Jon Dean

@jondeanstuff.bsky.social

160 followers 240 following 38 posts

Associate Professor in Politics and Sociology, Sheffield Hallam University. Charity researcher. Views my own

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Political science 36%

Sociology 35%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott , and 2 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Lesley A. Hall, Jon Dean

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 4h

Harrison Pitt accuses the King of treachery. Pitt is a Senior Policy Fellow for Rupert Lowe's Restore Britain, who also regularly co-hosts podcasts with his ally Tomlinson (who advocates banning all ethnic and faith minorities from public office). Like Lowe, Pitt is keen to dissolve boundaries/norms

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Stephen Jones, David L. Anderson , and 1 more Richard S.J. Tol, Stephen Jones, David L. Anderson, Jon Dean

Micah @rincewind.run · 19h

Discworld QOTD, from Hogfather

All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.

Reposted by Shannon Vallor, Steve Peers, Ralf Michaels , and 22 more Shannon Vallor, Steve Peers, Ralf Michaels, Fabián Muniesa, David S. Cohen, Rebecca Williams, Daniel W. Drezner, Trevon D. Logan, Felicity Callard, Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Stacy D. VanDeveer, Timothy Burke, Nora V. Demleitner, Aurélien Mondon, Mark Rice, Nelson Flores, Hisham Zerriffi, Jon Dean, Joanna L. Grossman, Daxton R. Stewart, Nicole Guenther Discenza, David Waldstreicher, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 3d

Worth noting that the student admits that she just threw the thing together in 30 minutes without reading the paper she was supposed to be responding to.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Richard S.J. Tol, Dorothy Bishop , and 11 more Kim L. Scheppele, Richard S.J. Tol, Dorothy Bishop, Brigitte Nerlich, Brendan Nyhan, Ken Caldeira, Tim Bale, Jonathan Wolff, John Collins, Daniel W. Drezner, R. M. Wilson, Michael D. McDonald, Jon Dean, David Darmofal

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 3d

Burgum: "Today we're sending notifications to the 5 large offshore wind projects that are under construction that their leases will be suspended due to national security concerns ... the Dept of War has come back conclusively that these large offshore wind programs create radar interference"

Reposted by Adrian Daub, Jon Dean

Dr Kevin Guyan @kevinguyan.bsky.social · 4d

Also, who do I need to write to complain about the substandard advertising used to promote my events at universities? Pfft. Have university administrators never heard of Canva?

Extract from the BBC News article that reads:

She alleged that her freedom of speech was restricted in a number of ways, including:

* The number of attendees being restricted to 60 staff, postgraduate students and members of the public.

* Undergraduate students being prohibited from attending.

* Limited advertising being provided for the event.

* A venue for the event being chosen which was vulnerable to protests

* Reasonable steps not being taken to prevent the talk being disrupted.

Reposted by Andrew Scott, Rebecca Tushnet, Ben Tonra , and 4 more Andrew Scott, Rebecca Tushnet, Ben Tonra, Glen O’Hara, Jesús García, Jon Dean, Francesco Nicoli

Dave Keating @davekeating.substack.com · 4d

My entire X timeline is anti-EU posts from people I don't follow.

Even if I change it from 'for you' to 'following', it switches back to 'for you' each time I open the site.

X is being weaponised against the EU. And unfortunately X is still the public square for European journalists & politicians.

Reposted by Andrew Scott, Jon Dean, Victoria Moul

John Self @john-self.bsky.social · 6d

Every time there's a breaking story about a celeb's treatment of women, everyone in the book world asks, "Is it finally Walliams?" Well, it finally is.

Exclusive: David Walliams dropped by publisher over inappropriate behaviour towards women

Telegraph investigation into best-selling children’s author uncovers claims that he ‘harassed’ junior female employees at Harper Collins

www.telegraph.co.uk

Reposted by Jon Dean

Eli Valley @elivalley.bsky.social · 7d

"My daughter opposes genocide and also sexual abuse. Where did I go wrong?"

"The Free Press" tweet:

Jewish parents are “shocked,” “confused,” and “upset” by their children’s radical politics. They wondered if they should have parented differently. Did their children get enough Jewish education? Were they brainwashed by their elite private schools? Where did they go wrong?

“Maybe I failed in the sense that the kids didn’t go to Israel enough,” a 63-year-old physician in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, told me. He said his daughter, a civil rights attorney, holds anti-Zionist views and refused to vote for former New York governor Andrew Cuomo due to his alleged sexual harassment. “It would’ve been better if they went more, just to see the lies they’re being told.”

Read the full piece by
@Olivia_Reingold
here:

With pic of some person and the text "The Jewish Parents Who Raised Mamdani Voters by Olivia Reingold"

Reposted by Jon Dean

Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 7d

Matt’s journey from someone who sat on a government task force on tackling Islamophobia in the 2010s to this is actually not surprising given his absolute lack of moral compass.

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 8d

Matthew Goodwin objects to prosecuting this: ‘I think it’s time for the British to gang together, hit the streets and start the slaughter. Violence and murder is the only way now. Start off burning every migrant hotel then head off to MPs’ houses and Parliament, we need to take over by FORCE.’

Reposted by Timothy Snyder, Jan W. Mueller, Laurent Pech , and 4 more Timothy Snyder, Jan W. Mueller, Laurent Pech, Michael H. Whitworth, Jon Dean, Gerry Hassan, David Darmofal

Senate Judiciary Democrats 🇺🇸 @judiciarydems.senate.gov · 8d

Sen. BLUMENTHAL: Was the U.S. Capitol attacked on January 6, 2021?

Trump nominee: *dodges*

Trump nominee: *dodges*

Trump nominee: Well, individuals entered the Capitol.

Blumenthal: You are in fear—how will you have the courage to be fair and impartial?

Reposted by Jon Dean

FreeLinkophant Shelley B Woke - Living Saint of Purity🏳️‍⚧️🖤💜🤍 💛 @shelleybwoke.bsky.social · 9d

"a regrettable cost" - Kathleen Stock

Given the occasional fallibility of our capacity to sex others, arguing for same-sex spaces for females, such as bathrooms, dormitories, and changing rooms, means that sometimes, females in those spaces will be missexed; and sometimes, males in those spaces will not be perceived as such. We see the former as a regrettable cost that has to be balanced against, and is nonetheless smaller than, the greater harms to females, should women-only space effectively become unisex via a policy of self-ID. We see the latter as something that no open society can do anything about, and which it would be illiberal to try to prevent. But our saying this has no consequences for what we should say about the vast majority of cases of trans women, who don't visually pass, and who therefore easily can be identified as male by nearly all other people. To say that all non-passing trans women should be

Reposted by Will Jennings, Becky Francis, Lesley A. Hall , and 1 more Will Jennings, Becky Francis, Lesley A. Hall, Jon Dean

Peter Jukes @peterjukes.bsky.social · 13d

The number of murders in the capital in the first nine months (1st January to 30th September) of 2025 is the lowest since monthly records began and represents a fall of almost 60 per cent compared to 2003.

www.london.gov.uk/london-recor...

London records fewest homicides this year since monthly records began

The number of homicides in London in the first nine months of 2025 was lower than any year since monthly homicide records began in 2003, according to new analysis from the Mayor’s Office for Policing ...

www.london.gov.uk

Reposted by Michael Cox, Dorothy Bishop, Peter Thorne , and 24 more Michael Cox, Dorothy Bishop, Peter Thorne, James M. Bullock, Steve Peers, Tom Shakespeare, Praveetha Patalay, Leigh Sparks, Catherine Baker, Lesley A. Hall, Alex Callinicos, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Alan Stewart, Rebecca Williams, Kate Lancaster, Margot C. Finn, Stephen Ryan, Steven Fielding, Aurélien Mondon, Stuart White, Katrina Navickas, Lukas Graf, Jon Dean, Christina Pagel, Farah Mendlesohn, David Neilson, Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Robin Ince @robinince.bsky.social · 13d

Very sad that I felt I had no choice but to resign from The Infinite Monkey Cage - a victory for the transphobes and other bigots - I did it because so much of the media has chosen to believe the kind and empathetic people are a fiction - they are real and so often unrepresented.

This is the saddest day of my professional life.
Today is not only the final recording of the latest series of The Infinite Monkey Cage, it is my last ever Monkey Cage.
I never thought that I would have to leave the show. I always imagined going on until | dropped dead under the studio lights due to a brain aneurysm caused by my final attempt to understand notions of quantum gravity or the shock of being told about fly maggot infestations in the sacks of macaque monkeys.
I resigned in September, after sixteen years of dedication to the show,
A show that I named and helped develop over all those years.
Unfortunately, my opinions outside the BBC have been considered problematic for sometime, whether it has been voicing support for the trans community, criticism of Donald Trump, numerous other outlandish opinions, including once gently criticising Stephen Fry.
These things were considered to conflict with being a freelance BBC science presenter

In a recent meeting where BBC Studio executives again voiced problems with me, I realised my choices.
Obedience and being quieter to remain making Monkey Cage, or 'Resign and have the freedom to speak out against what I believe are injustices'.
•
I chose the latter.
It broke my heart.
I love this show and I love the audience, and it is because of the audience in particular, that this decision was so difficult to make.
I kept thinking about all the extremist voices promoting hate and division. They are being given so many platforms, while voices that represent kindness, open mindedness, empathy seem to be scarcer and scarcer.
I felt I couldn't pamper myself with the luxury of silence.
One of my many privileges is that I am able to resign and I can speak out even if it is to the detriment of my career.

I have thought a lot about my heroes, Sinead O Connor, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, and so many more.
I think of Sinead's words, "the job of an artist is to be themselves at any cost".
James Baldwin said prejudice was really just a word for cowardice.
Audre Lorde, viewing her life, wrote that her only regrets were her silences.
I think of my father as I resign, he brought me up to believe in fairness , justice and kindness.
Though my heart is broken, it is also full of fire.
I apologise to our incredible listeners for my departure, your love of the show means a great deal.
I am so sorry to let you down.
I hope that you can understand my reasoning.
I have to accept that I am not what the current
BBC expects of their freelance presenters.

Despite this I should add that I have always worked far more than my contracted hours to try and ensure the show was always the best it could be, as well as making myself accessible and responsive to the audience wherever and whenever I met them. Every night, we have recorded, I have been filled with determination to make the best show possible. This was not
"just a job"
I hope that with my departure I can be a better ally to the LGBTQ community, to the neurodivergent community, to activists fighting against those who aim to brutalise society, to those currently in prison on hunger strike, and to all those who fight for a more inclusive world.
From many conversations, I know there are many Monkey Cage listeners who support these communities and activists too.
The strawberry is dead.
Long live the strawberry. B

Reposted by Steve Peers, Julian R. Betts, Jon Dean , and 1 more Steve Peers, Julian R. Betts, Jon Dean, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò

David Eve • 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @discokidnap.bsky.social · 16d

Fuck this shit.

Screenshot of email from Proud Lilywhites. Picture of Progress Pride flag with Spurs cockerel overlaid.

Text:

Dear David,
We wanted to let you all know that Slavia Prague have asked the Club to remove the Progress flag from the North East corner for tonight's game. They've said they have security concerns on their side if it stays in place.
The Club pushed back but Slavia have held their position. As with any visiting team request of this kind, the Club is honouring it on safety grounds.
We are of course frustrated. You don't get to come to our house and dictate what's acceptable, let alone kick off about a flag that represents our own community. But here we are.
We wanted you to hear it directly from us. We wanted to be sure that you know that this is an opposition team request and no reflection of the Club's commitment to the Proud Lilywhites.
Love and Solidarity
Proud Lilywhites Committee

Reposted by Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks, Alison Phipps , and 2 more Steve Peers, Leigh Sparks, Alison Phipps, Jon Dean, Christina Pagel

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 17d

Asked repeatedly about Donald Trump calling Sadiq Khan "disgusting" and suggesting that he was only elected because of immigrants, Keir Starmer's spokesman says only that the PM has a "strong relationship" with the President which has "yielded positive results for this country"

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Jon Dean

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 17d

No good deed, thanks to the vicious propaganda campaigns of the billionaire media, now goes unpunished.
They hate it when anyone tries to make life better for vulnerable people.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

UK charities face ‘culture of fear’ as threats and violence surge

Exclusive: Charity Commission chief condemns public hostility towards staff helping women and refugees and at places of worship

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jon Dean

Natacha @natacha.bsky.social · 19d

PSA…

Reposted by Jon Dean

flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 19d

Everyone involved knows Mel is a virulently racist fascist lunatic with horrendous views on the use of massive, murderous violence against civilians. But there she still is on Sky News, because her crackpottery is well within acceptable opinion, for our political/media class.

Melanie Phillips on her cousin Trevor’s show

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Shannon Vallor, Ben H. Ansell , and 27 more Jonathan Portes, Shannon Vallor, Ben H. Ansell, Brigitte Nerlich, Peter Thorne, Gordon Pennycook, Steve Peers, Tim Bale, Steven French, Tom Shakespeare, Jonathan Wolff, Ben Barr, Lesley A. Hall, Jonathan Hopkin, Lindsay M. Tedds, Rebecca Tushnet, David Merrett, Aaron Sojourner, Douglas Guilfoyle, Justin Lewis, Aurélien Mondon, Alfie Kohn, David Webster, James Connelly, Colm O’Cinneíde, Jon Dean, Tarik Abou‐Chadi, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Constance Bantman, Peter Jacobs

Jonathan Kingham @jonkingh.bsky.social · 19d

This is so disgusting.

Reposted by Stephan Lewandowsky, Gavin A. Schmidt, Elizabeth Stokoe , and 6 more Stephan Lewandowsky, Gavin A. Schmidt, Elizabeth Stokoe, David Merrett, Stacy D. VanDeveer, David Murakami Wood, Jon Dean, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Farah Mendlesohn

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 20d

Trans women to be barred from main Labour women’s conference in 2026

All delegates will be able to attend fringe programme as party tries to find compromise while complying with supreme court ruling on gender Trans women will be barred from the main part of Labour’s women’s conference next year, the party has said, with entrance to the main conference hall and voting rights denied. All delegates will be allowed to attend a fringe programme, under the party’s plans, as Labour seeks to find a compromise position it believes will comply with the supreme court’s ruling on gender – while also being inclusive to trans delegates. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Cas Mudde, Kim L. Scheppele , and 2 more Jonathan Portes, Cas Mudde, Kim L. Scheppele, Jonathan M. Gilligan, Jon Dean

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 21d

According to this Supreme Court:

❌ Using race conscious admissions in college to give minorities a fair shot

✅ Using race to profile people on the street to detain for immigration sweeps

✅ Using race to disenfranchise minorities in elecciones

The only consistency is white supremacy.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Anna O. Law, Ben H. Ansell , and 26 more Jonathan Portes, Anna O. Law, Ben H. Ansell, Rebecca Solnit, Nandita Sharma, Ashish Arora, Steve Peers, Michael A. Clemens, Mark D. White, Diane Ravitch, David Rothschild, American Library Association, Anders Nilsson, Juan Cole, David R. Miller, Michael Zimmer, Scott A. Imberman, Juan Moreno‐Cruz, Michael D. McDonald, Michael Jones‐Correa, Ann Bartow, Henry Jones, Simon Lester, Jon Dean, John Mecklin, Aidan O’Sullivan, Timothy D. McBride, Dunlap, David Darmofal

Prem Thakker ツ @premthakker.bsky.social · 22d

Agents in Key Largo, Florida ripped this woman wearing medical scrubs out of her car as she screamed she is a US citizen. Agents cuffed her and put her in one of their cars.

She was eventually let go, per David Goodhue of the Miami Herald, who also took this footage:

Reposted by Jon Dean

FinnMackay @finnfox.bsky.social · 22d

woodcraft.org.uk/woodcraft-fo...

Woodcraft Folk statement on the exclusion of trans children from Girlguiding - Woodcraft Folk

Woodcraft Folk stands in solidarity with every trans child, young person and volunteer who faces exclusion from Girlguiding UK following the announcement on Trans inclusion. We recognise that Girlgui...

woodcraft.org.uk

Reposted by Jon Dean

Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 22d

There's not much left of the rule of law if organisations can be financially bullied into not asserting their legal rights. goodlaw.social/sb50

Excluding trans people won’t stop you getting sued | Good Law Project

Girl Guiding and the Women’s Institute have announced that they will now exclude trans women and girls after legal threats – but organisations can and should remain inclusive.

goodlaw.social

Reposted by Jon Dean

Dr Phoenix CS Andrews @thatdocphoenix.com · 22d

We could do with a PMQ, actually. Does the Right Honourable Member agree with me that the use of strategic litigation funded by billionaires to force organisations to exclude trans people is abhorrent and against both the principles of the Equality Act and words of the Supreme Court judges? Etc

Reposted by Jon Dean

Christopher Mims @mims.bsky.social · 23d

It's one thing to read about what's going on. The power of video is how immediate and visceral it makes everything.

Watching people desperate for food talk about how their local food pantry can't feed them anymore because of federal cuts is something else:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krx3...

Trump’s Aid Cuts Are Replacing Fresh Food With Junk

YouTube video by The New York Times

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Jon Dean

Jordan @jordanpfot.bsky.social · 23d

One of the stupidest GC conspiracy theories. I cackle whenever I remember it.

Reposted by Jon Dean

Mollie Goodfellow @hansmollman.bsky.social · 23d

But at least the Women’s Institute will be safe now!!!!!!!!!

Reposted by Cas Mudde, Mark Priestley, Jon Dean

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 23d

Pleased to discover that slightly misnaming the national chess championship you won as a school child is a much more serious offence than repeatedly racially abusing your fellow pupils and telling them they should go to the gas chamber

Reposted by Jon Dean

Alejandra Caraballo @esqueer.net · 23d

All of the UK is pretending that the UK secretly passed the equality act in 2010 that required a national bathroom ban along with a full ban of trans people from society and it was only discovered fifteen years later. It's obscene.

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