Paul Spicker

@paulspicker.bsky.social

470 followers 380 following 59 posts

Paul is Emeritus Professor of Public Policy at the Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. He mainly writes on poverty, benefits, social justice and social policy. Find his published work at https://observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/paul-spicker/ .. more

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Political science 56%

Economics 12%

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Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 6h

The BBC should reject Trump's libel claim.

1. The words used were Trump's own.
2. The edit still put two sides - it could have stopped with his call to "fight".
3. Trump has pleaded immunity: these are the words of the POTUS, not an individual.
4. There is no evidence of reputational damage.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 12d

I agree - but there's more to managing immigration than revising the system of controls. observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/2025/09/10/w...

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · 26d

We have to stop thinking about pensions and benefits as 'spending'. They're transfer payments, or redistribution - quite different! - so they should be paid for by taxation or contribution, and should be treated distinctly in the accounts.

Reposted by Gráinne McKeever

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Oct 1

If the i paper is right, 'lifting' the 2-child limit might be for working families only, or a 3-child limit. Neither is good enough. Both exclude some of the poorest children. Both impose a penalty for blending families. And both call for questions about rape.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 25

Do you mean you can teach without first having to move the furniture?

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 24

In "What is the welfare state for?", I argued that welfare provision is now the norm for all governments. bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-i... A new report from the ILO on social justice researchrepository.ilo.org/view/deliver...
shows less poverty, less inequality, better social provision.

researchrepository.ilo.org

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 16

There are many such critiques - here are two of mine.

*What is the welfare state for?* (2025) is about welfare states round the world, bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/trade/what-i...

*How to fix the welfare state* (2022) policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/how-to-fix-t... is about Britain.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Sep 11

The EU is consulting on anti-poverty strategy. ec.europa.eu/info/law/bet... They see that poverty is multi-dimensional (correct) and plan to look at intergenerational continuity (largely a myth. Longitudinal studies point to 3 main predictors: education, partnering and the state of the economy.)

European Commission - Have your say

ec.europa.eu

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 28

I'm not sure where the figure of 6.5 million people on 'out of work' benefits comes from, but mainly it's 1.6m on "unemployment benefits" and 3.5 m on "incapacity benefits" (www.gov.uk/government/p...) Incapacity means it is "not reasonable" to expect claimants to work: Welfare Reform Act 2012.

Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025

Historic and forecast benefit expenditure and caseload data usually consistent with the annual spring and autumn Budgets or Statements.

www.gov.uk

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 15

The debate over #gerrymandering reveals a major difference between US and European democracy. The US approach (Federalist 46) is meant to subordinate local interests to national priorities. The European ideal is to treat each constituency as an integral geographic community. Neither method works.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 10

Jonathan presents it as I was taught it. Managing the economy has to be thought about in a different way to balancing the public finances. tinyurl/bdeecy93

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 10

'Welfare' and 'pensions' are transfer payments: the money is still there, in the economy, it's just being moved. We ought to account for them differently.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Aug 5

No, it doesn't. According to the article, the UK Foreign Office told him that he was now on the USA's list of potential sanctions: 'il figure sur la liste des fonctionnaires de la CPI susceptibles d'être sanctionnés par la nouvelle administration américaine."

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Helen LP @helenlp.bsky.social · Mar 17

The debate around disability benefits in the UK is loaded with misinformation and misunderstanding. ESA is an out of work benefit, PIP and DLA are in work benefits. They are supposed to help disabled people meet extra costs of being disabled, which can be substantial. What kinds of costs? Read on.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · Jul 2

Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think LCWRA cuts should be ignored by MPs cos PIP is a more memorable acronym.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jul 16

In 1951, Harold Wilson and Barbara Castle joined Nye Bevan, resigning in protest against the Labour government's introduction of NHS charges. Whatever happened to them?

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jul 6

The OECD's "Pensions at a glance" reports % of GDP accounted for by public and private provision.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jul 2

Unfortunately, you're absolutely right. The government are so fixated on disability that they have forgotten what sickness benefits are supposed to do. I wrote this two years ago:

observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com/2023/03/15/t...

Dr Jay Watts @shrinkatlarge.bsky.social · Jul 2

Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think LCWRA cuts should be ignored by MPs cos PIP is a more memorable acronym.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jun 26

There are still things that might be done with PIP. Uncouple Mobility Allowance. Revive SDA. Reset extensions. Review assessments. But there's a basic problem: first, you need to understand what PIP is and how it works. The government doesn't.

Reposted by Gráinne McKeever

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jun 25

The public finance argument is not sound. Benefits are 'transfer payments'; when paid for by tax, they are redistributive, and any economic effects (presumptively neutral) are marginal. The decision to cut benefits is at root a decision not to redistribute - down to politics, not economics.

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jun 23

* Copyright is not designed to protect creative work: it protects rights holders instead.
* IP laws are never just about creativity - they apply to science and data too.
* IP may impede creativity - eg intertexuality, pastiche.
* IP laws governing terms, succession and ownership are in a mess.

How copyright threatens academic communication

Wikipedia has announced that it will shut for a day, in protest about threatened restrictions in the USA which will enable rights-holders to shut down sites that breach copyright. My website, like …

observant-paulspicker.wordpress.com

Reposted by Paul Spicker

Frances Ryan @francesryan.bsky.social · Jun 20

I’ve been making my way through the Welfare Reform Bill and this paragraph on the gov.uk website is genuinely disgusting.

Receiving a decent disability benefits rate “encourages sickness”, does it? Funny, I thought it just enabled severely ill and disabled people to eat.

Nearly 4 million households will also receive an income boost with the main rate of Universal Credit set to increase above inflation every year for the next four years – estimated to be worth £725 by 2029/30 for a single household 25 or over. This is around £250 higher than an inflation only increases.

The Bill will also rebalance Universal Credit rates by reducing the health element for new UC claims to £50 from April 2026, fixing a system which encourages sickness by paying health element recipients more than double the standard amount.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · Jun 5

NIgel Farage has said he will buy everyone in one pub a drink if Reform wins the by-election: www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/1488379... Treating voters is against electoral law on corrupt practice - as Farage must know, following a similar case www.theguardian.com/politics/201....

Nigel Farage backs Ukip candidate in sausage roll bribery row

Southampton Itchen candidate told to report to police accused of ‘treating’ after savouries were provided at event attended by snooker star Jimmy White

www.theguardian.com

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · May 6

The key benefit for people with disabilities, PIP, is not means-tested; it doesn't 'only' go to people on low incomes. Together, the cut to WFP and the proposed cuts to PIP represent an attack on the core principle of universality. Consider that health and education are also universal services.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · May 6

A "large chunk" of the cut also fell on pensioners with modest incomes, and another 'large chunk" on those with low incomes. The distribution of pensioners' sources of income can be found at www.gov.uk/government/s....

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · May 6

They didn't target the cut on rich pensioners. They took it from the basic pension. Benefits have to be judged, not by their title, but by how they add to final income; the cut reduced final annual income for every recipient of the state pension.

Paul Spicker @paulspicker.bsky.social · May 4

dpacni.com/2025/05/03/d...

Their key points:

* Welfare spending is not out of control
* The tests are not easy
* It's not about fraud
* There's no disincentive to work
* Cutting benefits won't fix labour shortages
* Cuts won't help the economy

Disability and Social Security Myth-Buster

Welfare spending is not out of control It is lower than a decade ago and not set to rise within the next five years. What is true is that disability benefits as a share of overall welfare spending …

dpacni.com

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