Dr Tobias Atkinson

Politicians love "independent" reviews as it let's them claim they are implementing 'evidence-based policy' and shirk responsibility for policy decisions. The policy decision though is often evident in the non-independent selection of the 'independent' experts, "policy-based 'independent' reviews".

Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’

Make no mistake: this isn’t being done in good faith - it’s purely about saving money and moving the goalposts to save money.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

One of the people leading this likely farce is Simon Wessley whose previous work includes a reasonably well debunked study of ME which was used to make it harder for sufferers to get support or recognition. Streeting knows exactly what outcome he wants from this
meassociation.org.uk/2018/02/gove....

Streeting orders review into mental health and ADHD diagnosis The health secretary said the aim was to tackle a rising demand for services and the increased pressure on the NHS.

Considering Streeting's well stated belief autism, ADHD etc, along with mental health issues, are "overdiagnosed", I won't hold my breath for this doing anything other than being used to cut support, along with opportunities for diagnosis, for people who need it. #r4today
www.bbc.com/news/article...

Alarm over government’s choices to lead ‘over-diagnosis’ review that could help ministers cut benefits The government’s decision to commission a review of alleged “over-diagnosis” of mental health conditions and neurodivergence has caused alarm among many disabled people, with fears that it will all…

www.disabilitynewsservice.com/alarm-over-g...

Concerning...

Wes Streeting insists that NHS health records are not for sale.

But handing them to a company like Palantir shatters any chance of public trust ⬇️
https://goodlaw.social/658abc

Wes Streeting is a one-man stigma producing machine. Denying support for trans folks, now seeking to limit who has mental health care.

Why don't we, y'know, invest in housing, communuties, young people, food, art, nature, regulate social media, consider the impact of covid, long covid & deprivation

Neurodiversity is More Than... A symposium organised by Abs S. Ashley and Ombre Tarragnat

🚨 NEURODIVERSITY IS MORE THAN... symposium 📅 4 March 2026, 9-5pm GMT, online. Free to attend, all welcome! Sign up below:

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/neurodiver...

We were thrilled to meet Warda at the Critical Neurodiversity Studies conference last summer and are just as excited for this new, important book.

It's a lazy populist dogwhistle that reinforces ideas of scrounging and undeserving claimants. Many disability benefits are totally unrelated to work status, but do have the effect of making paid employment possible. They also add to human dignity & alleviate suffering - surely worth something too?

Wes Streeting orders review of mental health diagnoses as benefit claims soar Health secretary has asked experts to investigate whether normal feelings have become ‘over-pathologised’

Wes Streeting accuses welfare state disabilty benefits of 'trapping people, not just in poverty, but out of work.' But where is the recognition that disability benefits are often what makes it possible for people with higher living and transport costs to work?
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The price of food alone is 35% higher than just five years ago. And as temperatures drop, the coming months will be harsher than ever for people already living on the sharpest edge.

This winter, thousands of people will walk through the doors of a food bank for the very first time.

So happy HHS is focused on making healthcare accessible and affordable for everyone and not getting bogged down in culture war issues the right invented.

Leading Autism and Disability Organizations Statement on CDC's Vaccines and Autism Page As national organizations dedicated to advancing the well-being of autistic individuals and partners across the disability and public health sectors, we are deeply disappointed by the latest update to...

WOW! Autism Society of America, The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network, the Autism Science Foundation, the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network and Autism Speaks put out a statement denouncing the CDC changing its website on vaccines
autisticadvocacy.org/2025/11/lead...

“Embarrassing” and “horrifying”: CDC workers describe the new vaccines and autism page "The best way I can put it is it feels like we're on a hijacked airplane."

“Embarrassing” and “horrifying”: CDC workers describe the new vaccines and autism page

Same in the UK

Sadly, I now await the already-launched Trump admin attacks on the Nat'l Academies to amp up. Setting the record straight means RFK Jr.'s bunk claims get elevated/legitimated. No choice--public responsibility to correct the record--but I expect to see RFK Jr./HHS respond w/ smearing & other tactics.

The National Academies statement says: “…based on our body of work on this topic and the overwhelming scientific consensus, we support the statement that vaccines do not cause autism.” 2/2

National Academies - Statement on CDC’s Updated Vaccine Guidance National Academies respond to CDC’s updated vaccine guidance, offering scientific context and clarity on vaccine safety.

NEW: The National Academies release statement saying the revised language on @CDCgov web page on links between vaccines and autism, which cited some of the academies work, did not provide the full context. 1/2
www.nationalacademies.org/news/stateme...

An ELSI for AI: Learning from genetics to govern algorithms In the United States, the summer of 2025 will be remembered as artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) cruel summer—a season when the unheeded risks and dangers of AI became undeniably clear. Recent months h...

🧵 The summer of 2025 has been AI's "cruel summer"—wrongful deaths, dangerous therapy chatbots, medical misinformation, facial recognition failures. These aren't isolated glitches but predictable harms from systems deployed without adequate oversight. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

An ELSI for AI: Learning from genetics to govern algorithms In the United States, the summer of 2025 will be remembered as artificial intelligence’s (AI’s) cruel summer—a season when the unheeded risks and dangers of AI became undeniably clear. Recent months h...

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

An interesting read from Alondra Nelson regarding A.I. research.

Strikes suspended in Lancaster University staff job cuts row - BBC News The university is trying to save £30m amid rising costs and a fall in international student numbers.

Lancaster University UCU members have beaten back compulsory redundancies.

After weeks of pressure management has agreed to halt all forced job cuts until July 2026.

This is a victory for jobs and every branch fighting cuts across the sector. We are the university.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The 'Avoiding Avoidance' Trap How Britain's Welfare Policy Weaponizes Therapy.

Incredible article, dissembling the Governments floored Welfare plans by leading Psychotherapist and Activist @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Just days to STOP new NHS private finance debts - take action now Your MP can help STOP plans for new private finance debts in our NHS in the Autumn Budget

🚨BREAKING:

The government has announced they plan to use PFI 2.0 to fund NHS neighbourhood health centres. This will see cash that should go toward treating patients being paid out to private finance investors.

Email your MP now to oppose this plan:
weownit.org.uk/act-now/no-pfi

All your data belongs to us: the rise of Palantir A biography of the tech company’s founder Alex Karp reveals the philosophy behind its troubling conquest of the world

www.newstatesman.com/culture/book...

Good review of recently published biography of Alex Karp.

What Did Men Do to Deserve This? Changes in the economy and in the culture seem to have hit them hard. Scott Galloway believes they need an “aspirational vision of masculinity.”

www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

Useful piece critically analysing American liberal centrist efforts to do positive masculinity politics. Can definitely see parallels with some of the moves that Blue Labour types make here.

Massie was crucial to forging the Epstein bill coalition. What he's saying here -- that Epstein had CIA and Mossad ties -- is supported by reporting, notably the excellent series at Drop Site on Epstein's as an international power broker. The mainstream media has almost entirely ignored this topic.

Jeffrey Epstein Was a Warlord. We Have to Talk About It. Mainstream media is ignoring the fact that the late sex trafficker was a power broker who shaped global policy.

The Jeffrey Esptein scandal the main stream press is ignoring; he was a major player in American foreign policy with deep ties to Israel and other satrapies: www.thenation.com/article/soci...

Daniel Trilling (@trillingual.bsky.social) spoke to dozens of BBC journalists to understand how the corporation came to symbolise the West's failure over Israel's genocide in Gaza.

Read his in-depth report:

www.equator.org/articles/ins...

disabilityarts.online/magazine/new...

Really important project ❤️