Nicholas Allott

“At the very moment when global competition for research talent is intensifying, Britain has made itself less accessible, less attractive, and less affordable.” This is a good article.

Expertise, Government, the Media and Covid It is now generally (although not universally) accepted that those of us who campaigned vigorously against the government’s auster...

New post: Expertise, Government, the Media and Covid
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/expe...
The Covid inquiry shows not just political failure on a deadly scale, but of media failure to transmit expertise and to hold to account politicians that let tens of thousands die unnecessarily.

I’ll never forget the horror of the Covid wards | The Observer

"My NHS colleagues & I weren’t willing to let the bodies pile high in their thousands. Boris no longer mentions them at all."

My piece on the responses to the UK Covid-UK Inquiry report that try to airbrush the dead away.

Sincere thanks, @theobserveruk.bsky.social.

observer.co.uk/news/nationa...

Good journalism; horrifying story.
We should abolish the Home Office.

This focuses on politics. But we should also care about *outcomes*.

In the UK, migrants (both from EU and elsewhere) are more likely to have a job than the UK born. In Denmark, there's a gap of 15-20%. Similarly for education outcomes.

Why would we want to copy that?

A small black cat sitting very close to. And staring up at, a screen showing the small black cat in Flow

The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde

After more than 10 years of “the Danish Model”, nativism is hegemonic in the country, the far right polls near level highs again, and the Social Democrats lost Copenhagen and poll at historic low.

European Social Democrats should look at the facts, not the myths!

Me in @theguardian.com

Christopher Bertram | ‘Core Protection’ Refugeehood is not supposed to be like this. The ideal envisaged by the Refugee Convention is that refugee status should...

Me at the LRB blog on the atrocious refugee policy of Mahmood and Starmer

Here's a suggestion: let's create an
Association for the Abolition of Artsy Acronyms in Academic Applications and Research Groups in the Humanities.
("AAAAAARGH" for short because the full name is too long, and it has a second layer of meaning that beautifully captures the essence of the project...)

Once every 20 years or so, the director-general of the BBC is forced to resign for being insufficiently rightwing. Alastair Milne in 1987. Greg Dyke in 2004. Tim Davie in 2025. The great irony is that the BBC was in all cases profoundly biased towards established power. But just not biased enough …

Time to reshare this piece on the pitfalls of following the road Denmark has taken on immigration: ukandeu.ac.uk/denmarks-mig...

I think this constant push for immigrants to feel & act ‘grateful’ is so insidious. Let’s change the narrative. Migration is a normal part of human behaviour, not a charity case. If you’re doing your best to do your best, you don’t need to do even more to be accepted. It’s your right to be accepted.

Neo-conservativism presaged Trumpian neo-fascism in several respects. It saw violence as a positive policy option not a defensive last resort. It held laws, norms and the lives of non-white people in total contempt. And many, many centrists either cringed in deference to it or actively collaborated.

Black and white cat looking up

Black cat looking straight at the camera

Siblings #caturday #proofofcat

Research should inform policy but that’s tricky if it is almost entirely driven by policy. The independence of research is key to change because if you fund only research that responds to policy (even good policy) you’re less innovative, creative & responsive to the open options of the future.

Malevolence tempered by incompetence

This, from @catherinedevries.bsky.social, is really useful advice for young (and, tbh, old!) academics. Worth passing on if you know any, maybe? catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/fail-bette...

Thank you! There are so many where she's just a black hole or a blur. This one worked because she saw something outside and had to stare for a moment.

Black and white cat, with a strange expression

Black and white cat, eyes half shut

Black and white cat, eyes only just open

Black and white cat, head down, front paws lightly curled, deep asleep

Another eventful Saturday afternoon
#caturday
#catsofbluesky

Black cat sleeping curled up, revealed to be brown in strong sunlight

Like this

Back turned, I think! What had you done?

The secret of black cats showing there! (I mean, they are brown really, but you can only see that in strong light.)

What a handsome fluffy fellow!

What an expression! It's a nice photo.

A beauty! I hope she got what she wanted.

Black cat, sitting on a table and staring into the distance. I think she had seen a bird.

Black cats are normally quite hard to photograph. I like how this one turned out.
#caturday (as they say, although it’s actually from yesterday evening)

This is great. Clear, very well informed, and rightly passionate.

Starmer to end asylum ‘golden ticket’ of resettlement and family reunion rights People granted asylum will have to earn right to invite family in plan charities call ‘straight from populist playbook’

People recognised as refugees fleeing persecution & granted the right to live in the UK to be denied the right to be joined safely by their spouse & children.

This Labour govt is a moral void, a stinking darkness, an empty hollow of cowardice & contempt. #r4today www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Everything politicians tell you about immigration is wrong. This is how it actually works | Hein de Haas Escaping poverty, violence and the climate crisis are factors, but the main driver is rich societies demanding cheap labour, says migration scholar Hein de Haas

There's a good article that's effectively a summary here:
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

How Migration Really Works Global migration is not at an all-time high. The climate emergency will not lead to mass migration. Border restrictions have actually produced more migration. These statements might sound counterintui...

I have found this book really useful
www.penguin.co.uk/books/455478...