Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 8hThatcher through privatisation and spending oil revenues on consumption. Cameron through letting the state fall apart *at a time* of zero interest rates. And all we get from them now is demand for more tax cuts and fantasy spending cuts. No sign they are actually preparing to govern seriously. 030
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 8hI was going to write "The Tories are just into an unmaintained state". But writing that made me realise just how big the challenge for them actually is. Both the last two conservative governments massively ran down state assets. 100
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 14hCan someone reintroduce the Conservative Party to Chesterton's Fence? 000
Reposted by Tom HartJim Pickard @pickardje.bsky.social · 29/09/2026as a satire on so-called late stage capitalism how could one beat investors pouring a trillion into a company offering to wipe out humankind 1002201779
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Have to say I didn't know Evgeny Lebedev had a layering sideline. 010
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 25/09/2026This seems exactly right. As demonstrated by @londoncentric.media's investigation earlier this year: open.substack.com/pub/londonce... 001
Reposted by Tom HartZecharias Zelalem @zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 23/09/2026War breaks out in Ethiopia. Tigrayan forces attack federal government positions on two fronts & capture the region's airports. Tragically, shuttle diplomacy efforts by the international community have failed. Ethiopia is on the brink of being plunged back into all out civil war. It's a disaster.aljazeera.comTigray forces launch offensive against Ethiopian governmentTigray People’s Liberation Front seizes control of airports, targets government positions in Afar and Amhara regions. 17351
Reposted by Tom HartBen Zaranko @benzaranko.bsky.social · 22/09/2026One day, our political parties will face reality and stop making farcical, unserious promises to voters -- promises which entrench the delusion that we can enjoy lower taxes and better public services without ever having to pay more, even amidst the crisis-strewn 2020s. But today is not that day. 13418
Reposted by Tom HartKevin Carey @kevincareywb.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Coming this Thursday & Friday, 8th World Bank/ ODI Global / IFS Public Finance Conference; fascinating technical sessions plus keynote session: "Measuring the Welfare Impacts of Government Policies," by Nathaniel Hendren (MIT), midday Thursday, online. www.worldbank.org/en/events/20...worldbank.org8th World Bank/ ODI Global / IFS Public Finance ConferenceJoin us for the 8th edition of the World Bank / ODI Global / IFS Public Finance Conference, that will take place in Washington, DC, on September 24-25, 2026. 003
Reposted by Tom HartDevelopment Studies Association @devcomms.bsky.social · 21/09/2026🏥 Health budgets are often poorly prioritised and underspent. So how can public finance better support health? Join @odi.global’s online conference on financing for health to explore the challenges and solutions. 📅 2026 Public Finance Conference buff.ly/8kNmmrf 011
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Yes, (3) is crazy. After the 'tax on white van man' attacks on Hammond I think you have to do this as a big bang across lots of elements. Reeves should have announced some sort of tax commission in her first budget. 000
Reposted by Tom HartJohn Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 18/09/2026What on earth is happening? 23833111339
Reposted by Tom HartDuncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026This is really, really, really important stuff. ‘We now think more of the slowdown can be explained by continued falls in average hours worked, leaving less to be explained by falls in output per hour’. 4275
Reposted by Tom HartRachel Savage @rachelmsavage.bsky.social · 15/09/2026Kenya will host the 2029 World Athletics Championships. Great to see that one of the centres of the sport will finally get to host a major championship 0163
Reposted by Tom HartJonas Nahm @jonasnahm.com · 14/09/20261/ New piece in Foreign Affairs on why EU bureaucracy — long a favorite punchline — turns out to be a hidden source of power. www.foreignaffairs.com/europe/europ...foreignaffairs.comEurope’s Hidden Trade AdvantageSlow and steady wins the negotiation. 2299
Reposted by Tom HartRobert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 12/09/2026Reform is the richest party in Britain. Its leaders are almost all millionaires. It is funded almost exclusively by billionaires. It has a supportive TV station and widespread media backing. So naturally, this donation comes with the usual attack on "elites". www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comReform UK given record £36m donation by British crypto billionaireBen Delo was convicted in US for failing to implement adequate anti-money laundering controls but pardoned by Trump 371010469
Reposted by Tom Hartprofspur @profspur.bsky.social · 10/09/2026A thing I would do is play Marmoush as a 10-ish off Solanke with Savio and Kudus wide and Tonali and Fernandes in the deeper midfield. Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher ready to go for Tonali and Fernandes when they’re tired. 6211
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Do they think half the home counties are in the Midlands?! 000
Reposted by Tom HartOur World in Data @ourworldindata.org · 08/09/2026In these nine African countries, average incomes have more than doubled since 1990. Economic growth is most important for the world's poorest people, and most of the world’s poorest live on the African continent. Are Africa’s economies growing? The picture is mixed. 34514
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Very similar to the MoD case @davidallengreen.bsky.social wrote about earlier this year: www.ft.com/content/5207... I wonder how many more cases will come out?ft.comHow Palantir captured the Ministry of DefenceInsufficient details about the US data intelligence company’s recent contract have been made public 010
Reposted by Tom HartRift Valley Institute @rvinews.bsky.social · 07/09/2026Today we launch RVI@25. This year marks 25 years since RVI was founded in August 2001. Over the next year, we’ll reflect on 25 years of research, education and training, public dialogue, culture and heritage. rvi25.riftvalley.net #RVI25 #MakingLocalKnowledgeWork 033
Reposted by Tom HartMaria Farrell @mariafarrell.eurosky.social · 04/09/2026By the by I'm re-reading how the 18thC master navigator of Oceania, Tupaia, who guided Captain Cook around Polynesia and to Aotearoa, produced maps that faithfully translated between the Pacific and European navigation systems, accounting for Mercator distortions, with an accuracy of <5 degrees. 18436
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 04/09/2026www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...theguardian.comUN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scaleTogo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland 000
Reposted by Tom HartDaniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport. 164115613174
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026But at the G20 finance ministers meeting in North Carolina, “China…objected to language about G20 members affirming “solidarity” with a “Common Framework”, designed to help countries with high debt levels reduce their liabilities, particularly to China.” www.ft.com/content/dcef...ft.comChina derails consensus after US-hosted G20Beijing objects to language calling for elimination of ‘non-market’ policies to curb trade imbalances 000
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026In better news, in late In late August, Ethiopia's latest bond restructuring deal got approval from official creditors, after previous versions were rejected www.cnbcafrica.com/2026/ethiopi...cnbcafrica.comOfficial creditors back Ethiopia bond restructuring, flag risks in warrant | CNBC AfricaAug 21 (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s official creditors have approved a preliminary agreement between the government and private investors to restructure its $1 billion Eurobond, the finance ministry said on... 100
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 02/09/2026September has kicked off with a bang in the world of sovereign debt. Senegal requested a debt restructuring under the Common Framework as part of a new IMF programme, as had become widely expected since the 2024 ‘hidden debt’ revelations. www.ft.com/content/9b37...ft.comIMF agrees $2.2bn bailout for SenegalWest African nation will seek to restructure its external debts after last year’s revelations of extensive misreported borrowing 100
Reposted by Tom HartDevelopment Studies Association @devcomms.bsky.social · 27/08/2026📢 Job opportunity: Director, Power and Rights Group @odi.global is looking for a Director to lead its Power and Rights Group, shaping research, influencing and convening on power, justice and inequality. 📍 London | Hybrid 📅 Apply by 10 September 2026 Find out more & apply: buff.ly/2jH9sqM 001
Reposted by Tom HartInstitute for Public Policy Research @ippr.org · 26/08/2026Almost 80% of Britain’s rising fiscal costs will come from ageing by 2075, dwarfing the pressures from defence spending, net zero and lower migration. We should rebalance taxes away from work and towards wealth, says @benansell.bsky.social. Read more here: www.ippr.org/articles/tax... 24528
Reposted by Tom HartDerek R. Peterson @unseenarchive.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Colleagues will be sorry to hear that historian John Iliffe has this morning passed away in Cambridge at age 87. Iliffe was a maker of the academic field of African history. He took up a post at the University of Dar es Salaam shortly after Tanganyika's independence. 1/ 25934
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 16/08/2026Just read Francis Spufford's Cahokia Jazz which was fantastic. 001
Reposted by Tom HartGavin Kelly @gavin-kelly.bsky.social · 30/07/2026The Treasury needs to adapt reflect a devolved age & fragmented governance. Important new @nuffieldfoundation.org funded report by @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social Dave Richards & Martin Smith www.nuffieldfoundation.org/news/opinion...nuffieldfoundation.orgThe myth of Treasury control: What’s wrong with the UK’s public spending system and how to fix it - Nuffield FoundationThe long-standing model of centralised Treasury control over public spending has inadequately adapted to the realities of public service delivery. 0135
Reposted by Tom HartGaia Vince @wanderinggaia.bsky.social · 30/07/2026Treat yourself to a fab bit of trivia (first reply) 1176
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 23/07/2026This was massively dysfunctional even before though. I think it's pretty clear now that the combo of tight fiscal and loose monetary policy under zero interest rates has not been good for the economy. 100
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 20/07/2026World leading productivity increases in at least one domain 000
Reposted by Tom HartAfrica Confidential @africa-confidential.com · 17/07/2026#AfricaConfidential is now on Substack. Click to subscribe for weekly, off-piste insights and musings on developments across the continent by our Editor, Patrick Smith. #Africa africa-conf.com/substackafrica-conf.comAfrica Confidential | SubstackAfrica Confidential is one of the longest-established specialist publications on Africa, with a considerable reputation for being first with in-depth news and analysis on significant political,… 001
Reposted by Tom HartLee Crawfurd @leecrawfurd.bsky.social · 16/07/2026The UK gov wants asylum seekers to repay £10k of their accommodation costs. We ran the numbers, gov could raise 3.5x more in tax & lower support costs by asking asylum seekers to work instead (with @helen-dempster.bsky.social & @ianmitchell1.bsky.social) cgdev.org/blog/asking-... 049
Reposted by Tom HartVoxDev @voxdev.bsky.social · 14/07/2026🆕 How rebel governance helped build inclusive democracy in Nepal Today on VoxDev w/ Bhishma K. Bhusal, Michael Callen (LSE), Rohini Pande (Yale Department of Economics), Soledad Artiz Prillaman (Stanford), Deepak Singhania (IIT Gandhinagar) & Apurva Subedi: ow.ly/ZTGq50Zneu3ow.lyHow rebel governance helped build an inclusive democracy in NepalParallel governance institutions built by Maoist rebels during Nepal's civil war led to lasting improvements in political participation among historically excluded groups, more representative candidate selection across parties, and greater local government capacity. 024
Reposted by Tom HartJosiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 09/07/2026This is cool. Spurs have applied to install around 3,800 solar panels on the roof of their north London stadium. "The proposed 1.64MW system would give the ground a substantial source of on-site renewable electricity."energylivenews.comSpurs' solar ambitions kick off - Energy Live NewsTottenham want to install 3800 solar panels on their stadium roof to generate 1.6MW of power 3369561250
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 09/07/2026And getting the refund done is such a chore when you have to do each ticket for a family of 5 separately. Eurostar knows my ticket numbers! You know how late the train was! 000
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 06/07/2026Trying to make himself heard for 90 minutes over 80,000 extremely passionate Mexico fans! 110
Reposted by Tom HartDuncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 03/07/2026Alongside the Makerfield Test there should be the Bakerloo Test. If Burnham wants to truly demonstrate he does not have "anti-London bias", he must approve the Bakerloo line extension 106911
Tom Hart @thrh.bsky.social · 02/07/2026Elastica are Britpop. Song 2 however is not. Blur is their first post-Britpop album. 020