Martin O'Neill
LightNews LightNews
banner
martinoneill.bsky.social
Martin O'Neill
@martinoneill.bsky.social
7.7K followers 2.3K following 290 posts
Dad of four; London-Irish turned northerner; Arsenal fan; professor of political philosophy at the University of York; trustee at the Democracy Collaborative. Writing about the theory and practice of social and economic justice.
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
martinoneill.bsky.social
Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · Sep 3
I've written a piece for the 50th Anniversary edition of @bostonreview.bsky.social. It's about the courageous people who have been standing up to condemn the genocide in Gaza, and about the morally corrupted politicians who have tried to silence those protests.

www.bostonreview.net/forum/the-re...
On the Responsibility of Citizens - Boston Review
Ordinary resistance and ordinary responsibility falls on all of us, whatever our jobs, positions, or roles in society.
www.bostonreview.net
martinoneill.bsky.social
This is just a Michael D. Higgins appreciation post. A truly wonderful President of Ireland, and a man with great taste in books. Wishing him all health and happiness (and time to read) in his retirement! @communitywealth.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
ycpt.bsky.social
Reminder: York Centre for Social Justice and Democracy (formerly known as York Centre for Political Theory) 2026 BOOK MANUSCRIPT WORKSHOP (DEADLINE Friday, 19 December 2025)

Information can be found here:
www.york.ac.uk/politics/cpt...

APPLY and, please, circulate widely! @martinoneill.bsky.social
November 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
hetanshah.bsky.social
‘Is it institutionally biased? No. Is it institutionally unimaginative and insufficiently curious to all radical political ideas? Yes.’ @lewisgoodall.com on you know what goodallandgoodluck.substack.com/p/the-truth-...
The truth about impartiality at the BBC
And the hysteria of the current "crisis"
goodallandgoodluck.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 8:31 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
hetanshah.bsky.social
Coverage in The Times of our concerns about how languages will fare under the proposed changes to the national curriculum
www.thetimes.com/article/9b0f... @britishacademy.bsky.social @cforsdick.bsky.social
Some experts are worried about the changes. While the British Council is supportive, Professor Charles Forsdick, lead fellow for languages at the British Academy, said: "We are concerned about the implications for language education and the need for breadth in the curriculum for all learners. The recommendation to abandon the EBacc at GCSE would eliminate one of the few remaining safeguards for language provision in England's schools and risk narrowing education for the next generation."
November 6, 2025 at 6:48 AM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Zohran Mamdani’s victory speech is a truly great political speech. Socialist commitments front and centre (inc. a shoutout to Eugene Debs!) — he’s secure in his political tradition and his values, and is pushing them forward into the future with confidence and optimism. ✊👍😊

youtu.be/R6ocK3AZ24U?...
Zohran Mamdani's full victory speech following New York mayor election
YouTube video by Guardian News
youtu.be
November 5, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
aoc.bsky.social
😎😎😎😎 GOOD THINGS CAN STILL HAPPEN 😎😎😎😎
November 5, 2025 at 5:22 AM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Good political news is a very rare and precious commodity at the moment. The way ahead won’t be easy, but for now it’s wonderful to be able to celebrate @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social’s win in New York City — a big victory for a practical but principled socialist politics.
November 5, 2025 at 11:16 AM
martinoneill.bsky.social
My son Joe has come up with what would be a brilliant pub quiz question:

What do the following people have in common:
Henry Kissinger, Bob Hope, Whoopi Goldberg, Nelson Mandela, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Pope John Paul II, Jesse Jackson, and Pope Francis?
November 4, 2025 at 1:02 PM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Fingers crossed that today we’ll see a socialist elected as Mayor of New York City. Zohran Mamdani’s campaign shows there’s a huge appetite for practical socialist policies, building public infrastructure and addressing the cost of living. There’s political hope for the future! #VoteZohran #Mamdani
November 4, 2025 at 9:15 AM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Very glad to be part of this volume on public philosophy — “The Point is to Change It”: Essays on Philosophy in Public Life — edited by David Archard and Matt Davies for the @nuffieldfoundation.org, and with a great cast of contributors.

Available here:

www.nuffieldfoundation.org/research/our...
“The point is to change it”: Essays on philosophy in public life - Nuffield Foundation
This volume is focused on how philosophers might help us to think about big public themes.
www.nuffieldfoundation.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:12 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
hetanshah.bsky.social
New book supported by the @nuffieldfoundation.org on what philosophy can contribute to public life. Contributors include @jowolff.bsky.social @tariqmodood.bsky.social @lornographic.bsky.social @martinoneill.bsky.social @profclarechambers.bsky.social
www.nuffieldfoundation.org/research/our...
“The point is to change it”: Essays on philosophy in public life - Nuffield Foundation
This volume is focused on how philosophers might help us to think about big public themes.
www.nuffieldfoundation.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
halcyene.bsky.social
"The point is to change it" — a volume of new essays from 21 leading academics exploring the role of philosophy in public life — launches today!

Contributors include @tariqmodood.bsky.social, @martinoneill.bsky.social, @jowolff.bsky.social, @elkeschwarz.bsky.social and more.

Click below to read 👇🦉
Essays on philosophy in public life - Nuffield Foundation
www.nuffieldfoundation.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
nuffieldfoundation.org
Huge thank you to our contributors, including:
🔹 @tariqmodood.bsky.social
🔹 @martinoneill.bsky.social
🔹 @jowolff.bsky.social
🔹 @elkeschwarz.bsky.social

And to @halcyene.bsky.social and Professor David Archard for editing the collection.
November 3, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
chrisbrooke.bsky.social
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? Pshaw: they should go for the full Andrew Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg-Glücksburg-Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.
October 30, 2025 at 7:23 PM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Very good interview by Oliver Eagleton with Peter Oborne, discussing Oborne’s new book on the complicity of the British state — and of the current British political class — in Israel’s genocidal crimes in Gaza. @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social

jacobin.com/2025/10/uk-s...
How Britain’s Political Class Enabled Genocide In Gaza
From Rishi Sunak to Keir Starmer, Britain’s political class has supported Israel’s atrocities in Gaza to the hilt while attempting to supress protests against genocide on the home front. They’ll never...
jacobin.com
October 31, 2025 at 4:10 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
cmmonwealth.bsky.social
🚨 Today, Common Wealth launches the Green Planning Commission.

A major new initiative to tackle the twin crises of our era: climate breakdown & the affordability crisis.

To meet these challenges, we need a new era of democratic planning.

🧵

https://www.common-wealth.org/green-planning-commission
October 30, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
sk-blue.bsky.social
Great report - very readable, very clear. And some great dismantling of the usual objections to a Wealth Tax! The Chancellor must be apprehensive about going for the middle and working classes. I hope she reads this and sees just how viable a Wealth Tax could be...
October 29, 2025 at 3:45 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
chrisbrooke.bsky.social
There's only one @martinoneill.bsky.social.
theguardian.com The Guardian @theguardian.com · 14d
Brendan Rodgers resigns at Celtic with Martin O’Neill to be interim manager
Brendan Rodgers resigns at Celtic with Martin O’Neill to be interim manager
* Celtic eight points behind Hearts in Scottish Premiership * Former Celtic player Shaun Maloney to join O’Neill Martin O’Neill has made a remarkable return to Celtic as interim manager after Brendan Rodgers resigned from the Scottish champions on Monday. Rodgers, who had been deeply frustrated by Celtic’s lack of activity in the transfer market, had planned to see out the season in Glasgow but instead walked away 24 hours after a 3-1 loss to Hearts at Tynecastle. Celtic trail the Edinburgh club by eight points in Scotland’s top flight. Celtic are likely to at least assess the status of Ange Postecoglou, their former manager who left Nottingham Forest earlier this month. The Australian has previously shown no interest in returning to past employers but may be limited in his alternative options after a wounding period in England. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
uoylibrary.bsky.social
What a sky, Bluesky!
martinoneill.bsky.social Martin O'Neill @martinoneill.bsky.social · 17d
Rather a lovely sunset here at the University of York @york.ac.uk, to mark the end of a busy teaching week, and the start of the welcome break of our “Consolidation Week”.
@uoylibrary.bsky.social

www.york.ac.uk/students/new...
October 28, 2025 at 10:09 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
drmarymcauliffe.bsky.social
Even the Healy Rae machine (they canvassed for Humphreys) is vulnerable to left unity. Final tally in Kerry has Catherine Connolly on 62% #aras25 #speirgorm #ConnollywillbePresident
Final tally in Kerry
October 25, 2025 at 11:39 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
will-davies.bsky.social
Another parable from George Osborne's Britain
October 25, 2025 at 3:59 PM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Rather a lovely sunset here at the University of York @york.ac.uk, to mark the end of a busy teaching week, and the start of the welcome break of our “Consolidation Week”.
@uoylibrary.bsky.social

www.york.ac.uk/students/new...
October 24, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
chrisbrooke.bsky.social
Not quite sure why the media is presenting the Caerphilly result as a disaster for Labour, rather than as a perfect execution of its electoral strategy.

That strategy for *months* now has been to tell everybody who might otherwise be inclined to vote for them to fuck off.

And off they have fucked.
October 24, 2025 at 9:45 AM
martinoneill.bsky.social
Obviously I don’t actually have a vote in the Irish Presidential election today, but if I did have a vote, I’d be voting for Catherine Connolly!
October 24, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Reposted by Martin O'Neill
anavaldi.bsky.social
After submitting a FOIA request UKRI, I obtained success rates by three grant call scheme and I can only say that I am disheartened by the results:

- AHRC Responsive Mode 2025: 2%
- ESRC New Investigator Grant 2025: 1%
- ESRC Research Grant Round 2025: 1%
October 22, 2025 at 7:55 AM