New pod🚨on Burnham's week of manic policy speeches. Can huge ambitions on tech ed and social care work? What the hell is a PuFin? with me @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social @pickardje.bsky.social @chris-smyth.bsky.social @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/3295... @lucyfisher.ft.com back next week

Burnham’s policy bonanza

Can the new PM succeed where so many have failed?

ft.com

today there are just not enough hours or cups of tea

I realise I misread the question - this was my great grandmother tho in my defence I knew her and 100 years stretches an extra generation easy - grandma had two babies and worked as a shop assistant in retail after almost non existent education

Miranda Green@greenmirandahere.bsky.social · 6d ago

Having 10 babies after a rocky start at a very young age in domestic service

New pod🚨on Burnham's week of manic policy speeches. Can huge ambitions on tech ed and social care work? What the hell is a PuFin? with me @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social @pickardje.bsky.social @chris-smyth.bsky.social @financialtimes.com www.ft.com/content/3295... @lucyfisher.ft.com back next week

Burnham’s policy bonanza

Can the new PM succeed where so many have failed?

ft.com

Absolutely! Preach to the heavens. I worked on social care policy in late '90s through to mid '00s and we said it was in severe trouble then. I honestly don't know how people are coping with the dried husk it's become.

Having 10 babies after a rocky start at a very young age in domestic service

Revan@revan.eurosky.social · 7d ago

Enough “what would you do on the commune questions” If you got sent back 100 years and were given your grandparent’s job, what are you doing?

alternatively, we've found the foundational policy for the coming Lib-Lab coalition deal - there was a woman watching social videos in the actual GP practice waiting room yesterday

Jonn Elledge@jonnelledge.bsky.social · 6d ago

I maintain that if Burnham made it legal to confiscate phones from people who watch video or listen to music without headphones, then called a snap election, he could actually increase his majority.

And here is @robertshrimsley.bsky.social on a pre-holiday roll pointing out the right sound a bit delusional (also IMHO hoping for the country to fail is neither a strategy nor very attractive) www.ft.com/content/5fa1...

There is no modern-day Maggie to save Britain from Burnhamism

The right hopes that Labour’s new leader will fail, but who exactly is going to step in and shake things up?

ft.com

I have eaten the plums that were in my fridge Because I bought them from M&S and it's my fridge. That's kind of how food shopping works

Every commentator saying too many kids go to university has to tell their own kid to not do a degree

same re Dad with dementia and now v elderly immobile Mum - and the private companies you deal with for domiciliary care at home are clearly only just viable (chaotic service therefore) even though fees are high but the workers clearly underpaid - at the moment there are only losers

chatham115.bsky.social@chatham115.bsky.social · last wk.

I was just going to say that. I mean I didn’t think it was free before we needed it for my mum but I had absolutely no idea how astronomical the costs are. It’s only when you’re in it that you understand quite what a mess it is.

Last time my 92 year old mum was discharged from hospital all the release forms for hospital transport were marked with DNR whether or not one was in place - we pointed out it was not right in her case - so much of this

Vivienne@viviennesoton.bsky.social · last wk.

We need to have proper care, palliative care and end of life care in place. Then those who still wish to end their lives would be fewer. I also worry because a hard pressed A&E consultant asked my husband if he wanted a DNR and although he said no, I found from the care home Dr signed it anyway.

Kings Fund - 33% of the public believe in error that social care is free at the point of use

Incredibly interesting that nothing incredibly interesting is changing

YouGov@yougov.co.uk · 2w ago

Our first voting intention poll (22-23 July 2026) conducted since Andy Burnham became PM shows no significant change, with a close race between the three largest parties Ref: 23% (no change from 19-20 Jul) Lab: 21% (+1) Con: 20% (-1) LD: 14% (+2) Grn: 13% (-1) yougov.com/en-gb/articl...

This guy had his ladder up outside Labour conf last year on the Mersey prom near the conf centre and was interviewing all and sundry - he's quite an operator

Emma Jacobs@emmavj.bsky.social · 2w ago

Andy Burnham is going nuts for socials

Andy Burnham is going nuts for socials

Link is here, guys.

Voluntary payments / donations to government

Find out how to make a voluntary contribution to government.

gov.uk

Patriotic Millionaires UK@patmillsuk.bsky.social · 2w ago

Today, along with 120 other millionaires our letter to the new Prime Minister asks for one thing: tax us, the super rich. As millionaires, we're proud to pay and we're here to stay. 👉 Swipe to see some of the well-known faces who have signed the letter.

As a science graduate I am horrified too.

Miranda Green@greenmirandahere.bsky.social · 3w ago

For the FT @hetanshah.bsky.social says what's happening to the humanities in our universities amounts to a tragedy - and it's very short sighted to let this happen www.ft.com/content/fbde...

A new episode of Political Fix has dropped 🎙️ We fillet Burnham’s Cabinet picks and discuss his early policy blitz W/ @greenmirandahere.bsky.social, @jenwilliamsft.bsky.social & @robertshrimsley.bsky.social Pod is back on Friday too! podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/p...

Andy Burnham’s cabinet: who’s in, who’s out?

Podcast Episode · Political Fix · 21 July · 42min

podcasts.apple.com

Just enough with Larry the cat enough enough

Furious that Chris Nolan would disregard historical accuracy in adapting The Odyssey by making a "movie" with "cameras" instead of memorizing the entire story and then going on a nationwide tour to sing it to us while tripping on ergotized barley

For the FT @hetanshah.bsky.social says what's happening to the humanities in our universities amounts to a tragedy - and it's very short sighted to let this happen www.ft.com/content/fbde...

We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI

Subjects like literature, languages and history are vital to a thoughtful and prosperous society

ft.com

I don’t know who needs to hear this, but that’s rape. www.salon.com/2026/07/15/m...

My son just told me is favourite sentence is: “I didn’t say we should kill him” because if you emphasise each different word it changes the entire meaning

Would Ed Miliband make a good Chancellor? To which I answer Yes, Yes, a Thousand Times Yes on Not Another One with @greenmirandahere.bsky.social and Tim Montgomerie: open.spotify.com/episode/27Ji...

Reform's Zia Yusuf has attacked 'a relentless narrative from politicians and the media that Reform UK is a threat, a threat to be urgently stopped' which 'constitutes incitement' to those seeking to harm them, in wake of Ann Widdecombe's death. Zia Yusuf in May:

I think if you’re the CEO of an extremely politically exposed firm in the public eye and you agree to take this kind of pay increase at this moment, you’re essentially demonstrating that you are not up to the job.

Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 3w ago

looks like Thames Water has given a 14% pay rise to its chief executive and a 26% rise to its finance director

Probably not the only person who needs more Aretha in my life - you get to your 50s and lovely friends start having serious health crises and you get them youself and there are some really really bad days - answer my prayer open.spotify.com/track/3NfxSd...

I Say a Little Prayer

Aretha Franklin · Aretha Now · Song · 1968

open.spotify.com

Literally amazed that every senior Conservative politician and quite a few Labour people too haven't grasped this - the courses they despise, rightly or wrongly, are not the ones that are going to get killed off - sick of having the conversaion to be honest

Glen O'Hara@gsoh31.bsky.social · 3w ago

Of *course* it's the big and famous universities that will get into trouble most and will be forced into slashing jobs, merger or closure! They are really expensive to run! They have medical schools! They have massive overheads! Who the hell thought otherwise? qmucu.org/qmul-transfo...