Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · 11h

“the unbearable tightness of credit spreads” on.ft.com/3J2AUjB Brace for a market melt-up

Brace for a market melt-up

Some say this is a ‘good’ bubble, but investors should remember that all bubbles burst in the end

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Jennifer Churchill

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 2d

BBC accused of 'extraordinary' anti-Green bias after party say the Laura Kuenssberg Show scrapped a promised interview with @zackpolanski.bsky.social on Sunday.

Green sources say the show also refused to interview Polanski after he was elected as leader last month

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/06/b...

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · 2d

Ah, the sad reality of local government
on.ft.com/4gVrLpv Reform likely to raise Kent council tax after cost-cutting drive falters

Reform likely to raise Kent council tax after cost-cutting drive falters

Nigel Farage’s party promised to revive local authority finances by slashing wasteful spending

on.ft.com

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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 4d

I think we’re really going to have to do a lot more of this. A massive deprogramming so that people can read more than ten words at a time without anxiety.

www.thetimes.com/uk/education...?

Universities teaching literature students how to cope with long novels

Critics blame GCSE English for deterring teenagers from the subject, describing the literature syllabus as boring and repetitive

www.thetimes.com

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Tobias Harris @tobiasharris.bsky.social · 4d

TAKAICHI WINS

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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 5d

"I'm here to talk about what others won’t. To tell the truth about what makes our country great and what makes it not so great. While others thrive on creating scapegoats, I am here to tell you a different story."

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Migration is Britain’s superpower. Our future depends on embracing that truth, not denying it | Zack Polanski

Labour has lost its nerve. At our party conference this weekend, we’re gathering to set things right, says Green party leader Zack Polanski

www.theguardian.com

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EconomicsInTen @economicsinten.bsky.social · Sep 2

In our podcasts we like to recommend books and here are some of our recommendations from our latest, including books by Nancy Folbre, Marilyn Waring, @devikadutt.bsky.social @ingridhk.bsky.social, @cacrisalves.bsky.social, @surbhikesar.bsky.social, @timjackson.org.uk & @clubofrome.org. #EconSky

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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 10d

The thing that human beings seem to value above (almost) all else is other human beings paying attention to them. Put that in your algorithm and smoke it.

Richard B. Simon @rbsimon.bsky.social · 10d

A student told me Thursday that another prof had told the class to post their work into an AI LLM, to be graded and commented on by the AI. The other students were all offended. Which is good. They should be offended.

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Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 11d

While everyone is focusing on the Fabians the Co-Operative movement have free rein to plot their own conspiracies. Obvious black ops.

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · 15d

All projects looking into just transition questions welcome - we are a pluralist and interdisciplinary group of economists with broad research method specialisms. Please spread the word.. @jomichell.bsky.social @csissoko.bsky.social

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · 15d

Funded phd opportunity with Bristol Research in Economics colleagues at UWE Bristol. Message me if you want to know more www.uwe.ac.uk/research/pos...

Just transition to net zero - Studentship opportunities | UWE Bristol

An opportunity to apply for a full-time PhD in the College of Business and Law.

www.uwe.ac.uk

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · 15d

on.ft.com/3Vsv7Xl UK pensions ‘lifeboat’ halts levy for defined benefit retirement schemes

UK pensions ‘lifeboat’ halts levy for defined benefit retirement schemes

Pension Protection Fund cuts participation charge to zero for this year after the government moves to lift restriction

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Jennifer Churchill

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 15d

When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions

AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.

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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 16d

When the government is using *three* adjectives, it is a considerably weakness to have all three of them - "unrealistic, unworkable and unfunded" - being about how, rather than why. At least one or two of the three words should be fron the family of "unprincipled" or "extreme"

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Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · 17d

Another concept in this book that makes me think thoughts: "Fallacy of pre-figuration"—Assuming that reality has well-defined parts and properties that exist independently of all conceptualization. Boils down to objects of our discourse being necessarily mind-framed. Chang goes on to distinguish his

Berna Devezer @devezer.bsky.social · Aug 20

Reading Hasok Chang's Realism for Realistic People, I enjoy his concept of operational coherence (roughly, aim-oriented coordination of epistemic, or other, activities). It gives me a new perspective of replication studies as conceived in the reform movement. They're operationally incoherent...

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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 19d

An actual quote from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade

Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’

Look forward to Wes S saying 'too often people go to hospital to have operations' or Heidi Alexander saying 'too often people go to the station to catch a train'

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John Pettus @johngpettus.bsky.social · 21d

Bertrand Russell, at 89 years old, to Sir Oswald Mosley, a man most famous for founding, in 1932, the British Union of Fascists.

I'm all for civil discourse. But everyone can and should draw a line at who they will talk to.

Notice that Russell did not demean himself with incivility, either.

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Amnesty International UK @amnestyuk.bsky.social · 27d

Don’t whitewash genocide.

Collective punishment is a war crime and a key tactic in Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

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Photo of Keir Starmer and Israeli President Isaac Herzog shaking hands outside Number 10 Downing Street on 10th September with a quote from Herzog from 12th October 2023 which says: “The entire [Palestinian] nation out there … is responsible. It is not true this rhetoric about civilians not aware, not involved.”

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · Sep 3

Well well well..

Financial Times @financialtimes.com · Sep 3

Top pension fund pulls €14bn from BlackRock in sustainability pivot on.ft.com/4p12XAh

Top pension fund pulls €14bn from BlackRock in sustainability pivot

Dutch fund dumps world’s largest asset manager as European investors increasingly diverge with US over ESG

on.ft.com

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Reposted by Jennifer Churchill

Stephen Nuñez @socio-steve.bsky.social · Aug 30

I got excited there for a minute. Alas.

The bluesky trending panel. "meta ethics" is in the bottom right and is highlighted.

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Jim Kane @kanejim.bsky.social · Aug 28

🤦‍♂️

BlackRock Warns Public Pensions Are Becoming Too Politicized

BlackRock Inc. warned that public pensions are at risk from Democrats and Republicans pressing asset managers to heed their political demands over how retirement funds are invested.

www.bloomberg.com

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Daniela Gabor @danielagabor.bsky.social · Aug 28

shame on OBR for its subtle 'bend statistics to make low-wage migration look bad' model that feeds Reform/Farage.

remember, migrants cant access welfare benefits for first 5 years.

Why does OBR say that these tax paying folks create a net 26K fiscal burden?

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Amin Samman @aminsamman.bsky.social · Aug 22

Very pleased to announce the full programme for this year's Finance and Society conference, which will take place on 11-12 September at Copenhagen Business School. Registration now open to the public. Come join us!
@finandsoc.bsky.social financeandsocietynetwork.org/prog-finands...

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Women's Budget Group @womensbudgetgrp.bsky.social · Aug 21

Today is gender pension gap day - marking the point in the year when women would stop receiving any form of pension if it was paid out at the same rate as men.

According to @tuc.org.uk the income gap between men & women in retirement was 36.5%, equivalent to a shortfall of £7,600 a year on average.

Gender gap means retired women ‘have four months a year with no pension’

Income inequality means women in effect stop receiving a pension from 21 August, union leaders say

www.theguardian.com

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Jennifer Churchill @redjen.bsky.social · Aug 21

I remember Marshall’s intervention as like a hostile takeover. With a forced change of name from the previous’centre for reform’ which was apparently far too radical and lefty sounding

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