Tom Griffin
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tcgriffin.bsky.social
Tom Griffin
@tcgriffin.bsky.social
740 followers 2.7K following 150 posts

Author of State-Private Networks and Intelligence Theory (Routledge 2022). Writing on intelligence history on substack. https://intelligencehistory.substack.com

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Political science 30%
Sociology 27%
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Reposted by Tom Griffin

georgeeaton.bsky.social
George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 1h
A good day for Ed Miliband: mansion tax introduced, green levies moved off bills to taxation, ban on new North Sea oil and gas licences confirmed.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

anthonypainter.bsky.social
Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 7h
Big fear for the Budget was the green transition.

✅ Heat pump funding remains.
✅ VAT remains on gas.
✅ Support for EVs extended.
✅ Renewable charges removed from electricity.
🤷🏻‍♂️ EV per-mile charge - barrier to entry as in NZ?
🤷🏻‍♂️ North Sea drilling
🤷🏻‍♂️ Fuel duty increase. U-turn likely?

Ok overall.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

ember-energy.org
Ember @ember-energy.org · 8h
The UK announced key energy policies to decarbonise the economy and reduce consumer bills in its Autumn Budget today.

Moving towards cheaper electricity makes heat pumps and EVs more competitive, 'cutting national dependence on costly fossil imports', says Ember analyst Josie Murdoch.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

bencoates1.bsky.social
Ben Coates @bencoates1.bsky.social · 9h
Whatever else you think of Starmer and Reeves, this is (to quote Joe Biden) a big fucking deal

Reposted by Tom Griffin

brokenbanker.bsky.social
BrokenBanker @brokenbanker.bsky.social · 9h
Badenoch's attempt at a rebuttal is being substantially undermined by all UK assets moving up on the day. the reality is they were cheap vs. peers and there hasn't been a disaster vs. very low expectations:
GBP vs. $ UK 30yr Gilt yield FTSE 350

Reposted by Tom Griffin

fintwitter.bsky.social
FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 10h
UK's Chancellor Reeves: We will ensure customs duty on parcels of any value.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

liamthorp.bsky.social
Liam Thorp @liamthorp.bsky.social · 10h
This is such important news. Hundreds of thousands of children taken out of poverty with the stroke of a pen.
Two-child benefit limit is officially scrapped in Budget 2025
Rachel Reeves confirms policy that restricts what benefits families can receive will be removed
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk

Reposted by Tom Griffin

jonnymarshall.bsky.social
Jonny Marshall @jonnymarshall.bsky.social · 10h
Big news on Fuel Duty - the 5p cut will be removed gradually from September. A good way to end this giveaway without pushing up inflation

Reposted by Tom Griffin

gilesyb.bsky.social
Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 10h
Initial reaction from the gilt market was to strengthen (yields fall) but this was violently reversed.

Only theories for now, purely speculative. First reacted to good news of higher headroom. Then reflecting the damage to the OBR.... ?

Reposted by Tom Griffin

acjsissons.bsky.social
Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · 11h
If the OBR document is correct, this seems to be the energy bills package:

Government taking 75% of the Renewables Obligation levy off electricity bills, at a cost of £2.3bn per year. This is good!

The ECO levy (£1.7bn per year to upgrade fuel poor homes) will *end in April 2026*.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

adrianmcmenamin.bsky.social
Dr Adrian McMenamin @adrianmcmenamin.bsky.social · 11h
Amazingly awful performance by Badenoch. She *knew* what was in the Budget because she had the OBR fiscal assessment and she didn't use it. That's missing five penalties in row scale of awful.
I am genuinely shocked about how bad she is at her job.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

jessicaelgot.bsky.social
Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 11h
BREAKING The entire Budget has leaked early

- £22BN of headroom
- £26bn tax rises
- Freeze on tax thresholds
- Pay per mileage confirmed
- Changes to capital gains

Reposted by Tom Griffin, Richard Pettigrew

philbc3.bsky.social
Phil Burton-Cartledge @philbc3.bsky.social · 14h
"Labour are happily - gleefully - building up the infrastructure an authoritarian regime would find useful. It's a good job a right wing extremist party isn't topping the polls and stands no chance of winning the next election."
Labour's Continued Attacks on Liberty
Here is a story that won't stick in the headlines for more than a day. David Lammy has unveiled plans to curtail the right to jury trial for...
averypublicsociologist.blogspot.com

Reposted by Colin Murray, Tom Griffin

alangreene.bsky.social
Alan Greene @alangreene.bsky.social · 1d
The UK has gone from "We need to enshrine the right to jury trial in a British Bill of Rights" to "We need to abolish jury trial" in the space of about 3 years.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Jury trials could be scrapped except in most serious cases
Only cases of alleged murder, rape or manslaughter will be decided by a jury under new proposals to cut court backlogs.
www.bbc.co.uk

tcgriffin.bsky.social
Tom Griffin @tcgriffin.bsky.social · 1d
...'to secure for the workers by hand *or by brain* the full fruits of their industry'...
sharonk.bsky.social Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 2d
there's a lot to unpack here Lord Glasman
We return to politics. The working classes, he says, saved Britain during the Second World War, yet were repaid with contempt. “The way that my beloved working class was treated under Margaret Thatcher was cruel and deeply disrespectful, and we are still suffering the consequences,” he says. At a time when unemployment is ticking up and six million people are parked on out-of-work benefits, he wants to restore dignity in employment and see an end to the cycle of welfare dependency. As the Conservative Party was busy selling its soul, Labour abandoned its pro-worker position. “What Thatcher mercilessly initiated, Tony Blair immaculately consummated,” he says. This was manifest in New Labour’s attitude towards higher education. In 1979, roughly 10 per cent of school leavers went to university. Then Blair set his target, encouraging school leavers to move 100 miles from home and dismiss their intergenerational bonds. And, inevitably, “this very beautiful party was colonised by the progressive middle class”.

Reposted by Tom Griffin

edwardburke.bsky.social
Edward Burke @edwardburke.bsky.social · 1d
This is a really wonderful opportunity to work on a groundbreaking Troubles-related research project.
www.pmb.ox.ac.uk/vacancy/juni...
Junior Research Fellowship in the Northern Ireland Peace Process (Quill Project)
Pembroke College wishes to appoint a Junior Research Fellow in the History of the Northern Ireland Peace Process. The appointment will be from early 2026 until 31 July 2027. The post is full-time and ...
www.pmb.ox.ac.uk

Reposted by Tom Griffin

josiahmortimer.bsky.social
Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 1d
The former Conservative Levelling Up Secretary and now editor of the Spectator, Michael Gove, has been selected as a judge for the 2026 Orwell Prize awards, despite his record of dodging media scrutiny and allegations of ‘stifling’ critical journalists
bylinetimes.com/2025/11/25/m...
Michael Gove Made Orwell Prize Judge Despite Record of Attacking Journalists and Dodging Scrutiny
Critics say "Orwell would have enjoyed the irony" of the former Conservative minister's appointment
bylinetimes.com

tcgriffin.bsky.social
Tom Griffin @tcgriffin.bsky.social · 1d
Is there a certain logic emerging here? bsky.app/profile/geor...

Reposted by Tom Griffin

georgeeaton.bsky.social
George Eaton @georgeeaton.bsky.social · 1d
The Greens are now winning *20%* of Labour’s 2024 voters, far ahead of the Lib Dems on 11% and Reform on 10%. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
What would Zack Polanski do?
The Green Party leader on wealth taxes, the Nordic model and fiscal rules
www.newstatesman.com

Reposted by Kori Schake, David Dunning, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 7 more

atrupar.com
Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 1d
Mark Kelly: "My wife, Gabby Giffords, meeting with her constituents, shot in the head. Six people killed around her, a horrific thing. She spent six months in the hospital. We know what political violence is and we know what causes it too, The statements that Donald Trump made incites others."

Reposted by Will Jennings, Tim Bale, Tom Griffin , and 1 more

sharonk.bsky.social
Sharon @sharonk.bsky.social · 2d
there's a lot to unpack here Lord Glasman
We return to politics. The working classes, he says, saved Britain during the Second World War, yet were repaid with contempt. “The way that my beloved working class was treated under Margaret Thatcher was cruel and deeply disrespectful, and we are still suffering the consequences,” he says. At a time when unemployment is ticking up and six million people are parked on out-of-work benefits, he wants to restore dignity in employment and see an end to the cycle of welfare dependency. As the Conservative Party was busy selling its soul, Labour abandoned its pro-worker position. “What Thatcher mercilessly initiated, Tony Blair immaculately consummated,” he says. This was manifest in New Labour’s attitude towards higher education. In 1979, roughly 10 per cent of school leavers went to university. Then Blair set his target, encouraging school leavers to move 100 miles from home and dismiss their intergenerational bonds. And, inevitably, “this very beautiful party was colonised by the progressive middle class”.

Reposted by Steve Peers, Lesley A. Hall, Tom Griffin , and 2 more

robertsaunders.bsky.social
Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 2d
Just a jaw-dropping paragraph in Trevor Phillips's column for The Times.

This is a policy that, by his own account, has left parents of a particular race too frightened to walk their children to school.

And that's the example he chooses of the "vigour" we "need".
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
"Second, we need to enforce the policy with a vigour that has reduced flows at America’s southern borders by 90 per cent, and in Denmark by 95 per cent. Crucial to the Trump programme is an aggressive policy of removals, including snatching suspected illegals off the street. One friend tells me Latino parents are now so afraid to be seen out and about that the other parents have a rota to walk the Latino children to and from school. It is hard to imagine that taking place in Britain."

Reposted by Tom Griffin

patrickcobrien.bsky.social
Dr Patrick O’Brien @patrickcobrien.bsky.social · 2d
Assuming [a] the Govt believes it's good politics to be seen to kick [a.1] universities and [a.2] 'foreigners'; but

[b] it will not be good politics to allow the university sector to collapse;

this will cost more money than it earns in the long term. A bleak snapshot of where UK politics now is.
sgfmann.bsky.social George Mann @sgfmann.bsky.social · 3d
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Steve Peers, Peter Holmes , and 2 more

davidheniguk.bsky.social
David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 2d
Trade folk (including myself) are unconvinced there is much of a growth dividend for Rachel Reeves from agreements with India, EU, and US. Just as there's no evidence of positive impact from independent UK trade policy since 2021. www.politico.eu/article/rach...
Rachel Reeves hopes trade deals can save Britain’s budget. Economists aren’t convinced.
With a difficult budget looming, the chancellor has increasingly turned her gaze overseas.
www.politico.eu

Reposted by Tom Griffin

ecpatuk.bsky.social
ECPAT UK @ecpatuk.bsky.social · 2d
A new report from ECPAT UK and Missing People shows that more than 2,000 trafficked and/or unaccompanied children went missing from care in the UK in 2024. These children are at particularly high risk of exploitation and other types of harm when missing.

Read the story ➡️ tinyurl.com/bdz9bzwe
More then 2,000 trafficked children and lone child asylum seekers missing from UK councils’ care
Charities say vulnerable young people are being failed by local authorities, the police and central government
tinyurl.com

Reposted by Diane Coyle, Ben H. Ansell, Richard S.J. Tol , and 18 more

sgfmann.bsky.social
George Mann @sgfmann.bsky.social · 3d
i: Reeves to unveil £600m raid on foreign student
university fees #TomorrowsPapersToday

Reposted by Tom Griffin

catanonim.me
LittleGravitas, →EU immigrant, UK→ emigrant, anti-Brexit @catanonim.me · 4d
On the record, too.

~ ‘It’s wrong’: the Labour MP speaking out against the party’s asylum policy | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian ~

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/nov/22/tony-vaughan-labour-mp-challenges-asylum-policy
‘It’s wrong’: the Labour MP speaking out against the party’s asylum policy | Immigration and asylum | The Guardian
As a well-informed MP on the frontline of the debate, Tony Vaughan’s views are particularly unwelcome to government
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Tom Griffin

anthonypainter.bsky.social
Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 4d
Intriguing interview with Danny Kruger where he sees his opponents as naive and dangerous radicals wanting to see "socialist heaven" on earth.

Yet his traditionalism is the far more radical and idealistic vision with potential for enormous harm.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
‘America is British’. Heaven is ‘a socialist state’. David Attenborough is ‘anti-human’ – the startling theories of Reform MP Danny Kruger
He was a Conservative party big-hitter who wrote speeches for David Cameron and worked with Boris Johnson before he suddenly jumped ship. He talks family, flags and why Nigel Farage is ‘top dog’
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Lesley A. Hall, Tom Griffin , and 1 more

danielsohege.bsky.social
Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 4d
I am currently, because I know how to enjoy a Saturday morning, writing some guidance for people on filling this consultation in. As I do several things are highly apparent. Before I go through them though I don't want this to put people off of filling it in. It is important to do so nonetheless. 1/
danielsohege.bsky.social Dan Sohege @danielsohege.bsky.social · 6d
Government has today published its consultation into "earned settlement", the forward alone contains a hot mess of misrepresentation of the current system by the Home Secretary. I would strongly urge anyone affected by the current system to respond.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691edd...
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

Reposted by Tom Griffin

samtlevin.bsky.social
Sam Levin @samtlevin.bsky.social · 5d
NEW: The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of NY immigrants' rights volunteers organizing court watch+ labeled activists “anarchist violent extremist actors.”

Joint FBI/NYPD report shows law enforcement accessed private planning convo of ppl monitoring ICE

Docs obtained by @propertyofthepeople.org
The FBI spied on a Signal group chat of immigration activists, records reveal
Exclusive: Agency accessed private conversations of New York ‘courtwatch’ group that was observing public hearings
www.theguardian.com