Iain Mansfield
@igmansfield.bsky.social
Current affairs, politics, education and miscellany. All views my own. Substack at edrith.co.uk
Fascinating piece of analysis by @danneidle.bsky.social on the political potency of inheritance tax. taxpolicy.org.uk/2026/09/19/i...
One in five pensioner households could face inheritance tax
Our model finds one in five pensioner households could face inheritance tax from April 2027. Explore the constituency map and its potential electoral impact.
taxpolicy.org.uk
Great piece by @samfr.bsky.social on England's school success story. samf.substack.com/p/why-englan...
Why England’s schools are doing so well
And what we need to focus on next
samf.substack.com
Reading recommendations with which to start your week. The 25 must-read science fiction novels of all time, ranked. (And six short story collections.) www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And six short story collections
edrith.co.uk
I like Iain’s list a lot and look forward to reading the ones I haven’t. I would add Banks’ Use of Weapons, Jemisin’s The Stone Sky, Mieville’s City and the City, and Tchaikovsky’s Children of Time. And can one also vote for Disco Elysium?
Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 3d agoI haven’t read all of the books in @igmansfield.bsky.social’s list, but I have read enough of them to say confidently that this is a fantastic list of books to read and I am very much looking forward to completing the set:
'What worries me about these current debates is that they are...trying to turn Britishness into a DNA test. It is possible to want both a much more robust approach to integration and a radical reduction in immigration, and still totally reject this argument.' 100%. www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
Rishi Sunak: Britishness must not be turned into a DNA test
I worry that the immigration debate is going far beyond arrival numbers
thetimes.com
Reading recommendations with which to start your week. The 25 must-read science fiction novels of all time, ranked. (And six short story collections.) www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And six short story collections
edrith.co.uk
Last day of the Ask me Anything. (Anyone can leave a question, not just paid subscribers). Leave the question as a comment on the substack: 🔽 www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
I haven’t read all of the books in @igmansfield.bsky.social’s list, but I have read enough of them to say confidently that this is a fantastic list of books to read and I am very much looking forward to completing the set:
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And six short story collections
edrith.co.uk
A superb list. Whether you enjoy or scifi or have never tried it, this list has something for you.
Iain Mansfield@igmansfield.bsky.social · 3d agoWho doesn't love a listicle? Here are the top 25 must-read science fiction books of all time, ranked. Spanning 150 years of writing, from earth-bound intrigue, through planetary colonisation to interstellar space opera, this is the best of the best. www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
Some great choices here, I've read about a third of them so plenty more for me to get stuck into👇
Iain Mansfield@igmansfield.bsky.social · 3d agoWho doesn't love a listicle? Here are the top 25 must-read science fiction books of all time, ranked. Spanning 150 years of writing, from earth-bound intrigue, through planetary colonisation to interstellar space opera, this is the best of the best. www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
Who doesn't love a listicle? Here are the top 25 must-read science fiction books of all time, ranked. Spanning 150 years of writing, from earth-bound intrigue, through planetary colonisation to interstellar space opera, this is the best of the best. www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And five short story collections
edrith.co.uk
Who doesn't love a listicle? Here are the top 25 must-read science fiction books of all time, ranked. Spanning 150 years of writing, from earth-bound intrigue, through planetary colonisation to interstellar space opera, this is the best of the best. www.edrith.co.uk/p/the-25-sci...
The 25 Science-Fiction Books You Must Read, Ranked
And five short story collections
edrith.co.uk
Sale: 25% off paid annual subscriptions. Offer open until close Sunday. www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
If a publisher refuses to publish books to which it owns the rights, that copyright should lapse and the rights should either return to the author - if alive - or enter the public domain. It's abhorrent that a single company can prevent a book being published.
Excellent piece by Will Orr-Ewing. Britain could do far more to celebrate and nurture its top talent in mathematics and the sciences - and doing so would pay dividends. willorrewing.substack.com/p/olympiads-...
Olympiads in the National Interest
Britain's missing Men of Gold
willorrewing.substack.com
There is a certain perverse pleasure in watching the Bluesky community find reasons to hate the polyamorous pro-trans pro-vegan animal-rights-focused pro-third-world-aid pro-charity people.
The "should I use AI for this?" test might well be "Could I do it without, much more slowly?"
“This is a government that is learning the hard way that one plus one equals two, having been under the bizarre prior belief that this was not the case.” Superb quote from the inimitable @timleunig.bsky.social. www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ministe...
Ministers won’t bow to Plan 2 loan reform pressure, experts say
Martin Lewis hopes autumn budget will address controversial threshold freeze, as MPs try to force total system review
timeshighereducation.com
New Post: Ask me Anything. Ask me a question on any topic you like - current affairs, books, politics, education, favourite vegetable - and I will do my best to answer insightfully, concisely or, failing that, entertainingly. Link to post: ⬇️ www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
New Post: Ask me Anything. Ask me a question on any topic you like - current affairs, books, politics, education, favourite vegetable - and I will do my best to answer insightfully, concisely or, failing that, entertainingly. Link to post: ⬇️ www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
This smacks of a chip on his shoulder. It's a historic anomaly that Catholics and not eg Hindus are barred, but as long as we have an established church, clearly the person advising the monarch on C of E Bishops should be an Anglican - ideally a practicing one. www.thetimes.com/article/deee...
Burnham’s first bill allows Catholic PM to advise on CofE appointments
Legislation will repeal centuries-old laws to let Andy Burnham, Britain’s first Catholic prime minister, recommend top Church of England bishops and archbishops
thetimes.com
'Cold economic reality is about to intrude on the Burnham honeymoon when Healey delivers his first Budget next month.' Well worth a read. www.ft.com/content/59a0...
Britain, Burnham and tax: the walls close in
The new prime minister wants a feelgood factor. But tax rises look all but inevitable — just to stay still
ft.com
No matter how many times the school food standards are 'improved', the public health puritans will never be satisfied until every last morsel of joy has been scoured from the plate. www.edrith.co.uk/p/they-will-...
They will never be satisfied
The dismal inevitability of the revised School Food Standards
edrith.co.uk
An Ask me Anything post and 25% off annual paid subscriptions. Check it out now and leave your question. www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
An Ask me Anything post and 25% off annual paid subscriptions. Check it out now and leave your question. www.edrith.co.uk/p/ask-me-any...
Ask me Anything and Paid Subscription Sale
Four years of blogging edition
edrith.co.uk
After considering all factors, there really is a good case that Mississippi is richer than the UK - and Mississippi is the poorest state of 50. In this post, I delve into all the factors, from housing to health insurance, to see who has it better. www.edrith.co.uk/p/is-mississ...
After considering all factors, there really is a good case that Mississippi is richer than the UK - and Mississippi is the poorest state of 50. In this post, I delve into all the factors, from housing to health insurance, to see who has it better. www.edrith.co.uk/p/is-mississ...
Recently began re-reading all of Dick Francis's novels in order. Because why not? So here's a thread of social/class/etc observations, to be updated intermittently as I read them. Thread. 🧵 ⬇️
