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John Williams

@johnhuww.bsky.social
290 followers 72 following 6.3K posts

wine, gardens, churches and Wales will feature. Professionally interested in health and life sciences, mental health, academic clinical careers and science policy in general. I cross boundaries. @wi_john

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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 4h
“Beyond the difficult technical negotiations involved in reversing Brexit, it is the bigger strategic question that really matters. Do both sides see a common interest in Britain rejoining the EU? If the answer to that is a clear yes — then it can & should happen.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Britain, Brexit and the cat-flap option
The political, strategic and economic momentum for a reversal of Brexit is growing
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 4h
Powerful argument for an analogue home! “Anthropic’s latest warning refers to so-called “internet of things” devices which have proliferated over the past decade, as consumers use devices that control lights, plugs, thermostats and security systems.” www.ft.com/content/64aa...
ft.com
Anthropic warns rogue AI agents may ‘self-replicate’ to hijack everyday devices
Claude maker suggests models could act as ‘worms’ to spread across smart home appliances such as ovens and TVs in future cyber security threat
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 7h
Labour run devolved administrations ignored the recommendations of the Reid review and the result is here for all to see. Depressing.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 10h
Why maths should not fear an AI apocalypse “A more enlightened perspective would focus on the opportunities for a new mathematics using AI to advance knowledge in the field. Inevitably, this will require a change in outlook & working practices for mathematicians.” www.thetimes.com/article/d8d6...
thetimes.com
Times letters: Why maths should not fear an AI apocalypse
Write to letters@thetimes.co.uk Sir, Tom Whipple asked whether AI has just killed maths (comment, Oct 10). I believe that the opposite is true. Maths is the whole foundation on which AI is built. It
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 10h
Seat blocking strategy - expand Gail’s footprint, maximise nimbyism. What an offer! “Lib Dems must help to keep the right out of Downing Street. Sir Ed’s critics risk handing the Tories & Reform the keys to No 10 by chasing headlines rather than seats.” www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on the Liberal Democrats: now is not the time to change leader | Editorial
Editorial: Ed Davey’s critics want headlines, but their leader’s strategy wins seats. Undermining him could help the rightwing parties into power
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Advice for obsessives on all sides of the debate- “Burnham is expected to call for what Number 10 called a “calm, clear-eyed look at what is best for Britain when it comes to dealing with Europe”. www.ft.com/content/011a...
ft.com
Andy Burnham to tell MPs that refusing closer EU ties a ‘dereliction of duty’
Prime minister to address Commons on Monday as he seeks to reopen debate on Brexit
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Reposted by John Williams
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Taking asylum cooperation from UK/France to UK/EU would have supoort if the UK could use controlled routes to claim asylum to negotiate returns for those who cone outside it. Control through cooperation on asylum reaches across party & Brexit tribes bsky.app/profile/brit...
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
“Making up policy on the hoof and writing post-dated cheques that are most unlikely to be redeemed may excite the party faithful. But such behaviour is likely only to exacerbate cynicism among the wider electorate.” Yup www.thetimes.com/article/6fac...
thetimes.com
Post-dated cheques are worthless — voters need clarity on policies
Politicians played to the faithful and clear blue water was put between the main parties in conference season, but most promises had flaws
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
The banality of this recommendation. For some so-called think tanks the answer is always be more like Singapore ! How to get Britain building? Be more like Singapore www.thetimes.com/article/7fa7...
thetimes.com
How to get Britain building? Be more like Singapore
The city state’s streamlined approach should be trialled by mayors in cities such as London and Manchester, a report argues
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
mental health: “Parity of esteem with physical healthcare remains a distant prospect.” A good slogan is insufficent to drive meaningful change. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
The Guardian view on mental health: overdiagnosis is not the problem facing young people | Editorial
Editorial: Parity of esteem with physical healthcare remains a distant prospect. Ministers must do more to tackle rising distress
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
reminder .. access to robust data & people who can interrogate it is necessary to resolve this question. “we cannot conclude that overdiagnosis is occurring at scale”, & points out that any data that might settle this festering argument “largely do not exist”. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
Finally, a helpful intervention in the ‘overdiagnosis’ wars. But where’s the money to answer this tragedy? | John Harris
There is much to agree with in the Fonagy review into mental health support. Without serious public funding, however, its approach won’t work, says Guardian columnist John Harris
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
A remarkable survivor …
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
A lovely spot.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
“Because they had come from a machine and not a human being, they were delivered with none of the nuance or hesitancy that a real-life therapist might have spoken with and were therefore somehow being treated as the whole truth.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
The problem with your AI therapist “What bothered me was how attached my friend seemed to certain specific terms during our conversation, repeatedly deferring to them as some kind of authoritative backup for what she was saying.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
The problem with your AI therapist
Millions are turning to chatbots for help with mental health but a technology that can’t go beyond words won’t heal them
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
“But a diagnosis has never felt important to me. That’s what I love about Amélie: she’s never labelled as autistic in the film, yet it was clear to me, as a neurodivergent person, that she was, too.” www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...
theguardian.com
Amélie allowed me to embrace my neurodivergence
Watching a DVD of the French film alone in my room, I saw for the first time a character who moved through the world like I do
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
“These are difficult, emotive questions about mental health, retribution and rehabilitation.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Powerful testimony. Questions about the provision high quality care. “What happens inside high-security hospitals raises important questions about how we treat people who have committed extreme violence but who are also vulnerable themselves.” www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
‘I get really upset when I visit’: the harsh reality of life in a high-security hospital in England
When the Southport killer Axel Rudakubana was transferred from a category A prison to Broadmoor hospital, many observers complained that he was getting off lightly. But as one mother’s story shows, th...
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
“The scientific community had traded one gross generalization for another. Whether you called it senility or Alzheimer’s, you were denying something essential and subtle about dementia that researchers took years to understand — something Pick & Alzheimer both knew: Dementia is not just one thing.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Will We Ever Understand Dementia? “And yet, in a sense, we understand little more about the plaques and tangles of Alzheimer’s disease than we did 120 years ago, when Alois Alzheimer first noticed them. In recent years, we may have even lost ground.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/10/s...
nytimes.com
Will We Ever Understand Dementia?
Since the days of Dr. Alzheimer himself, there has been a dream that severe senility might have an explanation — and a cure. The search for both has never been more urgent.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
An important insight that might be applied to the use of AI in medicine - use intelligently not as a doctor replacement ! “We should embrace the power that the machines offer, but we should not be indentured to follow their lead.” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/08/s...
nytimes.com
‘Breathtaking,’ ‘Devastating’: Mathematics Reels After New OpenAI Release
Hundreds of new A.I.-generated findings moved the frontiers of higher math in a single day — dispelling any doubt that the field is forever changed.
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Reposted by John Williams
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
'The announcement comes on the same day that the National Centre for Universities and Business published an open letter to the prime minister and chancellor warning that devolution must not fragment UK innovation.'
ncub.co.uk
Open Letter: Devolution must not fragment UK innovation, business and university leaders warn - National Centre for Universities & Business
Open letter to Prime Minister calls for national coordination alongside greater local leadership within devolution plans Business and university leaders have warned that devolution must strengthen the...
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Reposted by John Williams
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
'Research Professional News has confirmed that the money will be drawn from existing budgets.' 'He announced the government will bring forward plans to put UKRI’s £500 million Local Innovation Partnerships Fund fully under the control of mayors to 2028, two years earlier than previously planned.'
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Emma Jacobs @emmavj.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
How I long for the day we focus on the female winner rather than the big male loser #holborn
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Policymakers and health system leaders instead must focus on providing the therapy, medication and support that troubled kids and families need.” US focus but I think the points made generalise and reflect many issues that have relevance to a U.K. setting.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Instead of screen limits, the government should prioritize tracking and funding youth mental health.” “Blaming screens is a convenient way to avoid harder, deeper issues: inadequate mental health care and a system that chronically underfunds treatment.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“If we truly wanted to see improvements in the rates of mental health issues among kids & teenagers, then we would focus on expanding access to the interventions that work — finding the children who need treatment & getting them the treatment” www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | I’m a Child Psychiatrist. Screens Are Not the Problem.
If we make screens the villain, then we let the people who control children’s health care — Congress, insurers and health systems — off the hook for their failures.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Lord Rees of Ludlow, the former Astronomer Royal and a past president of the Royal Society, is more sceptical still. “The Nobel Committee’s refusal to make an award to more than three people has led to manifest injustices, and given a misleading impression of how ‘big science’ actually advances,”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Why Nobel prizes for science may no longer be fit for purpose “Lord Vallance of Balham, the former chief scientific adviser, is among those who think the Nobel rules need updating. “The complexity of today’s technologies means [larger groups] should be celebrated,” www.thetimes.com/article/2ba1...
thetimes.com
Why Nobel prizes for science may no longer be fit for purpose
From winners getting lucky to worthy candidates being ignored, the business of distributing glory has led some to argue the honour needs updating
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Given Hegseth’s enthusiasm - and thirst for publicity - it seems entirely reasonable to ask will he participate as a member of the firing squad ? It would be the manly thing to do! www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Pentagon says execution of Fort Hood shooter will be livestreamed
Nidal Hasan, army psychiatrist who killed 13 people, will be executed by firing squad on 3 December
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
A shocking report “the neurosciences and mental health board awarded only five grants in spring 2026—a success rate of 4.4 per cent, compared with an average of 10.1 per cent in 2025 and 16.7 per cent in 2024.” www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
researchprofessionalnews.com
MRC success rates drop sharply amid grants overhaul - Research Professional News
Warnings of “catastrophic” impact on medical researchers as some rates fall below 5 per cent
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Rise in youth mental distress is real, but response is misfiring A balanced editorial. www.thetimes.com/article/37e4...
thetimes.com
Rise in youth mental distress is real, but response is misfiring
Young people with ADHD and autism should be ­offered timely treatment but not a label for life
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“It mystifies Klein why US, Canadian, Japanese and Singaporean investors are more enthusiastic backers of Britain’s young companies than the country’s own institutional funds. An obvious investment opportunity lies under their own noses. It would be tragic for Britain if they fail to act.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“I think this is a great moment for London. There is a lot of very interesting . . . activity across a wide spectrum of ideas,” says one former DeepMind researcher working on a new start-up. “The DeepMind dividend is incredible.”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“Fast-growing London AI start-ups, such as Wayve, ElevenLabs, Synthesia, CuspAI and PhysicsX, are already promising to transform industries as varied as autonomous driving, audio and video generation, material science and engineering.” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
The UK cannot afford to waste its DeepMind dividend
A shortage of domestic capital and the lure of the US threaten the benefits of Britain’s biggest AI research success
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Mental health and ADHD diagnosis can cause harm, says official review giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Mental health and ADHD diagnosis can cause harm, says official review
Government-commissioned report calls for more opportunities to work and socialise for young people and rejects claims of ‘snowflake’ generation
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
“naive belief that everyone should have a right to funding for a degree serves no one: students accumulate debt without improving their life chances, the student loan book grows uncontrollably,& public cynicism about the value of our brilliant universities grows,” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
University students will have to meet minimum entry standards to access loans
Move comes as UK government seeks to deal with concerns about proliferation of underqualified people on poor-quality courses
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry finds England-focused mental health review returns stark warning and calls for shift to ‘needs-led’ system www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
NHS at risk of ‘system failures’ as demand for ADHD and autism care soars, inquiry finds
England-focused review led by Prof Peter Fonagy returns stark warning and calls for shift to ‘needs-led’ system
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
NHS England mental health services review: what has it found and what does it recommend? A good summary of the core recommendations. The need for more research to fill key knowledge gaps will I hope be one of the key recommendations of this review. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
theguardian.com
NHS England mental health services review: what has it found and what does it recommend?
Prof Peter Fonagy’s 607-page report is categoric that mental distress has increased substantially and ‘cannot be explained by greater awareness alone’
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Who knew ! “Good growth in every postcode means backing the places where Britain already leads the world, and making sure the benefits reach every part of the country,” he said” giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
Andy Burnham’s government to press ahead with Oxford-Cambridge corridor
New premier is seeking to reassure investors and reject claims he does not care about the south of England
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
“Although the fully empowered patient may not yet be a reality, it is also unlikely to emerge from ‘doctorless’ mental healthcare. Instead, mental healthcare should be ‘provider-full’ by creating systems in which technology, clinicians and communities work together”
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
“The future of mental healthcare should be a convergence of innovations: digital tools that extend reach; multidisciplinary teams that expand capacity; and community-based interventions that promote autonomy and flourishing.” www.nature.com/articles/s44...
nature.com
Future mental health and a changing workforce - Nature Mental Health
As mental health needs outpace the supply of psychiatrists, the future of care will depend on expanding and reimagining the workforce beyond traditional physician-centered models. From telehealth and ...
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Derbyshire churches are remarkable.. 3/4 more to visit as we drive home today.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Woodwork Tideswell.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
A magnificent Celtic cross - Eyam.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
‘Altman was “saying the quiet part out loud: suck it up, so you can make us rich and powerful”. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
Accept ‘bad things’ in return for benefits of AI, says Sam Altman
Boss of OpenAI calls for a regulatory light touch because of the ‘good stuff’ the technology can deliver
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
‘including the fact that the same psychiatric label and accompanying treatment can be a poison, a panacea or a placebo, depending on how wisely we apply them to ourselves or others.’
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
‘Whether it’s the D.S.M., HiTOP or any other approach, improving diagnosis will require reckoning with the complex ways people respond to their temperaments and experiences’ www.nytimes.com/2026/10/05/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | We Need to Rethink How We Diagnose Mental Illness
More than half of people who qualify for one diagnosis also qualify for another during their lifetime.
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Anglo Saxon/Scandinavian crosses
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John Williams @johnhuww.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
A remarkable font. Bakewell.
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