The government's keenness to protect "good jobs" in manufacturing contrasts with its inaction in the face of the destruction of "good jobs" in universities. What's going on here is something other than economics.

If Musk's plan was to shift the Overton window among the British political classes, mission pretty much accomplished www.politicshome.com/news/article...

🚨 Postdoc in Comparative Politics/Public Opinion (2 years) We’re hiring a 100% Postdoc at the University of Greifswald. ✨ What makes this job special: Two full years to focus on research (no teaching, no admin overload) embedded into an International Research Training Group

Let's go through the Eramus statement together 1/ ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Jesus.

YouGov burying the lede here... Andy Burnham: 0

Using the levers of power in an effective and proactive way to attempt to frame the political debate and the government’s opponents? Might just catch on… www.thetimes.com/article/80cd...

If (big if, but far from impossible) Andy Burnham managed to win in Oldham West, it would be (I think) a first in British politics: a leader of a party effectively doomed by their party winning a by-election. Imagine the day after photo op – presumably Starmer wouldn’t show up?

Optimism is currently unfashionable. The newly published Community Life Survey asks, "do you agree or disagree that this local area is a place where people from different backgrounds get on well together?" I wondered if we might see a sharp decline this year; it has gone down 1%, to 80% agreement.

"AI" "assistants" are explicitly there to do the parts of the assignment that are ~designed~ to make students develop specific skills: generating ideas, formulating a position in response to a topic, turning thoughts into words, making strategic decisions about sentence structure, etc.

Pretty sure this tweet would have been career-ending not so long ago.

The core thesis of our Brextinction paper, beautifully (or morbidly?) summarized in one flowchart (also based on YouGov data). @simonhix.bsky.social @juhoharkonen.bsky.social ejpr.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Exactly. In fact, having been a schoolboy at a not dissimilar school in that time, it's the Spectator article that spectacularly "misses the point": it's true that 'war talk' was the norm, but it was quite the opposite of the norm to identify *with* the Nazis - and certainly not "entirely typical".

Government has now - belatedly -published the impact assessment for the changes to skilled worker and care worker visas announced in May. Impact is estimated between -£2 billion and £-10 billion (central - £10 billion). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6937e6...

Oh look. They’ve actually drawn a diagram for all the people stupid enough to need a bloody diagram.

The essence of Blue Labour thought is that somewhere in Downing Street there is a button marked “reindustrialise” that Tony Blair could have pressed, but instead he opted for the “more Woke Studies” button.

Spot on. What’s the plan?

“A pact or merger also helps Reform overcome one of the biggest doubts that people have about voting for it –namely its sheer inexperience. Nigel Farage as prime minister and Robert Jenrick as chancellor? Be afraid – be very afraid.”

Misleading write-up - it's true that there is a crisis in A&E, but this is not because of "soaring demand". The RCN report itself shows that A&E attendances are only 3% higher than in 2019, while 12+ hour waits are 8,033% higher. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Time for day 2 of the "British General Election of 2024" advent calender. Who won & lost the campaign last summer? Which parties gained ground in polls? Who fell back? In the next post, we find out but first: here's a thread detailing how you can claim your discounted copy! bsky.app/profile/robf...

Excitingly, my book now has a cover. You can see it here, where you can also now pre-order! www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/no-sec...

But Chis Mason called this 'for us' yesterday. I don't understand .

Today's 70% fall in net migration to 205,000 was not one of the six stories in BBC ten o'clock news. Ta massive assymetry in whether rises in immigration and falls in immigration are considered newsworthy by broadcasters Down by 140k isn't thought to be. Up by 140k undoubtedly would be.

It’s worth noting that on the figures from earlier today - which seem very credible to me - the lost tax revenue as a result of Brexit could have covered the forecast downgrade and all new spending commitments more than twice over.

Are you an immigrant and want to understand our crazy society better? Then listen to MORE JAM TOMORROW!

But that said, this David Sheppard piece was very wise www.ft.com/content/5480...

"What is certain, and felt instinctively by almost everybody, is that things cannot go on in their present way" – The Times, May 1975 “It is difficult to imagine a previous period when such an all-pervasive hopelessness was exhibited at all levels of British life” – Professor Stephen Haseler, 1975

Some Labour insiders think Team Starmer were following the Brownite playbook… but the outcome was significantly different. Great piece by @ecourea.bsky.social & co www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world? Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)

Striking chart from Chris Clarke of total net satisfaction with all 3 main party leaders: voters have gone off them since 2010 parables.substack.com

SURPRISE!

In half an hour

You cannot imagine the chaos unpicking salary sacrifice schemes for pension contributions would cause the NHS, especially at the senior levels. Absolutely insane idea.

Good on Ed Davey – speaking up for and defending Britain’s institutions in the face of nefarious actors. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

😂

This is the most abysmal, pathetic thing. The BBC head resigning because the corporation is not supine *enough* to the far-right.

New York millionaires: threatening to flee the city since 2009

Prime minister confident social media ban will work and will empower Australia’s parents - ABC News www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...

Glasman is an absolute weirdo.

"Far from draining our welfare system, migrants are supporting the British state’s solvency." New analysis by @lgilbert.co ukandeu.ac.uk/lower-migrat...

The Thick of It 2025 edition. Where would the characters of The Thick of It be in 2025? @dmk1793.bsky.social gives his take. Full episode here 👉 linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnow... #thethickofit #thickofit #malcolmtucker

For anyone still tempted to take Dominic Cummings at all seriously, he's now an advocate of Donald Trump-style open racism.

I wanted to do this 15 years ago but only got support to create the option for schools to do this voluntarily. Would make a big difference.

Superb stuff from @nickanstead.bsky.social. The Celebrity Traitors are behaving like a more fragmented and volatile electorate. Perhaps because they have less on the line?

Hell of a line up assembled by m’former colleagues here.

The patterns by neighborhood rent look quite different, and the relationship with education level is also more nuanced. A small 3% gap to Cuomo in precincts with incomes above $200,000 indicates that Mamdani performed relatively well in these areas.

We campaign in TikTok, we govern in Excel. As the older Cuomo didnt say.

The lessons of Mamdani’s victory for progressives: 1. Tell compelling stories 2. Identify clear enemies 3. Create policies that address voters’ problems 4. Mix modern online campaigning with face to face conversations 5. Mobilise

Australia to introduce power cuts... no, wait, free power for 3 hours a day, as the solar boom has reached its, what's the new word?, abundance phase. HT @volts.wtf www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11...