Dan Lilley

Head of Youth at @csjthinktank

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

I’m going against most of the titans of education policy I revere here, but I think technical from 14 is an excellent opportunity, and can build on fifteen years of improvement.

Always a privilege to write for @CentreWriteMag

[Centre Write @CentreWriteMag]

🧑‍💼"Even though our education standards are some of the highest in the world, our NEET rate is also high: it has averaged 13% this century." writes @DanielJLilley of @csjthinktank 🇬🇧

👇Link👇
https://t.co/lt3gO4zJ6u

[Josh Howie @joshxhowie]

@BBCPanorama BBC hit job on a school that *checks notes* is improving the results and lives of its students.

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

Loved chatting with @AasmahMir

Completely agree with Burnham on an emotional level that the job hunt has become so brutal but the underlying thing we’ve got to fix is too many grads chasing too few grad jobs.

My shaky screen is just pure enthusiasm - oops!

[LBC @LBC]

‘It’s often AI assessing AI’s work!’

@csjthinktank’s Dan Lilley says professional sector employers are inundated with job applications, forcing them to rely on AI.

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

I am the same: I knew little of the story before the film but have been reading about it incessantly since and have retrospectively decided Nolan made lots of errors. A brilliant piece of art

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

My biggest takeaway from all the criticisms of the Odyssey is that it was so compelling that people fell in love with the mythology it drew from and did so with such passion they became furious about it’s diversions and inaccuracies. I call that a compliment.

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

The excitement continues to build for the much anticipated sequel to Rewiring Education Part 1 https://t.co/kLVOWsSJxb

(It may be mostly my excitement)

[The Centre for Social Justice @csjthinktank]

📰NEWS YOU’VE MISSED📰

With all eyes on No. 10, here’s the news you’ve missed.

💒Let’s go to the beach, beach, let’s go get married
👷Constructing a pathway to work
🤖Is Claude your new best man?
🧑‍🎓Shameless Rewiring Education advert from @DanielJLilley
🪩The midlife rave

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

Am I becoming… a Francophile?!

[RUTH 🇨🇦 @it_Rutie]

France and England players united in prayer after the final whistle. 🥹❤️

[Toby Young @toadmeister]

Earlier today a @Guardian journalist sent me this query:

Dear Toby Young,

I'm Aisha Down, a journalist at the Guardian. I'm getting in touch because we're planning to report that the US state department is considering a grant of $5m to Free Speech Union, your organisation, as part of a new grant-making scheme, and wanted to give you the chance to comment. We would appreciate receiving your comment by 14:30.

We are considering reporting the following:

- The grant to the FSU is part of a package to Maga aligned groups that former US officials have condemned as a misuse of public money to seek influence over foreign politics and interfere with democracy.

- It is rare for the US government to fund partisan political organisations in western countries.

- These grants are likely to pose a challenge to Andy Burnham, who has said he will be "very upfront" with Trump about any disagreements.

- These grants - including to your organisation - are "sole source" grants, meaning they are to be awarded without any competitive process. This is unusual for a highly regulated process which usually requires grantees to show they have a track record for handling funds and clear plans for the money.

- This lack of process has been criticised as "outrageous and absurd" by former US officials, and as "gross incompetence" and "horrible stewardship" of US taxpayer money.

- Your organisation does not appear to have a track record of handling grants of this amount.

- We describe your organisation as "a rallying point for “anti-woke” grievance" which "frequently allies itself with rightwing causes" and say that you, Toby Young, appeared on Rees-Mogg's GB news show earlier this month to warn about 'Soviet-style' censorship in the UK.

- The state department says that its grant to FSU will “support campaigns promoting free speech and countering digital overregulation across the UK, Europe and Australia”. The sole-source award is justified “due to FSU’s global network of free speech activists”.

We would like to fully and fairly reflect your point of view and look forward to your statement. Thank you,

--
Aisha Kehoe Down
Senior Tarbell Fellow,
Guardian News and Media

I replied as follows:

It sounds like a pretty garbled story.

Free Speech Union International, which is the umbrella group that FSU UK, FSU Australia, FSU New Zealand, FSU Canada, FSU South Africa and FSU Brazil sit within, has expressed interest in applying for grant funding from the US State Department. This would be to promote the right to freedom of expression in those countries, which, far from being a partisan cause, is a universal human right. But it hasn't submitted a formal application and, consequently, has been awarded no grant from the State Department or any other branch of the US Government.

You've mischaracterised the FSUs, all of which are non-partisan organisations that defend people who get into trouble for exercising their right to feee speech regardless of their political views. The FSU UK, for instance, is currently paying for the legal defence of a protestor who's being prosecuted for holding up a sign saying "I support Palestine Action", as well as a protestor for wearing a t-shirt at a Unite the Kingdom rally for saying "Fuck Islam Christ is King". Yes, we helped Lucy Connolly appeal her sentence -- we thought a prison sentence of over two-and-a-half years for a single tweet was excessive -- but we also tweeted yesterday, condemning the arrest of Heather Herbert and offering our support. Yes, we came to the defence of Nigel Farage when he was debanked, but we've also offered to help the Canary in its recent debanking case. So to describe the FSU UK as a "rallying point for anti-woke grievance" is misleading. We are a rallying point for those who want to defend the right to freedom of expression.

Best,

Toby

The @Guardian then ran this story:

https://t.co/1l4K0PABvM

You be the judge of whether you think this is good journalism.

[Football Tweet ⚽ @Footballtweet]

🎙️ In a world where footballers are leaving traditional broadcasters to start up their own YouTube channels, Joe Hart has firmly cemented himself as one of the best pundits in football at this World Cup.

More of Joe Hart, please.

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@ShippersUnbound I love you, Tim. But I feel pure rage at this

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@piersmorgan Deary me. Home is sadly where we are heading old boy 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@Valen10Francois Afraid so

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@timfarron I’ve loved following your tweets all tournament. Thanks, Tim. Made a fun ride even more fun

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@spursmengo Always admired him but have grown to adore Haaland this tournament.

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

I absolutely love German football fans on X. They just love football and love seeing great football and great teams.

After every good performance they’re like “Would be happy to these guys win it. Great bunch”

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@OliverKay Agree with your main point but the second game on the ban stinks

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@JamesSurowiecki I absolutely love the NFL as a Brit but “there are fewer upsets” is the worst argument against football (real football) I’ve heard. Have you watched the World Cup? Or the NFL?

The complexity of the NFL is indeed appealing but this is wrongheaded

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@Jaack 2-0 against Germany

[Dan Lilley @DanielJLilley]

@ShaneRyanHere I think this is spot on

[The Centre for Social Justice @csjthinktank]

Head of Youth @DanielJLilley sets out the scene:

🔴NEETs crisis not a new problem, but a longstanding one.
🔴Other countries, including 🇯🇵and🇳🇱, fare better.
🔴Improvements in education but persistent challenges moving into employment

Watch here: https://t.co/MdA8iGLUJ6