Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Georgia Banjo

@georgiabanjo.bsky.social

3.9K followers 410 following 120 posts

Writer at The Economist, mainly covering Britain and health. Forever working on a memoir about brain injury

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Dec 3

Hello everyone! Since we're all quite new here and The Economist has no bylines (a blessing & a curse!) I thought I'd share a few of the articles I'm most proud of.

First this with the fab @fransham.bsky.social showing how covid was part of a decade of UK deaths www.economist.com/interactive/...

1 9 29

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 30

Hence why they took so long to ratify the UNESCO convention! That's what the article is about.

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 30

Haha not enough space sadly! So much to write about it

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 30

Enjoyed writing about the two faces of Harley Street this week. Home to 40% of London's private healthcare market, it's known for its quality and treating royals. It's also where TikTokkers go for botched penis-filler ops and sperm-salmon facials. A townhouse was once a hub for international fraud

Harley Street resists a facelift

The world-famous medical district wants science, not salmon-sperm facials

www.economist.com

1 2 12

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 30

I agree, but for a different reason!

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

True! 😆

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

Haha I think if a wheel of cheese hit you in the face at 70mph anyone would be intolerant! (It is a risk apparently)

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

Ah, I’ll have to try to wing a trip to Finland next time! Wife carrying races sound fun

2 1

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

Certainly more action than golf!

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

I respectfully disagree :)

1 1

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

Indeed, would ruin the fun!

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · May 29

My take on England’s daftest sport: Should cheese rolling be protected as British heritage?
economist.com/britain/2025...

Should cheese rolling be protected as British heritage?

The government mulls making England’s daftest sport official

economist.com

10 8 20

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Mar 13

The PM has just announced the abolition of NHS England, the body responsible for running the £192bn NHS.

That was just a formality though: it's death was confirmed with a DOGE-style purge that I wrote about this week. Too soon to say whether it will devolve power or centralise it even further.

DOGE comes to England’s health service

Death by several thousand cuts at a vast public-sector body

www.economist.com

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Mar 1

This is only getting clearer by the day.

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 5

America is finished as the dominant global power which made the world in its image. This is only the beginning of the end, but it is the end. Now it behaves like any other brazen empire

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Feb 5

Trump: The US will take over the Gaza Strip… we’ll own it

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

I was talking about Access to Work, not the benefits system in general (which I pointed out is stingy). I’m by no means an expert, but I was on disability benefits myself for 7 years as well as doing some reporting on them. So I think I have some idea, but of course you’re entitled to disagree ;)

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

I think we mostly agree Chaminda. The problem is thats not at all how the current system is set up! We need a scheme that can be used by all who most need it, but it would not be sustainable for that to be the level of support that is currently for a select few. The question is what to do instead.

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

It was mostly looking at coaching (you’re right that mental-health support is provided separately), which is classified as a form of support work. If you look at the graph that’s what’s skyrocketed in recent years, and is why the DWP has cut hourly rates from £450 to £205 and capped nos of sessions

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

Suggest you read my article. It’s not exaggerated, thats where the biggest increase in spending seems to be coming from. Hence why it’s topical

1 1

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

But where’s the evidence that is does? And surely when it comes to public money, isn’t the question whether this is really the most effective use of it? I get that for some with high needs they will need more support from a scheme like this. But for others it seems unfair to give to a select few

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

Do you think we should be spending millions of pounds so a few thousand office workers who know about a scheme can receive unregulated ADHD coaching 1-1, at £200+ per hour? I personally don’t think that’s the best use of taxpayers’ money, even if it helps those individuals.

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

An article I did recently on this unfortunately ended up getting sensationalised in the right-wing press. But clearly there are signs that the incentives have become distorted (e.g. how is it way easier for an influencer to get £70k from AtW than receive PIP?) The whole thing needs reforming

A much-praised British scheme to help disabled workers is failing them

It lavishes spending on some, and unfairly deprives others

www.economist.com

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

Sure, the imperative to cut costs is bad. But looking at the figures, it’s clear that the system was never really designed to support those with greatest need, just those who were best at articulating their needs. It becomes unviable as soon as more people find out about it, as has happened recently

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

Exactly, there is no sense. It’s a mall fry at the moment because such a tiny proportion off people get it. If even 10% of disabled workers got it you’d be looking at several billions. We don’t even know if it’s that effective: DWP have always said it’s too difficult to evaluate

1 2

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 14

It’s not bananas. The scheme only ever worked because most people didn’t know about it. Now the number of claimants has doubled in a few years and they’re still only 1% of disabled workers. We need a system that helps more people, and is not just first come, first serve.

1 1

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 11

Makes sense, the original proposal was unworkable anyway

Georgia Banjo @georgiabanjo.bsky.social · Feb 11

I’m well aware of the risks of trial (or retrial) by media but much about the Lucy Letby case seems deeply troubling. There seems to be a distinct possibility that what was thought to be signs of a killer nurse may actually have just been poor medical care www.economist.com/britain/2025...

It increasingly looks as if Lucy Letby’s conviction was unsafe

The case of a nurse jailed for killing babies exposes deep problems with British justice

www.economist.com

1 1 14