Paul Hebden
@paulhebden.bsky.social
I help people and organisations to speak human: https://www.campaignsalience.co.uk/
Code apps: https://campaignsalience.shinyapps.io/NewsApp3/
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Code apps: https://campaignsalience.shinyapps.io/NewsApp3/
Write: https://campaignsalience.substack.com/
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Paul Hebden
@paulhebden.bsky.social
· Aug 12
FWIW - this is how food prices spiked in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine and how the cost of essentials is spiking again now.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
Many newspapers and politicians have been calling yesterday's fiscal statement a 'Budget for Benefits Street'. Here's three reasons why that is not accurate 🧵
November 27, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Many newspapers and politicians have been calling yesterday's fiscal statement a 'Budget for Benefits Street'. Here's three reasons why that is not accurate 🧵
Reposted by Paul Hebden
also this @alicettimes.bsky.social col on yoof leaving Uk looks prescient given today's emigration stats - hear this more & more from parents of uni-aged kids, wondering if they'd have more prospects overseas (watch those figs if we do a proper youth mobility deal) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Youngsters are a bigger loss than non-doms
Billionaires come and go, but driving away ambitious doctors, nurses and scientists will do real long-term damage
www.thetimes.com
November 27, 2025 at 4:39 PM
also this @alicettimes.bsky.social col on yoof leaving Uk looks prescient given today's emigration stats - hear this more & more from parents of uni-aged kids, wondering if they'd have more prospects overseas (watch those figs if we do a proper youth mobility deal) www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Reposted by Paul Hebden
If the current government isn’t final proof that the British press cannot be appeased by craven, wormlike obsequiousness and unquestioning obedience, then I wonder what it would take. Should we just put maybe four newspaper editors in charge, and let them fight it out? It’d be less tiresome.
November 27, 2025 at 8:55 AM
If the current government isn’t final proof that the British press cannot be appeased by craven, wormlike obsequiousness and unquestioning obedience, then I wonder what it would take. Should we just put maybe four newspaper editors in charge, and let them fight it out? It’d be less tiresome.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
Do we or do we not live in a country where these awful people got their way at almost every major decision point of the century so far? We do! Is it good? No, it is a national calamity. Are they sorry? No they’re not, they’re *absolutely furious* that they haven’t got more and worse.
November 27, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Do we or do we not live in a country where these awful people got their way at almost every major decision point of the century so far? We do! Is it good? No, it is a national calamity. Are they sorry? No they’re not, they’re *absolutely furious* that they haven’t got more and worse.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
It doesn’t make any difference whether the public are getting second hand inhalation off the BBC and Radio Norwich, or whether they’re honking it pure straight out of the crackpipe. It is all the same. A great Nordstream horseshit incitement pipeline, blasting 24/7 into every home in the land.
November 27, 2025 at 8:49 AM
It doesn’t make any difference whether the public are getting second hand inhalation off the BBC and Radio Norwich, or whether they’re honking it pure straight out of the crackpipe. It is all the same. A great Nordstream horseshit incitement pipeline, blasting 24/7 into every home in the land.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
It is IMO not possible to operate any kind of meaningful democracy when your national press is a joke and a travesty, but your mileage on that may vary. I think it’s incontestable that it is impossible to govern well and effectively, while being in hock to these pantomime clowns.
November 27, 2025 at 8:46 AM
It is IMO not possible to operate any kind of meaningful democracy when your national press is a joke and a travesty, but your mileage on that may vary. I think it’s incontestable that it is impossible to govern well and effectively, while being in hock to these pantomime clowns.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
The important bit about this story - in reality the only important bit because nothing here is new - is that it delivers to an audience previously unaware of it a truth about the BBC's relationship to power: craven. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
BBC tells staff they cannot quote Trump line removed from Reith Lecture
Journalists not allowed to repeat Rutger Bregman’s corruption claims against US president in coverage of edit
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:43 PM
The important bit about this story - in reality the only important bit because nothing here is new - is that it delivers to an audience previously unaware of it a truth about the BBC's relationship to power: craven. www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
Party at the weekend I will be playing only boogie funk, post disco and the wonkiest house music. No requests
November 27, 2025 at 1:13 PM
Party at the weekend I will be playing only boogie funk, post disco and the wonkiest house music. No requests
Reposted by Paul Hebden
"In the long run, the employment probability and employment quality of sanctioned benefit recipients are lower than those for the comparison group of non-sanctioned benefit recipients"
Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality url: academic.oup.com/ser/article/...
Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality url: academic.oup.com/ser/article/...
Persistent or temporary? Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality
Abstract. This article analyzes the effects of sanctions for unemployed recipients of the social assistance benefit in Germany. I conduct an analysis using
academic.oup.com
November 27, 2025 at 1:06 PM
"In the long run, the employment probability and employment quality of sanctioned benefit recipients are lower than those for the comparison group of non-sanctioned benefit recipients"
Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality url: academic.oup.com/ser/article/...
Effects of social assistance benefit sanctions on employment quality url: academic.oup.com/ser/article/...
Seeing alot of people complaining that the left don't support "the most left wing government in a generation." And I think that what this really misses, is the terms of debate and meaning that have been set around every fiscal moment since at least Gordon Brown was PM. >>>
November 27, 2025 at 12:24 PM
Seeing alot of people complaining that the left don't support "the most left wing government in a generation." And I think that what this really misses, is the terms of debate and meaning that have been set around every fiscal moment since at least Gordon Brown was PM. >>>
Seriously, when did the Independent become so obsessed with the wealthy?
November 27, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Seriously, when did the Independent become so obsessed with the wealthy?
Reposted by Paul Hebden
The predictable crushing uniformity of the coverage of this Budget tells you an awful lot about the priorities of those papers, and also why there's actually quite a lot to praise in it bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/t...
November 27, 2025 at 9:40 AM
The predictable crushing uniformity of the coverage of this Budget tells you an awful lot about the priorities of those papers, and also why there's actually quite a lot to praise in it bylinetimes.com/2025/11/26/t...
Thing about this is that I don't even think Goodwin's position represents the majority of even of Reform voters. Reform is now a broad based political party. This kind of insanely nasty racism opens up a real wedge between the extremists like Goodwin and others in the Reform base
Reflections on the budget from the head of Students4Reform
November 27, 2025 at 11:34 AM
Thing about this is that I don't even think Goodwin's position represents the majority of even of Reform voters. Reform is now a broad based political party. This kind of insanely nasty racism opens up a real wedge between the extremists like Goodwin and others in the Reform base
Our media is vile.
November 27, 2025 at 11:19 AM
Our media is vile.
Most of the tax raised in yesterday's budget is not going to be spent on public services, but on the "headroom" spreadsheet stuff that allows the government to avoid breaking its own self-imposed fiscal rules.
At least the markets will be happy.
open.spotify.com/episode/7iDV...
At least the markets will be happy.
open.spotify.com/episode/7iDV...
Budget Breakdown Special w/ Carys Afoko and Hannah Peaker
open.spotify.com
November 27, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Most of the tax raised in yesterday's budget is not going to be spent on public services, but on the "headroom" spreadsheet stuff that allows the government to avoid breaking its own self-imposed fiscal rules.
At least the markets will be happy.
open.spotify.com/episode/7iDV...
At least the markets will be happy.
open.spotify.com/episode/7iDV...
"granny tax" is another right wing trope.
Not to say there isn't an issue around asset rich, cash poor homeowners, but this can always be resolved.
It's just interesting to me how long loved these tropes of the right are.
"Granny tax" is part of the reactionary trinity of tropes: >>
Not to say there isn't an issue around asset rich, cash poor homeowners, but this can always be resolved.
It's just interesting to me how long loved these tropes of the right are.
"Granny tax" is part of the reactionary trinity of tropes: >>
November 27, 2025 at 8:38 AM
"granny tax" is another right wing trope.
Not to say there isn't an issue around asset rich, cash poor homeowners, but this can always be resolved.
It's just interesting to me how long loved these tropes of the right are.
"Granny tax" is part of the reactionary trinity of tropes: >>
Not to say there isn't an issue around asset rich, cash poor homeowners, but this can always be resolved.
It's just interesting to me how long loved these tropes of the right are.
"Granny tax" is part of the reactionary trinity of tropes: >>
The Daily Telegraph is a newspaper of Nazis
November 27, 2025 at 7:42 AM
The Daily Telegraph is a newspaper of Nazis
Not massively engaged, but I feel the vibes around the budget (whether or not I agree with it) were quite.... competent? Almost like if a Labour chancellor just does what a Labour chancellor wants, no bullshit "missing billions" & ignores the constant emergency narrative, they look credible.
November 27, 2025 at 7:20 AM
Not massively engaged, but I feel the vibes around the budget (whether or not I agree with it) were quite.... competent? Almost like if a Labour chancellor just does what a Labour chancellor wants, no bullshit "missing billions" & ignores the constant emergency narrative, they look credible.
Framing 101 guys.... please.
Don't start with you opponents frame.
Don't start with you opponents frame.
November 26, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Framing 101 guys.... please.
Don't start with you opponents frame.
Don't start with you opponents frame.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
Outside government, the need for serious tax reform is universally accepted and there is remarkable agreement over how to do it. We must turn our attention to the reasons why successive governments have failed to deliver, despite this consensus.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Outside government, the need for serious tax reform is universally accepted and there is remarkable agreement over how to do it. We must turn our attention to the reasons why successive governments have failed to deliver, despite this consensus.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
Recently, authors from CenTax and eight other think tanks from across the political spectrum declared agreement on the way ahead. It’s regrettable that this Budget contains barely a hint of progress against any of the seven reform packages we proposed 👇
centax.org.uk/tax-reforms-...
centax.org.uk/tax-reforms-...
Tax Reforms for Growth | CenTax
centax.org.uk
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Recently, authors from CenTax and eight other think tanks from across the political spectrum declared agreement on the way ahead. It’s regrettable that this Budget contains barely a hint of progress against any of the seven reform packages we proposed 👇
centax.org.uk/tax-reforms-...
centax.org.uk/tax-reforms-...
Reposted by Paul Hebden
For a government that’s supposedly obsessed with growth, we seem no closer to the realisation that our broken tax system is part of the UK’s growth problem, and that major structural reforms – not just rate-changes or more bolt-ons – are needed to fix it.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
For a government that’s supposedly obsessed with growth, we seem no closer to the realisation that our broken tax system is part of the UK’s growth problem, and that major structural reforms – not just rate-changes or more bolt-ons – are needed to fix it.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
There's still no sense that the govt has a vision for a good tax system - or a strategy for getting there. In this climate, even moves in the right direction (e.g. Council Tax) come across as ad hoc revenue-grabs not principled efforts to make the system fairer & more efficient.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
There's still no sense that the govt has a vision for a good tax system - or a strategy for getting there. In this climate, even moves in the right direction (e.g. Council Tax) come across as ad hoc revenue-grabs not principled efforts to make the system fairer & more efficient.
Reposted by Paul Hebden
Today’s #Budget was an opportunity to tackle tax reform head-on rather than yet more rate tinkering. Some of the Chancellor’s announcements are a small step in that direction. But they are less a ‘smorgasbord’, more a series of nibbles. 🧵
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Today’s #Budget was an opportunity to tackle tax reform head-on rather than yet more rate tinkering. Some of the Chancellor’s announcements are a small step in that direction. But they are less a ‘smorgasbord’, more a series of nibbles. 🧵
We need "gurus" and "guides" who can give progressive meaning to people yearning for a sense that they belong.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-...
Where are the left wing "gurus" who can give meaning in these weird times?
A progressive content playbook still seems to be missing in efforts to build media to rival the likes of Joe Rogan and the other so-called 'brocasters.' Perhaps one way to get into this, is to reflect...
www.linkedin.com
November 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
We need "gurus" and "guides" who can give progressive meaning to people yearning for a sense that they belong.
www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-...
www.linkedin.com/pulse/where-...