Paula Portas
@pauportas.bsky.social
PhD. Strategy and policy design, local and regional government. Systems thinking. Governance.
Reposted by Paula Portas
A child poverty strategy with the 2-child limit in place would *not* be a credible child poverty strategy. *All* of the growth in child poverty since the 2011/12 low point is for children in scope of this policy.
November 24, 2025 at 3:45 PM
A child poverty strategy with the 2-child limit in place would *not* be a credible child poverty strategy. *All* of the growth in child poverty since the 2011/12 low point is for children in scope of this policy.
Reposted by Paula Portas
Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of the children’s services funding formula halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.
By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...
By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...
London Councils Face Losing Half Their Share Of Children's Services Funding
Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of funding for children’s services halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government gran...
www.politicshome.com
October 7, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of the children’s services funding formula halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.
By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...
By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Reposted by Paula Portas
💸 In 2023, just 19 mega donors poured £56.5 million into Britain's political parties.
That's 66% of all political donations.
We're fighting back against big money - and YOUR donation goes TWICE as far via @biggive.bsky.social matched funding.
DONATE TODAY ⤵️
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
That's 66% of all political donations.
We're fighting back against big money - and YOUR donation goes TWICE as far via @biggive.bsky.social matched funding.
DONATE TODAY ⤵️
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
October 1, 2025 at 2:55 PM
💸 In 2023, just 19 mega donors poured £56.5 million into Britain's political parties.
That's 66% of all political donations.
We're fighting back against big money - and YOUR donation goes TWICE as far via @biggive.bsky.social matched funding.
DONATE TODAY ⤵️
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
That's 66% of all political donations.
We're fighting back against big money - and YOUR donation goes TWICE as far via @biggive.bsky.social matched funding.
DONATE TODAY ⤵️
donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05...
Reposted by Paula Portas
Reading papers is a basic skill (and dare I say duty?) of scientists, and I include medical doctors in that group. Keeping abreast of the literature is a foundational part of our professions. There aren’t good shortcuts. In any case, reading papers regularly is fun.
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/s...
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/s...
Science journalists find ChatGPT is bad at summarizing scientific papers
LLM “tended to sacrifice accuracy for simplicity” when writing news briefs.
arstechnica.com
September 21, 2025 at 6:22 AM
Reading papers is a basic skill (and dare I say duty?) of scientists, and I include medical doctors in that group. Keeping abreast of the literature is a foundational part of our professions. There aren’t good shortcuts. In any case, reading papers regularly is fun.
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/s...
arstechnica.com/ai/2025/09/s...
Reposted by Paula Portas
The findings “suggest that medical AI tools powered by LLMs have a tendency to not reflect the severity of symptoms among female patients, while also displaying less ‘empathy’ towards Black and Asian ones.”
AI medical tools downplay symptoms in women and ethnic minorities
Large language models reflect biases that can lead to inferior healthcare advice to female, Black and Asian patients
www.ft.com
September 19, 2025 at 1:12 PM
The findings “suggest that medical AI tools powered by LLMs have a tendency to not reflect the severity of symptoms among female patients, while also displaying less ‘empathy’ towards Black and Asian ones.”
Reposted by Paula Portas
What’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.
September 17, 2025 at 8:22 PM
What’s happening in Gaza is a genocide.
Reposted by Paula Portas
what does ‘misbehaviour’ sound like? in new open access work i ask this question in the context of school discipline policies, looking at how ideologies of ‘im/proper language’ and ‘im/proper behaviour’ coalesce and get co-constructed with one another. doi.org/10.1080/0962...
March 20, 2025 at 3:43 PM
what does ‘misbehaviour’ sound like? in new open access work i ask this question in the context of school discipline policies, looking at how ideologies of ‘im/proper language’ and ‘im/proper behaviour’ coalesce and get co-constructed with one another. doi.org/10.1080/0962...
Reposted by Paula Portas
"Most new migrants seem to pay as much in tax as the average worker, if not more. Yet that does not help public services if governments do not reinvest that money to accommodate the growing population."
Good summary from @tomcalver.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Good summary from @tomcalver.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
How much impact do migrants have on public services?
Britain built an immigration system it was not prepared for: no wonder the country feels full
www.thetimes.com
September 7, 2025 at 8:18 AM
"Most new migrants seem to pay as much in tax as the average worker, if not more. Yet that does not help public services if governments do not reinvest that money to accommodate the growing population."
Good summary from @tomcalver.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Good summary from @tomcalver.bsky.social
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Reposted by Paula Portas
BREAKING:
Liberty alongside @amnestyuk.bsky.social are intervening in the judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action
www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/libert...
Liberty alongside @amnestyuk.bsky.social are intervening in the judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action
www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/libert...
Liberty and Amnesty UK to intervene in judicial review of Palestine Action proscription - Liberty
The UK’s two largest human rights organisations will intervene in a legal hearing on the proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist group.
www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk
September 5, 2025 at 2:53 PM
BREAKING:
Liberty alongside @amnestyuk.bsky.social are intervening in the judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action
www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/libert...
Liberty alongside @amnestyuk.bsky.social are intervening in the judicial review of the proscription of Palestine Action
www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/issue/libert...
pchrgaza.org?p=37315 Sharing a message from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights ⬇️
Al-Haq, PCHR, and Al-Mezan Condemn US Sanctions and Call for Global Solidarity to End the Genocide in Gaza and the Oppression of Palestinians
Gaza/Ramallah, 5 September 2025 — While the ongoing Israeli, US – backed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza is entering its third year, the United States (US), rather than end its complicity with I...
pchrgaza.org
September 6, 2025 at 9:46 AM
pchrgaza.org?p=37315 Sharing a message from the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights ⬇️
Reposted by Paula Portas
Peter Jukes
“This is the enduring lesson of Weimar: extremism never triumphs on its own. It succeeds because others enable it—because of their ambition, because of their fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of small concessions”. www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/hitl...
“This is the enduring lesson of Weimar: extremism never triumphs on its own. It succeeds because others enable it—because of their ambition, because of their fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of small concessions”. www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/hitl...
Warnings From Weimar
Why bargaining with authoritarians fails.
www.foreignaffairs.com
August 30, 2025 at 1:49 PM
Peter Jukes
“This is the enduring lesson of Weimar: extremism never triumphs on its own. It succeeds because others enable it—because of their ambition, because of their fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of small concessions”. www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/hitl...
“This is the enduring lesson of Weimar: extremism never triumphs on its own. It succeeds because others enable it—because of their ambition, because of their fear, or because they misjudge the dangers of small concessions”. www.foreignaffairs.com/germany/hitl...
Reposted by Paula Portas
Drawing on the likes of Leah Downey, Arjun Jayadev, Leon Wansleben & @geoffmann.bsky.social, I have a new piece in @nybooks.com on money, power, and central banking.
Whose Fed? | Brett Christophers
For the past twenty years, central banks have rarely been out of the news. Called upon to stabilize the global financial system when it appeared at risk
www.nybooks.com
August 17, 2025 at 3:34 PM
Drawing on the likes of Leah Downey, Arjun Jayadev, Leon Wansleben & @geoffmann.bsky.social, I have a new piece in @nybooks.com on money, power, and central banking.
Reposted by Paula Portas
“Where’s the Palestinian Gandhi?” Hate that question. But here’s a mini thread on a few ppl and stories that don’t get told enough
There are MANY Palestinian Mandelas, actually.
Many are in Israeli prisons
One was just recently murdered by a settler
Several more are frequently pursued by the Israeli (judicial and extrajudicial) legal system
AND THE FIRST INTIFADA WAS LARGELY A NONVIOLENT WOMEN-LED UPRISING
Many are in Israeli prisons
One was just recently murdered by a settler
Several more are frequently pursued by the Israeli (judicial and extrajudicial) legal system
AND THE FIRST INTIFADA WAS LARGELY A NONVIOLENT WOMEN-LED UPRISING
August 8, 2025 at 3:24 PM
“Where’s the Palestinian Gandhi?” Hate that question. But here’s a mini thread on a few ppl and stories that don’t get told enough
Reposted by Paula Portas
Data on every Israeli killing in Gaza shows whole families were targetted news.sky.com/story/gazas-...
Gaza's deadliest days linked by a pattern of attacks on families
Using exclusive new data, social media obituaries and satellite imagery, Sky News has tracked the killing of families in Gaza over the past 21 months.
news.sky.com
August 2, 2025 at 7:42 AM
Data on every Israeli killing in Gaza shows whole families were targetted news.sky.com/story/gazas-...
Reposted by Paula Portas
How can family hubs reach those who need them most?
We're working with Camden Council on a pilot offering a cash grant to low-income parents-to-be, plus personalised support.
Join our online session on 9 Sept to hear what we've learned so far.
🗓️ 12:00–13:00
🔗 Register to attend: bit.ly/3U0ShmO
We're working with Camden Council on a pilot offering a cash grant to low-income parents-to-be, plus personalised support.
Join our online session on 9 Sept to hear what we've learned so far.
🗓️ 12:00–13:00
🔗 Register to attend: bit.ly/3U0ShmO
July 30, 2025 at 8:20 AM
How can family hubs reach those who need them most?
We're working with Camden Council on a pilot offering a cash grant to low-income parents-to-be, plus personalised support.
Join our online session on 9 Sept to hear what we've learned so far.
🗓️ 12:00–13:00
🔗 Register to attend: bit.ly/3U0ShmO
We're working with Camden Council on a pilot offering a cash grant to low-income parents-to-be, plus personalised support.
Join our online session on 9 Sept to hear what we've learned so far.
🗓️ 12:00–13:00
🔗 Register to attend: bit.ly/3U0ShmO
Reposted by Paula Portas
If I were interested in public service reform I would be looking at South Cambs which has made the four day week permanent for all staff following a trial where services improved or stayed the same, they saved money, and improved staff retention and well-being...
www.scambs.gov.uk/news/council...
www.scambs.gov.uk/news/council...
Council votes to permanently adopt four-day week following extensive independent analysis
South Cambridgeshire District Council has voted to become the first Council in the UK to permanently adopt a four-day week – after rigorous independent analysis showed most services got better or were...
www.scambs.gov.uk
July 18, 2025 at 6:40 AM
If I were interested in public service reform I would be looking at South Cambs which has made the four day week permanent for all staff following a trial where services improved or stayed the same, they saved money, and improved staff retention and well-being...
www.scambs.gov.uk/news/council...
www.scambs.gov.uk/news/council...
Reposted by Paula Portas
Behind Spain's blackout:
'Conventional generators (mostly gas-fired) failed to supply grid-balancing services they’d been paid for'.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
'Conventional generators (mostly gas-fired) failed to supply grid-balancing services they’d been paid for'.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
No, Renewables Didn’t Cause Spain’s Grid Blackout
Shifting to clean generation might occasionally trip, but the effects are short-lived, and easily fixed.
www.bloomberg.com
June 24, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Behind Spain's blackout:
'Conventional generators (mostly gas-fired) failed to supply grid-balancing services they’d been paid for'.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
'Conventional generators (mostly gas-fired) failed to supply grid-balancing services they’d been paid for'.
www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...
Reposted by Paula Portas
On Tuesday Parliament will vote on whether to cut health and disability benefits. This is a vital opportunity for this government to rethink these harmful cuts.
Want to get your head around what the cuts would mean? Look no further 🧵 1/
Want to get your head around what the cuts would mean? Look no further 🧵 1/
June 26, 2025 at 1:39 PM
On Tuesday Parliament will vote on whether to cut health and disability benefits. This is a vital opportunity for this government to rethink these harmful cuts.
Want to get your head around what the cuts would mean? Look no further 🧵 1/
Want to get your head around what the cuts would mean? Look no further 🧵 1/
Reposted by Paula Portas
A comparison to show something important:
- Post blackout, headlines blamed renewables (directly, suggested or framed as debate)
- Post Spanish gov't report showing 9 coal/gas/nuclear plants failed to provide voltage control: framing is about management, planning rather than the generation type
- Post blackout, headlines blamed renewables (directly, suggested or framed as debate)
- Post Spanish gov't report showing 9 coal/gas/nuclear plants failed to provide voltage control: framing is about management, planning rather than the generation type
June 18, 2025 at 9:12 AM
A comparison to show something important:
- Post blackout, headlines blamed renewables (directly, suggested or framed as debate)
- Post Spanish gov't report showing 9 coal/gas/nuclear plants failed to provide voltage control: framing is about management, planning rather than the generation type
- Post blackout, headlines blamed renewables (directly, suggested or framed as debate)
- Post Spanish gov't report showing 9 coal/gas/nuclear plants failed to provide voltage control: framing is about management, planning rather than the generation type
Reposted by Paula Portas
Grateful for the chance to share my thoughts on responsible use of LLMs in psychology research @spspnews.bsky.social #spsp2025. Here's a summary of my presentation for those who missed it. Thanks to @ashwinia.bsky.social for organizing this panel!
How should LLMs be used in psychology research? 🧵
How should LLMs be used in psychology research? 🧵
February 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Grateful for the chance to share my thoughts on responsible use of LLMs in psychology research @spspnews.bsky.social #spsp2025. Here's a summary of my presentation for those who missed it. Thanks to @ashwinia.bsky.social for organizing this panel!
How should LLMs be used in psychology research? 🧵
How should LLMs be used in psychology research? 🧵
Reposted by Paula Portas
‘If the problem that this country simply isn’t white enough, someone may as well just come out and say it. Because it’s clear the issue here isn’t Britishness.’ www.independent.co.uk/voices/immig...
Who cares that Britain is on course to be ‘minority white’?
As a study of migration, birth and death rates in the UK points to the white British population becoming a minority by 2063, Anand Menon says the only debate it ought to spark is not about immigration...
www.independent.co.uk
June 8, 2025 at 8:45 AM
‘If the problem that this country simply isn’t white enough, someone may as well just come out and say it. Because it’s clear the issue here isn’t Britishness.’ www.independent.co.uk/voices/immig...
Reposted by Paula Portas
More of this please.
Co-designing play spaces with children and young people near their homes led to “what researchers say is the highest increase in children’s physical activity ever recorded by an intervention of its kind”
Co-designing play spaces with children and young people near their homes led to “what researchers say is the highest increase in children’s physical activity ever recorded by an intervention of its kind”
Bradford project produces ‘outstanding’ rise in children’s physical activity
JU:MP programme included co-design of play spaces, exercise in faith settings and interventions in schools
www.theguardian.com
May 23, 2025 at 6:42 AM
More of this please.
Co-designing play spaces with children and young people near their homes led to “what researchers say is the highest increase in children’s physical activity ever recorded by an intervention of its kind”
Co-designing play spaces with children and young people near their homes led to “what researchers say is the highest increase in children’s physical activity ever recorded by an intervention of its kind”
Reposted by Paula Portas
✊URGENT ACTION NEEDED
⌛The UN says 14 000 babies are at risk of dying from starvation
🌍Tomorrow, 21 May, take part in a global fast for Gaza
🕯️At 6 PM we will gather in Parliament Square in London for a vigil.
🚫The UK Government must sanction Israel IMMEDIATELY
⌛The UN says 14 000 babies are at risk of dying from starvation
🌍Tomorrow, 21 May, take part in a global fast for Gaza
🕯️At 6 PM we will gather in Parliament Square in London for a vigil.
🚫The UK Government must sanction Israel IMMEDIATELY
May 20, 2025 at 12:59 PM
✊URGENT ACTION NEEDED
⌛The UN says 14 000 babies are at risk of dying from starvation
🌍Tomorrow, 21 May, take part in a global fast for Gaza
🕯️At 6 PM we will gather in Parliament Square in London for a vigil.
🚫The UK Government must sanction Israel IMMEDIATELY
⌛The UN says 14 000 babies are at risk of dying from starvation
🌍Tomorrow, 21 May, take part in a global fast for Gaza
🕯️At 6 PM we will gather in Parliament Square in London for a vigil.
🚫The UK Government must sanction Israel IMMEDIATELY
Reposted by Paula Portas
I've been looking at some of the EEF trials and what worries me is that they're mostly about testing some kind of programme or intervention which means the only things that get evidenced are programmes and interventions. Essentially we could end up valuing most what is most easily measured.
May 14, 2025 at 5:39 PM
I've been looking at some of the EEF trials and what worries me is that they're mostly about testing some kind of programme or intervention which means the only things that get evidenced are programmes and interventions. Essentially we could end up valuing most what is most easily measured.
Reposted by Paula Portas
Opinion from the FT's Editorial Board: 'The US and European countries that tout Israel as an ally that shares their values have issued barely a word of condemnation. They should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.' www.ft.com/content/f5fd...
May 7, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Opinion from the FT's Editorial Board: 'The US and European countries that tout Israel as an ally that shares their values have issued barely a word of condemnation. They should be ashamed of their silence, and stop enabling Netanyahu to act with impunity.' www.ft.com/content/f5fd...