Hannah Fearn
@hannahfearn.bsky.social
Journalist and podcaster. Politics, social affairs and a little bit of Britpop. Once Independent, now independent.
Find me in The i Paper, The New European, Obs, The Lead, Yahoo and on Oh God, What Now? & The Bunker pods
https://muckrack.com/hannah-fearn
Find me in The i Paper, The New European, Obs, The Lead, Yahoo and on Oh God, What Now? & The Bunker pods
https://muckrack.com/hannah-fearn
Pinned
The winners of the Freelance Journalism Awards 2025 are out! Congratulations everyone!! open.substack.com/pub/freelanc...
Freelance Journalism Awards Winners 2025
Time to unveil our judges' selection!
open.substack.com
Holy moly! I didn't get Lily Allen tickets, but...
I did win TWO awards: Best News Story and Best Opinion Writer in the 2025 Freelance Journalism Awards.
Huge thank you to @freelancingfor.bsky.social for organising these and to your lovely judges. I am so honoured and proud to be named this year
I did win TWO awards: Best News Story and Best Opinion Writer in the 2025 Freelance Journalism Awards.
Huge thank you to @freelancingfor.bsky.social for organising these and to your lovely judges. I am so honoured and proud to be named this year
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We have got to make politics intellectual again. It is the only way that societies thrive is when politicians have the capability to actually think and reflect deeply:
![I confess that I always had difficulty with interpreting the Biblical precept to love our neighbours “as ourselves” until I read some of the words of C.S. Lewis. He pointed out that we don't exactly love ourselves when we fall below the standards and beliefs we have accepted. Indeed we might even hate ourselves for some unworthy deed.
None of this, of course, tells us exactly what kind of political and social institutions we should have. On this point, Christians will very often genuinely disagree, though it is a mark of Christian manners that they will do so with courtesy and mutual respect. [Applause] What is certain, however, is that any set of social and economic arrangements which is not founded on the acceptance of individual responsibility will do nothing but harm.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:xbnsfdtxoothg654ujxe3p25/bafkreicrdgbtvm54qnmttwe6crhxwt4be5v3izjmqtnvlxmaljwg5wolai@jpeg)
November 28, 2025 at 12:21 PM
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Please listen in to our @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social Big Budget Breakdown...before I have one.
One more deadline to hit this morning, I'm going for a nap.
One more deadline to hit this morning, I'm going for a nap.
Behind all the predictable shrieking about “tax raids”, what really happened in Rachel Reeves’s much-trailed misery Budget? @mitchbenn.bsky.social joins @hannahfearn.bsky.social, @rostaylor.bsky.social & @jonnelledge.bsky.social to discuss 👉 linktr.ee/ohgodwhatnow...
#RachelReeves #Budget2025 #UKPOL
#RachelReeves #Budget2025 #UKPOL
November 28, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Please listen in to our @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social Big Budget Breakdown...before I have one.
One more deadline to hit this morning, I'm going for a nap.
One more deadline to hit this morning, I'm going for a nap.
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
Two things that make this video different from the pandering performative gestures we're all used to:
1. He already won. He doesn't have to do this anymore
2. This video centers a community organization and the good work they do, then promises that city hall will help them do it
1. He already won. He doesn't have to do this anymore
2. This video centers a community organization and the good work they do, then promises that city hall will help them do it
Combatting poverty and hunger in this city will take every single one of us. Myself included.
November 28, 2025 at 4:41 AM
Two things that make this video different from the pandering performative gestures we're all used to:
1. He already won. He doesn't have to do this anymore
2. This video centers a community organization and the good work they do, then promises that city hall will help them do it
1. He already won. He doesn't have to do this anymore
2. This video centers a community organization and the good work they do, then promises that city hall will help them do it
💥
The "don't have an extra kid if you can't afford it" brigade get awfully upset when you suggest they don't stay in their £2m house if they can't afford it, don't they?
November 27, 2025 at 11:39 PM
💥
Another submission to reopen this thread: Bentley Rhythm Ace.
I've got a 7pm submission deadline, so of course I'm messing around here until it's so time critical it actually just gets done (journalists are a weird bunch). So...
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
November 27, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Another submission to reopen this thread: Bentley Rhythm Ace.
True.
People really don't want to buy stocks.
November 27, 2025 at 9:49 PM
True.
He speaks for us all...
Jaz Mann and the first thirty seconds of Spaceman
November 27, 2025 at 6:25 PM
He speaks for us all...
I've got a 7pm submission deadline, so of course I'm messing around here until it's so time critical it actually just gets done (journalists are a weird bunch). So...
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
November 27, 2025 at 6:09 PM
I've got a 7pm submission deadline, so of course I'm messing around here until it's so time critical it actually just gets done (journalists are a weird bunch). So...
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
Name a band where their one good song is truly excellent but everything else they do is just, well, not.
Mansun - Wide Open Space
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
Richard Hughes tells Res Foundation he will go, if leak inquiry means Reeves + Meg Hillier think he should: "If they both conclude...they no longer have confidence in me then of course I will resign, which is what you do when you're the chair of something called the Office of Budget Responsibility".
November 27, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Richard Hughes tells Res Foundation he will go, if leak inquiry means Reeves + Meg Hillier think he should: "If they both conclude...they no longer have confidence in me then of course I will resign, which is what you do when you're the chair of something called the Office of Budget Responsibility".
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
Just recorded a meaty @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social where we do NOT ask whether Reeves ‘saved herself’.
I see the most important thing about the budget is what it means for Rachel Reeves’ career prospects and not… what it means for the economy.
November 26, 2025 at 6:47 PM
Just recorded a meaty @ohgodwhatnow.bsky.social where we do NOT ask whether Reeves ‘saved herself’.
Great analysis from @zoegrunewald.bsky.social for @theleaduk.bsky.social on today’s budget. Echoes my own thoughts about an overall sense of unambitious tinkering, despite some clear positives (2 child cap finally lifted)
national.thelead.uk/p/the-leads-...
national.thelead.uk/p/the-leads-...
The Lead's budget verdict: technocratic tweaks to a broken system
Lifting the two-child benefit is welcome, but Rachel Reeves' tax and spend plans fall far short of the financial shake up this country needs
national.thelead.uk
November 26, 2025 at 6:49 PM
Great analysis from @zoegrunewald.bsky.social for @theleaduk.bsky.social on today’s budget. Echoes my own thoughts about an overall sense of unambitious tinkering, despite some clear positives (2 child cap finally lifted)
national.thelead.uk/p/the-leads-...
national.thelead.uk/p/the-leads-...
My husband pointed out that Rachel Reeves has a similar voice to Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig and it's ruining my concentration, so now it's my duty to pass that nugget on to you.
November 26, 2025 at 12:58 PM
My husband pointed out that Rachel Reeves has a similar voice to Miss Rabbit from Peppa Pig and it's ruining my concentration, so now it's my duty to pass that nugget on to you.
I should probably have chosen the word “institutions”
I know the OBR isn’t the gov
Please don’t all @ me all afternoon
I know the OBR isn’t the gov
Please don’t all @ me all afternoon
I cannot handle the incompetence at every level.
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
guys, guys, it's fine. the obr has taken the pdf offline. damage completely controlled
November 26, 2025 at 12:32 PM
I should probably have chosen the word “institutions”
I know the OBR isn’t the gov
Please don’t all @ me all afternoon
I know the OBR isn’t the gov
Please don’t all @ me all afternoon
I cannot handle the incompetence at every level.
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
guys, guys, it's fine. the obr has taken the pdf offline. damage completely controlled
November 26, 2025 at 12:28 PM
I cannot handle the incompetence at every level.
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
In newspapers, if you break an embargo (even a less serious one) you can end up in a disciplinary.
Why isn’t the government and its associated agencies taking the business of RUNNING THE COUNTRY more seriously than the work of bunch of hacks?
Umbrella companies are such a giant scam. I refuse to work through one and have lost small jobs as a result. Many lower paid workers don’t have the option to vote with their feet.
The "umbrella" companies often fail to pay PAYE, either by pure fraud (they nick the money) or "tax avoidance" (often really fraud).
The Government wants to make the agencies liable for this, so they police the umbrellas.
The Government wants to make the agencies liable for this, so they police the umbrellas.
November 26, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Umbrella companies are such a giant scam. I refuse to work through one and have lost small jobs as a result. Many lower paid workers don’t have the option to vote with their feet.
She never misses a beat, of course, but Marina's first paragraph this week is *chef's kiss*
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What can we learn from RFK's 'erotic poetry'? That Americans need to get better at enjoying a scandal | Marina Hyde
The US health secretary’s ‘digital affair’ with Olivia Nuzzi doesn’t need sombre analysis. Take it from this Brit: sometimes laughter is the only option, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde
www.theguardian.com
November 25, 2025 at 11:04 PM
She never misses a beat, of course, but Marina's first paragraph this week is *chef's kiss*
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Hey journos, if you're also working late to clear some decks pre-budget, please enjoy this...
November 25, 2025 at 8:55 PM
Hey journos, if you're also working late to clear some decks pre-budget, please enjoy this...
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
What might we see in the budget for housing? Here's my personal list of what seems likely, possibly and unlikely.
November 25, 2025 at 1:52 PM
What might we see in the budget for housing? Here's my personal list of what seems likely, possibly and unlikely.
What a stat: 83 per cent of those with £1m or more in CASH savings said they did not believe they were rich.
Well, I believe that I’ve still got time to be a tabloid famous indie pop star.
And both of those statements are false.
apple.news/AvVGEKHdGSoW...
Well, I believe that I’ve still got time to be a tabloid famous indie pop star.
And both of those statements are false.
apple.news/AvVGEKHdGSoW...
What it takes to be well-off in Britain today — The Times and The Sunday Times
What exactly does it take to be rich in Britain today? A six-figure salary, seven-figure cash savings and a mortgage-free home won’t do it. But a bit of luck and a healthy inheritance payout just migh...
apple.news
November 24, 2025 at 8:11 PM
What a stat: 83 per cent of those with £1m or more in CASH savings said they did not believe they were rich.
Well, I believe that I’ve still got time to be a tabloid famous indie pop star.
And both of those statements are false.
apple.news/AvVGEKHdGSoW...
Well, I believe that I’ve still got time to be a tabloid famous indie pop star.
And both of those statements are false.
apple.news/AvVGEKHdGSoW...
In the words of Alf Stewart, he’s a flaming idiot.
Polanski is able to command a room but everyone in Britain deserves much, much better than four of the five current crop of political leaders
Polanski is able to command a room but everyone in Britain deserves much, much better than four of the five current crop of political leaders
Zack Polanski tells the BBC it would be "very tempting" for him to stand in Keir Starmer's seat at the next general election
November 24, 2025 at 1:43 PM
In the words of Alf Stewart, he’s a flaming idiot.
Polanski is able to command a room but everyone in Britain deserves much, much better than four of the five current crop of political leaders
Polanski is able to command a room but everyone in Britain deserves much, much better than four of the five current crop of political leaders
Missed this when it went out earlier this month, but with the Budget now just 48 hours away this seems like a good time to share.
Should we abolish council tax? My short thoughts, as part as a panel of experts for @theipaper.com:
inews.co.uk/opinion/shou...
Should we abolish council tax? My short thoughts, as part as a panel of experts for @theipaper.com:
inews.co.uk/opinion/shou...
Should council tax be abolished? A renter, estate agent and politics expert respond
The tax is seen as outdated and unfair
inews.co.uk
November 24, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Missed this when it went out earlier this month, but with the Budget now just 48 hours away this seems like a good time to share.
Should we abolish council tax? My short thoughts, as part as a panel of experts for @theipaper.com:
inews.co.uk/opinion/shou...
Should we abolish council tax? My short thoughts, as part as a panel of experts for @theipaper.com:
inews.co.uk/opinion/shou...
🎄 MY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: TRICKY-TO-BUY-FOR CENTRIST DAD EDITION 🎁
🎙️ We’ve stayed independent for nearly 8 years! And we need YOUR help to stay that way.
📳 SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up as an annual backer and get 20% off : www.patreon.com/posts/144281...
(OK yes yes it’s #BlackFriday)
📳 SPECIAL OFFER: Sign up as an annual backer and get 20% off : www.patreon.com/posts/144281...
(OK yes yes it’s #BlackFriday)
November 24, 2025 at 11:53 AM
🎄 MY CHRISTMAS GIFT GUIDE: TRICKY-TO-BUY-FOR CENTRIST DAD EDITION 🎁
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
Reposted by Hannah Fearn
Home Office: How dare people say we are acting like the far-right?
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
November 21, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Home Office: How dare people say we are acting like the far-right?
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
Also the Home Office: These far-right graphics look great, let's copy them.
This should be a much, much bigger story than it is playing as so far. Is it the 'Wales' bit that's distracting? Just because it's a devolved administration is hardly the point. This is a corrupt operator that Reform embraced.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform UK’s former Wales leader jailed for taking bribes for pro-Russia speeches
Police say Nathan Gill received at least £40,000 while he was an MEP from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian asset
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 2:46 PM
This should be a much, much bigger story than it is playing as so far. Is it the 'Wales' bit that's distracting? Just because it's a devolved administration is hardly the point. This is a corrupt operator that Reform embraced.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...