Christopher McCabe

@cjmccabe.bsky.social

580 followers 1.2K following 520 posts

🇨🇦 🇮🇪 🇬🇧Professor of Health Economics. Queens University Belfast. Health Policy, Health Technology Assessment and Innovation.

Opinions my own - nobody else would want them.

Shares are not endorsements.

#ElbowsUp

Videos

Economics 54%

Public Health 18%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 2d

We do love a four quadrant diagram....

John Appleby @jappleby123.bsky.social · 2d

What podcast would you like to listen to but (afayk) doesn’t exist?
Mine would be ‘Chart Chat’ involving 3 economists discussing charts such as:

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Michael Warhurst @mwarhurst.bsky.social · 2d

"Most recently, the Nordic cities of Helsinki and Oslo have gone an entire year without any cyclist or pedestrian deaths
...from slower speed limits and wider sidewalks to higher car fees and stiffer enforcement
Neither city has a single robotaxi plying its streets"
www.bloomberg.com/news/feature...

We Still Don’t Know if Robotaxis Are Safer Than Human Drivers

And even if self-driving technology proves to be less dangerous, there are many better ways to improve traffic safety and prevent fatal crashes.

www.bloomberg.com

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 2d

There is one other recourse - ex-communication.

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

John Appleby @jappleby123.bsky.social · 2d

What podcast would you like to listen to but (afayk) doesn’t exist?
Mine would be ‘Chart Chat’ involving 3 economists discussing charts such as:

Reposted by Christopher McCabe, Laurent Pech

Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 3d

Banning X would have loads of upsides and really not many downsides for the government. The argument for shutting it down (distribution of CSAM) is incontrovertible, the people who are its most avid users hate the government anyway, and it would address threats to social cohesion and public order.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Christopher McCabe, Tim Bale , and 3 more Steve Peers, Christopher McCabe, Tim Bale, John Foot, Tom Griffin, Pauline Stafford

The New Statesman @newstatesman1913.bsky.social · 3d

Only Reform voters can save Labour

By Luke Akehurst

Only Reform voters can save Labour

A progressive coalition simply doesn't have the vote share

www.newstatesman.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 7 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Christopher McCabe, Charles West, Edgar Morgenroth, Laurent Pech, Karen O’Reilly, Mark Robinson, Christina Pagel

Louise Haigh @louisehaighmp.bsky.social · 3d

Yesterday I posted my last ever Tweet and called on the Government to do the same.

Read more below on why I think it’s time to leave the cesspit formerly known as Twitter.

www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

It is time to leave the cesspit formerly known as Twitter

Grok is just one of many reasons why Westminster should finally get off the website.

www.politicshome.com

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 3d

Shutting down X is no longer a matter of free speech. It is a matter of child protection.

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Marie Le Conte @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com · 3d

[world's longest, weariest sigh] in this week's newsletter! a piece on this whole Grok business, and the importance of differentiating between things that are real and things that are not: youngvulgarian.substack.com/p/ideally-i-...

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Katie Drummond @katie-drummond.bsky.social · 3d

Keep Grok and X in the app stores, sure, but god forbid ICE-tracking apps be allowed.

I feel like I'm in upsidedown land.

Why Are Grok and X Still Available in App Stores?

Elon Musk’s chatbot has been used to generate thousands of sexualized images of adults and apparent minors. Apple and Google have removed other “nudify” apps—but continue to host X and Grok.

www.wired.com

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 6d

With everything going on right now, writing about clinical trials as a driver of UK economic growth may seem a bit niche. However, I think it's a good example of the UK needing to rethink its economic relationship with the US.

christophermccabe.substack.com/p/is-the-uk-...

Getting serious about clinical trials as industrial policy

Prioritising trials based on their value to the UK

christophermccabe.substack.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Patrick Dunleavy, Mike Brewer , and 10 more Will Jennings, Patrick Dunleavy, Mike Brewer, Christopher McCabe, Steven French, Jonathan Wolff, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Holger Nehring, Margot C. Finn, Christina Ho, Oliver Mason, Michael Larkin, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 6d

I'm afraid there *is* an obvious answer: it can't.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 6d

stoptrump.org.uk/sign-venezue...

This seems like an important moment for the UK to stand up for international law.

Open letter: UK must not abstain on UN Venezuela vote

Stop Trump Coalition

stoptrump.org.uk

Reposted by Axel Bruns, Christopher McCabe

Saul Staniforth @saulstaniforth.bsky.social · 8d

Keir Starmer: "I constantly remind myself that 24/7 our defence, our security & our intelligent relationship with the US matters probably more than any other relationship we've got in the world and it would not be in our national interest to weaken that in any way"

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Graeme Cowie @woodstockjag.bsky.social · 13d

Freedom of expression. It’s another one of those irregular verbs isn’t?

(1) I’m exercising free speech
(2) You’re offending me
(3) He’s having his citizenship revoked
(4) We can’t say we’re English anymore
(5) You’re engaging in dangerous rhetoric
(6) They’ve been proscribed under the Terrorism Act

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

InsideEVs @insideevs.com · 13d

Yes, power source. Here's how.

insideevs.com/news/782968/...

Toyota Says EVs Could Rival Nuclear Energy As A Power Source

As it steps up a program in Texas to test vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging, Toyota says EVs have huge potential as virtual power plants.

insideevs.com

Reposted by Christopher McCabe, Fiona Measham, Maria Sobolewska

Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 14d

When people say they want to go back to a time "when men were men", I point them to Issue 2528 of the "Men in Belted Sweaters" catalogue.

A magazine/catalogue named "Men in Belted Sweaters", sporting six photos of - you guessed it - men in belted sweaters, in different styles and colours, all of them utterly, bafflingly awful. If you are visually impaired you should, on this occasion, consider yourself blessed.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 16d

Fair point..

It's the general principle of public service equating to discounted remuneration I object to.

The specific case of ambassadors 100% - they know what they are doing and they don't need the money unless they have been incredibly financially reckless.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 16d

I agree with the first part of your statement, but I don't think a belief in public service should be used to impoverish people.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 16d

This very rich for a paper that started life as the Manchester Guardian.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 27d

There is a better way.

www.frontiersin.org/journals/med...

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · 27d

Some thoughts on the implications of NICE Cost Effectiveness Threshold as an instrument of industrial policy.

christophermccabe.substack.com/p/time-to-ge...

Time to get serious about the societal value of new drugs.

The NICE way to invest in the United Kingdom's life and health sciences sector

christophermccabe.substack.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Christopher McCabe, Margot C. Finn

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 27d

"Those who ought to stand against this sort of thing engage in frankly specious reasoning about what the “root causes” are...anything other than standing up and saying that it is wrong to attack entire groups for the real or perceived crimes of specific individuals."

www.ft.com/content/4209...

Bondi attacks show old hatreds are flourishing again

A permissive environment has been created in which Israel is conflated with all Jews, everywhere

www.ft.com

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

Eugene Vinitsky 🍒 @eugenevinitsky.bsky.social · 28d

Have had more close calls with a high speed e-bike on the sidewalk than I would like this year. Would probably be good if something were done about this...

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · Dec 10

I would agree - he is driven by fear. But that is not leadership; and now is a time when we need leadership.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · Dec 10

This warms my heart. 35 some years after studying this during my masters degree at Newcastle University. And people complain about it taking 17 years for innovations to get to market.

Søren Have @sorenhave.dk · Dec 9

Exciting road pricing news out of Denmark!

Today a new expert group for designing the future car taxation was announced, with a focus on the externalities from cars.

See the terms of reference below. I will soon follow up with a piece on why I think it actually can lead to GPS-based road pricing.

Two pages of text. Unfortunately too long to paste in here.

It is a translation of this page: https://fm.dk/nyheder/nyhedsarkiv/2025/december/regeringen-nedsaetter-ekspertgruppe-for-omlaegning-af-bilafgifter/

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · Dec 10

And most importantly, they would not keep the savings they extracted as profit. No. Definitely not. Never. Can't imagine a corporation doing that under any circumstances.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · Dec 10

Starmer appears to be a Trump camp follower.

Christopher McCabe @cjmccabe.bsky.social · Dec 10

TBH I'm more concerned with the death of adulthood right now

Reposted by Christopher McCabe

New Economics Foundation @neweconomics.bsky.social · Dec 10

Global inequality has hit a new extreme. So how much wealth is too much?🤔

The extreme poverty line is used to define unacceptable levels of poverty. What if we also created an extreme wealth line? @patmillsuk.bsky.social 1/2

Text reads: "We need to raise the awareness of how extreme wealth distorts society and prevents opportunities for others."

Add to Home Screen

Light up
your news

Add to Home Screen

Light upyour news

Sign in to Lightnews

Sign up to start reading

Connect Bluesky

Connect with Bluesky

Light up
your news