Simon Wren-Lewis
LightNews LightNews
banner
sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis
@sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
8.1K followers 150 following 890 posts

Emeritus Professor of Economics, Oxford University.

Videos

Simon Wren-Lewis is a British economist. He is a professor of economic policy at the Blavatnik School of Government at Oxford University and a Fellow of Merton College.

Source: Wikipedia
Economics 95%
Political science 5%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis, Lilian Edwards

heatherburnstech.bsky.social
Heather Burns @heatherburnstech.bsky.social · 4d
Meanwhile, the UK’s equivalent of the Dutch SyRi scandal (excessive data sharing and surveillance of benefit recipients, resulting in flat-out wrong and occasionally batshit errors) has been met not with government resignations but with a shrug.
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...
Labour admits 60% of parents wrongly targeted in HMRC child benefit fraud crackdown
Exclusive: Scale of government’s anti-fraud fiasco is four times higher than previously admitted
www.theguardian.com

sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 5d
In 2023 the UK tax take was also lower than Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Austria, and Italy.

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

andraswf.bsky.social
András Forgács W @andraswf.bsky.social · 5d
I just wished for Matt Goodwin to have a very miserable Christmas and it looks like I'm getting my wish
jacquep.bsky.social Pascal Jacquemain @jacquep.bsky.social · 5d
I want never gets
@Goodwin... Dec 19 ♡ Matt Good... All I want for Christmas is a general election. Nothing else. Just that

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Nicola J. Cooper, Simon Wren‐Lewis, Esther K. Choo , and 2 more

shaunlintern.bsky.social
Shaun Lintern @shaunlintern.bsky.social · 5d
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: English hospitals that cut registered nurses saw more deaths while those hiring nurses saw more patients survive. Even when hospitals tried to fill gaps with non-nurses, deaths still went up. Major new study exposes dangerous NHS variation:
www.thetimes.com/article/7eed...
Death rates rise when NHS cuts back on nursing
Using lower-paid workers to plug the gaps left by a failure to hire registered nurses damages safety, new research has shown
www.thetimes.com

sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 5d
Any potential Labour leader who says UK taxes are too high will just repeat the mistakes of the current leadership.
oldtrotter.bsky.social David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 5d
Tell me you’re positioning for a leadership bid without telling me :….Taxes too high as opposed to poorly structured?

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

oldtrotter.bsky.social
David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 5d
Tell me you’re positioning for a leadership bid without telling me :….Taxes too high as opposed to poorly structured?

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

dlknowles.bsky.social
Daniel Knowles @dlknowles.bsky.social · 6d
Canceling the northern leg of HS2 was an act of insane self-harm

Reposted by Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Simon Wren‐Lewis

mrjamesob.bsky.social
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 7d
Jeffrey Epstein & David Walliams leading all the bulletins but Kemi Badenoch knows that only men from ‘different cultures’ pose a threat to women.

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

derrelldurrett.bsky.social
Derrell Durrett @derrelldurrett.bsky.social · 7d
This from @pkrugman.bsky.social (and the work he links to from @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social) are important to attend to, as is returning to ostracizing those who express or turn a blind eye to private racism, etc. in future.

open.substack.com/pub/paulkrug...
Why Trump’s Viciousness Matters
He wants to destroy our values, not just our democracy
open.substack.com

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Ben Barr, Simon Wren‐Lewis

jdportes.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 7d
"Much of MMT is neither new nor wrong: it’s just standard economic theory presented in different language. The disagreement arises not over whether government can compel the central bank to finance its spending, but to what extent government should do this."

criticalfinance.org/2025/12/19/w...
What’s wrong with MMT?
As Marc Lavoie and John Quiggin have noted, there are ‘two MMTs’. Scholars such as Randy Wray, Eric Tymoigne and Scott Fulwiler have contributed to debates on monetary economics, instit…
criticalfinance.org

sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 7d
Good points. Thanks.

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

johngage1.bsky.social
Memnon of Rhodes @johngage1.bsky.social · 7d
1/ “In Germany, for example, he points to the 2015 refugee crisis, although in my view German unification must also be important”

Superb post. I am in agreement with many of your points. I would argue that one of “triggers” must surely be Jorg Haider’s victory in 1986.

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

petertl.bsky.social
Peter Thal Larsen @petertl.bsky.social · 8d
"Among those granted clemency was Jared Wise, a former FBI agent himself. According to bodycam footage submitted in court, Wise urged rioters to kill police during the Capitol siege. Wise now serves in the Trump administration."
www.reuters.com/investigatio...
They prosecuted the Capitol rioters. Now the rioters and the DOJ are after them.
After Trump’s mass pardons of the U.S. Capitol rioters, some have gained influence inside the Justice Department. The January 6 prosecutors describe mounting threats, harassment and fear of lasting da...
www.reuters.com

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 8d
This week's post: Understanding the rise of the populist far right mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/12/unde...
The contrast between Heath/Powell and today isn't voters becoming less liberal or poorer than in 68 - quite the opposite. Its because the attitudes of political elites have changed.
Understanding the rise of the populist far right
This is a follow-up to last week’s post. Occasionally I receive comments on social media that point me to academic analysis that I wasn’t ...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 8d
As a British Asian, I get called the p-word due to anger at asylum & high net migration, *therefore* we must reform asylum & reduce migration to reduce racism

Try: as a Jewish home secretary I am at the sharp end of rising antisemitism after Oct 7th/Gaza *therefore* we must recognise Palestine

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Simon Wren‐Lewis , and 2 more

13sarahmurphy.bsky.social
Sarah Murphy @13sarahmurphy.bsky.social · 8d
It’s exactly this kind of dismal, prejudiced bollox from the Daily Mail that’s got us into the ruinous Brexit mess we’re in. What a moronic response to us rejoining Erasmus and all the benefits that brings. If they’re really worried about cost, they should push to cancel Brexit altogether.
Daily Mail headline £6BN COST OF STARMER'S NEW BID TO SUCK UP TO BRUSSELS Independent headline 25 November 2025 Brexit costing UK up to £90bn in lost tax revenue a year, new analysis shows Exclusive: Britons also up to £3,700 worse off, leading to calls for the Labour government to improve relations with the EU

sjwrenlewis.bsky.social
Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 9d
Some truth in this, but centre right and centre left still differed on size of the state, poverty and more. I think the main problem for the centre right was that their positions tended to be unpopular.