Tom Spare
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tomspare.bsky.social
Tom Spare
@tomspare.bsky.social
Works in policy and comms. Interested in politics, writing and podcasting. MA in Political Communication. Lives in Wales
Reposted by Tom Spare
Professor Karen Jacobsen discusses her new book, "Host Cities: How Refugees Are Transforming the World's Urban Settings," and her career as a scholar of forced migration. @tomspare.bsky.social@yalebooks.bsky.social

open.spotify.com/episode/6g3o...
How Refugees Transform Cities
open.spotify.com
November 26, 2025 at 7:55 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
The gap between electricity and gas prices in Jan will now be 20% larger than a year before, pushing up bills for a typical household using electric storage heating by £100, compared to typical dual fuel billpayer seeing bills rise by just £2.50 www.nesta.org.uk/press-releas...
November 22, 2025 at 9:48 AM
On 4th November it will be a year since the US went to the polls to re-elect Donald Trump. In the lead-up to voting day I crisscrossed the US before spending voting day in Washington DC. Over the next couple of days I’ll be reflecting on my trip via Substack.
MAGA in Manhattan
When Trump headlined Madison Square Garden
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:42 AM
What lessons can we draw from future? Let's time-travel and find out.

In the latest episode of Spare a Thought, author and activist Rob Hopkins takes us in his time machine to the year 2030 so we can fall in love with the future. 🌍🔮🎉

Listen here: spareathought.podbean.com/e/how-to-fal...
How to Fall in Love with the Future | Spare a Thought
In this episode of Spare a Thought, Tom is taken in a time machine to 2030 by author, activist and environmentalist Rob Hopkins to show us how we averted the climate crisis and reshaped our relationsh...
spareathought.podbean.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
I know that there are a lot of Welsh politics folks out there missing the @hiraethpod.bsky.social while it is on hiatus.

While I would ofc point anyone needing a fix either to ‘For Wales, See Wales’ by the ever excellent Will Hayward and BBC Wales’s #WalesCast I’m happy to say that I have *news*
September 26, 2025 at 5:44 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Happy to confirm that our new Welsh politics pod is on the way filled with informative, astute, and what I would euphemistically refer to as “robust“ debate between Lee Waters MS, Prof Laura McAllister and former Conservative Special adviser Lauren McEvatt.

We’ll be ready to share soon! #Senedd26
I know that there are a lot of Welsh politics folks out there missing the @hiraethpod.bsky.social while it is on hiatus.

While I would ofc point anyone needing a fix either to ‘For Wales, See Wales’ by the ever excellent Will Hayward and BBC Wales’s #WalesCast I’m happy to say that I have *news*
September 27, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
New pod alert. Coming soon...
September 28, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Big thank you to @jaychard.bsky.social for coming on the show - we worth a listen
A huge thanks to @tomspare.bsky.social from Spare a Thought for having me on to talk about climate & ecological breakdown, climate justice and the role of universities.

Listen here: spareathought.podbean.com/e/universiti...
September 17, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
🗞️ New analysis by Nesta, featured in @the-independent.com, shows the high cost of reducing obesity rates in the UK with weight-loss medication alone, compared to a strategy that includes prevention policies ⤵️
Weight-loss jabs are not enough to tackle the obesity crisis, experts warn
Weight-loss drug Mounjaro will be rolled out to a quarter of a million NHS patients. But leading experts tell Rebecca Thomas and Alicja Hagopian that weight-loss jabs alone will not be enough to…
www.independent.co.uk
September 8, 2025 at 11:00 AM
What’s it like to find yourself at a Trump rally? Well you can find out today! I’m releasing a mini series focused on the my travels to the US during last year’s Presidential Election. Here’s a video taster of what’s in store, listen now: spareathought.podbean.com
August 6, 2025 at 11:29 AM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Welsh politics in the media

In the latest Blueprint Cymru podcast, I talk with @willhaycardiff.bsky.social about shaping Wales’ future through the media.

More @newwales.bsky.social
July 23, 2025 at 11:48 PM
To all the people having Roast dinner today, god bless you, but aren’t you a tad hot? To all the people making Roast dinner in this heat, there should be a law prohibiting you from doing so.
July 13, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
The NHS is in the news a lot right now! If you’d like to know what’s going on, from someone who worked as a doctor for 10 years+is now an NHS campaigner, sign up to my newsletter. I’ll give you important info (plus there’s no trolls, it’s lovely!🤣🥰💙)

jujuliagrace.substack.com
Call To Action | Dr Julia Grace Patterson💙 | Substack
I am very concerned about what UK politicians are doing to the NHS, and so I have decided to write about it! This is my personal newsletter, sharing my perspectives +important info about the NHS and m...
jujuliagrace.substack.com
June 21, 2025 at 11:52 AM
I learned so much from my conversation Dr Julia Patterson, CEO of @everydoctor.org.uk we talk NHS privitsation, the state of healthcare in the UK and the welfare of NHS staff
🎙️ Our CEO Dr Julia Patterson joined @tomspare.bsky.social‬ on Spare a Thought — a podcast spotlighting voices and stories often overlooked by the media.

It's a great intro to EveryDoctor and why NHS privatisation matters. Take a listen: spareathought.podbean.com #StopPrivatisation #NewPodcast
Saving the NHS
Spare a Thought · Episode
open.spotify.com
June 20, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Govt just published the Bill to cut disability benefits for > 3 million people, revealing that mitigations for those with the most severe conditions ministers have been telling MPs about will protect only up to 10% of new claimants from a halving of UC's health element 1/5
June 18, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Can we save NHS? I spoke to @jujuliagrace.bsky.social of @everydoctor.org.uk to discuss government reforms, the role of private providers in NHS services, the wellbeing of staff and patients & her own journey from Doctor to campaigner.

Listen here: spareathought.podbean.com
June 5, 2025 at 10:59 AM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Well, electricity levies and heat pumps are in the news this morning…
… and we have a brand new Nesta report out on levy reform.

We’ve looked closely at all the options, and this is what we think the best approach is…
www.nesta.org.uk/report/how-t...
How to make electricity cheaper
Reforming the levies on energy bills
www.nesta.org.uk
June 5, 2025 at 9:12 AM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Today Nesta publishes recommendations on how to make energy bills fairer & greener ⬇️

Levies are driving up the price of electricity bills, making it harder for people to switch to low-carbon heating.

We’re proposing to rebalance levies in a way that is easy & fair, using new Nesta modelling.
June 5, 2025 at 10:03 AM
I’ve interviewed Zoe Daniels from the International Rescue Committee to discuss Gaza. You can listen here: thepoliticaldispatch.podbean.com
May 26, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
In @nytopinion.nytimes.com

Bruce Springsteen and Donald Trump are “two opposing faces of modern America as it was built and performed by their generation,” Eric Alterman writes in a guest essay. “They offer their fan bases a promise of entirely different futures.”
Opinion | Bruce Springsteen Will Never Surrender to Donald Trump
www.nytimes.com
May 25, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Today marks five years since George Floyd was killed by police. Our June 22, 2020 cover “Say Their Names,” by Kadir Nelson, illustrated how Floyd’s murder embodies the history of violence inflicted upon Black people in America. nyer.cm/UmfefJw
May 25, 2025 at 10:40 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
Give yourself a real treat on this glorious Sunday and read my latest newsletter.

willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/why-cuts-d...
Why cuts don't work
Plus the Welsh Tories make another blunder
willhaywardwales.substack.com
May 25, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Had the pleasure of speaking to @willhaycardiff.bsky.social about Wales and the media. You can listen to our conversation wherever to you get your podcasts from or follow the link: spareathought.podbean.com
May 22, 2025 at 1:34 PM
Reposted by Tom Spare
With all this talk about wasted money, and inefficiency in the NHS, can we please start asking the government how much money has been spent by politicians in the name of ‘NHS reforms’?

These ICBs were only created in 2022!

www.bbc.com/news/article...
NHS in East of England faces unprecedented cuts, says boss
Hundreds of NHS staff in the East of England may face redundancy because of a major reorganisation.
www.bbc.com
May 21, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Racism called out by @maitlis.bsky.social lots of other interviewers would have let it slide. Great journalism speaking truth to power.
"Why do you 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 talk about Pakistani grooming gangs? There are 𝙩𝙚𝙣 times as many white grooming gang suspects?"

@maitlis.bsky.social asks ex-Reform MP @rupertlowe.bsky.social why he won't denounce all perpetrators of grooming gangs equally.
May 16, 2025 at 9:04 AM