives in Monaco" "A lot of the immigrants contribute enormously, and the facts show you that, in terms of revenue, paying tax etc" "Whereas Jim in Monaco, is doing everything he can to avoid paying tax"

BREAKING: Wes Streeting publishes his private WhatsApp messages with Peter Mandelson in apparent attempt to draw a line under their friendship. They reveal: :: He feared being “toast at the next election” in his Ilford North seat, adding: “There isn’t a clear answer to the question: why Labour?”.

I mean, I accept that I'm an outlier here, but I don't think Starmer is terrible? He led Labour to a thumping majority nobody thought possible; they're delivering on some big things: ending the 2-kid limit, renting reforms, renationalising railways, employment rights; support for Ukraine ...

Placements are a great way for UG students to enhance their resume. At BRIC placement students work with researchers on projects involving brain imaging and brain stimulation. You can find out more about research at BRIC here www.plymouth.ac.uk/research/psy...

I look forward to giving a talk next week on the first two studies in my thesis at the UCL SSF, more info here :) www.ucl.ac.uk/brain-scienc...

ESRC to pilot two new applicant-led calls. Existing schemes will remain open, says leader of Economic and Social Research Council Stian Westlake. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...

This type of X comms from the Home Office seems a political gift to Reform, and fuel for overt racists, while repelling progressives at the same time

These bans are short-sighted and inhumane and pushed by people who do not understand the complexity of social media

“The combined tuition fees of the entire Question Time panel would not cover my cost for 1 year of uni. Is that fair?” Oli Dugmore It’s absolutely NOT fair. This outrageous scandal must end

Two Mandelsonian thoughts I have been cautious about sharing but I’m interested in what people think

'to treat peer review as a throughput problem is to misunderstand what is at stake. Review is not simply a production stage in the research pipeline; it is one of the few remaining spaces where the scientific community talks to itself.' 1/3

PRIVATE EYE NAMED IN EPSTEIN FILES In the latest files related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein released by the US Justice Department, the Eye is denounced as “an absolute rag of a publication” by Epstein’s then lawyer, Paul Tweed… 🧵1/5

You too can read up on the New Labour era - the books seem to be arriving right now! www.amazon.co.uk/New-Labour-B...

I've worked with several UG placement students in recent years and they have made a big contribution to research and teaching at BRIC. Could you be the next?

Are you an undergraduate interested in neuroscience? Come and do a placement at BRIC! You will get a chance at experiencing a range of neuroscience research, from brain imaging to computational science! If you are interested, please apply using this link: mycareer.plymouth.ac.uk/user/app/job...

🌟 CHT February Researcher of the Month is Dr Shang-Ming Zhou, Professor of e-Health and Director of the NHS Kernow Datalab. 🌟 👉 Find out more about Shang-Ming’s work here: bit.ly/4syZtGE bit.ly/3N8D8jf bit.ly/4jYunVa bit.ly/4qvbhsa 🔗 Check out the full post on Linkedin: buff.ly/BLSfOVC #CHT

🚨🚨Abstract submission deadline extended!🚨🚨 ⏰ New submission deadline is 16th of February 2026 📢 <1 month left to submit abstracts for the 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 hashtag#APP2026, 23rd-24th June in Plymouth, UK 🌊! 📌Visit: www.plymouth.ac.uk/whats-on/aut...

EU, Canada, and UK all bigging up trade deals as the antidote to Trump's undermining of global order. All though aligned on making tariffs the centre of trade policy, which might be why none of them seem to dramatically shift economic outcomes.

think this might be one of the first good instances of AI visual art I've seen. the making of is great too cannoneyed.com/projects/iso...

11 Feb, North London pub, DM me for the venue. If you are coming and haven't told me, let me know.

This is such a facile argument. Sure, let's have a conversation about how universities should be funded. But let's also talk interest rates, debt that functions like an extra tax, repayment thresholds, and what that's actually doing to millions of young people who did everything they were told to do

Very useful set of books on statistics with R #rstats #StatsSky

90,000 properties in England/Wales are owned by offshore companies. Almost half unlawfully hide their true ownership We've found them, mapped them, and published everything ▶️ This 60-second video shows how to find secretly owned property near you 📊 Details & stats below

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

Matt Goodwin was my university tutor. I’ll have a few things to say about him over the coming weeks.

Broke: Britain is a two party political system Woke: Britain is now a two bloc, multiparty system Bespoke: Britain is a one party system and that party is Nimbyism.

For background Jenrick says these are messages from now Chief Whip Rebecca Harris sent in May 24 after he went rogue on aid cuts.

NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct. He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…

NEW: Rapid rises in SEND and childcare spending are reshaping education spending in England. Our annual report on education spending in England, funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org, launches today – here are some of our findings on the key challenges facing the education sector [THREAD]:

Frankly: it is ridiculous that Russia (population circa 145 million, awful demographics, GDP of about the same size as Italy) is a security threat to Europe that requires US help to manage. But it currently is. Reversing that is the first aim. And very very achievable.

Indeed, what we know about five parties' members - where they are and how much they tend to do during election campaigns, on and offline. A short thread 🧵1/n

I’ve been reading Trump’s "Board of Peace Charter," and despite the name, this isn’t a multilateral institution, it’s a centralised structure built entirely around the authority of one person (Trump). www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-ch...

More completely mad policies from the Green Party. Trump might well blow up NATO, the way he’s going, but that’s no reason for the UK Government to help precipitate that.

This is really good. Also re China:

Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre has now also confirmed to local media that it is genuine. www.vg.no/nyheter/i/q6...

Deutsche Bank here with the good stuff. Game on.

France is pushing for the EU to use its tough anti-coercion law to respond to Donald Trump’s trade blackmail on Greenland, according to French government sources reported in the press today. The EU has “robust” legal weapons to defend itself, the sources said 1/ www.lefigaro.fr/economie/en-...

China and Russia must be having a field day. They are the ones who benefit from divisions among Allies. If Greenland’s security is at risk, we can address this inside NATO. Tariffs risk making Europe and the United States poorer and undermine our shared prosperity. (1/2)

Britain is one of the best places in recorded history to be born, live, work and grow old. Lots of room for improvement obviously but combat the pessimism, it’s the forerunner of fascism.

Joint statement of EU Commission president and European Council president ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Today's plug for drinks for Bluesky econ/politics/finance [even science] folk Wed 11 Feb 645pm on, North London pub. DM me for the venue. If you know it already and plan to come, let me know so I can gauge numbers.