Mark Byrne
@markobroin.bsky.social
Comms in think tank land. Irish in London. Interested in politics, policy, books, cats. Yimby. Trustee at Stonewall Housing 🏳️🌈
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Thought this was interesting: medium.com/@jamestplunk...
The disciplines theory of government
Are legacy disciplines dragging the whole operation down?
medium.com
November 19, 2025 at 6:14 PM
Thought this was interesting: medium.com/@jamestplunk...
Reposted by Mark Byrne
New essay out today by me and @acjsissons.bsky.social - ‘Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy’. You can read the whole thing here getting-out-of-the-hole.uk
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
Getting Britain out of the hole
A plan for the UK economy
getting-out-of-the-hole.uk
November 17, 2025 at 8:00 AM
New essay out today by me and @acjsissons.bsky.social - ‘Getting Britain out of the hole: a plan for the economy’. You can read the whole thing here getting-out-of-the-hole.uk
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
A chart mega-thread follows 🧵
Hard to know if asking your MPs to defend seizing jewellery from asylum seekers will improve morale
November 17, 2025 at 9:35 AM
Hard to know if asking your MPs to defend seizing jewellery from asylum seekers will improve morale
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Said this a lot before, but there is no politician conveying any sense of what they think the country should look in 2040 or 2050, so no sense they are taking steps to get there.
Good test of how UK politics at least is failing, there isn't a single frontline politician with a convincing big picture view of the country. Nostalgia, simplism, and warm words will have to do instead.
November 16, 2025 at 10:25 AM
Said this a lot before, but there is no politician conveying any sense of what they think the country should look in 2040 or 2050, so no sense they are taking steps to get there.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
With the ending of permanent asylum, taxes on foreign students, two U-turns on income tax, a refusal to listen to business concerns about hiring costs, again I ask ‘who are Labour for?’ What is the vision underlying all these choices other than responding to last week’s polls?
November 15, 2025 at 10:36 AM
With the ending of permanent asylum, taxes on foreign students, two U-turns on income tax, a refusal to listen to business concerns about hiring costs, again I ask ‘who are Labour for?’ What is the vision underlying all these choices other than responding to last week’s polls?
Reposted by Mark Byrne
The thing to understand about this is that this catastrophe in the UK has redounded to the political benefit of the very same people and political movement that pushed for it! Extremely perverse.
I wonder if the United States can learn anything from the last time a major industrialized country decided to isolate itself from the rest of the world?
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
Almost a decade after the Brexit vote, GDP in the UK is around 6-8% lower relative to peer countries. (Source: www.nber.org/papers/w34459)
November 11, 2025 at 5:23 PM
The thing to understand about this is that this catastrophe in the UK has redounded to the political benefit of the very same people and political movement that pushed for it! Extremely perverse.
I'm afraid this would push me over the edge
November 11, 2025 at 5:45 PM
I'm afraid this would push me over the edge
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Let us simply not check that figure after they stuck most of the BBC in the US behind a paywall a few months ago to increase revenue at the expense of British soft power and influence.
Nowhere in the hysterical pile-on against the BBC in the British press has anyone mentioned that BBC News now has 77 million viewers & listeners in the US and has established itself as the second most trusted news source there.
November 11, 2025 at 1:06 PM
Let us simply not check that figure after they stuck most of the BBC in the US behind a paywall a few months ago to increase revenue at the expense of British soft power and influence.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
A new museum will open in London next year, as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has confirmed its delayed opening date.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/que...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/que...
London’s new Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration to open in May 2026
A new museum will open in London next year, as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has confirmed its delayed opening date.
www.ianvisits.co.uk
November 3, 2025 at 12:52 PM
A new museum will open in London next year, as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration has confirmed its delayed opening date.
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/que...
www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/que...
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Is gas still the reason GB energy prices are high? New Nesta blog by me.
There's been a lot of talk about non-commodity costs on electricity bills, and how they're now dominating bill rises.
My conclusion is: yes, they're a problem and need tackling; but they're not yet as big a problem as gas.
There's been a lot of talk about non-commodity costs on electricity bills, and how they're now dominating bill rises.
My conclusion is: yes, they're a problem and need tackling; but they're not yet as big a problem as gas.
Is gas still the reason energy bills are so high?
Despite rising non-commodity costs on energy bills, high gas prices remain the primary reason for expensive energy for most British households, making the switch to homegrown energy a top priority
www.nesta.org.uk
October 30, 2025 at 10:37 AM
Is gas still the reason GB energy prices are high? New Nesta blog by me.
There's been a lot of talk about non-commodity costs on electricity bills, and how they're now dominating bill rises.
My conclusion is: yes, they're a problem and need tackling; but they're not yet as big a problem as gas.
There's been a lot of talk about non-commodity costs on electricity bills, and how they're now dominating bill rises.
My conclusion is: yes, they're a problem and need tackling; but they're not yet as big a problem as gas.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
This such a perfect patriotic 🇬🇧 Fleet Street cock-up. It's one thing for a news outlet to be duped by a competent hoaxer. Excruciating, yes, but there's a fairly long history of such fuck ups. But to put out a statement SAYING you'd been hoaxed but you'd actually just emailed the wrong guy?
October 30, 2025 at 6:34 AM
This such a perfect patriotic 🇬🇧 Fleet Street cock-up. It's one thing for a news outlet to be duped by a competent hoaxer. Excruciating, yes, but there's a fairly long history of such fuck ups. But to put out a statement SAYING you'd been hoaxed but you'd actually just emailed the wrong guy?
Reposted by Mark Byrne
hello! I have a big profile of James Orr out now in the New World! it includes: a theory as to why he's been written about so incessantly over the past few months www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
October 27, 2025 at 10:20 AM
hello! I have a big profile of James Orr out now in the New World! it includes: a theory as to why he's been written about so incessantly over the past few months www.thenewworld.co.uk/marie-le-con...
GP sent me to A&E today for what I assumed was a minor thing. I got seen very quickly, triaged to urgent care, no tests at all, given antibiotics and asked to come back if it doesn't improve. Odd care pathway surely
October 20, 2025 at 9:04 PM
GP sent me to A&E today for what I assumed was a minor thing. I got seen very quickly, triaged to urgent care, no tests at all, given antibiotics and asked to come back if it doesn't improve. Odd care pathway surely
A lovely weekend with friends, babies and dogs. Absolutely no social media for two days - should do that more
October 19, 2025 at 6:30 PM
A lovely weekend with friends, babies and dogs. Absolutely no social media for two days - should do that more
Jim came in to chat to us at @nestauk.bsky.social about the news, our messed up information environment and (more cheerily) @londoncentric.media. It was brilliant!
I've been doing talks on state of UK news industry for organisations* and they keep saying it's so hard to get a message distributed, let alone talked about? Mass audience gone to video, old media won't carry stuff, Twitter decaying without an equivalent replacement.
*If you want to book me, email!
*If you want to book me, email!
October 17, 2025 at 7:02 AM
Jim came in to chat to us at @nestauk.bsky.social about the news, our messed up information environment and (more cheerily) @londoncentric.media. It was brilliant!
Reposted by Mark Byrne
In one crisp para — & the 2 charts he highlights — @chrisgiles.ft.com bursts a huge number of “welfare” myths www.ft.com/content/ee67...
October 15, 2025 at 4:39 PM
In one crisp para — & the 2 charts he highlights — @chrisgiles.ft.com bursts a huge number of “welfare” myths www.ft.com/content/ee67...
Pretty sunset last night
October 2, 2025 at 7:22 AM
Pretty sunset last night
I'm in Santorini feeding the cats
September 30, 2025 at 2:52 PM
I'm in Santorini feeding the cats
Good thread on a very interesting discussion.
This is a great discussion. What it makes clear to me is that Ezra Klein is lost right now in a way that TNC isn't, and I don't mean that as a dunk.
The past 9 mos, most of us have been navigating w/o magnetic north. Across a range of disciplines, heuristics we took for granted no longer apply.
The past 9 mos, most of us have been navigating w/o magnetic north. Across a range of disciplines, heuristics we took for granted no longer apply.
Opinion | Ta-Nehisi Coates on Bridging Gaps vs. Drawing Lines
www.nytimes.com
September 29, 2025 at 12:17 PM
Good thread on a very interesting discussion.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
“An emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients.”
What an absolutely incredible, joyous achievement for everyone involved. Hurrah for science and scientists! www.bbc.com/news/article...
What an absolutely incredible, joyous achievement for everyone involved. Hurrah for science and scientists! www.bbc.com/news/article...
Huntington's disease successfully treated for first time
One of the most devastating diseases finally has a treatment that could transform lives, tearful doctors tell BBC
www.bbc.com
September 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
“An emotional research team became tearful as they described how data shows the disease was slowed by 75% in patients.”
What an absolutely incredible, joyous achievement for everyone involved. Hurrah for science and scientists! www.bbc.com/news/article...
What an absolutely incredible, joyous achievement for everyone involved. Hurrah for science and scientists! www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Mark Byrne
when the interview goes well: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
September 23, 2025 at 4:13 PM
when the interview goes well: www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a...
Reposted by Mark Byrne
i will concede that if you want to influence other people addicted to X, X is worth using. but if you want to influence the actual public, text-based social media is a fool's errand.
One of the biggest mistakes left-of-center pundits and influencers made was decamping to Bluesky. They made themselves irrelevant, shrunk their audiences, and dramatically lessened the positive impact they could have on our public debate at the precise time we needed it most.
September 20, 2025 at 7:25 PM
i will concede that if you want to influence other people addicted to X, X is worth using. but if you want to influence the actual public, text-based social media is a fool's errand.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Recommended, not in a „worthy initiative” way but because it’s proper interesting and informative journalism about London and nobody else really does it.
A little bit of navel-gazing on the last twelve months of trying to run a start-up local news organisation with no investment or plan, entirely funded by readers. www.londoncentric.media/p/london-new...
One year of London Centric
A selection of our favourite stories that you might have missed — and a quick note from Jim.
www.londoncentric.media
September 20, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Recommended, not in a „worthy initiative” way but because it’s proper interesting and informative journalism about London and nobody else really does it.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Lol. How well did the last govt insulting load-bearing parts of their electoral coalition work out for them? Like they watched what the Lib Dems did to the home counties and wondered what it'd be like if the Greens did that to the two dozen largest university towns.
Right. My students working two part time jobs and/or having an hour and a half commute to uni because they have to live at home due to the cost of student accommodation lack drive and vigour. Sure thing, Peter. The UK Govt still haven't a clue about the realities of universities today.
September 19, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Lol. How well did the last govt insulting load-bearing parts of their electoral coalition work out for them? Like they watched what the Lib Dems did to the home counties and wondered what it'd be like if the Greens did that to the two dozen largest university towns.
Reposted by Mark Byrne
Tony Blair used to talk about the difference between the 3-second, 30-second & 3-minute conversation - the point being that simplistic policies, that poll well, collapse under the more sustained scrutiny of an election or time in govt.
So what happens when there is *only* the 3-second conversation?
So what happens when there is *only* the 3-second conversation?
New post just out:
"Three seconds"
What links Charlie Kirk, the overthrow of the Nepalese government, the US-China trade deal, and the trial of a Romanian Presidential candidate?
TikTok.
Here's why it's changing politics and what that means.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
"Three seconds"
What links Charlie Kirk, the overthrow of the Nepalese government, the US-China trade deal, and the trial of a Romanian Presidential candidate?
TikTok.
Here's why it's changing politics and what that means.
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/t...
Three seconds
TikTok and the future of politics
open.substack.com
September 20, 2025 at 8:42 AM
Tony Blair used to talk about the difference between the 3-second, 30-second & 3-minute conversation - the point being that simplistic policies, that poll well, collapse under the more sustained scrutiny of an election or time in govt.
So what happens when there is *only* the 3-second conversation?
So what happens when there is *only* the 3-second conversation?