Robert Reiner
@waylon18.bsky.social
Retired criminology professor. Democratic Socialist.Written on political economy of crime, criminal justice and policing 1970s until severe COVID 2021. Last book Social Democratic Criminology. Love old mysteries, Westerns, country music, music 1930-70
Pinned
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Cogent refutation of the monstrous canards against the BBC. Yes one unforced error, that deserves the apology it will receive but not capital punishment. The BBC like the NHS are hated because they are refutations of billionaire mythology that money is all
Cogent refutation of the monstrous canards against the BBC. Yes one unforced error, that deserves the apology it will receive but not capital punishment. The BBC like the NHS are hated because they are refutations of billionaire mythology that money is all
If you care about the BBC, stand up and defend it: this could be the beginning of the end | Polly Toynbee
Replacing the TV licence with a means-tested alternative may help disarm the right of one of its most effective weapons, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:22 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Cogent refutation of the monstrous canards against the BBC. Yes one unforced error, that deserves the apology it will receive but not capital punishment. The BBC like the NHS are hated because they are refutations of billionaire mythology that money is all
Cogent refutation of the monstrous canards against the BBC. Yes one unforced error, that deserves the apology it will receive but not capital punishment. The BBC like the NHS are hated because they are refutations of billionaire mythology that money is all
Reposted by Robert Reiner
"Despite ... having been led for the last five years by a close ally of the Tories, being overseen by committees of Tory appointees, and Turness's own efforts to skew news story selection to "win over" Reform supporters, the right in this country want to see the BBC destroyed."
The Right Wing War on the BBC
The resignations of Tim Davie, BBC Director General, and Deborah Turness, the corporation's Head of News was some unexpected Sunday news. Th...
averypublicsociologist.blogspot.com
November 9, 2025 at 10:18 PM
"Despite ... having been led for the last five years by a close ally of the Tories, being overseen by committees of Tory appointees, and Turness's own efforts to skew news story selection to "win over" Reform supporters, the right in this country want to see the BBC destroyed."
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A characteristically compelling analysis of the current political turmoil in the UK and all liberal democracies. Surprisingly absent is any attention to the underlying structural political economy: growing inequality between a stagnating mass and massive wealth
A characteristically compelling analysis of the current political turmoil in the UK and all liberal democracies. Surprisingly absent is any attention to the underlying structural political economy: growing inequality between a stagnating mass and massive wealth
Welcome to 21st-century politics: a bitter revolt against power that will consume Labour and the Tories | John Harris
A mood of turbulence and insurgency against the two main parties has been building for years, says Guardian columnist John Harris
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:47 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
A characteristically compelling analysis of the current political turmoil in the UK and all liberal democracies. Surprisingly absent is any attention to the underlying structural political economy: growing inequality between a stagnating mass and massive wealth
A characteristically compelling analysis of the current political turmoil in the UK and all liberal democracies. Surprisingly absent is any attention to the underlying structural political economy: growing inequality between a stagnating mass and massive wealth
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Spot on analysis of identity politics and its role in Mamdani victory. Superficial media debates pit identities against each other. But the variety of marginalised identities share a common characteristic of exclusion from wealth and power, highlighted by Mamdani
Spot on analysis of identity politics and its role in Mamdani victory. Superficial media debates pit identities against each other. But the variety of marginalised identities share a common characteristic of exclusion from wealth and power, highlighted by Mamdani
In New York, Zohran Mamdani showed how it’s done: ‘identity politics’ can win elections | Nesrine Malik
New York’s newly elected mayor rooted his campaign in the personal while, ironically, exemplifying the tradition of the American ‘melting pot’, says Guardian columnist Nesrine Malik
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:37 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Spot on analysis of identity politics and its role in Mamdani victory. Superficial media debates pit identities against each other. But the variety of marginalised identities share a common characteristic of exclusion from wealth and power, highlighted by Mamdani
Spot on analysis of identity politics and its role in Mamdani victory. Superficial media debates pit identities against each other. But the variety of marginalised identities share a common characteristic of exclusion from wealth and power, highlighted by Mamdani
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The assumption in this furore over the BBC is that it has a left bias. And a core component is supposed to be the ‘hurt’ suffered by the Jewish community’ about Palestinian bias. Yet a half century of academic research shows a c/Conservative (and pro Israel) bias
The assumption in this furore over the BBC is that it has a left bias. And a core component is supposed to be the ‘hurt’ suffered by the Jewish community’ about Palestinian bias. Yet a half century of academic research shows a c/Conservative (and pro Israel) bias
The BBC is facing a coordinated, politically motivated attack. With these resignations, it has given in | Jane Martinson
The corporation should have stood up to the Telegraph, Trump and the Tories. Now, its enemies know how little it takes for it to fold, says Jane Martinson, professor of financial journalism
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:32 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The assumption in this furore over the BBC is that it has a left bias. And a core component is supposed to be the ‘hurt’ suffered by the Jewish community’ about Palestinian bias. Yet a half century of academic research shows a c/Conservative (and pro Israel) bias
The assumption in this furore over the BBC is that it has a left bias. And a core component is supposed to be the ‘hurt’ suffered by the Jewish community’ about Palestinian bias. Yet a half century of academic research shows a c/Conservative (and pro Israel) bias
observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Penetrating analysis of why people fear crime more even though rates have fallen. The serious crimes highlighted by media and everyday crimes experienced by many people are also condensations of broader insecurities. And an inchoate fear of the hidden evils of power
Penetrating analysis of why people fear crime more even though rates have fallen. The serious crimes highlighted by media and everyday crimes experienced by many people are also condensations of broader insecurities. And an inchoate fear of the hidden evils of power
Violent crime is at a low, yet people’s experiences tell a different story | The Observer
observer.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 2:40 PM
observer.co.uk/news/columni...
Penetrating analysis of why people fear crime more even though rates have fallen. The serious crimes highlighted by media and everyday crimes experienced by many people are also condensations of broader insecurities. And an inchoate fear of the hidden evils of power
Penetrating analysis of why people fear crime more even though rates have fallen. The serious crimes highlighted by media and everyday crimes experienced by many people are also condensations of broader insecurities. And an inchoate fear of the hidden evils of power
The unaffordability of Trump www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
From the gaudy of Gatsby to a Trump slump? Hope the elections this week are harbingers of justice coming. But for now MAGA US is a foul spectacle of tasteless waste amidst widespread squalor and deprivation.
From the gaudy of Gatsby to a Trump slump? Hope the elections this week are harbingers of justice coming. But for now MAGA US is a foul spectacle of tasteless waste amidst widespread squalor and deprivation.
The unaffordability of Trump
Donald Trump’s Great Gatsby–style party at Mar-a-Lago reveals everything about modern America — excess at the top, hunger at the bottom, and the deliberate cruelty of power without care. As millions f...
www.taxresearch.org.uk
November 8, 2025 at 6:11 PM
The unaffordability of Trump www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/11...
From the gaudy of Gatsby to a Trump slump? Hope the elections this week are harbingers of justice coming. But for now MAGA US is a foul spectacle of tasteless waste amidst widespread squalor and deprivation.
From the gaudy of Gatsby to a Trump slump? Hope the elections this week are harbingers of justice coming. But for now MAGA US is a foul spectacle of tasteless waste amidst widespread squalor and deprivation.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Review of evidence showing how the issue of the massive inequality of wealth and income are kept off the menu of ‘reasonable’ political discussion. And yet it’s the key to where our major problems come from and what can be done. But money talks, gold rules
Review of evidence showing how the issue of the massive inequality of wealth and income are kept off the menu of ‘reasonable’ political discussion. And yet it’s the key to where our major problems come from and what can be done. But money talks, gold rules
I wish we could ignore Bill Gates on the climate crisis. But he’s a billionaire, so we can’t | George Monbiot
Money talks – and his essay denouncing ‘near-term emissions goals’ at Cop30 mostly argues the case for letting the ultra-rich off the hook
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 1:04 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Review of evidence showing how the issue of the massive inequality of wealth and income are kept off the menu of ‘reasonable’ political discussion. And yet it’s the key to where our major problems come from and what can be done. But money talks, gold rules
Review of evidence showing how the issue of the massive inequality of wealth and income are kept off the menu of ‘reasonable’ political discussion. And yet it’s the key to where our major problems come from and what can be done. But money talks, gold rules
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Any time the value of academic social science work is questioned this powerful work provides a refutation.
Any time the value of academic social science work is questioned this powerful work provides a refutation.
Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge Core
Democracy and the Policy Preferences of Wealthy Americans - Volume 11 Issue 1
www.cambridge.org
November 8, 2025 at 12:53 PM
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Any time the value of academic social science work is questioned this powerful work provides a refutation.
Any time the value of academic social science work is questioned this powerful work provides a refutation.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Nothing exemplifies the selfishness that now rules Anglo American governments more than the cuts to the foreign aid budgets. Gold rules is their Golden Rule
Nothing exemplifies the selfishness that now rules Anglo American governments more than the cuts to the foreign aid budgets. Gold rules is their Golden Rule
Cutting aid for disease fund would be moral failure, Labour MPs tell Starmer
UK expected to reduce contribution to Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 20%
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:43 PM
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Nothing exemplifies the selfishness that now rules Anglo American governments more than the cuts to the foreign aid budgets. Gold rules is their Golden Rule
Nothing exemplifies the selfishness that now rules Anglo American governments more than the cuts to the foreign aid budgets. Gold rules is their Golden Rule
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
Right wing politicians and press regularly lambast BBC for left wing and anti Israel bias. Yet systematic analysis of its governance structure and its output finds exactly the opposite, as this valuable article shows.
Right wing politicians and press regularly lambast BBC for left wing and anti Israel bias. Yet systematic analysis of its governance structure and its output finds exactly the opposite, as this valuable article shows.
The BBC’s impartiality problems are just beginning
edition.independent.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 12:39 PM
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
Right wing politicians and press regularly lambast BBC for left wing and anti Israel bias. Yet systematic analysis of its governance structure and its output finds exactly the opposite, as this valuable article shows.
Right wing politicians and press regularly lambast BBC for left wing and anti Israel bias. Yet systematic analysis of its governance structure and its output finds exactly the opposite, as this valuable article shows.
Reposted by Robert Reiner
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
Fascinating disturbing probe of universities’ dependence on Chinese finance. Is it a Trojan horse bearing destruction behind a lucrative allure? Raises profound issues about the post Enlightenment Western assumption about the value of critical thought
Fascinating disturbing probe of universities’ dependence on Chinese finance. Is it a Trojan horse bearing destruction behind a lucrative allure? Raises profound issues about the post Enlightenment Western assumption about the value of critical thought
Brutal truth behind China’s takeover of UK universities
edition.independent.co.uk
November 8, 2025 at 12:09 PM
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
Fascinating disturbing probe of universities’ dependence on Chinese finance. Is it a Trojan horse bearing destruction behind a lucrative allure? Raises profound issues about the post Enlightenment Western assumption about the value of critical thought
Fascinating disturbing probe of universities’ dependence on Chinese finance. Is it a Trojan horse bearing destruction behind a lucrative allure? Raises profound issues about the post Enlightenment Western assumption about the value of critical thought
Reposted by Robert Reiner
This would be a more convincing argument if Keir Starmer had not himself made a whole series of promises which he then declared completely undeliverable as soon as he became leader www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Greens’ ‘undeliverable’ promises will let voters down, says Labour minister
Exclusive: Darren Jones says Labour has to convince young people it is ‘modern party of the future’
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:29 AM
This would be a more convincing argument if Keir Starmer had not himself made a whole series of promises which he then declared completely undeliverable as soon as he became leader www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Robert Reiner
The richest 1 percent own more wealth than 95 percent of humanity.
And the solution is not taxing them.
And the solution is not taxing them.
Wealth Taxes Will Barely Slow Inequality. So Why Do the Super-Rich Resist Them?
A 2 percent wealth tax is like shaving off a fraction of a spire from a large cathedral, says economist Nancy Folbre.
truthout.org
November 6, 2025 at 12:44 AM
The richest 1 percent own more wealth than 95 percent of humanity.
And the solution is not taxing them.
And the solution is not taxing them.
www.theguardian.com/us-news/comm...
Wonderful victories for justice and hope in the elections this week. Freedland reviews just how tough it will be for the Democrats to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms or the Presidency in 2028. Trump has the money, military and will fight dirty
Wonderful victories for justice and hope in the elections this week. Freedland reviews just how tough it will be for the Democrats to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms or the Presidency in 2028. Trump has the money, military and will fight dirty
Democrats should celebrate this week’s victories, but beware: Trump is already plotting his revenge | Jonathan Freedland
The Maga machine is clicking into gear to ensure that defeat is all but impossible in next year’s midterm elections, says Guardian columnist Jonathan Freedland
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:27 PM
www.theguardian.com/us-news/comm...
Wonderful victories for justice and hope in the elections this week. Freedland reviews just how tough it will be for the Democrats to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms or the Presidency in 2028. Trump has the money, military and will fight dirty
Wonderful victories for justice and hope in the elections this week. Freedland reviews just how tough it will be for the Democrats to regain control of Congress in the 2026 midterms or the Presidency in 2028. Trump has the money, military and will fight dirty
Reposted by Robert Reiner
The Sociopath-In-Chief couldn't be bothered to even turn his head in the direction of a man in the midst of a medical emergency who collapsed in his office. Completely incapable of empathy, the EPSTEIN Files can't be released soon enough.
25/47
25/47
November 7, 2025 at 8:20 PM
The Sociopath-In-Chief couldn't be bothered to even turn his head in the direction of a man in the midst of a medical emergency who collapsed in his office. Completely incapable of empathy, the EPSTEIN Files can't be released soon enough.
25/47
25/47
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
saying out loud vicious hateful things that were once taboo is not just generation x fear and shock. As a baby boomer I experienced it in the late 70s when the make love not war generation morphed into Maggie’s possessive individualism.
Now is yet more frightening
saying out loud vicious hateful things that were once taboo is not just generation x fear and shock. As a baby boomer I experienced it in the late 70s when the make love not war generation morphed into Maggie’s possessive individualism.
Now is yet more frightening
Meet gen X: middle-aged, enraged and radicalised by internet bile | Gaby Hinsliff
Who is driving the populist insurgency? It’s not grumpy pensioners or vulnerable teenagers – it’s my generation, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 9:05 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
saying out loud vicious hateful things that were once taboo is not just generation x fear and shock. As a baby boomer I experienced it in the late 70s when the make love not war generation morphed into Maggie’s possessive individualism.
Now is yet more frightening
saying out loud vicious hateful things that were once taboo is not just generation x fear and shock. As a baby boomer I experienced it in the late 70s when the make love not war generation morphed into Maggie’s possessive individualism.
Now is yet more frightening
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Let them eat cake! But without SNAP
Let them eat cake! But without SNAP
Out-of-touch Trump talks up economy among sycophants and stars in Miami
President jets in to speak at ritzy American Business Forum as millions see their food aid slashed – crisis, what crisis?
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Let them eat cake! But without SNAP
Let them eat cake! But without SNAP
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Spot on analysis of how debate about the budget rattles round a small set of unacceptable options. This fails to see that the menu’s are designed to protect a small number of wealthy interests. Inequality poisons the whole system and attacked for us all.
Spot on analysis of how debate about the budget rattles round a small set of unacceptable options. This fails to see that the menu’s are designed to protect a small number of wealthy interests. Inequality poisons the whole system and attacked for us all.
Increase taxes for working people, or make the super-rich pay their fair share? The answer seems obvious – but not to Labour | Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah
Rachel Reeves has unnecessarily blocked her options of what to include in her budget, says Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah of the New Economics Foundation
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 3:07 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Spot on analysis of how debate about the budget rattles round a small set of unacceptable options. This fails to see that the menu’s are designed to protect a small number of wealthy interests. Inequality poisons the whole system and attacked for us all.
Spot on analysis of how debate about the budget rattles round a small set of unacceptable options. This fails to see that the menu’s are designed to protect a small number of wealthy interests. Inequality poisons the whole system and attacked for us all.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thoughtful survey of party politics in a fragmenting system. Makes prediction guesswork between a mosaic of alternatives. Yes reminiscent of the 1970s, but unlikely that the outcome will be right wing Conservative stabilisation. Could be better - or worse…
Thoughtful survey of party politics in a fragmenting system. Makes prediction guesswork between a mosaic of alternatives. Yes reminiscent of the 1970s, but unlikely that the outcome will be right wing Conservative stabilisation. Could be better - or worse…
Britain’s two-party politics is fragmenting: what unintended consequences await? | Andy Beckett
On one hand, no more safe seats or long careers could mean less complacency. On the other, no big parties could mean greater corporate influence, says Guardian columnist Andy Beckett
www.theguardian.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:56 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Thoughtful survey of party politics in a fragmenting system. Makes prediction guesswork between a mosaic of alternatives. Yes reminiscent of the 1970s, but unlikely that the outcome will be right wing Conservative stabilisation. Could be better - or worse…
Thoughtful survey of party politics in a fragmenting system. Makes prediction guesswork between a mosaic of alternatives. Yes reminiscent of the 1970s, but unlikely that the outcome will be right wing Conservative stabilisation. Could be better - or worse…
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
The end cannot justify the means because dirty means sully clean ends. Mamdani seems to grasp this so let’s hope he continues to defy the billionaires who employ dirty tricks for selfish ends
The end cannot justify the means because dirty means sully clean ends. Mamdani seems to grasp this so let’s hope he continues to defy the billionaires who employ dirty tricks for selfish ends
I’ve known Mamdani for years – here’s why he won
edition.independent.co.uk
November 7, 2025 at 2:37 PM
edition.independent.co.uk/edition/uk.c...
The end cannot justify the means because dirty means sully clean ends. Mamdani seems to grasp this so let’s hope he continues to defy the billionaires who employ dirty tricks for selfish ends
The end cannot justify the means because dirty means sully clean ends. Mamdani seems to grasp this so let’s hope he continues to defy the billionaires who employ dirty tricks for selfish ends
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
If only people voted regularly where their economic interests lie and supposedly left of centre politicians catered to that.
If only people voted regularly where their economic interests lie and supposedly left of centre politicians catered to that.
Zohran Mamdani's biggest threat is not Donald Trump, it's the Democratic old guard | Emma Brockes
The New York mayor-elect sells a political message further to the left than any American politician has dared to in recent memory, says Guardian columnist Emma Brockes
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:08 PM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
If only people voted regularly where their economic interests lie and supposedly left of centre politicians catered to that.
If only people voted regularly where their economic interests lie and supposedly left of centre politicians catered to that.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Brilliant evisceration of centre left failure. You can’t cosily compromise with vampire capitalism. Win people over by attacking their core bread and butter insecurity head on. Put the blame where it lies - voracious billionaires- not the wretched of the earth
Brilliant evisceration of centre left failure. You can’t cosily compromise with vampire capitalism. Win people over by attacking their core bread and butter insecurity head on. Put the blame where it lies - voracious billionaires- not the wretched of the earth
The Zohran Mamdani method can work beyond New York. Take the fight to the right | Aditya Chakrabortty
For too long, the centre has been adopting the language of the right but deploying it with greater civility – to disastrous ends, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 9:38 AM
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Brilliant evisceration of centre left failure. You can’t cosily compromise with vampire capitalism. Win people over by attacking their core bread and butter insecurity head on. Put the blame where it lies - voracious billionaires- not the wretched of the earth
Brilliant evisceration of centre left failure. You can’t cosily compromise with vampire capitalism. Win people over by attacking their core bread and butter insecurity head on. Put the blame where it lies - voracious billionaires- not the wretched of the earth