Omar Khan
@omaromalleykhan.bsky.social
CEO of @taso.org.uk, Chair of Trust for London, Executive Committee of Political Studies Association. The usual disclaimers.
Pinned
Omar Khan
@omaromalleykhan.bsky.social
· Nov 16
Sadly, humans can be mobilised in the cause of hatred. We should bemoan & condemn it wherever we see it. We must also defend and promote a positive alternative, of how we can and do work together across our differences, indeed of how those interactions produce the best of us
Got my new 10 year US passport, as a once and future birthright citizen
February 4, 2026 at 12:45 PM
Got my new 10 year US passport, as a once and future birthright citizen
Reposted by Omar Khan
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
February 4, 2026 at 7:47 AM
Striking paper from researchers at Anthropic using a randomised control trial to look at the effects of AI use on skills acquisition.
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
TL:DR ‘We found that using AI assistance led to a statistically significant decrease in mastery.’
www.anthropic.com/research/AI-...
The argument 'well he has a daughter so he can rationally extend his empathy universally' has always been hopeless. Mere self interest can never drive the cause of morality, leaving many victims of injustice with no recourse even if/as it assuages the conscience of the powerful
February 3, 2026 at 6:13 PM
The argument 'well he has a daughter so he can rationally extend his empathy universally' has always been hopeless. Mere self interest can never drive the cause of morality, leaving many victims of injustice with no recourse even if/as it assuages the conscience of the powerful
A proposal I've semi-seriously suggested for 25 yrs: throw every national insurance number in a big sorting device & select 400 members of the upper chamber. You can even call them Lords while in office. Repeat every 1-2 years
Randomising age, education, region, gender, class, ethnicity, wealth...
Randomising age, education, region, gender, class, ethnicity, wealth...
February 3, 2026 at 5:22 PM
A proposal I've semi-seriously suggested for 25 yrs: throw every national insurance number in a big sorting device & select 400 members of the upper chamber. You can even call them Lords while in office. Repeat every 1-2 years
Randomising age, education, region, gender, class, ethnicity, wealth...
Randomising age, education, region, gender, class, ethnicity, wealth...
Reposted by Omar Khan
Making it make sense: Epstein wasn't a global mastermind. He did not orchestrate a vast conspiracy that led us to today.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
February 3, 2026 at 10:44 AM
Making it make sense: Epstein wasn't a global mastermind. He did not orchestrate a vast conspiracy that led us to today.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
He was a very rich man with connections to other very rich men. The shared culture of these men is that they have a right to dominate and abuse others without consequence.
Small acts of kindness and help are pervasive. They understandably go un-noted but are an important corrective to the false depiction of humans as unrelentingly selfish
February 3, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Small acts of kindness and help are pervasive. They understandably go un-noted but are an important corrective to the false depiction of humans as unrelentingly selfish
Evidence across countries, in varied settings, on any policy questions indicates a compelling conclusion: the first, foundational general recommendation for any social issue is to discount heavily the voices of the most powerful and to amplify significantly those of the most vulnerable
February 2, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Evidence across countries, in varied settings, on any policy questions indicates a compelling conclusion: the first, foundational general recommendation for any social issue is to discount heavily the voices of the most powerful and to amplify significantly those of the most vulnerable
For all of January my arm was in a splint. I look forward to using my dominant arm again in February!
February 1, 2026 at 9:46 AM
For all of January my arm was in a splint. I look forward to using my dominant arm again in February!
Reposted by Omar Khan
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
January 31, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...
economist.com/britain/2026...
I dont know if it's what nerds do, but I recall being on a panel with Matthew Goodwin at an event with police and security services from 3 countries where he suggested more needed to be done to staunch the spread of far-right narratives on religion & immigration (he strongly agreed w/Hope not Hate)
February 1, 2026 at 9:29 AM
I dont know if it's what nerds do, but I recall being on a panel with Matthew Goodwin at an event with police and security services from 3 countries where he suggested more needed to be done to staunch the spread of far-right narratives on religion & immigration (he strongly agreed w/Hope not Hate)
It's not only wealth & power that attract a certain kind of academic, politician or journalist to the wealthy. It's a shared belief in irrepressible individual genius being the key driver for human progress. It's a boringly common irrationality over millennia, and a key driver for human suffering
January 31, 2026 at 8:37 PM
It's not only wealth & power that attract a certain kind of academic, politician or journalist to the wealthy. It's a shared belief in irrepressible individual genius being the key driver for human progress. It's a boringly common irrationality over millennia, and a key driver for human suffering
One way to square affirming both 'x' and 'not x': to argue that actually lying and dissembling follows from free speech I'm just contributed to the marketplace of ideas & seeing what lands best. The right to free speech includes the right to lie & to present incompatible ideas depending on audience
January 30, 2026 at 11:56 AM
One way to square affirming both 'x' and 'not x': to argue that actually lying and dissembling follows from free speech I'm just contributed to the marketplace of ideas & seeing what lands best. The right to free speech includes the right to lie & to present incompatible ideas depending on audience
Reposted by Omar Khan
🚨🚨 NEW BLOGPOST 🚨🚨
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
The Revolt of the Young Men?
Britain's second wokest cohort might surprise you
open.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 7:55 AM
🚨🚨 NEW BLOGPOST 🚨🚨
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
The right wing should be worried about young men. Unlike Europe and the US, British young men are swinging wildly behind progressive parties. Some thoughts on why, and why most of the right are ignoring it.
open.substack.com/pub/joxleywr...
BBC News - Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Some incredible finds here, a remarkable legacy of HS2 on our collective history and culture
Only somewhat snarkily: how might we calculate the benefit if amending the cost benefit HS2 case?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Some incredible finds here, a remarkable legacy of HS2 on our collective history and culture
Only somewhat snarkily: how might we calculate the benefit if amending the cost benefit HS2 case?
Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 30, 2026 at 8:38 AM
BBC News - Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Some incredible finds here, a remarkable legacy of HS2 on our collective history and culture
Only somewhat snarkily: how might we calculate the benefit if amending the cost benefit HS2 case?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Some incredible finds here, a remarkable legacy of HS2 on our collective history and culture
Only somewhat snarkily: how might we calculate the benefit if amending the cost benefit HS2 case?
The increase in tuition fees has been mixed from the point of access and participation
On the one hand the participation rate amg low income students has roughly doubled (to 30%)
On the other hand the participation *gap* btw free school meal pupil & their more advantaged peers hasnt budged (20 pp)
On the one hand the participation rate amg low income students has roughly doubled (to 30%)
On the other hand the participation *gap* btw free school meal pupil & their more advantaged peers hasnt budged (20 pp)
January 30, 2026 at 8:28 AM
The increase in tuition fees has been mixed from the point of access and participation
On the one hand the participation rate amg low income students has roughly doubled (to 30%)
On the other hand the participation *gap* btw free school meal pupil & their more advantaged peers hasnt budged (20 pp)
On the one hand the participation rate amg low income students has roughly doubled (to 30%)
On the other hand the participation *gap* btw free school meal pupil & their more advantaged peers hasnt budged (20 pp)
The only people who benefit from universities are graduates is a bit like the argument that the only people who benefit from free speech are writers
January 29, 2026 at 10:39 PM
The only people who benefit from universities are graduates is a bit like the argument that the only people who benefit from free speech are writers
NY Times spelling bee saying aporia isn't a word outraged
January 28, 2026 at 7:57 PM
NY Times spelling bee saying aporia isn't a word outraged
Reposted by Omar Khan
Did Trump’s 2024 re-election make it okay to be openly prejudiced? New work from @chriscrandall.bsky.social suggests it did. The more negatively Trump spoke about a group, the more okay it became to express prejudice (and the more prejudiced people were) towards that group after the election.
January 28, 2026 at 12:48 PM
Did Trump’s 2024 re-election make it okay to be openly prejudiced? New work from @chriscrandall.bsky.social suggests it did. The more negatively Trump spoke about a group, the more okay it became to express prejudice (and the more prejudiced people were) towards that group after the election.
There are no interests all white people share, that no not-white people have. There are no [not racist] examples of a British value or cultural practice or identity that must *by definition* exclude Black or Asian people
'Demography' or 'numbers' isn't a counter as there are no different interests
'Demography' or 'numbers' isn't a counter as there are no different interests
January 28, 2026 at 9:21 AM
There are no interests all white people share, that no not-white people have. There are no [not racist] examples of a British value or cultural practice or identity that must *by definition* exclude Black or Asian people
'Demography' or 'numbers' isn't a counter as there are no different interests
'Demography' or 'numbers' isn't a counter as there are no different interests
Among my earliest memories is watching the Challenger tragedy live as a 9 year old along with the rest of my primary school in rural New York state
It was the first time I saw panicked, teary adults struggle to respond, as our teachers sought to move us back into classrooms as quickly as possible
It was the first time I saw panicked, teary adults struggle to respond, as our teachers sought to move us back into classrooms as quickly as possible
January 28, 2026 at 9:14 AM
Among my earliest memories is watching the Challenger tragedy live as a 9 year old along with the rest of my primary school in rural New York state
It was the first time I saw panicked, teary adults struggle to respond, as our teachers sought to move us back into classrooms as quickly as possible
It was the first time I saw panicked, teary adults struggle to respond, as our teachers sought to move us back into classrooms as quickly as possible
Reposted by Omar Khan
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
January 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Auschwitz was at the end of a process. We must remember that it did not start from gas chambers.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
This hatred gradually developed: from ideas, words, stereotypes & prejudice through legal exclusion, dehumanization & escalating violence... to systematic and industrial murder.
Auschwitz took time.
Was thinking of James Reeb and his moral commitment, and those following his lead today
And of the others who are instead following the lead of his murderers and the all white all male jury who refused to convict the racists who killed him
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R...
And of the others who are instead following the lead of his murderers and the all white all male jury who refused to convict the racists who killed him
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R...
James Reeb - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
January 27, 2026 at 4:35 PM
Was thinking of James Reeb and his moral commitment, and those following his lead today
And of the others who are instead following the lead of his murderers and the all white all male jury who refused to convict the racists who killed him
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R...
And of the others who are instead following the lead of his murderers and the all white all male jury who refused to convict the racists who killed him
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R...
Reposted by Omar Khan
It is absolutely by design. Theyr’e tired of white people sympathizing with Black and brown folks. That’s why they’re so mad and confused in Minnesota.
All the nice white people yelling at them to get fucked. It’s like their dads are yelling at them in a bathrobe. They can’t cope.
All the nice white people yelling at them to get fucked. It’s like their dads are yelling at them in a bathrobe. They can’t cope.
people really like to ignore the "on purpose" part. So easy to talk about how dumb the kids are while ignoring it's by design
January 26, 2026 at 1:57 PM
It is absolutely by design. Theyr’e tired of white people sympathizing with Black and brown folks. That’s why they’re so mad and confused in Minnesota.
All the nice white people yelling at them to get fucked. It’s like their dads are yelling at them in a bathrobe. They can’t cope.
All the nice white people yelling at them to get fucked. It’s like their dads are yelling at them in a bathrobe. They can’t cope.
Reposted by Omar Khan
The "Dem vs Republican by education" chart is at a state level, so a bit misleading.
Looking at voters is more informative and gives a less simplistic picture. Yes, education has an influence. No, it is not "the new fault line" 1/
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Looking at voters is more informative and gives a less simplistic picture. Yes, education has an influence. No, it is not "the new fault line" 1/
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
January 27, 2026 at 8:35 AM
The "Dem vs Republican by education" chart is at a state level, so a bit misleading.
Looking at voters is more informative and gives a less simplistic picture. Yes, education has an influence. No, it is not "the new fault line" 1/
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Looking at voters is more informative and gives a less simplistic picture. Yes, education has an influence. No, it is not "the new fault line" 1/
www.insidehighered.com/news/governm...
Reposted by Omar Khan
"On Holocaust Memorial Day we need more history, not just more memory" bit.ly/4t6wPx6
Dr Andy Pearce, Director of @uclholocaust.bsky.social, writes today on the RHS blog.
#Skystorians
Dr Andy Pearce, Director of @uclholocaust.bsky.social, writes today on the RHS blog.
#Skystorians
January 27, 2026 at 8:19 AM
"On Holocaust Memorial Day we need more history, not just more memory" bit.ly/4t6wPx6
Dr Andy Pearce, Director of @uclholocaust.bsky.social, writes today on the RHS blog.
#Skystorians
Dr Andy Pearce, Director of @uclholocaust.bsky.social, writes today on the RHS blog.
#Skystorians