Holger Nehring
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holgernehring.bsky.social
Holger Nehring
@holgernehring.bsky.social

Contemporary historian #ColdWar #diplomacy

Political science 53%
History 22%

Reposted by Holger Nehring

If I didn't know better I'd call this a conspiracy to abolish the OBR

Campus this morning.

👇
Essentially the best way to run a railway is for it to be owned by a development corporation, and then frankly whether that corporation is state owned or privately owned is sort of a much of a muchness:
The missing piece in Labour’s rail renationalisation scheme
Whether trains are public or private is not the deal-breaker for a well-functioning service — it is about a better delivery model
www.ft.com
Essentially the best way to run a railway is for it to be owned by a development corporation, and then frankly whether that corporation is state owned or privately owned is sort of a much of a muchness:
The missing piece in Labour’s rail renationalisation scheme
Whether trains are public or private is not the deal-breaker for a well-functioning service — it is about a better delivery model
www.ft.com
Yes, there are spending multipliers etc - and yes, Kuenssberg spouted vacuous talking points.

BUT.

There is a bond market (or more generally a macro) constraint to borrowing, as there was in the 2010s - we just weren't near it then. Dodging the issue/pretending it doesn't exist isn't a policy.
@zackpolanski.bsky.social on the importance of spending multipliers & borrowing to invest

Zack is, without doubt, a great communicator. And on him talking about democracy & the bond markets I'm reminded of Eddie Dempsey at the Durham Miners Gala when he asked "who elected the bond market?"
'Ahead of the autumn budget on 26 November, Universities UK (UUK) has calculated that funding per student for teaching in 2025-26 is at 64 per cent of the level it was in 2015-16.' 1/3
University teaching income ‘£6.4 billon less’ than 10 years ago
UUK says shortfall in teaching money is ‘baked in’ to higher education funding system as institutions brace for new tax in upcoming budget
www.timeshighereducation.com

Reposted by Holger Nehring

As many of you know, I do a lot of volunteer work with asylum seekers and refugees. One thing that’s going on is that Labour’s hostility towards migrants and the counterbattery from Tories and Reform is causing horrific fear and anxiety among vulnerable people who deserve our protection.

Reposted by Holger Nehring

Lots of things to dislike about Lord Glasman. A small one of them is repeating private conversations to the press.
Why is transphobia the default state for so many arseholes?

'We brought in the heavy artillery: we brought in the King and Queen of Sweden. It doesn't get any better than that.'
Swedish Deputy PM: Sweden needs to pick its friends wisely, and we are choosing Canada… So when we come to America, we come to Canada now.

Chrystia Freeland will be the next Warden of Rhodes House, from July 2026.
Swedish Deputy PM: Sweden needs to pick its friends wisely, and we are choosing Canada… So when we come to America, we come to Canada now.

Reposted by Holger Nehring

NASA's pix of the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS are now up science.nasa.gov/solar-system...

This is the HiRISE/MRO image ⬇️

Looks warm and cozy.

Reposted by Holger Nehring

Marjorie Taylor Greene: "I was called a traitor by a man that I fought for 6 years for. I gave him my loyalty for free. I've never owed him anything. Let me tell you what a traitor is -- a traitor is an American that serves foreign countries."

Reposted by Holger Nehring

The most differentiated and thoughtful write up of Labours new immigration policy by @stephenkb.bsky.social this morning.

#giftlink
Labour needs a way out of the infernal circle of immigration policy
Politics today is about ‘open vs closed’, but the UK government’s approach risks appeasing no one
on.ft.com
Whatever it doesn’t take
Verdict of one Labour grandee I just bumped into: “Ed Miliband is the person most likely to be the most next Prime Minister”.
The Kremlin disguised a nearly $100 mn payment to Trump in the form of a brokered real estate deal... and both Jeffrey Epstein and William Pulte were involved in the deal. That's very interesting.

Reposted by Holger Nehring

Well, Epstein dead-catted the BBC bullshit thing
🚨#History #envhist Job Alert: My Department is hiring an Assistant Professor in Environmental History.
🗃️

Come work with us at Warwick. You'll get both excellent colleagues and great students!

See details below... And do not hesitate to spread the word...
👇👇👇

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DPK289/a...
Assistant Professor in Environmental History (111009-1125) at University of Warwick
Explore an exciting academic career as a Assistant Professor in Environmental History (111009-1125). Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.
www.jobs.ac.uk

While free water fountains pop up everywhere, giving the impression it's there in abundance. A scarce resource needs to have a price. And I get the whole reducing plastic/ access to water is important thing. But something's gotta give.
I've been talking about this on here for a while. We just assume it will always rain enough, so the management of water in the UK is totally disastrous. Now, after a relatively few dry months, we are approaching a calamity. We have done it to ourselves. Yet again. We are a deeply unserious country.
England facing drastic measures due to extreme drought next year
Government and water companies are devising emergency plans for worst water shortage in decades
www.theguardian.com
I've been talking about this on here for a while. We just assume it will always rain enough, so the management of water in the UK is totally disastrous. Now, after a relatively few dry months, we are approaching a calamity. We have done it to ourselves. Yet again. We are a deeply unserious country.
England facing drastic measures due to extreme drought next year
Government and water companies are devising emergency plans for worst water shortage in decades
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Holger Nehring

Road violence in Birmingham is completely out of control

Reposted by Holger Nehring

And there are a lot of Labour held places up for election with large numbers of such voters - London of course, and also other big cities with Labour councils - Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds. Could be big swings to Greens in many such places.

Reposted by Holger Nehring

You won't find a better. short explanation of what the government needs to do to genuinely reduce spatial inequalities than this. The next UK Government has an opportunity to finally recognise the devolution dividend | British Politics and Policy at LSE share.google/VnTRZHvbAxs0...
The next UK Government has an opportunity to finally recognise the devolution dividend | British Politics and Policy at LSE
Alan Harding discusses what a new government would need to do to ensure a devolution dividend is realised and that inclusive growth is achieved both between and within UK regions.
share.google
The EU makes many mistakes and should show far more flexibility towards North and West African states in trading relations.

That is a separate matter from a UK government that talks a Europe-friendly game yet still manages to burn goodwill with partners in the EU over minor sums
More first rate reporting from @manchestermill.bsky.social The point about “southerners” being used to long commutes is a good one (my dad would have been horrified to live further than 30 minutes from work) and there’s an important point right at the end
Some said the BBC had ‘lost its marbles’. But was the move to Salford such a disaster after all?
Over a decade on, we caught up with the London relocators of 2012
manchestermill.co.uk

Reposted by Holger Nehring

No one is forcing HMT to fly these kites. The idea that this is all made up by the Tory supporting media is ludicrous.