Sonia Sodha

More controversy over the puberty blocker trial Should articulating a belief that it's wrong to allow men to self-identify into female sport disqualify a scientist from oversight of the clinical trials of puberty blockers?

I've written about why the @mhragovuk.bsky.social decision to recuse its chief scientific officer Professor Jacob George from the puberty blocker trial is so troubling.
open.substack.com/pub/soniasod...

I remain v unconvinced that we know that expanding the "full-fat" version of HE, designed to serve a small proportion of the cohort, to many more of cohort, while loading the majority of costs of it onto them has been fair on that generation.

Sorry only belatedly seen this post - I think that's where we differ. Certainly a high research standard, but I don't think there's any evidence to support assertion of a high teaching standard. There'll be great courses and bad courses, and we don't know the distribution/which is which.

On SEND reforms, this useless government finally has something sensible to say Facing frightened parents and squeezed schools, the education secretary has an almighty battle ahead to make special needs provision in schools work so that children don’t fall out of school, and then...

I've written for the @the-independent.com on how difficult it's going to be to reform the SEND system without putting in additional money in the short/medium term. (It's a very similar problem to welfare reform). 👇

www.independent.co.uk/voices/send-...

Thanks Johnny! My solutions (alluded to in the piece) are to reduce harshness of Plan 2 loan system so lifetime repayment looks more like Plan 5 loans and to redesign tertiary education so it's cheaper given we're loading most of the costs of it onto students (fine, if it's actually of value)

Good Law Project ‘sells hope on trans rights despite court defeats’ More than 30 barristers and academics have accused the campaign group of making ‘egregiously false’ claims about a High Court ruling on single-sex spaces

It's so irresponsible and unethical to misrepresent the law like this. And eminent lawyers are quite rightly calling the Good Law Project out on it.

www.thetimes.com/article/95e0...

Good Law Project v EHRC The High Court has dismissed a judicial review brought by the Good Law Project and three individuals challenging the lawfulness and accuracy of the Interim Update issued by the Equality and Human Righ...

The Good Law Project got v excited about Swift J saying may not always be direct discrimination to exclude a man who doesn't identify as female from facilities open to women & men who identify as female. Michael Foran explains why this doesn't actually matter that much.

substack.com/home/post/p-...

Is Angela Rayner, Queen of the North, really ready to march on Starmer’s Westminster? With furious Labour MPs – and the country – baying for blood over Mandelson’s connection to Epstein, the only thing keeping the PM Starmer in post has been uncertainty over his replacement – but that ...

With furious Labour MPs – and the country – baying for blood over Mandelson’s connection to Epstein, the only thing keeping the PM Starmer in post has been uncertainty over his replacement – but that could be set to change, writes @sonia-sodha.bsky.social www.independent.co.uk/voices/keir-...

Alistair Darling and the official Treasury were always aware that investment banks had an inside track to Number 10. But the brazen nature of that inside track is rather breath-taking.

Thank you for this drawing!

Why does Starmer oppose the death penalty on basis mistakes are made, but not assisted dying? Does he really believe vulnerable people won't get sucked into a medically-assisted suicide they shouldn't be able to consent to?

My column @thenewworldmag.bsky.social
www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

Drunk on the Kool-Aid of hate A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine

A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine

✏️ @sonia-sodha.bsky.social

My column is part of a bigger themed issue on the rise of racism - alongside some really excellent other pieces of writing - you can dip in here!

bsky.app/profile/then...

How do people who care about racism counter this shifting Overton window? I don't think it's easy - yes, it must be called out, but I don't think that actually stops the shift from happening.

Drunk on the Kool-Aid of hate A new wave of politicians are engaged in open race-baiting. But the appetite for hatred is more limited than they imagine

My column for this week's @thenewworldmag.bsky.social is on what lies behind the rise of racism in politics - some of it is instrumental, but some of it is politicians refracting very online tropes into mainstream discourse.

www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

🗞️ Our latest issue is on sale - Age of the Charlatans

Featuring @moisesnaim.bsky.social, Quico Toro, @florencehallett.bsky.social, @sonia-sodha.bsky.social , Matthew d'Ancona, John Kampfner, John Bleasdale, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and more

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The govt can't even get the much-needed national inquiry off the ground without issues. Do we really think grooming gangs are being rooted out locally & we're confronting the role racist attitudes of Pakistani perpetrators towards white girls likely played in this context?

The parallels with the grooming gangs that have operated across British towns and cities for decades are striking too. Again girls abused horribly, but seen as complicit in their rape. Again, men hiding behind status to make themselves untouchable - this time their ethnicity.

Prince Andrew and an unforgivable secret Virginia Giuffre is dead, and a royal is disgraced. But time after time, powerful men keep escaping real justice

Virginia Giuffre's story is so shocking, yet familiar: the same story of vulnerable girls getting abused again & again by powerful men with the Royal Family far too slow to sanction Andrew Windsor.

My column for this week's
@thenewworldmag.bsky.social

www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

🗞️ Our latest issue is now on sale - The Addiction Economy

Featuring Joe Woof, Matthew d'Ancona, @sonia-sodha.bsky.social,
@tombaldwin66.bsky.social, Patience Wheatcroft, @youngvulgarian.marieleconte.com, @alastaircampbell2.bsky.social and more

Get 10 weeks for £10: buff.ly/pWbQrh5

Starmer has fallen into Farage’s trap The PM was right to call Reform’s leave to remain policy racist – but he will regret it

I said this was a strategic error last week and @sonia-sodha.bsky.social does an excellent job explaining why. www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

Thanks Matt!

Think twice before giving police more powers Home secretary wants to restrict hateful Gaza protests but that won’t make us more tolerant

My column in today's Times is about the home secretary's proposals to give police more powers to limit repeat protests. I'm sympathetic, but there are risks... but maybe the biggest issue is there's no legislative fix to rising levels of antisemitism.

www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

💥 #FiLiA2025 session news 💥

BEYOND A BACKLASH unites #feminist voices from the US, Hungary, China, Australia & UK, to examine the resurgence of #misogyny in both culture & politics @sonia-sodha.bsky.social @maxdashu.bsky.social @seahorseplanet.bsky.social

🎟️ filia.org.uk/tickets

How Tommy Robinson could become PM Britain’s crises give the far right fertile ground - and when Reform fails too, he will take advantage

If Reform fail in government, Farage could end up being a gateway drug to Tommy Robinson and the far right. My column in this week's @thenewworldmag.bsky.social

www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

Thank you

Beware the euphemisms over assisted suicide As with trans ideology, we should resist being bullied into using ‘kind’ but misleading language

Campaigners are increasingly trying to emotionally blackmail people into using their preferred - inaccurate - euphemisms in debates like assisted dying and gender and sex. It should be resisted because they cover up real social harms.

My column in today's Times

www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

The chilling future of pregnancy without women Stories about a Chinese ‘artificial womb’ seem more science fiction than fact – but reveal uncomfortable truths about the ethics of reproduction

My column for this week’s @thenewworldmag.bsky.social is about the chilling prospect of a world with artificial wombs

www.thenewworld.co.uk/sonia-sodha-...

Labour sold false promises just like Farage Many of the party’s woes are down to its unrealistic election pledges, which came straight out of the populist playbook

It's not just Farage who's borrowed from the populist playbook - on tax, Labour has too, and now it's paying the price. My column in today's Times.

www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...

Fully agree. In 2018 I raised concerns about the APPG definition. It was implied I'm an Islamophobe for disagreeing with their definition! What's depressing with Gov's current political attempt is how it will do little to address growing anti-Muslim hatred.

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/islamo...