Martin McKee

@martinmckee.bsky.social

12K followers 670 following 1.3K posts

Prof of European Public Health LSHTM
Co-Director European Observatory on Health Systems & Policy
Member Independent SAGE
Past President BMA & EUPHA
Committed to 🇬🇧 rejoining 🇪🇺

https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/aboutus/people/mckee.martin .. more

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Clifford Martin McKee, CBE, is professor of European public health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Source: Wikipedia

Public Health 40%

Medicine 24%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 21h

I’d been reluctant to raise this in case it gave people ideas but did briefly wonder if some Danish lawyers were reviewing the sale of the US Virgin Islands in case there was a get out clause…

Reposted by Martin McKee, Diane Ravitch, Jeremy T. Kerr , and 4 more Martin McKee, Diane Ravitch, Jeremy T. Kerr, Tuomas Mattila, R. M. Wilson, Kent Johnson, Henry Jones

Jon Cooper @joncooper-us.bsky.social · 1d

100% this!👇

Reposted by Martin McKee, Nina Jankowicz, Brendan Nyhan , and 7 more Martin McKee, Nina Jankowicz, Brendan Nyhan, Scott L. Greer, Samuel L. Perry, Fabián Muniesa, Michelle Everson, Jonathan Hopkin, Aaron Sojourner, Scott A. Imberman

Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 1d

One basic lesson from political research is that secret police generally rely on mediocre men willing to do the dirty work of authoritarian regimes in order to advance their careers.
donmoynihan.substack.com/p/how-the-fb...

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 1d

It seems to me that one thing has received far less attention than it should. In what possible world is it acceptable for a law enforcement officer to fire a handgun with one hand while filming with a mobile phone held in the other? Or even to allow someone who would do this to have a gun (ever)

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 1d

Believed there were WMD stil to be found in Iraq years after the invasion

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Martin McKee, Will Jennings , and 10 more Anna O. Law, Martin McKee, Will Jennings, Thomas Backhaus, Steve Peers, Charles West, Alan Richardson, Roopika Risam, Scott A. Imberman, David Rosnick, Georg Weizsäcker, Klaus Oschema, Nicole Guenther Discenza

Matt Novak @paleofuture.bsky.social · 2d

Trump talks about Denmark and Greenland just now: "The fact that they landed a boat there 500 years ago doesn't mean that they own the land."

Reposted by Martin McKee

Peter Jukes @peterjukes.bsky.social · 3d

“If everybody always lies to you, the consequence is not that you believe the lies, but rather that nobody believes anything any longer… And a people that no longer can believe anything cannot make up its mind…And with such a people you can then do what you please.”

Hannah Arendt

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 3d

It’s bizarre - scientists are meant to follow evidence, which in this case is clear. Far more engagement here even with many fewer followers

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 3d

I’ve been in decision-making roles in several projects and organisations where I persuaded colleagues we should exit X, even before it became a platform for child sex abuse. It wasn’t difficult. Its algorithms ensured our work never got seen. But even then the moral case was clear.

Reposted by Martin McKee

Paolo Sandro @paolosandro.bsky.social · 4d

What role should parliaments play before, during, and after a crisis or emergency?

With the Institute for Government and the UCL Global Centre for Democratic Constitutionalism, we have put together an amazing lineup. /1

@efieldingd.bsky.social @timdurrant.bsky.social @drhannahwhite.bsky.social

The Role of Parliaments in Crises and Emergencies:
Before, During, and After

Programme

Date: 22 January 2026

Venue: Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, 1 Victoria Embankment, London, SW1A 2JR

Time: 14:00 – 18:00 (Registration from 13:15)

14:00-14:05 Introduction Dr Paolo Sandro (House of Commons/University of Leeds)

14:05-14:20 Opening Remarks Prof Ilan Kelman (UCL)
14:20-
15:05 Preparing and Legislating Dr Thomas Muinzer (University of Aberdeen)

Suzanne Raine (University of Cambridge)

Eve Samson (House of Commons)

Chair: Dr Hannah White OBE (Institute for Government)

15:10-
15:55 Responsive Management and Scrutiny Sarah Davies (House of Commons)

Prof Jeff King (UCL)

Dr Jonathan Murphy (IDEA)

Chair: Prof Erin Delaney (UCL)

16:00-
16:45 Accountability
and Lesson-learning Sir Jack Beatson (24 Lincoln's Inn Fields)

Kate Dewsnip (University of Liverpool)

Dr Cath Haddon (Institute for Government)

Chair: Dr Rupavardhini Balakrishnan Raju (UCL)

16:45-17:15 Audience Q&A and Conclusion Led by Dr Paolo Sandro and Dr Hannah White OBE

The Role of Parliaments in Crises and Emergencies:
Before, During, and After
In the theory and practice of emergency powers since the time of the ancient Roman
republic, legislatures have played a muted or entirely absent role during the exercise
of potent executive powers to manage the crisis. The twentieth century has seen a
profound change in this regard. There has been a steady proliferation of various
statutory models for addressing emergencies and crises, and, in some jurisdictions,
the rise of a more prominent supervisory role for national parliaments.
On any approach, the management of emergencies and crises often entails
constitutional disruption to the parliamentary processes of making or approving laws
and scrutiny of Government. Such was quite apparent in the very rapid passage of the
Coronavirus Bill through the UK Parliament in 2020, and in the hundreds of public
health emergency regulations made by the UK and devolved governments to address
the COVID-19 pandemic. Notwithstanding some disruption, however, the UK
legislatures remained open and this was consistent with international practice too.
Even in this context where the Government had to act with extreme urgency,
parliaments have continued to enjoy a supervisory and legislative role in mitigating
the risks to the established principles of constitutional democracy. Such a role is all
the more possible and evident in crises of slow onset, such as climate change and
financial crises, in some cases leading to complex governance frameworks such as the
Climate Change Act 2008.
The aim of this event is to explore and discuss the various roles/functions that
parliaments, and in particular the UK Parliament, may play before, during, and after
an emergency or crisis. How should the foundations of constitutional democracy be
protected in the context of emergencies and crises? What type of framework legislation
allows for optimal response once one of these events occurs? How should the
legislative scrutiny fu…

Reposted by Martin McKee, Will Jennings, Steve Peers

Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 4d

Britain's leaders think X's diversification into child porn-on-demand is "unacceptable". Although, in good news for people who want child porn on demand, they will continue to accept it. thecritic.co.uk/poli...

One of Farage’s revenue streams is X, the social media site that Ofcom urgently wishes to speak to about the ability of its Grok AI facility to undress women and generate child porn. He has been paid just under £13,000 by the company since entering parliament. Was he still comfortable taking money from the company? Cunningham gasped at the temerity of the question.

Farage seemed briefly worried. He complained first of all that the parliamentary register of interests doesn’t allow him to offset his expenses. To be fair, it wasn’t set up for people who view being an MP as a money-making enterprise. But the short answer is that he will continue to take the X cash.

Other party leaders aren’t on the X payroll, but their answers are hardly better. After PMQs we asked their spokespeople what they were doing about the company. Number 10 explained that the situation was “unacceptable”, although the prime minister’s continued presence on X suggests that he can, in fact, accept it. Badenoch’s s

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 4d

This is an administration that attacks grants mentioning transgenic mice and microbial diversity.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 4d

Once again we rely on Spanish ministers to say the things British ministers are too frightened to say.

Éamann Mac Donnchada @almagroschool.bsky.social · 4d

Spain's Youth and Children's Minister has asked the Public Prosecutor (DPP rough equivalent) to investigate X for peddling child pornography

Sira Rego @sirarego.bsky.social · 4d

Desde el Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia hemos remitido un escrito a la Fiscalía General del Estado para solicitar que investigue a la inteligencia artificial de X (antes Twitter) por presuntos delitos de difusión de material de violencia sexual contra la infancia.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 4d

So sorry to hear this. He was a truly wonderful person.

Reposted by Martin McKee, Will Jennings

Éamann Mac Donnchada @almagroschool.bsky.social · 4d

Spain's Youth and Children's Minister has asked the Public Prosecutor (DPP rough equivalent) to investigate X for peddling child pornography

Sira Rego @sirarego.bsky.social · 4d

Reposted by Martin McKee, Mark A. Lemley, Alessandro Rigolon , and 2 more Martin McKee, Mark A. Lemley, Alessandro Rigolon, Christina Pagel, Dan Hicks

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 4d

There is video of the shooting of a woman by ICE in Minneapolis circulating that shows an ICE agent repeatedly shooting her at point blank range while she tries to drive off. There was no obvious threat to any ICE agent.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 4d

Europe isn’t BBC Today’s strong topic. With a few notable exceptions, the EU (or “Brussels”) is still a mystery

Reposted by Martin McKee

Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 5d

Public inquiries are becoming longer, costing more and often failing to achieve meaningful change, but as @rebeccamckee.bsky.social and @jackpannell.bsky.social argue, reforms must go further than the introduction of time limits and set budgets

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/publ...

Public inquiry reform must be targeted at the right problems | Institute for Government

Government reforms to public inquiries need to address the role played by ministers.

www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 5d

Interviewee on BBC Today claiming, unchallenged, that Russian/ Chinese ships threatening Greenland. @auonsson.bsky.social is leading source on hostile shipping movements and not convinced (to say the least)

bsky.app/profile/auon...

auonsson @auonsson.bsky.social · 5d

The US commander in chief has famously claimed that Greenland waters are teeming with Russian and Chinese vessels.

According to AIS data this is bollocks to speak European.

There are 8 Chinese and 0 Russian vessels in US waters, none in Greenland.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 5d

And if, after that, anyone wants to respond to the U.K. consultation on the necessary changes, you can do so here (unsurprisingly I’m not in favour)

www.gov.uk/government/c...

Changes to NICE regulations: cost-effectiveness threshold

Consultation seeking views on proposals to give ministers limited powers to direct the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in setting the standard cost-effectiveness threshold.

www.gov.uk

Reposted by Ruairidh Milne, Els Torreele

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 5d

When UK announced a deal with US on Pharma, @elstorreele.bsky.social & I were sceptical @bmj.com (not least because there is no text). Now we have the US interpretation and it’s not good 👇

www.bmj.com/content/391/...

Reposted by Martin McKee

Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 5d

While all the attention is on Trump's actions in Venezuela right now, here are some stories you might have missed over the holiday period told in 5 minutes.

youtu.be/-G7ZHqLiNu4

Authoritarian actions over the Holidays

YouTube video by Professor Christina Pagel

youtu.be

Reposted by Martin McKee

auonsson @auonsson.bsky.social · 5d

Reposted by Martin McKee

Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 5d

The government set up 7 new public inquiries in 2025

Which means as we start 2026 there are 27 public inquiries currently underway (21 statutory inquiries)

This is a huge number, at the start of 2016 there were only 10 public inquiries ongoing

A line chart from the Institute for Government of the number of concurrent public inquiries monthly 1990 to September 2025 where it shows three peaks of 15 in June 2010, 19 in September 2023 and 27 in December 2025

Reposted by Martin McKee, Lilian Edwards, Antonio Fatás

Katie Martin @katie0martin.ft.com · 6d

Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter - as.ft.com/r/2f3e7a51-e...

Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter

[FREE TO READ] A look inside Elon Musk’s big tent

as.ft.com

Reposted by Martin McKee

EUPHA @eupha.bsky.social · 7d

🚀 We’re hiring a Senior Communications Officer (Utrecht, hybrid)

Shape how public health is communicated across Europe, working with EUPHA and the EPH Conference.

📄 12-month contract | 32–36h
👉 Apply: www.karelserecruitment.nl/job/senior-c...

#WeAreHiring #PublicHealth #CommsJobs #EUcareers

Thorsten Benner @tbenner.bsky.social · 7d

It's wild that the PM of a NATO member feels compelled to put out a statement like this vis-à-vis the US government.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 8d

This is the most plausible analysis I’ve seen given what we know. So can people stop calling what happened in Venezuela “regime change”? “Protection racket” with some “kidnapping” to instil fear seems more accurate.

Shannon Kowalski @sbkowalski.bsky.social · 8d

Haven’t seen analysis to this effect here, but this post from Alejandro Velasco argues that this is essentially a coup and have been hearing that many in Venezuela agree with this analysis.

Reposted by Martin McKee

Shannon Kowalski @sbkowalski.bsky.social · 8d

Haven’t seen analysis to this effect here, but this post from Alejandro Velasco argues that this is essentially a coup and have been hearing that many in Venezuela agree with this analysis.

Martin McKee @martinmckee.bsky.social · 8d

This is a classic zombie idea. We thought it died years ago but some people keep resurrecting it. Anyone who has studied EU-Swiss relations would know that another Swiss style arrangement is the last thing the EU wants. Endless negotiations to satisfy ideological red lines.

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