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Martin O'Neill

@martinoneill.bsky.social

7.6K followers 2.3K following 280 posts

Dad of four; London-Irish turned northerner; Arsenal fan; professor of political philosophy at the University of York; trustee at the Democracy Collaborative. Writing about the theory and practice of social and economic justice.

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Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · Sep 3

I've written a piece for the 50th Anniversary edition of @bostonreview.bsky.social. It's about the courageous people who have been standing up to condemn the genocide in Gaza, and about the morally corrupted politicians who have tried to silence those protests.

www.bostonreview.net/forum/the-re...

On the Responsibility of Citizens - Boston Review

Ordinary resistance and ordinary responsibility falls on all of us, whatever our jobs, positions, or roles in society.

www.bostonreview.net

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Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · 6d

Martin Keown: “If that was a game of chess, then it’s game, set and match to Arsenal.”

Reposted by Martin O'Neill

Christine Berry @christinejberry.bsky.social · 8d

Lovely call this morning with @calebalthorpe.bsky.social planning this workshop for @utrechtuniversity.bsky.social. Looking forward to a great conversation about what democratic ownership is, why we need it and how we build it. All welcome! visions-for-the-future.sites.uu.nl/events/speak...

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 6d

Ed Miliband was one of the first senior politicians to challenge Rupert Murdoch, so it's no surprise that he's been the most outspoken member of the Cabinet on Elon Musk.

And I can sum up the threat in two words: Elon Musk.
He incites violence on our streets.
He calls for the overthrow of our elected government.
He is an enabler of disinformation through X.
He thinks he can tell us how to run Britain.
Conference, we have a message for Elon Musk:
Get the hell out of our politics.

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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 8d

Is there a reason I ask that the Times are using a picture of asylum seekers in a boat to describe rules for migrants who came on legal routes such as skilled worker visas for doctors?

The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 8d

Tough new conditions to be imposed on migrants who want to settle in the UK will not apply to more than a million people who arrived in the UK under the post-Brexit immigration surge

Labour’s tough new rules will not apply to migrants already in UK

www.thetimes.com

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David Skaith @davidskaith.bsky.social · 11d

This week I launched a Community Wealth Building Commission, bringing together experts and practitioners, to create a plan to build fairer local economies in York and North Yorkshire with workers and communities at their heart.

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 15d

Hear, hear! A good lecture is an amazing thing.

Colin Murray @colinmurray.bsky.social · 15d

Hobbyhorse: at university, lectures remain an incredible format. They introduce & explore a huge amount of content in a short period of time. They scaffold further reading, with a personal twist. Workshops, etc, do their own thing, but don't replace effective lectures:

share.google/AyFxBwYh5BYM...

To save in-person lectures, unis need to provide lessons worth showing up for

In-person lectures have been a staple of university learning for centuries. But they are going out of style in an age of TED Talks and Tiktoks.

share.google

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Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · 15d

I’m sorry to learn that Jonathan Lear has died. His book Radical Hope is one of the deepest and wisest books I’ve read this decade. If you’ve not read it, I’d recommend it. It’s a book for the dark times we’re in.

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 16d

When I was still in primary school my teacher put up disparaging cartoons of leading politicians on the classroom wall as part of a lesson about what it meant to live in a free country.

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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 16d

Unclear how far back this would go and if would attack settled status for EU nationals. But clear that we must oppose this because mass deportation is a crime and an attack on basic rights rather than "unworkable" or "bad for the economy". It is your family, friends and neighbours he's coming for

Farage vows to axe indefinite leave to remain and ban migrants’ benefits access

The Reform UK leader will outline a planned crackdown on legal immigration at a Monday press conference.

www.independent.co.uk

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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 21d

“Citizens have been paying a ‘privatisation premium’ of £250 per household per year since 2010 alone.”

Our new project — Who Owns Britain? — covered in the Guardian.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

UK public has paid £200bn to shareholders of key industries since privatisation

Analysis reveals ‘privatisation premium’ of £250 per household per year paid to owners of water, rail, bus, energy and mail services since 2010

www.theguardian.com

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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 21d

“The ‘true cost in law’ of nationalising the UK water sector is far lower than the government’s figure and is in fact ‘closer to zero’, according to a report from the think tank Common Wealth.”

Our briefing with @ewanmg.bsky.social featured in @social.newcivilengineer.com 🔗👇

New Civil Engineer @social.newcivilengineer.com · 21d

The UK government has calculated that nationalising the water sector would cost around £100bn, but this has been disputed by analysts at @cmmonwealth.bsky.social who argue the government has powers to do it at a far lower cost

Full story: buff.ly/knWquLB

Defra calculates £100bn to nationalise water sector but ‘true’ figure could be much lower | New Civil Engineer

The circa £100bn figure comes from a technical assessment by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). This figure is based on the

buff.ly

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Common Wealth @cmmonwealth.bsky.social · 22d

Welcome to Rip-Off Britain.

A country remade by privatisation.

Our latest project — Who Owns Britain? — explores how a radical experiment transformed our society and shapes your life.

🧵

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Paul Kohler MP @paulkohlersw19.bsky.social · 23d

I joined Lib Dem colleagues in writing to the Chancellor, urging her to scrap the two child benefit cap, one of the biggest drivers of child poverty in Britain.

This is a policy that has not achieved its intended goals. Instead, it has forced parents into making impossible choices.

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 26d

First Past the Post cannot handle this level of fragmentation. It will produce completely freak results.

We can grasp this problem now, or wait for the train to crash.

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 26d

5 parties on more than 12%, winner gains seat with under 30%. Results like this used to be rare, freak outliers. Now they are routine (there was a second just like this yesterday). Electoral chaos.

Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 26d

Newmarket East (West Suffolk) Council By-Election Result:

➡️ RFM: 29.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 25.0% (+4.1)
🔶 LDM: 17.2% (-3.1)
🌹 LAB: 15.3% (-8.3)
🌍 GRN: 12.8% (New)

No WSI (-19.2) or Ind (-16.1) as previous.

Reform GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2023.

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Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 28d

His 2003 birthday message is filled with insinuations about Epstein being "mysterious" and young women present as "interesting", both in scare quotes

Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 28d

Peter Mandelson admits to continuing relationships Epstein after he was convicted - how on earth can he stay on as ambassador?

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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 28d

I seem to remember that association with Ken Loach was an offence that required the defenestration of a Labour mayor; association with Epstein doesn't disqualify someone as ambassador to the US.

Kevin Schofield @kevinschofied.bsky.social · 28d

Keir Starmer says Peter Mandelson "has repeatedly expressed his deep regret for his association with" Jeffrey Epstein.

When asked about Epstein by the Financial Times in February, Mandelson said: "It’s an FT obsession and frankly you can all fuck off. OK?”

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Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 29d

"I regret the thing that someone else did to me"

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York Centre for Social Justice and Democracy @ycpt.bsky.social · 29d

York Centre for Social Justice and Democracy (formerly known as York Centre for Political Theory) 2026 BOOK MANUSCRIPT WORKSHOP (DEADLINE Friday, 19 December 2025)

Information can be found here:

www.york.ac.uk/politics/cpt...

APPLY and, please, circulate widely!

@martinoneill.bsky.social

Apply for the book manuscript workshop

The York Centre for Social Justice and Democracy (formerly known as the York Centre for Political Theory) organises a Book Manuscript Workshop to provide a supportive environment to authors that have ...

www.york.ac.uk

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · Sep 7

One of the better developments on the Beeb in recent years has been "BBC Verify", which does proper fact-checking & analysis.

But this substantive analysis seems entirely divorced from its political commentary, which is entirely focused on "showbiz" & sports-punditry.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Do Reform's economic plans add up?

The party has pledged to boost spending, but some have questioned how the party intends to pay for its plans.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · Sep 5

Talking of "falling behind", have noticed how mainstream-to-right/w politicians are "intensely relaxed" about within-country inequality but think disaster if their country's GDP grows slower than others. Relativities morally unimportant (or just "envy") in one context but not the other, apparently.

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Boston Review @bostonreview.bsky.social · Sep 4

Historian @dwaldstreicher.bsky.social, Palestinian human rights lawyer Jennifer Zacharia, and political philosopher @martinoneill.bsky.social expand on what this moment requires—not just of intellectuals, but of journalists and of us all.

The Responsibility of Intellectuals in the Age of Fascism and Genocide - Boston Review

Speaking the truth and exposing lies is not enough.

www.bostonreview.net

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Boston Review @bostonreview.bsky.social · Sep 4

And @martinoneill.bsky.social draws lessons from the story of two women arrested on terrorism charges in the UK for peaceful protest.

“We miss something essential,” he concludes, ”when we frame our talk of responsibilities around ‘intellectuals,’ as opposed to the responsibilities of all citizens.”

On the Responsibility of Citizens - Boston Review

Ordinary resistance and ordinary responsibility falls on all of us, whatever our jobs, positions, or roles in society.

www.bostonreview.net

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Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thanks for sharing this, Chris. Much appreciated. 🙏

Reposted by Martin O'Neill

Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · Sep 3

The responsibility of citizens @martinoneill.bsky.social

On the Responsibility of Citizens - Boston Review

Ordinary resistance and ordinary responsibility falls on all of us, whatever our jobs, positions, or roles in society.

www.bostonreview.net

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Reposted by Martin O'Neill

Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · Sep 3

Melvyn Bragg has been one of the last standard-bearers for a really important, and unfashionable, idea: that good conversation, between people who really know their stuff, on complex or difficult subjects, can be fantastic radio - and that the national broadcaster should do this.

I hope it endures.

Scott Bryan @scottygb.bsky.social · Sep 3

Melvyn Bragg has decided to stand down as host of In Our Time, the BBC says.

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