Tom Mills
@tommills.bsky.social
Public sociologist & socialist. Interested in elites, knowledge & communication. Author of 'The BBC: Myth of a Public Service'.
Pinned
Society From the Top Down
tamills1981.github.io
Made a website called ‘Society from the Top Down’ where I’ll post my general thoughts on society & politics, work in progress, half-formed ideas, & little bits of research that never become, or never found their way into, books or articles. tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
Finally got my copy at an event this evening.
February 6, 2026 at 9:26 PM
Finally got my copy at an event this evening.
This is exactly it. People presented Mandelson a certain way because they saw it in their interests to do so.
Nobody has ever been fooled by this guy that didn’t want to be
February 3, 2026 at 9:23 PM
This is exactly it. People presented Mandelson a certain way because they saw it in their interests to do so.
Before I was an academic I did quite a lot of investigative research on the super-rich. Arms dealers, freewheeling financiers, power brokers etc. The world of the Epstein files is very familiar.
February 3, 2026 at 4:55 PM
Before I was an academic I did quite a lot of investigative research on the super-rich. Arms dealers, freewheeling financiers, power brokers etc. The world of the Epstein files is very familiar.
Apropos of some recent revelations, here’s some thoughts from me on conspiratorial network analysis.
TL;DR: You can’t just impulsively map connections & hope to reveal anything meaningful, except perhaps a reflection of your own assumptions.
tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
TL;DR: You can’t just impulsively map connections & hope to reveal anything meaningful, except perhaps a reflection of your own assumptions.
tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
January 28, 2026 at 6:24 PM
Apropos of some recent revelations, here’s some thoughts from me on conspiratorial network analysis.
TL;DR: You can’t just impulsively map connections & hope to reveal anything meaningful, except perhaps a reflection of your own assumptions.
tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
TL;DR: You can’t just impulsively map connections & hope to reveal anything meaningful, except perhaps a reflection of your own assumptions.
tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
Reposted by Tom Mills
The Dig is one of my favourite podcasts, so it was a real honour to be able to chat with Daniel about all things AI
The Dig you’ve been waiting for to understand the political economy of AI as it becomes fulcrum of global contests and conflicts over economic and military dominance. My interview w/ @nsrnicek.bsky.social on his book Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI www.thedigradio.com/podcast/sili...
Silicon Empires w/ Nick Srnicek
Nick Srnicek on Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI. A deep exploration of the political economy of AI: the fulcrum of the authoritarian tech oligarchy—and of global contests for economic ...
www.thedigradio.com
January 27, 2026 at 10:18 AM
The Dig is one of my favourite podcasts, so it was a real honour to be able to chat with Daniel about all things AI
Made a website called ‘Society from the Top Down’ where I’ll post my general thoughts on society & politics, work in progress, half-formed ideas, & little bits of research that never become, or never found their way into, books or articles. tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
Society From the Top Down
tamills1981.github.io
January 21, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Made a website called ‘Society from the Top Down’ where I’ll post my general thoughts on society & politics, work in progress, half-formed ideas, & little bits of research that never become, or never found their way into, books or articles. tamills1981.github.io/society-from...
I only ever prepare for things that have already happened. #SmartThinking
Susanna Reid asks Darren Jones what British companies who export to the US should do to prepare for a possible increase in tariffs.
Darren Jones replies: "you shouldn't prepare for a hypothetical"
Darren Jones replies: "you shouldn't prepare for a hypothetical"
January 20, 2026 at 11:26 AM
I only ever prepare for things that have already happened. #SmartThinking
Can't believe what's happening right now. Love Nato so much.
January 19, 2026 at 5:12 PM
Can't believe what's happening right now. Love Nato so much.
Academics: We shouldn't reduce our analysis of political events to the whims & idiosyncrasies of individuals
Trump: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace
Trump: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace
January 19, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Academics: We shouldn't reduce our analysis of political events to the whims & idiosyncrasies of individuals
Trump: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace
Trump: Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 Wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace
I think rather than overreacting to this crisis we should speak to allies & find a sensible & grown up solution. Namely humiliating ourselves by ceded to all of Trump’s demands.
January 19, 2026 at 10:28 AM
I think rather than overreacting to this crisis we should speak to allies & find a sensible & grown up solution. Namely humiliating ourselves by ceded to all of Trump’s demands.
This is a really good essay from Juliet Jacques on intellectuals & the politics of the media. novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
Today’s Public Intellectuals Are More Likely to Serve Power Than Challenge It | Juliet Jacques
30 years ago, the BBC invited Palestinian thinker Edward Said to deliver six lectures on the public intellectual, writes Juliet Jacques. Can you imagine something so outlandish happening today?
novaramedia.com
January 18, 2026 at 9:50 PM
This is a really good essay from Juliet Jacques on intellectuals & the politics of the media. novaramedia.com/2026/01/15/t...
In addition to occasionally pointing out that no one has cited my work, ResearchGate is now resorting to Twitter style trolling.
January 16, 2026 at 2:28 PM
In addition to occasionally pointing out that no one has cited my work, ResearchGate is now resorting to Twitter style trolling.
Look, I'm a minister of the British state, which is a member of the UN Security Council. It's not for me to comment on international affairs.
January 6, 2026 at 10:37 AM
Look, I'm a minister of the British state, which is a member of the UN Security Council. It's not for me to comment on international affairs.
Reposted by Tom Mills
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
January 3, 2026 at 6:16 PM
Blows my mind that some of the same journalists who see Trump as a want-to-be dictator at home are earnestly discussing the "challenges" for this same man to "bring democracy" to a country it just illegal invaded. Please grow up.
Reposted by Tom Mills
Jonathan is correct here but this was the point where the leaders of the white people world decided there would be no laws or rules any more: they had won the Cold War, they were heroes and moral titans and they could kill anyone they wanted, destroy other countries for any reason they fancied.
December 27, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Jonathan is correct here but this was the point where the leaders of the white people world decided there would be no laws or rules any more: they had won the Cold War, they were heroes and moral titans and they could kill anyone they wanted, destroy other countries for any reason they fancied.
Reposted by Tom Mills
America's richest 10% now hold 60% of the nation's wealth.
The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.
Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.
The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.
Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.
December 27, 2025 at 7:01 PM
America's richest 10% now hold 60% of the nation's wealth.
The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.
Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.
The bottom half of America? It holds just 6%.
Wealth inequality is eating this country alive.
Accessible summary from Goldthrope of his argument on description & causation in sociology (see also 'Sociology as a Population Science').
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Description, Causal Explanation, and Policy Intervention in Sociology - KZfSS Kölner Zeitschrift für Soziologie und Sozialpsychologie
I seek to restate and to develop a position I have previously taken up on the relation between description and causal explanation in sociology, in part by reference to an ongoing controversy on this m...
link.springer.com
December 27, 2025 at 8:59 AM
Accessible summary from Goldthrope of his argument on description & causation in sociology (see also 'Sociology as a Population Science').
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Cool. Just need some synthetic social scientists now. Much more efficient. 👍
Did you know that from tomorrow, Qualtrics is offering synthetic panels (AI-generated participants)?
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
Follow me down a rabbit hole I'm calling "doing science is tough and I'm so busy, can't we just make up participants?"
December 16, 2025 at 7:27 PM
Cool. Just need some synthetic social scientists now. Much more efficient. 👍
Not to pull punches on the general political culture at the BBC, but the Moral Maze is unusually reactionary.
December 16, 2025 at 7:21 PM
Not to pull punches on the general political culture at the BBC, but the Moral Maze is unusually reactionary.
The Government finally published its Green Paper on the BBC today. So here’s a very timely piece from Tom Chivers on the future of the BBC as we go into the Charter Review.
'The choice is a democratic BBC or no BBC at all.'
fabians.org.uk/whose-bbc/
'The choice is a democratic BBC or no BBC at all.'
fabians.org.uk/whose-bbc/
Whose BBC? | Fabian Society
Fabian Society
fabians.org.uk
December 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
The Government finally published its Green Paper on the BBC today. So here’s a very timely piece from Tom Chivers on the future of the BBC as we go into the Charter Review.
'The choice is a democratic BBC or no BBC at all.'
fabians.org.uk/whose-bbc/
'The choice is a democratic BBC or no BBC at all.'
fabians.org.uk/whose-bbc/
Reposted by Tom Mills
How can we reconstitute the BBC as a public service mutual? There's a summary of the proposals from @tommills.bsky.social, Tom Chivers and me at the @cmmonwealth.bsky.social website. It will only happen if we insist, so let me know what you think.
www.common-wealth.org/publications...
www.common-wealth.org/publications...
November 27, 2025 at 11:56 AM
How can we reconstitute the BBC as a public service mutual? There's a summary of the proposals from @tommills.bsky.social, Tom Chivers and me at the @cmmonwealth.bsky.social website. It will only happen if we insist, so let me know what you think.
www.common-wealth.org/publications...
www.common-wealth.org/publications...
In which I wizz through the long history of the BBC in 17 director generals & 35mins. Thanks Paul for having me on.
New podcast ahoy!
Ep 109 of The British Broadcasting Century
Reith to Davie: 17 BBC Directors General - with Dr Tom Mills (@tommills.bsky.social)
From Oct 1923 (Reith asks both PM and King on the air; both refuse) to Nov 2025 (Davie's resignation) via Milne, Birt & co
Hear here:
pod.fo/e/35c09b
Ep 109 of The British Broadcasting Century
Reith to Davie: 17 BBC Directors General - with Dr Tom Mills (@tommills.bsky.social)
From Oct 1923 (Reith asks both PM and King on the air; both refuse) to Nov 2025 (Davie's resignation) via Milne, Birt & co
Hear here:
pod.fo/e/35c09b
The British Broadcasting Century with Paul Kerensa: #109 Reith to Davie: 17 BBC Directors General - with Dr Tom Mills
In October 1923, first BBC General Manager John Reith wrote to both 10 Downing Street and Buckingham Palace, inviting the Prime Minister and the King to broadcast on the near year-old BBC. Both ref...
pod.fo
November 28, 2025 at 4:44 PM
In which I wizz through the long history of the BBC in 17 director generals & 35mins. Thanks Paul for having me on.
In case you're also thinking of applying, here's the job ad for the new Director General of the BBC. careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Director...
Director-General
Director-General
careers.bbc.co.uk
November 28, 2025 at 4:43 PM
In case you're also thinking of applying, here's the job ad for the new Director General of the BBC. careers.bbc.co.uk/job/Director...
Reposted by Tom Mills
Great to hear @dannyhinduk.bsky.social on the LRB podcast, about the political economy of the BBC. Have missed his insights ever since the Media Democracy podcast with @tommills.bsky.social stopped in 2021. Two of the only people I don’t feel like I’m going mad listening to when it comes to the BBC.
November 26, 2025 at 11:38 AM
Great to hear @dannyhinduk.bsky.social on the LRB podcast, about the political economy of the BBC. Have missed his insights ever since the Media Democracy podcast with @tommills.bsky.social stopped in 2021. Two of the only people I don’t feel like I’m going mad listening to when it comes to the BBC.
Reposted by Tom Mills
I've just signed a contract with @orbooks.bsky.social to write a book about the future of the BBC with @tommills.bsky.social and Thomas Chivers of @mediareformuk.bsky.social. The book, which will be published in the second half of 2026 will coincide with charter renewal.
November 19, 2025 at 2:11 PM
I've just signed a contract with @orbooks.bsky.social to write a book about the future of the BBC with @tommills.bsky.social and Thomas Chivers of @mediareformuk.bsky.social. The book, which will be published in the second half of 2026 will coincide with charter renewal.