Graham Scambler
@grahamscambler.bsky.social
1.5K followers 760 following 1.5K posts
Sociologist with interests in philosophy, theory, politics, health and sport. #sociology #health Emeritus Professor of Sociology, UCL Fellow, Academy of Social Sciences, UK Latest book: ‘Healthy Societies’ (Policy Press, 2024) www.grahamscambler.com
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Reposted by Graham Scambler
patrickdunleavy.bsky.social
Many thanks from all our authors to the 12,000 readers who have downloaded our book “Australia’s Evolving Democracy” or any chapter this year so far. We are hugely grateful! It’s open access, always. press.lse.ac.uk/books/e/10.3...
Reposted by Graham Scambler
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
Limited liability is one of our weird silences. It's a massive free gift society makes to plutocrats, seldom remarked upon, let alone contested.
Shareholders should have to buy limited liability, like any other insurance. The insurers would then be liable. 🧵
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
Will UK taxpayers get their £122m back from PPE Medpro?
The high court told the company linked to Michelle Mone to pay up over the supply of defective gowns, but there appears no clear route to reclaim the funds
www.theguardian.com
Reposted by Graham Scambler
rathfelder.bsky.social
Monthly income fluctuations associated with poorer health, more anxiety & depression. Income volatility may harm physical & mental health. Policy interventions that smooth income flows could be positive for population health. Does Universal Credit harm or help? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Why is income volatility associated with poor health? Longitudinal evidence from the UK and France
There is some evidence that income volatility (fluctuations in income over time) negatively affects mental and physical health, independently of the l…
www.sciencedirect.com
Reposted by Graham Scambler
resfoundation.bsky.social
🏘️ 221,000 dwellings were approved in the year to June 2025, down by 7% on the previous year, and now at the lowest level since 2014.

Read our blog on the latest planning data⤵️ buff.ly/jdQnf5Q
Chart showing estimated number of dwelling units granted permission and net additional dwellings in the 12 months to the period shown: England
grahamscambler.bsky.social
I was 77 on 8 Oct, and I don’t look a day older than - well, 77!
Reposted by Graham Scambler
sorenlarsen.bsky.social
Annual COVID Vaccines Protect People against Severe Disease, Even with Prior Immunity

"The new research also “calls into question the idea that younger individuals and those without risk factors don’t need the vaccine,” Viswanathan says."
Annual COVID Vaccines Save Lives, New Study Shows
A new study shows that receiving an updated COVID vaccine reduced people’s risk of severe disease and death in all age groups, regardless of immunity from prior infection or vaccination
www.scientificamerican.com
grahamscambler.bsky.social
Proof reading can be a laborious process!
Reposted by Graham Scambler
alexvonwitzleben.bsky.social
In 1903, a progressive woman named Elizabeth “Lizzie” Magie designed a board game she called The Landlord's Game. Her goal was to show the world the dangers of monopolies and unchecked wealth concentration.
#Monopoly #DonaldTrump #ElonMusk #JeffBezos #MarkZuckerberg
grahamscambler.bsky.social
Good rules for sports commentators: (1) don’t tell people what they’ve just seen, and (2) if you’ve nothing worthwhile to say, keep quiet.
Reposted by Graham Scambler
benansell.bsky.social
Spot on from @stephenkb.bsky.social. And the other aspect of this nasty turn is the eliding of British ‘culture’ with ‘white British’, which will shock anyone who has watched TV or football, or listened to music, or read a book, or indeed breathed since 1980.
grahamscambler.bsky.social
Scientists develop first-ever blood test to diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome www.itv.com/news/2025-10...
www.itv.com
grahamscambler.bsky.social
As the days go by, the description in my writings of Britain as a ‘fractured society’ seems more and more apt.
Reposted by Graham Scambler
aljazeera.com
Thread 🧵

Two years have passed since Israel launched its genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.

Here’s the scale of devastation by the numbers ⤵️

🔗: aje.io/r00cl2
Reposted by Graham Scambler
premnsikka.bsky.social
15 UK banks ordered to snoop on state pensioners and other benefit claimants under DWP crackdown.

No court order needed. No right of appeal.

Banks will pass cost to other customers.

Those accused of fraud won't get legal advice. The making of another Post Office type scandal.
15 banks ordered to snoop on state pensioners under DWP crackdown
The Telegraph newspaper reports banks will be required to monitor pensioners’ bank accounts and share payments data
www.birminghammail.co.uk
Reposted by Graham Scambler
resfoundation.bsky.social
The number of households behind on at least one priority bill has been creeping up over time.

While the poorest fifth are most likely to be affected, the prevalence of bill arrears crept up the income distribution during the cost of living crisis.

Read more: buff.ly/A8msGuU
Chart showing proportion of individuals living in families behind on at least one priority household bill, by income group: UK

The chart shows that pre-pandemic bill arrears were heavily concentrated among the poorest in society: in 2019-20, 17%t of those in the poorest fifth of the income distribution were behind on at least one major household bill, almost double the rate seen among the next poorest fifth (9%), and more than four times the middle fifth (4%). Since then, however, the prevalence of bill arrears has crept up the income distribution. Among the poorest fifth, the proportion of families in arrears actually fell during the pandemic before rising in the cost of living crisis, but by 2023-24, it was only 1 percentage point above its 2019-20 level. The second-poorest fifth, by contrast, saw a much sharper rise: the proportion in bill arrears shot up by 6 percentage points between 2019-20 and 2023-24, moving close to typical rates of arrears seen in the poorest fifth.
grahamscambler.bsky.social
There’s colour in the garden yet.
grahamscambler.bsky.social
Yes!
georgemonbiot.bsky.social
No sudden rupture is now required for the far right to take power in this country. For what we're seeing is a steady normalisation of extremists by the Conservative and Labour Parties, BBC, Telegraph, Mail and others. A shift once considered unthinkable beings to look acceptable, even inevitable.🧵