alexgathomas.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

It is a funny old world where the (ex?) hegemon encourages its potential geopolitical rivals to spend more on military capability

submitted 3 minutes ago • 1 comment

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

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I was really struck by this answer from Alberto Costa earlier - when I asked him about the human cost of being in the middle of the Boris Johnson standards investigation ⬇️

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Keir Starmer needs to crack down on misconduct in politics, John Major says

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Light relief as I descamisado it outside the Casa Rosada earlier

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TOMORROW | The Nolan Principles at 30: What does the future hold for standards in public life? On Thursday 19 June, the IfG will host expert panels and keynote speakers - including former prime minister Sir John Major - for our conference on standards in public life Check out our event lineup👇🧵

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Maybe nice to have a hegemon right now?

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The photos coming from Trump’s birthday parade are just incredible. No one showed up.

submitted 5 days ago • 211 comments

I did not think Sean Spicer’s 2017 inauguration lies would set such a theme for the subsequent decade. We are now in a crowd-counting-dispute sort of world After an assassination horror and during a perilous geopolitical moment 😔

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BBC World Service and government soft power take note

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I carried two glasses of my own vomit past John and Norma Major in our theatre row during My Fair Lady

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Here @jackworlidge.bsky.social writes @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on spending review & the civil service There are CS savings to be made & admin budget cuts will force real choices on depts But we need to see the long-promised workforce plan! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/spen...

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Here @jackworlidge.bsky.social writes @instituteforgovernment.org.uk on spending review & the civil service There are CS savings to be made & admin budget cuts will force real choices on depts But we need to see the long-promised workforce plan! www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/spen...

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Our @instituteforgovernment.org.uk spending review analysis is out! Take a read here www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/spen... Our key takeaways: 1/7

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

Departmental Efficiency Plans published alongside the spending review project major efficiency gains in the next few years. For some depts, these plans are heavily weighted towards the end of the SR period. And many depts seem to be betting big on digital to deliver the efficiencies they seek.

submitted 9 days ago • 2 comments

The SR confirms an overall 16% real terms cut to dept administration budgets by 2029/30 (which will drive down staff numbers).... ...but for lots of depts, including the largest and biggest spenders, these cuts are suspiciously (implausibly?) weighted to the final year

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Table showing the efficiency savings that departments are expecting to make. Helpfully, govt has also published a 2 pager on how each dept will make these savings. A positive development

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The Most Treasury Joke I Have Ever Heard

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

Reeves has been talking for over half an hour and almost all her announcements are about new investment spending (where the envelope is quite generous). There will be fewer good news stories on day-to-day spending where the envelope is much tighter (or this will be a very long speech)

submitted 9 days ago • 1 comment

At the start of Reeves' spending review statement, signs that the headline framing of the government’s priorities has shifted from five missions to three priorities: security, health and growing the economy. Interested to see where/if the five missions (and six milestones) fit within that...

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The latest civil service staff numbers are out - last quarter saw the first drop since 2022… what news today? They’re up - reverting back to the trend of growth @teodorgrama.bsky.social has the details and charts

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One to add to the 2026 plan

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Reform’s “DOGE” is a superficial response to deep problems in local government Copying the Elon Musk model is no way to find savings in local government, say @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social and @alexgathomas.bsky.social www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/doge...

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

Thoughts on local authority DOGE with @stuarthoddinott.bsky.social here “Perhaps Donald Trump is already regretting his enthusiastic embrace of Musk and DOGE. Nigel Farage may well come to do the same” www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/doge...

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Interesting from No10 - a new "expert adviser" on health (I think there are some on other policy areas too?) A way of getting in expert advice from someone the PM trusts and whose opinion he values? Great! Interesting if No10 are realising they need more support from experts?

submitted 11 days ago • 1 comment

Looking forward to this - as part of a great day of @instituteforgovernment.org.uk discussions on ethics and standards in government See the whole thread for all the events

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This seems to me an enormous crisis, planned and gamed by an authoritarian US administration Hope not, but fear so

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What are we @instituteforgovernment.org.uk looking out for at next week's spending review? Our latest comment highlights six key questions 1/9 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/spen...

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PODCAST 🎙️ Keir Starmer gets ready for war Tom Newton Dunn joins @drhannahwhite.bsky.social and @alexgathomas.bsky.social to make sense of the defence landscape. PLUS @gemmatetlow.bsky.social on the spending review choices facing the chancellor www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/podcast/insi...

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Last chance to apply! 🚨 We are looking for a Senior Partnerships Officer to join our team. Applications will close on Sunday 8 June at 23:00 www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/about-us/car...

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments