Chris Hewson
@chrishewson.bsky.social
Head of Policy Engagement, University of Huddersfield; sociology PhD; advocate of knowledge exchange; co-chair Universities Policy Engagement Network; appreciator of reasonably priced fine wine; understander of the power of football to ruin your weekend.
Pinned
Cracking Radio 4 piece that argues Melania Trump has redefined the role of 'first lady' by adding absolutely sod all value. #insightful
January 29, 2026 at 8:26 AM
Cracking Radio 4 piece that argues Melania Trump has redefined the role of 'first lady' by adding absolutely sod all value. #insightful
I noted a couple of weeks ago that in all my years I'd never seen a goal from beyond the half way line. I can now cross that off the list. ❌
Huddersfield Town [1] - 0 Luton Town - Ryan Ledson (Great Goal)
January 27, 2026 at 11:09 PM
I noted a couple of weeks ago that in all my years I'd never seen a goal from beyond the half way line. I can now cross that off the list. ❌
Hmmm. It's going to be wine again, isn't it?
January 27, 2026 at 5:42 PM
Hmmm. It's going to be wine again, isn't it?
Not sure you can ever forgive Robbie Williams for violating this record. RIP Sly Dunbar.
Imagine drumming on Double Barrel when you're 18, then going on to play on Police And Thieves, Pull Up To The Bumper, and a million crucial recordings. And, of course, Boops (a track I often get obsessed with). Like the LP title, Sly Dunbar was a Rhythm Killer. R.I.P. www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVIs...
Sly And Robbie - Boops Here To Go [1987] Official Music Video Remastered @Videos80s
YouTube video by 80's 90's Music Video's Remastered @Videos80s
www.youtube.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Not sure you can ever forgive Robbie Williams for violating this record. RIP Sly Dunbar.
Genuinely. Why is everyone so bad at this?
The first paragraph of the Conservative Party response to Suella Braverman's defection:
“It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect. The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy."
“It was always a matter of when, not if, Suella would defect. The Conservatives did all we could to look after Suella’s mental health, but she was clearly very unhappy."
January 26, 2026 at 3:45 PM
Genuinely. Why is everyone so bad at this?
Genuinely useful tool. Have a play!
📊 Just launched: An interactive dashboard for visualising UK university finance data published by HESA.
Compare universities. Explore key financial indicators, trends and correlations.
🔗 shiny.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/lpzjd/uni-fi...
#UKHE #OpenData #rstats #AcademicSky
Compare universities. Explore key financial indicators, trends and correlations.
🔗 shiny.psychology.nottingham.ac.uk/lpzjd/uni-fi...
#UKHE #OpenData #rstats #AcademicSky
January 26, 2026 at 11:37 AM
Genuinely useful tool. Have a play!
What?
Britain’s business secretary Peter Kyle has called for MPs’ pay to be directly linked to GDP, to incentivise Westminster into prioritising economic growth
www.ft.com/content/e401...
www.ft.com/content/e401...
Link MPs’ pay to GDP, says UK business secretary
Peter Kyle calls on government departments to do more to boost economic growth
www.ft.com
January 25, 2026 at 4:24 PM
What?
Reposted by Chris Hewson
Maybe someone who is repeatedly cack handed in his attempts to take over the leadership of the Labour party isn't all that and you should cast the net a little wider when it comes to Starmer's replacement, eh?
January 25, 2026 at 12:46 PM
Maybe someone who is repeatedly cack handed in his attempts to take over the leadership of the Labour party isn't all that and you should cast the net a little wider when it comes to Starmer's replacement, eh?
Interesting that Kemi Badenoch liked classic Dr Who and Some Mother's do 'Ave 'Em. It does show in her leadership style. #desertislanddiscs
January 25, 2026 at 10:22 AM
Interesting that Kemi Badenoch liked classic Dr Who and Some Mother's do 'Ave 'Em. It does show in her leadership style. #desertislanddiscs
They're... reintroducing the Great Auk??
January 24, 2026 at 8:54 AM
They're... reintroducing the Great Auk??
It's the usual story here. Senior leaders are relieved that this is, at least, an actual policy position. Those who understand HE are asking why we're putting unnecessary restrictions on a sector in which we're genuinely world class.
www.ft.com/content/a23c...
www.ft.com/content/a23c...
UK drops target for international student recruitment
Government to encourage education providers to open campuses overseas as it focuses on reducing migration
www.ft.com
January 20, 2026 at 8:59 AM
It's the usual story here. Senior leaders are relieved that this is, at least, an actual policy position. Those who understand HE are asking why we're putting unnecessary restrictions on a sector in which we're genuinely world class.
www.ft.com/content/a23c...
www.ft.com/content/a23c...
Reposted by Chris Hewson
It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
Maybe we can, oh I dunno, start to have a conversation with voters about this? The problem is not going to go away.
The way politics is being conducted by both the tories and Labour seems surreal to me. We have a lunatic in the WH who simply cannot be relied on to be an ally, indeed the opposite, we need to spend a ton of cash on defence and no-one seems to think voters might need to be, er, readied for all this
January 18, 2026 at 1:54 PM
It continues to be a bad failure that essentially there's a policy debate that is obvious to you if you read a business newspaper OR the gov dot uk website or the MI5 threat update OR a decent policy Substack is basically invisible on the BBC and in 90 per cent of Commons debates.
Alongside my Universities Policy Engagement Network co-chairs, we argue for the increased use of the research and innovation system (universities) in providing expertise and capacity to Government - structural barriers notwithstanding (a whole other piece)
www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
Universities are ready to play a bigger role in supporting government
Higher education offers a different and complementary kind of public value from those offered by traditional consultancies and think tanks
www.civilserviceworld.com
January 16, 2026 at 10:20 PM
Alongside my Universities Policy Engagement Network co-chairs, we argue for the increased use of the research and innovation system (universities) in providing expertise and capacity to Government - structural barriers notwithstanding (a whole other piece)
www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
'We do things differently in the North'. Including but not limited to bending the parameters of space and time.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
'Warrington via Manchester Airpont please': Inaccurate railway map deleted
"Good to see Manchester Piccadilly back west of the Pennines again"
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 7:50 AM
'We do things differently in the North'. Including but not limited to bending the parameters of space and time.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater...
Brass neck klaxon 📣
January 14, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Brass neck klaxon 📣
Teams telling me there's someone waiting in the lobby, when that person is in fact me.
a cartoon of two spidermans standing in front of a nypd van
ALT: a cartoon of two spidermans standing in front of a nypd van
media.tenor.com
January 14, 2026 at 12:02 PM
Teams telling me there's someone waiting in the lobby, when that person is in fact me.
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the role our entrenched intuitions as a bulwark against anti-democratic sentiment
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
Royal Society president reignites Elon Musk row by defending lack of action
Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul Nurse
www.theguardian.com
January 14, 2026 at 8:48 AM
Not exactly a ringing endorsement of the role our entrenched intuitions as a bulwark against anti-democratic sentiment
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
There is no conceivable timeline where I needed to know who Delcy Rodríguez was.
January 8, 2026 at 8:09 AM
There is no conceivable timeline where I needed to know who Delcy Rodríguez was.
Am I just grumpy because it's the first week of January, or is this Emma Barnett interview with Ed Davey far worse than usual?
January 7, 2026 at 7:58 AM
Am I just grumpy because it's the first week of January, or is this Emma Barnett interview with Ed Davey far worse than usual?
Reposted by Chris Hewson
Sublime shithousery from the @financialtimes.com 🤌🏽
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter: shorturl.at/QkJ5A
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter: shorturl.at/QkJ5A
January 6, 2026 at 6:37 PM
Sublime shithousery from the @financialtimes.com 🤌🏽
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter: shorturl.at/QkJ5A
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter: shorturl.at/QkJ5A
Given his stance on money lenders, I'd urge caution
January 6, 2026 at 7:24 PM
Given his stance on money lenders, I'd urge caution
Reposted by Chris Hewson
i would suggest an online safety act that can’t deal with CSAM on a widely used social network frequented by most westminster public figures isn’t doing a very good job of keeping anybody safe online
January 5, 2026 at 2:55 PM
i would suggest an online safety act that can’t deal with CSAM on a widely used social network frequented by most westminster public figures isn’t doing a very good job of keeping anybody safe online
Reposted by Chris Hewson
Hard to imagine they could be any sillier than the things you genuinely say
January 5, 2026 at 1:47 PM
Hard to imagine they could be any sillier than the things you genuinely say