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Martin Heneghan

@martinheneghan.bsky.social
1.1K followers 1.4K following 1.4K posts

Assistant Professor in Public and Social Policy at the University of Nottingham

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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 23h
The political economy of Labour’s need to raise taxes is actually remarkably simple. The most under-taxed groups in society are the self-employed, wealthy pensioners and other wealthy asset owners, none of whom tend to vote Labour.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Ok, I have no life, I’m quite aware. MP Chain 🏛️ I recognised 9️⃣0️⃣ MPs in a row. How long is your chain? toys.jamesomalley.co.uk/mpchain/
toys.jamesomalley.co.uk
MP Chain — How many MPs can you recognise?
Pick the named MP from two portraits. One wrong answer ends your chain.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Reindustrialisation is no solution for good jobs in the economic periphery. With recent advances in robotics the input from labour could approach zero. Conversely, retrofitting households & infrastructure for climate change will be heavily labour intensive. That should be the focus of politicians.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Has assessment been redesigned? I must have missed that one. Also, would love to know if any learning takes places whatsoever in so-called AI-integrated assessments. www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/asse...
timeshighereducation.com
Assessment has been redesigned for the AI era. Why hasn’t marking?
We should mark a student’s distance travelled, rather than judging them solely on the absolute quality of a final output, says Emma Ransome
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Absolutely. And this relates to a discussion on here yesterday regarding the breakdown in social science research informing policy. Novel policy solutions much more likely to come from academia.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Can't dismiss it having some impact in marginals, but only 20% of over 70s voted Lab in 2024. Maybe the electoral canon on older voters isn't valid in 2026. The narrative on what you are doing instead is very important. Something Starmer/Reeves simply ignored. www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
theguardian.com
Burnham is told axing pension triple lock would be ‘electoral suicide’ as he prepares to address Labour conference – UK politics live
Union leader says getting rid of triple lock not ‘the right thing’ as the PM prepares to lay out his ‘hope comes from honesty’ vision in Liverpool this afternoon
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Yes, it is very depressing! I had hoped a change in government would have led to a much deeper engagement with evidence and research, as I assumed the modern Labour Party was more inclined towards it. It has been deeply disappointing to witness such a wilful refusal to engage with research.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
An interesting social policy angle to this is how rights have been granted with an implicit assumption very few people will exercise them. AI democratises the excercising of rights but at the same time will overwhelm state capacity.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Need to quit this now!
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Truly excellent long read here from @hettieobrien.bsky.social on the people, their ideological camps, and their ideas shaping Burnham's govt. A lot of work must have gone into this, talking to a broad range of insiders & experts. Hats off to some great journalism! www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
theguardian.com
Labour’s last chance? The people shaping Andy Burnham’s grand plans for Britain
The long read: The new prime minister has declared he wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism. But is he really prepared to be that radical?
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Some people seem to think I'm referring to, I don't know, Coldplay's later works not hitting the same way, no, I mean this. This objectively sucks!
A chart showing GPD per head in the UK flatlining after the financial crisis.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
If you had belief in your abilities you would relish a conference ahead of a by-election, if you're a smaller party. It's the only time the broadcast media will defo give you some airtime. I know the "ground war" (door knocking) is crucial but so is the "air war". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Polanski request to postpone Greens’ conference to focus on byelection refused by party
Exclusive: Leader understood to have wanted to concentrate on Holborn and St Pancras campaign in London but executive committee voted against plan
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Love this! And a timely reminder to read this book, which has been sat on my shelf for a few months…
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
The Bank of England has been operationally independent for almost 30 years. For almost two thirds of that time, QE has been a thing.
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Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
“We’ve got a massive majority by mistake!” “Does anyone know any centre left crypto billionaires?”
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Interesting intervention from Draghi charting a path for Europe to benefit from AI growth without falling into geopolitical and oligarchical traps. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Europe’s difficult choices on AI
giftarticle.ft.com
Europe’s difficult choices on AI
Data is the one area where it can still be sovereign and it has the greatest potential to generate growth
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
So much of what is presented as differences by ethnicity, with the white working-class falling behind, is actually a case of place-based differences. In terms of social mobility there are significant advantages to living in London regardless of class or ethnicity. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...
theguardian.com
Ministers to put white working-class people in UK at heart of new equalities unit
Bridget Phillipson to announce creation of unit which will make class a key part of its equalities agenda
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Stanley Pignal @spignal.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
10 tips if you're moderating a panel. Trust me I have learned these the hard way by watching 1000 bad ones (including with me in the chair), and a few great ones. Panels need to be lively, engaging and enlightening. Here's a few pointers on how to make that happen (if you're lucky).
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Chris Cook @chriscook.news · 03/09/2026
is there anything to be said for another by-election?
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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
We need to get "UK bond prices are affected by things other than UK government policy" posters in a big font for the press rooms in Parliament.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Eyeing up a Burnham path to PM? Lots of parallels.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
“Britons will do anything to keep their high streets alive other than actually visit them” Acerbic as ever 😊 Britain needs better billionaires economist.com/britain/2026... from The Economist
economist.com
Britain needs better billionaires
Mike Ashley is not an aberration of British capitalism. He is the norm
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Genuine question (not a statement): Will we look back on it as a major mistake that higher education got so entangled with career prospects and preparing students for the labour market?
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
If you had to read the AI-generated slop some students submit for their assessments you would never conclude it was constructed by a conscious entity.
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Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
I don’t consider myself particularly adept at spotting AI-generated text but this statement from Paramount about Mark Ruffalo was so clearly written with AI. “…aren't just wrong — they're a bridge too far…”
Brian Stelter: Paramount just issued a lengthy statement responding to @MarkRuffalo:
"We are, as always, troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of a business dispute. Words like 'genocide' and
'apartheid, applied to a corporate transaction, aren't just wrong — they're a bridge too far, and they cheapen the very real suffering those words are meant to describe. This doesn't deserve a response in kind — and to be clear, we don't tolerate prejudice of any kind, against anyone.
This brings us to a moment to lower the temperature, not raise it. We'd rather build than further engage in such rhetoric. This simply exposes the true motivation of some who have advocated opposition to this transaction. On the other hand, our commitment to great content is matched by our commitment to acceptance - to every story, every storyteller, and no blacklists, no exceptions, for anyone.We understand people feel strongly about this merger and are hopeful and expect that it will be judged based on the legal merits, not underlying bias. We're asking for the same good faith we're extending: less rhetoric, more understanding.
Paramount's future is being written for everyone who wants to make and watch great stories."
V Variety @ @Variety.5h
Mark Ruffalo Goes Scorched Earth on Paramount-Warner Bros. Merger, Calling Out the Ellison Family's Complicity in Palestinian 'Genocide' variety.com/ 2026/film/news...
4:39 PM • 8/21/26 • 27K Views
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Brilliant thread here and very thought-provoking regarding early assumptions on the impact of AI on the jobs market.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Excellent as always from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com. I do wonder though whether the economic tide is shifting away from the head towards the hand in the "head, hand, heart" job typology framework. Gen AI is outpacing robotics. Something the author knows a lot more about than me! www.ft.com/content/4b7b...
ft.com
Feminism didn’t kill the male breadwinner model, the economy did
Young non-graduate men face unique setbacks
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
If you write “a shocking twist” for your blurb about a piece of fiction you basically ruin the book for anyone who reads your blurb. I guessed the shocking twist straight away. I never would have even thought about the twist if I hadn’t noticed that stupid blurb on the cover.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Thoughtful piece by @davidsonofaaron.bsky.social:
davidaaronovitch.substack.com
Icarus falling
A further thought on the tragic Arday affair
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
He’s been prime minister for five minutes and he’s already playing with the emergency alert.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I hope the gimmickry from Burnham is short-lived. I can understand he wants to be seen to be 'doing something' but the disposable bbq ban being his only significant climate change policy thus far is starting to feel emblematic of his approach to politics in general. We need big change & new ideas.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Amazing what a mismatch between supply and demand for eclipse glasses there has been given how long we’ve known the solar eclipse is due!
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
He needs to put ‘American candy’ shops top of the list to crack down on. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Andy Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops in bid to boost British high streets
giftarticle.ft.com
Andy Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops in bid to boost British high streets
Councils will be given extra powers to curb unwanted retailers and ‘bring town centres back to life’
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Some really good points here. Namely that Fifa is both the regulator of world football and its main commercial actor. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Infantino is not the problem o
giftarticle.ft.com
Infantino is not the problem
Fifa’s regulatory functions must be separated from its commercial activities
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Given a lot of focus this week is on global imbalances, I thought I’d give this book a plug because it excellently explains the source of current global tensions: wage suppression in China, Germany… and inequality in the US, which oddly makes it both victim and participant.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Feel the burn…
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
As an economics graduate I will be forever grateful for the genius of the Big Mac index in helping to explain purchasing power parity and exchange rate values in such a fun and innovative way. Happy 40th Birthday.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
UEFA and CONMEBOL should threaten to create their own tournament and then FIFA is finished.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Just finished this. An absolute must-read. A huge amount of work has gone into this book through an ambitious five-year project: The IFS Deaton Review of Inequalities. It is evident on every page, challenging conventional left and right thinking.
Picture of the book ‘challenging inequalities’ by Paul Johnson.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Very well argued piece here on how essential foundational knowledge in philosophy and mathematics is, alongside prior discipline-specific knowledge, in the age of AI. www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/ai-m...
timeshighereducation.com
AI makes foundational knowledge more important than ever
Among the elements of the shared core grammar all students need, mathematics and philosophy deserve special mention, says Manu Kapur
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
We must have the stupidest property taxes in the developed world. So it’s disappointing Burnham has indicated they won’t be revisited. Yes there are major obstacles to reform but they are nothing that some targeted opt outs and deferments (stamp duty) and regional carve outs (London) can’t solve.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
A lot of criticism on here of Burnham’s proposals for schools to adapt education to local business needs. I think some need to ask themselves whether the current system is really working? A system that provides general skills simply leads to a concentration of skills in a small number of places.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Varieties of capitalism 101.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
Hardly surprising given the interviewer.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
You’d have to temporarily exempt those who had recently purchased a house from the tax to avoid uproar.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
In a functioning democracy one would expect the decoupling of economic growth from economic sentiment to lead to wholesale political change to bring prosperity to a decisive number of voters.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
Just watched The Insider interview with Elon Musk. Nothing to add that hasn’t already been said other than it was the most intense 90 minutes I’ve experienced for a very long time.
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Martin Heneghan @martinheneghan.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Enjoyed @samfr.bsky.social's substack on Burnham's cabinet choices and what it indicates for how he plans to govern. Best analysis I've seen so far; I think there is cause for some cautious optimism that Burnham could get to grips with the UK's long-term problems. samf.substack.com/p/a-theory-o...
samf.substack.com
A theory of power
Burnham's cabinet choices and changes to No. 10
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