Iain Mansfield
@igmansfield.bsky.social
Current affairs, politics, education and miscellany. All views my own.
Substack at edrith.co.uk
Substack at edrith.co.uk
Interesting and quite persuasive.
My column in today’s FT: the vision since 2016 has been that the lever British governments pull to fight poverty is to increase the minimum wage. Time for government to start pulling its weight again too:
The minimum wage is not a cure all — we’re asking too much of business
Politicians spend too much time uttering cheap rhetoric about cheap labour
www.ft.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Interesting and quite persuasive.
Many people here appear to genuinely believe that stopping the Channel boats is intrinsically difficult - like improving NHS productivity.
It's not - and here is how you do it.
With every small boat arrival sent there automatically, without exception.
conservativehome.com/2025/11/25/a...
It's not - and here is how you do it.
With every small boat arrival sent there automatically, without exception.
conservativehome.com/2025/11/25/a...
November 25, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Many people here appear to genuinely believe that stopping the Channel boats is intrinsically difficult - like improving NHS productivity.
It's not - and here is how you do it.
With every small boat arrival sent there automatically, without exception.
conservativehome.com/2025/11/25/a...
It's not - and here is how you do it.
With every small boat arrival sent there automatically, without exception.
conservativehome.com/2025/11/25/a...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
£3bn is actually operating profit ie post tax profit is much lower. Julian Jessop wrote a great piece on this julianhjessop.substack.com/p/its-time-t...
It’s time to call out “Tesco derangement syndrome”!
The growing fad of blaming supermarkets for higher food prices suggests an alarming ignorance of the real world, let alone basic economics.
julianhjessop.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:35 PM
£3bn is actually operating profit ie post tax profit is much lower. Julian Jessop wrote a great piece on this julianhjessop.substack.com/p/its-time-t...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
The design of such a levy matters enormously.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
The design of such a levy matters enormously.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
If you enjoy reading my substack, why not try my book?
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Imperial Visions
Some pre-Christmas reading - or the perfect gift?
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:52 AM
If you enjoy reading my substack, why not try my book?
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
The design of such a levy matters enormously.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 24, 2025 at 11:59 AM
The design of such a levy matters enormously.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Policy Exchange has argued that a flat rate levy of £1000 per student would do more to achieve Government's stated aims than a levy set at 6% of total fee income.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
*rolls eyes*
The insistence among some HE folk on using a distorted funding baseline is really something to behold.
Per-student HE funding is now the same as in 2011-12 before tuition fees were tripled.
Over that same period, colleges, adult learning and school sixth forms have been pummelled.
The insistence among some HE folk on using a distorted funding baseline is really something to behold.
Per-student HE funding is now the same as in 2011-12 before tuition fees were tripled.
Over that same period, colleges, adult learning and school sixth forms have been pummelled.
Universities in England are receiving over £6 billion less each year for teaching students than they did a decade ago, new analysis shows. Helen Packer reports
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-teaching-income-ps64-billon-less-10-years-ago
https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/university-teaching-income-ps64-billon-less-10-years-ago
November 24, 2025 at 8:37 AM
*rolls eyes*
The insistence among some HE folk on using a distorted funding baseline is really something to behold.
Per-student HE funding is now the same as in 2011-12 before tuition fees were tripled.
Over that same period, colleges, adult learning and school sixth forms have been pummelled.
The insistence among some HE folk on using a distorted funding baseline is really something to behold.
Per-student HE funding is now the same as in 2011-12 before tuition fees were tripled.
Over that same period, colleges, adult learning and school sixth forms have been pummelled.
If you enjoy reading my substack, why not try my book?
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Imperial Visions
Some pre-Christmas reading - or the perfect gift?
open.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:52 AM
If you enjoy reading my substack, why not try my book?
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Details below ⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
This government's relentless focus on growth has got out of hand.
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday
November 23, 2025 at 10:17 PM
This government's relentless focus on growth has got out of hand.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
Just a boy, standing in front of a political class, asking them to read @igmansfield.bsky.social's Seven Public Policy Rules of Thumb, this time on taxes:
Seven Public Policy Rules of Thumb
They're not always true. But you've got grounds to demand strong evidence before accepting that one isn't.
www.edrith.co.uk
November 23, 2025 at 10:27 PM
Just a boy, standing in front of a political class, asking them to read @igmansfield.bsky.social's Seven Public Policy Rules of Thumb, this time on taxes:
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
The fact that in both 2019 and 2024, the winning party did so with a set of manifesto promises that could not be kept and dissolved upon contact with actual office is something that as an industry we should be much more bothered by than we are.
November 23, 2025 at 12:35 PM
The fact that in both 2019 and 2024, the winning party did so with a set of manifesto promises that could not be kept and dissolved upon contact with actual office is something that as an industry we should be much more bothered by than we are.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
ICYMI: Why politicians need to go big or go home- and what this means for next week's Budget.
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Reeves in Zugzwang
Incremental politics no longer works
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:10 PM
ICYMI: Why politicians need to go big or go home- and what this means for next week's Budget.
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
ICYMI: Why politicians need to go big or go home- and what this means for next week's Budget.
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Reeves in Zugzwang
Incremental politics no longer works
open.substack.com
November 23, 2025 at 3:10 PM
ICYMI: Why politicians need to go big or go home- and what this means for next week's Budget.
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
From biblical Cities of Refuge to the Liberty of the Savoy; from Mediaeval church sanctuary to modern embassies, we continue to create places when individuals can take refuge from pursuing justice.
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
November 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
From biblical Cities of Refuge to the Liberty of the Savoy; from Mediaeval church sanctuary to modern embassies, we continue to create places when individuals can take refuge from pursuing justice.
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
From biblical Cities of Refuge to the Liberty of the Savoy; from Mediaeval church sanctuary to modern embassies, we continue to create places when individuals can take refuge from pursuing justice.
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
November 22, 2025 at 11:10 AM
From biblical Cities of Refuge to the Liberty of the Savoy; from Mediaeval church sanctuary to modern embassies, we continue to create places when individuals can take refuge from pursuing justice.
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Why do we keep doing this?
open.substack.com/pub/edrith/p...
Very interesting piece.
Here is @richardaljones.bsky.social basically telling us how it is. I’ve been thinking about this since listening to him say this stuff out loud at the @royalsociety.org
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
on Thursday.
softmachines.org?p=3192
UK Science in a post-liberal world – Soft Machines, by Richard Jones
softmachines.org
November 22, 2025 at 10:51 AM
Very interesting piece.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
No algorithm can replace our desire for human agency.
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Why do we Keep Reinventing Cities of Refuge?
And what does it say about our instincts on justice?
www.edrith.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 8:34 AM
No algorithm can replace our desire for human agency.
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
Yeah this was a very depressing article because I do not see how a government changes this without getting eaten alive.
This (from: www.ft.com/content/75ce...) is something you can *feel* if you are in the UK, especially if you've experienced living abroad. But infuriatingly successive governments and our entire media are somehow absolutely committed to suggesting anyone who wants to change this is the devil...
November 21, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Yeah this was a very depressing article because I do not see how a government changes this without getting eaten alive.
No algorithm can replace our desire for human agency.
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Why do we Keep Reinventing Cities of Refuge?
And what does it say about our instincts on justice?
www.edrith.co.uk
November 21, 2025 at 8:34 AM
No algorithm can replace our desire for human agency.
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Judgement, nuance and a space of individual endeavour are essential partsor what we perceive as fair systems.
www.edrith.co.uk/p/why-do-we-...
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
The CDC website now disseminates disinformation about vaccines, claiming erroneously that infant vaccines might cause autism, when we know conclusively that they do not. It is difficult to overstate just how dangerous this is. www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safe...
November 20, 2025 at 2:03 PM
This does feel like a major crossing of the Rubicon – the world's best-funded and in many ways most powerful public health agency is now actively pushing disinformation.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
I know there's a *lot* going on to care about at the moment, but this one really is significant, and matters well beyond the US.
For many, going to university no longer pays.
While the median graduate still benefits, the marginal graduate has long since ceased to.
And with 40% of university leavers in jobs that don’t need a degree, we are sending far too many people to uni.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
While the median graduate still benefits, the marginal graduate has long since ceased to.
And with 40% of university leavers in jobs that don’t need a degree, we are sending far too many people to uni.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
‘I Regret Going to Uni’: UK Degrees Don’t Pay Like They Once Did
For decades, the deal for Britain’s brightest young minds was clear: study hard, go to university and high pay would be among the rewards.
www.bloomberg.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:43 PM
For many, going to university no longer pays.
While the median graduate still benefits, the marginal graduate has long since ceased to.
And with 40% of university leavers in jobs that don’t need a degree, we are sending far too many people to uni.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
While the median graduate still benefits, the marginal graduate has long since ceased to.
And with 40% of university leavers in jobs that don’t need a degree, we are sending far too many people to uni.
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Fascinating findings.
Latest piece for the @thehousemag.bsky.social, on the island of strangers speech and similar. Also ft Bob Hawke.
www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
The Professor Will See You Now: Island of strangers
Lessons in political science. This week: island of strangers
www.politicshome.com
November 20, 2025 at 12:50 PM
Fascinating findings.
Reposted by Iain Mansfield
Attention is on NEETs today, but the problem is much worse.
NEETs include stay-at-home parents & jobseekers.
Strip those out to focus on people not working, not seeking work, not in education & not parenting: this group of economically & socially dislocated young adults has *doubled* in a decade.
NEETs include stay-at-home parents & jobseekers.
Strip those out to focus on people not working, not seeking work, not in education & not parenting: this group of economically & socially dislocated young adults has *doubled* in a decade.
November 20, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Attention is on NEETs today, but the problem is much worse.
NEETs include stay-at-home parents & jobseekers.
Strip those out to focus on people not working, not seeking work, not in education & not parenting: this group of economically & socially dislocated young adults has *doubled* in a decade.
NEETs include stay-at-home parents & jobseekers.
Strip those out to focus on people not working, not seeking work, not in education & not parenting: this group of economically & socially dislocated young adults has *doubled* in a decade.
Just spotted my Budget piece made it on to yesterday's FT Alphaville's 'Further Reading' list.
Why Reeves has no good choices left - and why politicians need to go big or go home.
Why Reeves has no good choices left - and why politicians need to go big or go home.
November 19, 2025 at 8:24 PM
Just spotted my Budget piece made it on to yesterday's FT Alphaville's 'Further Reading' list.
Why Reeves has no good choices left - and why politicians need to go big or go home.
Why Reeves has no good choices left - and why politicians need to go big or go home.