Mark Walker
@amarkwalker.bsky.social
Retired medical microbiologist. Previous interest in biological evolution now largely superseded by interest in the global interplay of language, intelligence and ideas.
Pinned
Mark Walker
@amarkwalker.bsky.social
· May 6
"Truth, though powerless and always defeated in a head-on clash with the powers that be, possesses a strength of its own: whatever those in power may contrive, they are unable to discover or invent a viable substitute for it." Hannah Arendt, quoted by Simon Schama in The War on Knowledge, FT 26/4/25
Reposted by Mark Walker
Apparently, ICE is asking for people to stop calling its hotline to report an undocumented girl named 'Anne Frank' hiding in the attics of Republican lawmakers.
December 7, 2025 at 10:17 AM
Apparently, ICE is asking for people to stop calling its hotline to report an undocumented girl named 'Anne Frank' hiding in the attics of Republican lawmakers.
Reposted by Mark Walker
The key question in American politics now is whether public disapproval of Trump will grow fast enough to save our democracy before Trump builds such a crushing dictatorship that public opinion no longer matters.
December 11, 2025 at 8:48 PM
The key question in American politics now is whether public disapproval of Trump will grow fast enough to save our democracy before Trump builds such a crushing dictatorship that public opinion no longer matters.
Reposted by Mark Walker
“Take back control of our laws” so American fascists can decide them for us…
I don’t think so.
Just imagine if the EU demanded this of us.
Intolerable for it to even be on the table.
Intolerable to be at this table at all, frankly.
Another Brexit humiliation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
I don’t think so.
Just imagine if the EU demanded this of us.
Intolerable for it to even be on the table.
Intolerable to be at this table at all, frankly.
Another Brexit humiliation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
April 16, 2025 at 6:06 AM
“Take back control of our laws” so American fascists can decide them for us…
I don’t think so.
Just imagine if the EU demanded this of us.
Intolerable for it to even be on the table.
Intolerable to be at this table at all, frankly.
Another Brexit humiliation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
I don’t think so.
Just imagine if the EU demanded this of us.
Intolerable for it to even be on the table.
Intolerable to be at this table at all, frankly.
Another Brexit humiliation.
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reposted by Mark Walker
December 6, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Reposted by Mark Walker
Elon Musk and his Russian friends call for the abolishment of the EU
December 6, 2025 at 5:34 PM
Elon Musk and his Russian friends call for the abolishment of the EU
Reposted by Mark Walker
I find, as a writer and film maker, that "the grunt work, the boring shit" is often where the creative leaps and surprises occur, and I think most creative people will say the same.
December 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
I find, as a writer and film maker, that "the grunt work, the boring shit" is often where the creative leaps and surprises occur, and I think most creative people will say the same.
Reposted by Mark Walker
No single human, at any point in history, has ever had so much of the world unite in ridicule.
An utter tragedy of man.
(📸 AP)
An utter tragedy of man.
(📸 AP)
December 5, 2025 at 9:37 PM
No single human, at any point in history, has ever had so much of the world unite in ridicule.
An utter tragedy of man.
(📸 AP)
An utter tragedy of man.
(📸 AP)
Reposted by Mark Walker
No-strings-attached, zero-means-testing, no-questions-asked cash payouts have been proven, over and over again, to be the most effective form of charity/aid going.
It gets people in housing, and it saves the state money. We know this. It's fact, not theory.
It gets people in housing, and it saves the state money. We know this. It's fact, not theory.
An Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees a staggering reduction in homelessness. The program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years, and at the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
Oregon pilot program giving cash to homeless youths sees staggering reduction in homelessness
The state program gave participants $1,000 cash payments each month for two years. At the end of the project's first phase, 91% of participants reported being in stable housing.
www.streetroots.org
December 3, 2025 at 7:12 AM
No-strings-attached, zero-means-testing, no-questions-asked cash payouts have been proven, over and over again, to be the most effective form of charity/aid going.
It gets people in housing, and it saves the state money. We know this. It's fact, not theory.
It gets people in housing, and it saves the state money. We know this. It's fact, not theory.
Reposted by Mark Walker
What we're seeing is exactly what we saw in the late 1940s, the late 1960s and the mid- to late 1970s: a concerted and hysterical campaign to delegitimise a Labour government, and indeed the very idea of Labour governments at all.
December 1, 2025 at 8:44 AM
What we're seeing is exactly what we saw in the late 1940s, the late 1960s and the mid- to late 1970s: a concerted and hysterical campaign to delegitimise a Labour government, and indeed the very idea of Labour governments at all.
Reposted by Mark Walker
Don't Panic: Britain is not broken. The UK can do better, but we shouldn't be too gloomy about things. If you look at the stats, there's a lot to be happy with (including how happy we are): adamcorlett.com/2025/11/30/d...
Don’t Panic: Britain is not broken – adamcorlett.com
adamcorlett.com
November 30, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Don't Panic: Britain is not broken. The UK can do better, but we shouldn't be too gloomy about things. If you look at the stats, there's a lot to be happy with (including how happy we are): adamcorlett.com/2025/11/30/d...
Reposted by Mark Walker
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
November 30, 2025 at 8:42 PM
If the Venezuelan sailors were enemy combatants, then the 2nd strike is a war crime.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
If the Venezuelan sailors weren’t enemy combatants, then both strikes are criminal murder.
It’s that simple.
Reposted by Mark Walker
**Me , going on the Axminster Tools website and using the filters to sort by brand, price and millennium.
Site in Kenya reveals 300,000 years of uninterrupted toolmaking. Archaeologists uncovered nearly 1,300 stone tools spanning 2.44 to 2.75 million years, showing that early hominins taught and replicated the same techniques across roughly 10,000 generations. buff.ly/zQvktxJ
#ShareGoodNewsToo
#ShareGoodNewsToo
Advanced 2.5 Million-Year-Old Tools May Rewrite Human History
Early humans crafted the same tools for hundreds of thousands of years, offering an unprecedented glimpse of a continuous tradition that may push back the origins of technology.
buff.ly
November 28, 2025 at 3:37 PM
**Me , going on the Axminster Tools website and using the filters to sort by brand, price and millennium.
Reposted by Mark Walker
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
November 27, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Today's migration stats illustrate the migration doom loop in action...
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
(from my presentation at the IMF last week)
Reposted by Mark Walker
On Bregman, I was there in the audience and I can’t see what the BBC have gained by removing this line except more bad publicity. I will say that no such edits or censorship occurred when I gave the Reith Lectures and free-speech defenders might want think about whether this is the world they want.
November 25, 2025 at 12:11 PM
On Bregman, I was there in the audience and I can’t see what the BBC have gained by removing this line except more bad publicity. I will say that no such edits or censorship occurred when I gave the Reith Lectures and free-speech defenders might want think about whether this is the world they want.
Reposted by Mark Walker
BBC removes description of Donald Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history" from the broadcast today of Rutger Bregman's Reith Lecture. I was among the several hundred people to hear the original at the lecture theatre
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 12:49 PM
BBC removes description of Donald Trump as "the most openly corrupt president in American history" from the broadcast today of Rutger Bregman's Reith Lecture. I was among the several hundred people to hear the original at the lecture theatre
Reposted by Mark Walker
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
November 25, 2025 at 9:26 AM
I wish I didn’t have to share this. But the BBC has decided to censor my first Reith Lecture.
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
They deleted the line in which I describe Donald Trump as “the most openly corrupt president in American history.” /1
Reposted by Mark Walker
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
November 25, 2025 at 1:01 PM
Sometimes wonder if what the UK needs is a thinktank that doesn't do any new research, it just repeats obviously true statements that people try to ignore because they're inconvenient.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
International students cross-subsidise home students. Your pension is paid for out of general taxation.
Reposted by Mark Walker
Saturday's Best Editorial Cartoons of the Week #ABlueView🧵1/4
A lot of news this week has yielded a lot of smart editorial cartoons!
Recent post: Another Tariff 🩴 Flip Flop 🩴 by the Economic Genius bsky.app/profile/abl...
#BestOfABlueView #BestOf2025 #BestEditorialCartoons
A lot of news this week has yielded a lot of smart editorial cartoons!
Recent post: Another Tariff 🩴 Flip Flop 🩴 by the Economic Genius bsky.app/profile/abl...
#BestOfABlueView #BestOf2025 #BestEditorialCartoons
November 22, 2025 at 4:55 PM
Saturday's Best Editorial Cartoons of the Week #ABlueView🧵1/4
A lot of news this week has yielded a lot of smart editorial cartoons!
Recent post: Another Tariff 🩴 Flip Flop 🩴 by the Economic Genius bsky.app/profile/abl...
#BestOfABlueView #BestOf2025 #BestEditorialCartoons
A lot of news this week has yielded a lot of smart editorial cartoons!
Recent post: Another Tariff 🩴 Flip Flop 🩴 by the Economic Genius bsky.app/profile/abl...
#BestOfABlueView #BestOf2025 #BestEditorialCartoons
Reposted by Mark Walker
If you run round a cow 10 times chanting "Family Farm Tax" backwards, an economist will appear and explain why allowing land to be used as a tax shelter causes the very problem you are complaining about.
November 22, 2025 at 11:07 AM
If you run round a cow 10 times chanting "Family Farm Tax" backwards, an economist will appear and explain why allowing land to be used as a tax shelter causes the very problem you are complaining about.
Reposted by Mark Walker
I suppose that ChatGPT is doing what we thought the search engine Ask Jeeves would do, though it lacks the required biting edge of contempt that you needed to ask the question at all.
November 17, 2025 at 7:55 AM
I suppose that ChatGPT is doing what we thought the search engine Ask Jeeves would do, though it lacks the required biting edge of contempt that you needed to ask the question at all.
Reposted by Mark Walker
It's real, and it's mind-blowing.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
Just some British patriots in Benidorm, taking over a street in Spain to shout in their own language about unwanted foreigners. It’s a blessing that they are too thick to understand irony.
November 15, 2025 at 11:34 AM
It's real, and it's mind-blowing.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
A complete lack of awareness and a national embarrassment.
Reposted by Mark Walker
Read 'em and weep. (www.nber.org/system/files...)
November 14, 2025 at 3:18 PM
Read 'em and weep. (www.nber.org/system/files...)
Reposted by Mark Walker
The fact of the matter is that there is no one path to improved health. When, however, we stigmatize, criminalize, & defund services for people w/substance use disorders, it creates a clear path for worsening health. We must stop the erosion of harm reduction. @nejm.org
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
The Erosion of Harm Reduction | NEJM
The U.S. administration has continuously chipped away at public health interventions
addressing substance use disorders and the opioid crisis, including vital harm-reduction
activities.
www.nejm.org
November 14, 2025 at 6:34 PM
The fact of the matter is that there is no one path to improved health. When, however, we stigmatize, criminalize, & defund services for people w/substance use disorders, it creates a clear path for worsening health. We must stop the erosion of harm reduction. @nejm.org
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Mark Walker
New paper with @statsepi.bsky.social and @deevybee.bsky.social in which we show there's really no evidence for a link between the gut microbiome and autism www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Conceptual and methodological flaws undermine claims of a link between the gut microbiome and autism
Claims that the gut microbiome causally contributes to autism regularly appear in
the scientific literature and popular press. Mitchell et al. critically examine influential
studies underpinning these...
www.cell.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:10 PM
New paper with @statsepi.bsky.social and @deevybee.bsky.social in which we show there's really no evidence for a link between the gut microbiome and autism www.cell.com/neuron/fullt...
Reposted by Mark Walker
NEW:
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
The company is run by the husband of Noem’s chief DHS spokesperson and has personal and business ties to Noem and her aides. DHS invoked the “emergency” at the border to skirt competitive bidding rule...
www.propublica.org
November 14, 2025 at 12:18 PM
NEW:
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social
Firm Tied to Kristi Noem Secretly Got Money From $220 Million DHS Ad Contracts
www.propublica.org/article/kris...
w @josh-kaplan.bsky.social @amierjeski.bsky.social