Okay. Rephrase my question. For me the question to ask about John Healey as CEx is would he have spotted the political bear-trap posed by the Winter Fuel Payment? More broadly, have the welfare hawks learnt any lessons?
Bryn Davies
@daviesofbrixton.bsky.social
Trade union actuary; currently a Labour Party member of the House of Lords
For me the question to ask about Shabana Mahmood as potential CEx is would she have spotted the political bear-trap posed by the Winter Fuel Payment? More broadly, have the welfare hawks learnt any lessons?
Spent a lot of time recently looking at pensions of relatively modest earners in quite economically important sectors. Loads on auto-enrolment minimum contributions or close to it. The state pension is going to be a (the?) major chunk of their income. The attacks on it on so wrong-headed.
Am I the first to coin the term Burhamsplaining? The desire by commentators to tell someone who has accomplished the most stunning political coup of recent times how he is still getting it wrong.
I hold no brief for Hunter Biden but his conclusions from the NY Democratic primaries are worth reading with relevance to the UK.
You know you have a problem when they have to extend the scale.
Emma Monk@monkemma.bsky.social · 2mo agoYes, 1976 was an exceptional year - which is why everyone remembers it. Britain had a uniquely hot summer. Against a backdrop of reasonable global temperatures. That's not where we're at now! They've since had to extend the scale from 4.1°C anomaly to 8.8°C!👇 7/
Three economists with no connection with the Labour movement urge Andy Burnham to repeat the Winter Fuel Payment disaster. www.thetimes.com/article/98cb...
Andy Burnham’s advisers back scrapping pension triple lock
A group of leading economists working on potential policies believe it’s a ‘no-brainer’ to abandon the pledge and replace it with a more affordable alternative
thetimes.com
Devoured by private equity. Bernard Matthews Body Shop Byron Burger Casual Dining Cath Kidson Claire’s Comet Debenhams Flybe Four Seasons Health Care Homebase Maplin Thousands of jobs lost, supply chains destroyed, creditors not paid, pension rights lost, taxes dodged. Yet govts venerate PE.
The finance curse is devouring the UK
Prem Sikka is an Emeritus Professor of Accounting at the University of Essex and the University of Sheffield, a Labour member of the House of Lords, and Contributing Editor at Left Foot Forward. Th...
leftfootforward.org
🧵 With a leadership contest apparently imminent, it got me thinking about the first Labour leadership campaign I worked on … No, not Jeremy Corbyn in 2015, but nine years earlier – the John4Leader campaign, which began in 2006 shortly after Blair had set a timetable for his departure ... 1/n
Prima facie evidence of why Trump had to file for bankruptcy four times whilst running a casino…
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 4mo agoRFK Jr: "A Democratic senator claimed it's mathematically impossible to have a drug drop by 600%. I said, 'Well, if the drug was $100 and it raises to $600, that would be a 600% rise. If it drops from $600 to $100, that's a 600% savings.'" Trump: "Right"
Feeling aggrieved at having to wait five minutes for a train at Brixton tube station.
I’m receiving lots of posts on my timeline about both Traitors and Greenland. It’s difficult, initially at least, to know which is which.
The problem with a seasonal epidemic is that it's way too easy to write a sexy "flu numbers twice as bad as last year" headline, which is true but misleading, when you ought to be writing a "flu arrives a little earlier than last year" headline.
Stuart McDonald@actuarybyday.bsky.social · 8mo agoI've got to say, I'm not sure why this has become such a big media story. I might be wrong but my current view is that it's overblown. Flu arrived early, which is why it's breaking 'time of year' records, but it's only in the medium threshold and could peak lower than last year, let alone 2022-23.
Good news for the supporters of CDC pensions with the nomination of David Pitt-Watson to the House of Lords. David has been one of the most active proponents of CDC and chair of the www.thersa.org/projects/col...
Collective Defined Contribution Pensions Forum
Read about the RSA's CDC Pensions Forum which supports the policy implementation and regulation of CDC pension schemes.
thersa.org
Very good report about joint Prospect and FDA letter to civil service pension scheme manager about closing the unacceptable gender pension gap in that scheme: www.civilserviceworld.com/news/article...
Unions call for action on civil service ‘gender pension gap’
Ministers urged to adopt best practice from elsewhere in the public sector to drive Civil Service Pension Scheme reform
civilserviceworld.com
Big news. Report stage of Pension Schemes Bill, the Minister announces, in response to the “Byrne amendment” they will introduce legislation on how trustees should allow for structural factors such as climate risk and members’ standards of living when they are making investment decisions.
The announcement that the GLA will use the GLC coat of arms is great news, recognising the continuity of London local government and the importance of the GLC and its achievements. See www.ianvisits.co.uk/articles/the...
The King grants the Mayor of London permission to use the GLC’s historic coat of arms
The King has commanded that the Greater London Authority (GLA) shall be allowed to use the coat of arms that once belonged to its predecessor, the GLC.
ianvisits.co.uk
Resolution Foundation does some great, informative stuff on policy/politics. Really welcome antidote to the breathless obsession of most of Westminster village with who-said-whattery-when and meaningless opinion poll speculation about the next election. @resolutionfoundation.org
Resolution Foundation@resolutionfoundation.org · 9mo agoIs welfare spending ''out of control''? It's estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP this financial year. That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
The FT reports that the Chancellor said the government would make sure those only receiving the basic or new state pension “do not have to pay small amounts of tax through Simple Assessment from April 2027”. Easily said but harder to deliver. The problem is with the word “only”. 1/3
The problem posed by frozen tax thresholds being overtaken by index linked state pensions is to be tackled by the government via “Simple Assessment” from 2027-28 onwards. It will be “exploring the best way to achieve this”.
Strong welcome for indexation of pre-97 accrued benefits in PPF and FAS. Puts more pressure on other DB schemes to do likewise, with amendments to Pension Schemes Bill.
Is welfare spending ''out of control''? Total welfare spending in Britain in 2025-26 is estimated to be 10.8 per cent of GDP. That's just 0.8 per cent of GDP higher than in 2007-08, and total welfare spending has actually fallen fallen by 1.2 per cent of GDP since 2012-13⤵️ buff.ly/s5mz97u
I broadly support a cut in salary sacrifice for pension contributions. It’s never really made much sense. But it should be recognised that the loss of employers’ NI relief will be another problem for university finances, which are already rumoured to be facing a tough Budget.
I am grateful for @adamjkucharski.bsky.social. He takes such care to deconstruct a claim made by the director of National Institutes of Health on excess mortality during the pandemic. We need sober analyses more than ever right now, even amidst the madness. kucharski.substack.com/p/excess-mor...
Excess mortality or excessive assumptions?
How to make a popular metric tell any story you like
kucharski.substack.com
It’s worth remembering that Labour received 560,335 fewer votes in GE 2024 compared to GE 2019. 
Ministerial statement “Pensions Update” on House of Commons Order Paper today. It’s been suggested that it’s about the PHSO report on 50’s women, but no sign of it yet.
A good example of where we have to find good journalism these days manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...
The men who raised the flags
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
manchestermill.co.uk
The New York Times continues the decades-old effort to divert anger against the rich into generational conflict. www.nytimes.com/2025/10/17/o... Insofar as young people have it hard today, it is because we rigged the economy to give the rich all the money, not because of baby boomers.
Opinion | Thanks a Lot, Boomers
nytimes.com