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Mags Patten

@magspatten.bsky.social
759 followers 1.6K following 80 posts

Exec Director Public Policy and Communication, Arts Council England. Also part time doctoral student at Bath IPR. Mostly interested in psychology here. More of it should underpin public policy. All views my own.

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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Stumbling across some glorious writing on a quiet Saturday morning just for the absolute sake of it. Read til the bitter end.
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Lizzie Dearden @lizziedearden.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
The family of the Belfast stabbing victim have released a statement saying - like the family of Henry Nowak last week - that the attack should not be used to "divide people or fuel hostility" They condemned disorder and praised the "valuable contribution" by migrants inews.co.uk/news/politic...
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Arts Council England @artscouncilengland.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
Dawn Airey CBE has been appointed as our new Chair, starting 1 August 2026. With 30+ years experience across the media and creative industries, she brings outstanding leadership and a deep commitment to arts and culture. Read more 👇 bit.ly/4dVQrgF 📸 Jonathan Phang
bit.ly
Dawn Airey CBE appointed as Chair of Arts Council England
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has appointed Dawn Airey CBE as Chair of Arts Council England for a term of 4 years starting on 1 August 2026.
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Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
Latest piece for @thehousemag.bsky.social, in which I look at Mo Salah and the parasocial contact hypothesis. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
politicshome.com
The Professor Will See You Now: The Mo Salah effect
Lessons in political science. This week: The Mo Salah effect
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 17/05/2026
Let it be clear: you are wanted here.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
Something just ahead of Shabbat about the work in my workplace. And now a peaceful, restful weekend to everyone.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Right now we should thank the bridge builders with souls of many parts. This is a brilliant thread and linked blog.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Column today from @stephenkb.bsky.social on what defeats racism - including antisemitism - and what helps it persist or grow www.ft.com/content/5cdf...
ft.com
How not to defeat antisemitism
The only way to overcome this scourge is to see it for what it is: racism
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
In the face of anti semitic attacks here is a story of solidarity and hope from my much loved part time home of Finchley. www.theguardian.com/news/2026/ap...
theguardian.com
‘A quiet, radical act’: Muslim neighbours support members of attacked London synagogue
After attempted arson attack, communities are determined to remain resilient and open
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Jack Kessler @jackkessler.bsky.social · 19/04/2026
And another one. It would be nice — albeit a triumph of hope over experience — to think we had vocal allies right about now.
bbc.com
Police treating arson attack as antisemitic hate crime
It comes as a man attempts to ignite a plastic bag containing containing fluid in north-west London.
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ContempraInn 🌹 @contemprainn.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Dog imitating Penguins 🤣
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
This article has stayed with me all week. It’s an excellent piece of journalism and I’m looking forward to the book.
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Petra Guasti @petraguasti.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
Jürgen Habermas died today at 96. Few political theorists shaped how we think about democratic legitimacy in modern societies as profoundly. His lifelong question was straightforward but demanding: How can political authority be justified under conditions of pluralism? 🧵
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Phil Harrison @mrpmharrison.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
This is brilliant. George Saunders is such a treasure. www.thenerve.news/p/george-sau...
thenerve.news
'There has to be a way to actively oppose these thugs without losing ourselves': novelist George Saunders on life in America now
The Booker prize-winning author of Lincoln in the Bardo, whose new novel imagines the last hours of an oil tycoon, is struggling to reconcile empathy with opposition in a riven America. He talks to Do...
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Fair point. Do not apply if you can’t handle the arguments and trade offs that come with constrained resources. On the other hand your key KPI is awe.
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Rhodri Marsden @rhodri.biz · 24/12/2025
I've got to be honest, we may as well call it a night #DuvetKnowItsChristmas
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
It’s been a week. I’m wrapping myself in fleece, cracking the festive Amaretto early and bingeing All Creatures Great and Small.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
@adsquires.bsky.social almost worth the flight?
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
So the kids are alright, but they really want the Westminster village to stop talking to itself and start talking to them about how to fix the country. demos.co.uk/wp-content/u...
demos.co.uk
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
Life’s getting a bit more crap here if you are a person from an ethnic minority 🧵
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Geoff MacDonald 🇨🇦 @gmacdonalduoft.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Is social interaction a tradeoff of autonomy for belonging compared to being alone? New paper by phenom @elainehoan.bsky.social says yes if you're interacting with strangers, no if you're interacting with friends/family. With a romantic partner you gain in both. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
What a dreadful day. I’m not Jewish but my husband is. I felt glad to be standing alongside him for the end of Yom Kippur and it was moving to hear a deeply felt message of condolence and solidarity from the local imam at synagogue tonight.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
On Yom Kippur many Jewish people in Britain have their phones off to mark the holy day. As it ends at 723pm, some will hear the tragic Manchester news for the first time. At that time, please join many of us to send a message of solidarity to British Jews.Thanks Together coalition for proposing.
To everyone in Britain's Jewish Community: you are not alone.

We will not let hate or those who spread it win.

We stand with you.
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 21/09/2025
the requirements to succeed on new media platforms are almost precisely the opposite of what successful experts… have trained themselves to do: maintain an institutional tone of formal detachment & stay ruthlessly on-message at all times.’ @noupside.bsky.social carnegieendowment.org/research/202...
carnegieendowment.org
For Expertise to Matter, Nonpartisan Institutions Need New Communications Strategies
To avoid irrelevance when they are needed most, experts and nonpartisan analysts must rethink not just their channels of communication but also their theory of influence.
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jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 16/09/2025
my favorite robert redford story is that mike nichols considered him for dustin hoffman's part in THE GRADUATE. during their conversation nichols asked redford something like, "have you ever struck out with a girl?" and redford's response was basically, "i don't understand the question"
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
There was nothing unifying about the “Unite the Kingdom rally”. Solidarity with anyone non-white who felt threatened in London yesterday. The vast majority of Brits think and feel differently (see evidence from data superhero Sunder Katwala below) and good if we can find ways to demonstrate this.
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Naomi Alderman @naomialderman.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
so. remember how in the past people got enough exercise just from doing their job & daily tasks? & now all jobs are screens & we have to *deliberately exercise* to stay healthy? from now we will have to *deliberately write* and *engage with art made for a wide audience* to keep our brains healthy.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 09/08/2025
Inspo for all of us who love 21s.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 25/07/2025
A splendid read. I’d love more (social) policy and less Westminster intrigue in our journalism. And yes somewhat arch - policy can be chewy, but policy writing can inspire all the feels from rage to joy, when it captures the human impact.
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Luke Tryl @luketryl.bsky.social · 13/07/2025
In 2020 @moreincommonuk.bsky.social launched the British 7 Segments. After a pandemic, major global conflicts, political upheaval, cost of living crisis, changes in work/social/information habits it’s time to update them for 2025. Here’s an intro to our new tribes of Britain (Quiz link next)
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 12/07/2025
James Plunkett offers practical inspiration here to anyone trying to be a bit less hierarchy and a bit more network.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 05/06/2025
Money doesn’t grow on trees but ideas do. ACE chief exec @henleydarren.bsky.social arguing in The Stage that cultural sector innovation is a source of growth, drawing inspiration from Daniel Susskind’s excellent book Growth: A Reckoning.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 17/05/2025
Read if you have ever been ensconced in a Parisian Brasserie. As a young’un I was intimidated by Lipp - that association with lunching French presidents - but the theatrics at Bofinger, near the Bastille, made my Dad’s 70th a cherished memory.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 16/05/2025
Interview with Arts Council England Chair Nick Serota in The Guardian highlighting the vital role of public investment in attracting other sources of revenue for the cultural sector. www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
theguardian.com
Arts Council England chair says sector at ‘tipping point’ amid funding fears
Sir Nicholas Serota says continued public investment is vital to draw in private funding to maintain cultural centres
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 14/05/2025
This is a brilliant, moving report capturing life and the absurdity of the system for most prisoners and prison officers. If only more media outlets could do this, instead of frothing at the mouth about prison reform. Congrats to Preston Prison for opening its doors too.
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Dr Duncan Robertson @duncanrobertson.bsky.social · 25/04/2025
Wooah. 18.5% reduction in sick leave reported. (And this was pre-Covid: "Our sample periods for the LEZ and ULEZ analyses are 2005–2009 and 2016–2019, respectively.")
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Arts Council England @artscouncilengland.bsky.social · 22/04/2025
Creativity means business! 🏦🔑 And public investment in arts and culture helps make it happen. New CEBR report finds #ACEsupported orgs added £1.35 billion to the economy in 2023 📖🎉👇 #LetsCreate buff.ly/WGf1vVO Image credit: Jerome Whittingham
A fireworks display with crowds of people watching. Text reads “£1.35 billion: the economic contribution of Arts Council funded organisations in 2023 #LetsCreate”
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
Sorry for paywall, but for those who can, our Arts Council Chair in the hot orange seat on freedom of expression, the value of public investment in culture and the importance of listening. on.ft.com/4czH310 Axing arts quangos risks ‘liberty of thought’ says Nicholas Serota
on.ft.com
Axing arts quangos risks ‘liberty of thought’ says Nicholas Serota
Chair of Arts Council England says arm’s-length funding of theatre, music and museums helps prevent politicisation
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 18/04/2025
It’s not the purpose of Arts Council investment, but the way public money for art and culture drives growth in the wider economy should be factored in by government. www.thestage.co.uk/news/ace-bac...
thestage.co.uk
ACE-backed companies contributed £1.35bn to economy in 2023 – report
Organisations funded by Arts Council England contributed £1.35 billion in gross value added in 2023, topping pre-pandemic levels
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 08/04/2025
Important statement on value of public investment in culture from Arts Council England’s governing bodies.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 06/04/2025
This sounds terrific and a fruitful way forward for thinking about EDI. Can’t think of anything our world needs more right now than deep thinking about compassion.
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Arts Professional @artsprofessional.co.uk · 03/04/2025
Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley has responded to renewed criticism that the funding body prioritises community engagement over artistic excellence, calling the characterisation “skewed” and “exclusive”.
buff.ly
ACE chief Henley rejects ‘ugly’ criticism of community engagement efforts - Arts Professional
Arts Council England chief executive Darren Henley has responded to renewed criticism that the funding body prioritises community engagement over artistic excellence, calling the characterisation “skewed”...
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 29/03/2025
It’s not quite clear to me what communities are at the bottom of here - just below humdrum - John Tusa? www.theguardian.com/culture/2025...
theguardian.com
Arts Council England defends support of classical music amid loss of trust
Arts funding body responds to criticism as Wigmore Hall in London says it will operate independently from 2026
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 15/03/2025
“The curious reality is that, in every sphere of life actually devoted to the collective pursuit of truth, the greatest freedom of enquiry goes hand in hand with clear rules of expression”
ft.com
Financial TimesFinancial Times
News, analysis and opinion from the Financial Times on the latest in markets, economics and politics
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 02/03/2025
Well deserved Myles Smith on his Brit win. Good to see public investment help underwrite the risk early on for a working class barnstormer with talent. www.theguardian.com/music/2025/f...
theguardian.com
Stadium-ready UK singer Myles Smith: ‘For the working class, music opportunities are few and far between’
Up for three Brit awards this weekend including song of the year for his epic hit Stargazing, the former sociology student condemns how austerity has damaged the arts
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Mel Ross @melross.bsky.social · 01/03/2025
Looking for a bit of respite in these harrowing times: "Together, they represent the best of what novels can do: challenge us, delight us, pull us in and then release us, a little smarter and a little more alive than we were before" www.theatlantic.com/books/archiv...
theatlantic.com
The Great American Novels
136 books that made America think
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NPR @npr.org · 23/02/2025
Anyone can dance. As you read this comic, follow each step — and you'll be moving and grooving in no time.
npr.org
Think you can't dance? Get up and try these tips in our comic. We dare you!
Anyone can dance. As you read this comic, follow each step — and you'll be moving and grooving in no time.
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Mags Patten @magspatten.bsky.social · 19/02/2025
Just looked up the word “nacreous” thinking it sounds nasty, but it means shimmering, like mother of pearl. On that pleasing learning I can end a difficult day. (Thank you Samantha Harvey)
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Dr Penny Hay @penahay.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
Rules for researching Harriet Hand 🩵
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Prof Dave O'Brien @drdaveobrien.bsky.social · 12/02/2025
AND new @creativepec.bsky.social report dropped today too, with ind with analysis of the employer skills survey and detailed policy recommendations too pec.ac.uk/state_of_the...
pec.ac.uk
Skills Mismatches in the UK's Creative Industries - Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
Read the latest State of the Nations research report on the skills mismatch in the creative industries produced by Work Advance.
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