Beckie Smith

Underpinning everything, you do not want politicians deciding who is British based on their personal prejudices.

Deportation will also not improve the life of those left behind - plenty of evidence for that.

Ultimately, let's talk about what will improve the country.

Let's not humour those advocating deportation of UK residents with reasons why their plans would not work.

Keep it simple, this is not the action of a civilised country.

If needed, this will mean complete chaos and destruction of international reputation.

I truly think there should be a disclaimer on any think piece on disability benefits, or chronic illness in general, written by anyone who hasn't experienced chronic illness or disability. There's so much people don't see about what it takes to just make it through the day!

This is really all that needs saying on the latest cab sec discourse, isn't it

Chancellor admits tax rises and spending cuts considered for budget Speaking exclusively to Sky's deputy political editor Sam Coates, Rachel Reeves says Brexit, austerity, and the Liz Truss mini-budget have all played a role in damaging Britain's economy - as she prep...

The point of a multi-year spending review and regular SR cycle is to provide stability. That stability allows frontline public services to make long-term decisions that will deliver better outcomes and VfM. It's a big failure of policymaking if spending decisions are being reopened 4 months later

chart showing Relative child poverty has remained stubbornly high over the last twenty years and has risen over the past decade, from 27 per cent in 2013-14 to 31 per cent in 2023-24. As things stand, child poverty is on track to reach record highs within this Parliament

Relative child poverty has remained stubbornly high over the last twenty years and has risen over the past decade.

Without action, levels will soon break records.

Scrapping the two-child limit in full would be the most targeted and cost-effective way of reducing child poverty.

Experts voice fears as Ethics and Integrity Commission goes live Successor body to Committee on Standards in Public Life “needs full independence and statutory footing”, anti-corruption organisations warn

The new Ethics and Integrity Commission is already facing concerns about its power, independence & resources.

@unlockdemocracy.bsky.social, @anticorruption.bsky.social & @spotlightcorruption.org warn the regulator is “vulnerable to political pressure” while its budget is set by the Cabinet Office:

The Recording Industry would be a fun one

Home Office DG set to become RSPCA top cat Joanna Rowland will take over as animal charity chief executive at the beginning of December

Another director general moves to head up a charity. This feels like a theme... www.civilserviceworld.com/professions/...

Top tier punning!

...is to assume people don't have those needs, and is made harder by the widespread belief that disability can be "overcome" by trying harder. It's almost impossible to exist in our society without internalising that to some degree. That's before any real-world pushback on reasonable adjustments.

Something I think isn't widely understood is (in many cases) no one tells you you're disabled. A lot of navigating disability is figuring out for yourself what your limits and access/support needs are, accepting that you need them and advocating for yourself. That can be hard when the default...

Fixed desk – hot button One of my most important reasonable adjustments for autism is having a fixed desk. Like most workplaces, mine operates a hot-desking policy and colleagues have to book in advance where they will si…

I loved this blog on internalised ableism and reasonable adjustments by @helenjeffries.bsky.social.

V powerful observation on meeting people at training aimed at disabled people: "Almost everyone had that internal sense that if they only pulled themselves together somehow they’d not be disabled."

Loved reading this, thanks for sharing it. A really powerful observation about nearly everyone at the training having "that internal sense that if they only pulled themselves together somehow they’d not be disabled".

A PSA that no one is ever too old to read a Discworld novel or too young for the Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness

Absolutely not! I read them when I was younger but I come back to the Discworld every few years. Incredibly rich world building, clever social commentary & rich characters, written with a lot of heart. A few aimed at a younger audience (Tiffany Aching/Wee Free Men) but most are good reads for adults

I'm increasingly convinced this is a huge driver of dissatisfaction with govt

Council tax is one of the most visible taxes that people pay, it goes directly out of their bank account and they get a letter about it going up every year

Yet bin collection frequency falls and libraries close

Did a little interview with @beckiesmith.bsky.social @civilserviceworld.bsky.social - thanks v much Beckie for having me! :)

Say what you will about GOV.UK, but this kind of thing (which is, to be clear, an absolutely outrageous political statement to make on an official government website) would never happen

This is horrifying rhetoric. Saying "if you're sick or disabled" in the same breath as suggesting people don't deserve state support if they haven't contributed isn't just nonsense, it's stigmatising and harmful to push the idea (that this government seems v fond of) that everyone CAN work

Read the autumn 2025 issue of Civil Service World Can government break the link between background and opportunity? Plus: exclusive interviews with civil service reform DG Janet Hughes, MoJ digital...

Great (if not surprising!) to see such a strong emphasis on openness, collaboration and community from @janethughes.bsky.social in the latest @civilserviceworld.bsky.social

www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...

The obvious image that comes to mind is a phoenix. Whether the Lib Dems would welcome that or not...

It's been an exciting three months putting together our autumn issue as @suzannahb.bsky.social and @jessbowie.bsky.social move on to Exciting New Things (more ↓) and a delight to hand over the news desk to the ace @tevyemarkson.bsky.social.

Read the autumn issue: library.myebook.com/csw/civil-se...

An open copy of CSW's autumn issue, an A4 magazine, on a wooden table. On the left-hand page is a column with the title "from the editor". The right-hand page is obscured by a second copy of the magazine, which has a red front cover with an illustration of an adult and a child standing in an open doorway, light streaming through it, at the top of some stairs. The magazine has the CSW logo at the top and the title "Opportunity knocks: can government break the link between background and success?" in large lettering on the front.

Personal news! I'm now managing editor of @civilserviceworld.bsky.social, which means I'll be editing our quarterly print magazine from now on. If you're a senior civil servant with ideas about what you'd like to see in it, get in touch!

I've always been deeply suspicious of people who only voice concern about one cause when they're objecting to another. See also: men who comment on articles/posts about women's rights, saying "but what about men's mental health?" but never mention it outside of that. It's in bad faith.

Managing expectations: What do officials think of performance management in the civil service? Pat McFadden has said failure to tackle poor performers is “one of the biggest barriers” civil servants face. But what do CSW readers think of how ...

“It’s an open secret in the civil service that you can’t get rid of repeat poor performers,” says @jo3hill.bsky.social

Less than a third of civil servants in our survey said they believe talent and performance management is taken seriously: www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...

Managing expectations: What do officials think of performance management in the civil service? Pat McFadden has said failure to tackle poor performers is “one of the biggest barriers” civil servants face. But what do CSW readers think of how ...

What do officials think of performance management in the civil service? Here's what we found in our Alternative People Survey with @re-state.bsky.social...

(Spoiler: one of the responses is “I have never seen talented colleagues so demoralised.”)

www.civilserviceworld.com/in-depth/art...

As I told @listentotimesradio.bsky.social, the premise that the civil service isn’t impartial because its inclusive and doesn’t discriminate against the LGBT+ community doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.

When does a commitment to treat people equally become political?

Great interview and write up - your first paragraph really gets to the heart of it. There's nothing simple or straightforward about this subject!

This is so important. I remember discussing this as an abstract concept at school, but my feelings on it have become a lot more complex since becoming disabled and seeing the everyday reality of disabled people around me (and seeing many, many discussions of MAID among pwME in particular).