Right sentiment (tax the investment element of residential property), wrong - clunky, inefficient, irrational, unfair, partial, game-able - approach. Leaves most under-used housing assets untouched and does little to address the challenge of local authority funding. www.thetimes.com/article/c864...

Must do better… raising funds by reforming residentisl property tax would be a start. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Apparently, the world is getting richer. Here’s the catch: ‘The top one-in-a-million (about 5,600 adults, enough to fill a concert arena) collectively hold 3% of global wealth, more than the entire bottom half of the world’s adult population’… wid.world/document/wor...

On the subject of New Year’s resolutions, philanthropy is extremely tax efficient - what’s not to like? www.thetimes.com/article/7b30...

She was also the first woman to receive the Patron’s medal from the Royal Geographical Society in 1869 for ‘her proficiency in those branches of science which form the basis of physical geography’.

Chuffed to be invited to join Melvyn Bragg and Martin Rees on Christmas Eve’s Today Programme to reflect on the future…

Loved the launch of the East of England Early Career Researcher Network - on the brink of a brighter future! www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/blog/launch-...

It is sobering, finally, to catch a glimpse across all subjects - the risks of this way of going on are enormous…

This is to enable the study of Western medieval manuscripts. Don’t miss it if you’re interested. Deadline 7 Jan…

Exactly. Which is why the @britishacademy.bsky.social is so concerned about the spread of ‘cold spots’ in the provision of courses in the humanities and social sciences www.timeshighereducation.com/news/more-ha...

Take a look peeps. Eye watering trends: ‘a world in which a tiny minority commands unprecedented financial power while billions remain excluded from even basic economic stability.’ wid.world/document/wor...

Or, the deferral scheme could tap into a tiny proportion of the value of the property - easy to calculate, no interest rate risk, more logical overall? www.thetimes.com/article/233d...

There is still so much to gain from a comprehensive, joined up, review of higher education funding. www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/british...

Also international student fees already work hard for the sector… we need a more sustainable way to square the higher education funding circle www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/respons...

Hitting the nail on the head…

Less than 10 per cent of properties are in these bands, yet the whole Council Tax system is regressive to incomes, by region and by property value. Surely the time has come? www.thetimes.com/article/b43b...

Finally… www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The rise and rise of ‘stackable’ ‘micro-credentials’; the decline and fall of… (am I worried or excited?)

Shocking news from my home town, caught by ongoing disparities in income and wealth, with housing generally, and council tax in particular, adding to the mix. Time to grasp the (tax reform) nettle?

Excellent result, with a couple of great new pieces by Lucy Pankhurst www.4barsrest.com/news/62974/r...

Fantastic day at the Glasshouse. Brass (and Youth Brass) in Concert. Sold out. First rate performers, early, mid and late career, challenging classics, impressive new works, the stuff of life itself theglasshouseicm.org/seasons/bras...

If it’s all eyes on property tax, surely the time has come for a thorough overhaul of Council tax, which is grossly unfair. Split out the service charge, fairly tax the value of residential property, the majority win or break even… www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

The strong spot though is UK success in ‘curiosity’-driven (aka nimble, horizon-scanning, front foot, future-shaping) scholarship. All to play for!

Absolutely going to this! Cutting edge stuff on #housing problems and prospects from Ifigeneia Dimitrakou (University of Zurich) and @timwhite100.bsky.social (Queen Mary University of London, UK)

Fantastic programme!

I think the key is in the brackets… (a trend by no means limited to students…)

Good for publishing, good for housing, good for… hang on, perhaps #not-for-profit is good for (nearly) everyone?

Iconic moment at the start of a long period of middle/ lower income wage stagnation and a marked to to economic inequality… so, an ongoing struggle and a complex story.

Thousands of amateur brass enthusiasts have been limbering up for a flurry of local brass band association contests. It’s not about whether you win or lose… but, well, winning is ok! 😎

Surely the caché needed to push through a change of this kind would be best spent reforming land/property tax across the board? Hasn’t there been enough tinkering with Council tax to warrant a change of approach? www.thetimes.com/article/5ac9...

Excellent. Fitting tribute to a brilliant scholar.

Honestly it makes me so cross when you want to download or print out a copy of your own article and find ‘your license does not permit this’. Grrrrr.

And still the top 10% take away over a quarter of the total (post tax UK income, according to WID…)

On the subject of workable solutions to intractable problems (the chaos of residential property taxation, an increasingly dysfunctional #housing market), check out this unmissable @britishacademy.bsky.social lecture by John Muellbauer (online + in person) www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/lectu...

A lot of us have plenty of evidence-informed ideas around this challenge. Will any of them make the cut?

Fine opportunity!

Which is why, amid all this talk of economic growth, it is the TYPE of growth - its sustainability, its resilience, and above all its distribution - that matters.

Reply to some great comments on mine and Gavin Wood’s piece on #housing, the asset economy and a resurgence of rentier capitalism www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Err… top marginal tax rates in the U.K. (as in many other countries) have plummeted since the 1970s… meanwhile middle incomes have stagnated and tax thresholds have frozen. So…

Sounds like a fantastic opportunity to work with a game changing organisation…

Sunil Amrith’s mindblowing journey through time: an imperative to revisit ‘the paths not taken’ observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Spot on. Don’t tinker. Get key people round a table and reform the whole lot… www.thetimes.com/article/e895...

Excellent interventions! Reply follows. Great to feel part of an engaging conversation…

In the meantime www.economicsobservatory.com/what-future-...

Spellbinding talk tonight @girtoncollege.bsky.social by Valda Jackson… www.cam.ac.uk/news/marking...

Another prize event this evening, reflecting on some outstanding essays engaging with the legacies and practices of enslavement www.girton.cam.ac.uk/news/dusinbe...

Ta dah! After a rivetting short-list showcase and an eye-opening tour de force among six compelling authors, the winner of the British Academy 2025 Book Prize is… www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/british-acad...

Tonight’s (nearly) the night! The British Academy Book Prize ‘shortlist showcase’ takes place this evening (winner revealed tomorrow). Don’t miss a glimpse inside the covers of six of the best works of non-fiction… www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/events/livin...

It’s happening! Congratulations to everyone who had the vision and energy to get this far. Chuffed to be there…

Food for thought…