Duncan Robinson
@duncanrobinson.bsky.social
Write Bagehot column for the Economist. Comment writer of the year at British Journalism Awards 2024
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
job news. This month I'll be filling @tomsasse.bsky.social's large shoes as the Economist's public policy editor, based in the Britain section. I'll be focusing particularly on the most interesting question in politics at the moment - what's gone wrong with state capacity and how to fix it
January 5, 2026 at 9:19 PM
job news. This month I'll be filling @tomsasse.bsky.social's large shoes as the Economist's public policy editor, based in the Britain section. I'll be focusing particularly on the most interesting question in politics at the moment - what's gone wrong with state capacity and how to fix it
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Set out six months ago to investigative some dubious evictions. Ended up writing a sprawling story spread over 450 years about London property deals, the ethics of money lending, Tommy Robinson, Barbary pirates, Jacobean earls, and wealth in the capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/henry-smit...
A Tale Of One City And Two Henry Smiths
These two London landlords are separated by four centuries — but joined by a common name and business interests.
www.londoncentric.media
January 1, 2026 at 9:26 AM
Set out six months ago to investigative some dubious evictions. Ended up writing a sprawling story spread over 450 years about London property deals, the ethics of money lending, Tommy Robinson, Barbary pirates, Jacobean earls, and wealth in the capital. www.londoncentric.media/p/henry-smit...
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
In Europe’s highly regulated markets, prices cannot adjust to balance demand and supply
Forget affordability. Europe has an availability crisis
Tight regulation is largely to blame
econ.st
January 2, 2026 at 4:40 PM
In Europe’s highly regulated markets, prices cannot adjust to balance demand and supply
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Genuinely interesting article that correctly isolates the affordability problem as largely one about Baumol cost disease and the issue of positional goods generating zero sum battles in a world of higher wealth inequality. Great stuff
"Maddeningly, voters want contradictory things: low prices when they shop, high wages for themselves; not many immigrants but lots of cheap labour; rising house prices when they own and lower ones when their children want to buy"
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
From The Economist
www.economist.com/leaders/2025...
From The Economist
The truth about affordability
Voters in rich countries are angry about prices. Politicians could make things worse
www.economist.com
January 2, 2026 at 11:30 AM
Genuinely interesting article that correctly isolates the affordability problem as largely one about Baumol cost disease and the issue of positional goods generating zero sum battles in a world of higher wealth inequality. Great stuff
The Blob, the Groups and now The Stakeholder state
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has shown supremacy of the Stakeholder State
www.thetimes.com/article/3720...
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has shown supremacy of the Stakeholder State
www.thetimes.com/article/3720...
January 1, 2026 at 10:41 PM
The Blob, the Groups and now The Stakeholder state
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has shown supremacy of the Stakeholder State
www.thetimes.com/article/3720...
Alaa Abd el-Fattah has shown supremacy of the Stakeholder State
www.thetimes.com/article/3720...
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Nonsense of course. Eat 2g of activated charcoal before bed: all else is commentary.
Tis the season for eggnog, mulled wine, champagne — and hangovers.
There are some things you can do before, during and after drinking to minimize your pain the next day. https://wapo.st/49sSRSJ
There are some things you can do before, during and after drinking to minimize your pain the next day. https://wapo.st/49sSRSJ
December 31, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Nonsense of course. Eat 2g of activated charcoal before bed: all else is commentary.
The battle against Big Foam
Great. Focuses on the greatest carbon and cost of living return for finite govt green funding despite a bit of pushback from a small insulation lobby dependent on current v poor vfm allocation. Talk of 10k job losses but I bet plenty already do a bit of PV/battery stuff and more will start.
THE TIMES: Solar grants for millions to cut home energy use #TomorrowsPapersToday
December 30, 2025 at 11:12 AM
The battle against Big Foam
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
My and Henry's old boss was one of the worst offenders on write rounds. He once made me refuse to agree to some random DEFRA thing unless they'd change food standards for the DfE cafeteria.
December 30, 2025 at 11:00 AM
My and Henry's old boss was one of the worst offenders on write rounds. He once made me refuse to agree to some random DEFRA thing unless they'd change food standards for the DfE cafeteria.
This is great
New post just out:
"Advice for advisers - 14 lessons for making government work"
A final guest post of the year from former PM adviser Henry de Zoete on how to make things happen in power.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/a...
"Advice for advisers - 14 lessons for making government work"
A final guest post of the year from former PM adviser Henry de Zoete on how to make things happen in power.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/a...
Advice for advisers - 14 lessons for making government work
We have one final guest post this year from Henry de Zoete who wrote for us a few months ago on “How to Make Government Work” with a case study of the AI Security Institute.
open.substack.com
December 30, 2025 at 10:51 AM
This is great
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
my 1200 page debut novel takes place entirely within the eight second countdown to decide whether you want a receipt on a waitrose self-service checkout
December 29, 2025 at 2:18 PM
my 1200 page debut novel takes place entirely within the eight second countdown to decide whether you want a receipt on a waitrose self-service checkout
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Anyone done a cumulative cost of how much the UK has spent on the work done for Leeds not to have a Tram in the years between 1980 and 2025.
My back of an envelope call is about £1Bn ……. And that doesn’t include the opportunity costs and lost economic benefits
My back of an envelope call is about £1Bn ……. And that doesn’t include the opportunity costs and lost economic benefits
December 27, 2025 at 3:59 PM
Anyone done a cumulative cost of how much the UK has spent on the work done for Leeds not to have a Tram in the years between 1980 and 2025.
My back of an envelope call is about £1Bn ……. And that doesn’t include the opportunity costs and lost economic benefits
My back of an envelope call is about £1Bn ……. And that doesn’t include the opportunity costs and lost economic benefits
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
I just listened to this podcast, having missed it when we first aired it in August. It’s well worth your time.
Rosie Blau’s father was on the last boat from Poland before the Nazis invaded, and never spoke about the family he left behind. Listen to the story again as you spend time with family over Christmas
The last boat
And the legacy of survival
econ.st
December 27, 2025 at 4:04 PM
I just listened to this podcast, having missed it when we first aired it in August. It’s well worth your time.
Not much. Panic bought a whole lil pig, wbu?
December 24, 2025 at 1:30 PM
Not much. Panic bought a whole lil pig, wbu?
Just mad
Westminster Voting Intention:
RFM: 25% (-3)
LAB: 20% (+2)
CON: 19% (+2)
LDM: 15% (+1)
GRN: 15% (-2)
SNP: 3% (-1)
Via @yougov.co.uk, 21-22 Dec.
Changes w/ 14-15 Dec.
RFM: 25% (-3)
LAB: 20% (+2)
CON: 19% (+2)
LDM: 15% (+1)
GRN: 15% (-2)
SNP: 3% (-1)
Via @yougov.co.uk, 21-22 Dec.
Changes w/ 14-15 Dec.
December 23, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Just mad
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Not super famous but this is a good one in terms of 'media coverage and big fandoms'. Only about 4x the plays of @duncanrobinson.bsky.social's university band.
December 22, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Not super famous but this is a good one in terms of 'media coverage and big fandoms'. Only about 4x the plays of @duncanrobinson.bsky.social's university band.
I’m a high-minded intellectual mum
Northern cities can’t thrive when London keeps throttling them
www.thetimes.com/article/7bbd...
Northern cities can’t thrive when London keeps throttling them
www.thetimes.com/article/7bbd...
December 21, 2025 at 9:02 AM
I’m a high-minded intellectual mum
Northern cities can’t thrive when London keeps throttling them
www.thetimes.com/article/7bbd...
Northern cities can’t thrive when London keeps throttling them
www.thetimes.com/article/7bbd...
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
It only took a year but we did it, thanks Bluesky people! www.yorkmix.com/pictures-yor...
I now know more about the UK artificial tree market than I'd ever expected.
I now know more about the UK artificial tree market than I'd ever expected.
OK, fairly deranged question really, but does anyone know how you’d go about getting a giant indoor artificial tree like this built in a primary school library as a reading hub? I’ve raised some funds for this and don’t know if you go off the shelf, get a set designer (do you know one?) or whatever.
December 14, 2025 at 8:57 AM
It only took a year but we did it, thanks Bluesky people! www.yorkmix.com/pictures-yor...
I now know more about the UK artificial tree market than I'd ever expected.
I now know more about the UK artificial tree market than I'd ever expected.
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Completely right from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com that we are increasingly in an age of zero-sum politics.
In the latest edition of @renewaljournal.bsky.social, @paulmason.bsky.social wrote about what this means for social democrats:
renewal.org.uk/articles/soc...
In the latest edition of @renewaljournal.bsky.social, @paulmason.bsky.social wrote about what this means for social democrats:
renewal.org.uk/articles/soc...
December 19, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Completely right from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com that we are increasingly in an age of zero-sum politics.
In the latest edition of @renewaljournal.bsky.social, @paulmason.bsky.social wrote about what this means for social democrats:
renewal.org.uk/articles/soc...
In the latest edition of @renewaljournal.bsky.social, @paulmason.bsky.social wrote about what this means for social democrats:
renewal.org.uk/articles/soc...
Give the people a bigger pie!!!!! Everyone loves pie!!!!!
That's what bothers me most about degrowth. Not the lack of stuff but that it would absolutely destroy society in loads of ways.
December 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Give the people a bigger pie!!!!! Everyone loves pie!!!!!
Read the paper version of this book and it's very convincing
December 19, 2025 at 12:25 PM
Read the paper version of this book and it's very convincing
www.ft.com/content/30a4... Very good frame from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com
Welcome to the age of zero-sum politics
A stalled economic conveyor belt is behind the rise of anti-system, anti-growth parties on both the right and left
www.ft.com
December 19, 2025 at 11:57 AM
www.ft.com/content/30a4... Very good frame from @jburnmurdoch.ft.com
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
Also, as with the 'amazing' performance in Barking, this is a bit of a mirage. The 2006 Lambeth result (which still saw Lab lose share) is only 'better than average' compared to 2002, when Labour had a worse than average result in the borough. Against 1998, the change is about average.
December 18, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Also, as with the 'amazing' performance in Barking, this is a bit of a mirage. The 2006 Lambeth result (which still saw Lab lose share) is only 'better than average' compared to 2002, when Labour had a worse than average result in the borough. Against 1998, the change is about average.
Some pieces are easy to write as the imagery is so stark. www.economist.com/britain/2025...
December 18, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Some pieces are easy to write as the imagery is so stark. www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Reposted by Duncan Robinson
rightly highlighting the betrayal that everyone is obviously most keenly devastated that the prime minister has made: his betrayal against the city of his (and my) alma mater
question to which the answer is: yes
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
December 18, 2025 at 1:51 PM
rightly highlighting the betrayal that everyone is obviously most keenly devastated that the prime minister has made: his betrayal against the city of his (and my) alma mater