Rod Hick

Now available Open Access: The Cost-of-Living Crisis in the UK and Ireland: on Inflation, Indexation, and One-Off Policy Responses, with @MLGCollins cambridge.org/core/journals/…

This is a brief reminder that the Call for Streams for the 24th ESPAnet Annual Conference is now open. The deadline for submissions is the 16th of January 2026. More information at: iseg.ulisboa.pt/event/24th-esp…

Thoughts from me on yesterday's budget statement from Rachel Reeves. A day to celebrate in terms of tackling child poverty, but how credible is increasing taxation in each year of this decade and beyond? open.substack.com/pub/rodhick/p/…

Some reflections from me on today's Autumn Budget statement open.substack.com/pub/rodhick/p/…

"How many times have you watched the Troy Parrott winner today?"

Feck it. Doing it. 🦜

Remember when the plan was for politics to tread a little lighter in people's lives? Maybe that was just another idea that was floated and set aside. theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/n…

Reeves is goosed if she announces this (and much else, I guess).

If he were Ivan Yeats he mightn't be in the mess he's in.

@nzdiva Ah, yes! Had forgotten that. Despondency averted.

@RodHick It’s only a 20min red luckily

That might just be the most ridiculous red card I've ever seen in a game of rugby. Shouldn't have even been a yellow. #IREvNZL

@adefty Sounds great, will look forward to reading those (so that I can skip some of the pile 😂).

Mid way between writing chapters for two books one on social policy under Starmer’s Labour government, the second on the Conservatives under Truss and Sunak. My head is starting to spin wishing I’d tackled them in chronological order.

@dublin_damo Highly recommend a trip to Georgia if you haven't been. Suspect you'd love it.

@silvercue A mix. Bilbao, A Coruña, Vigo, Gijón.

@RodHick @dublin_damo A Coruna?

A few enjoyable days in Northern Spain, amongst other things hunting down bar recommendations from @dublin_damo

@dublin_damo Yeah, maybe 30 mins of drizzle one day, that's it. We've been very lucky. You're right about A Coruña - a very pleasant spot, you could certainly spend some time there.

@RodHick Weather looks great!

An unexpected haul from a secondhand bookshop in Vigo, Spain. The owner said there were about 100 books in the collection that had been donated, most not yet on display. What a find.

The photos don't it just justice at all, but La Campana was the pick of the bunch in A Coruña for me.

@jonfra64 @dublin_damo I also stumbled upon this this week and recognised it instantly.

@dublin_damo Howya