Andrew Defty
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adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty
@adefty.bsky.social
710 followers 720 following 180 posts

Associate Professor of Politics, University of Lincoln. Parliament, the intelligence services, a little bit of social policy.

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Political science 84%
Sociology 5%
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adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 8d
Gil Scott Heron always remarkably popular in the North East.

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 9d
A day after publication of the Intelligence & Security Committee’s latest report highlighting the worrying lack of oversight of parts of the intelligence community, the ISC chair issued the following statement about the lack of consultation or notification over recent reforms to defence intelligence

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 11d
“We are confident that lessons have been learned.” 🤔

Reposted by Andrew Defty

paulfscott.bsky.social
Paul F Scott @paulfscott.bsky.social · 11d
Interesting:

Reposted by Andrew Defty

garydrawnsley.bsky.social
Gary Rawnsley @garydrawnsley.bsky.social · 12d
Delighted my new article published by Social & Cultural History is available open access. The title is 'Chance of a Lifetime (1950): Class, Collaboration, & the Shifting Landscape of British Cinema'. Many thanks to all who gave feedback especially the reviewers. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Chance of a Lifetime (1950): Class, Collaboration, and the Shifting Landscape of British Cinema
Chance of a Lifetime (1950) examines entrenched class hierarchies while dramatising the socio-economic realities of post-war Britain. This article explores how the film reframes class relations thr...
www.tandfonline.com

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 12d
Interesting to compare the comments of the Chief of SIS in her first public speech today and the Intelligence and Security Committee’s annual report also published today.

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 12d
After the chaos of the Johnson years I’d hoped the election would put relations between the government and the Intelligence and Security Committee back on an even keel, but this is as damning a comment on the state of intelligence oversight as has ever appeared in an ISC report.

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 12d
The U.K. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has published its first annual report since 2023. It does not make for reassuring reading. isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/u...

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 13d
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘The frontline is everywhere’: new MI6 head to warn of growing Russian threat
Blaise Metreweli expected to say UK faces new ‘age of uncertainty’ in speech identifying Kremlin as key threat
www.theguardian.com

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 13d
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Russia poses acute threat, new MI6 chief to warn
Blaise Metreweli will say the threat is posed by
www.bbc.co.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 15d
www.gov.uk/government/n...
UK launches new Military Intelligence Services as hostile threats surge
New unified organisation to speed up how Defence gathers and shares intelligence.
www.gov.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 16d
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
MoD to unify all intelligence units under single command
The overhaul comes as the minister for armed forces warns
www.bbc.co.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 17d
Thank goodness they've appointed some new peers, things must have been getting pretty stretched in the House of Lords. Imagine the workload if it dropped below 800 members.

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 17d
In my intelligence module I share an artwork relating to each week’s topic. This week it’s oversight, a relatively new process, but parliamentary committees have long been concerned with the state’s treatment of individuals. William Hogarth’s The Gaols Committee of the House of Commons. #ArtofSpying

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 19d
Pope Leo has granted an audience to the heads of the Italian domestic and foreign intelligence services - from Friday’s @thetimes.com

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 19d
Spies, lies and deception - new exhibition at Imperial War Museum North in Salford www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
'This is how James Bond would operate' says Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum North is lifting the lid on the world of 20th Century espionage and spying.
www.bbc.co.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 23d
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
The Skripal poisonings – have British spies learned the lessons?
Rusia's ability to target a defector with nerve agent is almost certainly diminished but it may pose other threats, the BBC's security correspondent writes.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Mark Sandford, Andrew Defty

alanrenwick.bsky.social
Alan Renwick @alanrenwick.bsky.social · 29d
We're recruiting!

Please do spread the news far and wide. We're excited by the prospect of being joined by another great new colleague!
conunitucl.bsky.social UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 29d
Join and help to lead the Constitution Unit!

@uclspp.bsky.social is looking for a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics who will also join our senior team and contribute to our research and impact activities.

Applicants must have, or be near to finishing, a PhD.

Apply 👇
Job opportunity: Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics
The UCL Department of Political Science and Constitution Unit are seeking to appoint a Lecturer in British and Comparative Politics. The successful candidate will join the senior team at the Unit.
www.ucl.ac.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 26
In my intelligence module, Vigilant State, I share an artwork relating to each week’s topic. This week we’re discussing counterintelligence. I’ve selected ‘The Spy’ by Alphonse de Neuville (1880). Captured spies are a common theme in art on intelligence, I find this one quite moving #ArtofSpying

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 22
Wondering once again if the wholesale dismantling of modern languages in U.K. universities is a national security issue.
The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas www.timeshighereducation.com/opinion/late...
The latest threat to UK modern languages is yet another faux pas
Nottingham and Leicester are taking a swing at language departments. But those proposing closures have taken their eye off the ball, say four linguists
www.timeshighereducation.com

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 20
I managed to spend a little bit of time in the library today 🧐 #ArtofSpying

Reposted by Andrew Defty

garydrawnsley.bsky.social
Gary Rawnsley @garydrawnsley.bsky.social · Nov 20
The highlight of our Houses of Parliament-approved Parliamentary Studies module is the annual site visit for students. One of many reasons why our Politics programme is ranked #7 in the Guardian rankings. Many thanks to @adefty.bsky.social for leading & I hope all our students enjoyed their visit.
adefty.bsky.social Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 19
A privilege to take Lincoln Parliamentary Studies students to Parliament today. A great opportunity to learn about Parliament in the building and from those who work there.

Reposted by Gary D. Rawnsley

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 19
A privilege to take Lincoln Parliamentary Studies students to Parliament today. A great opportunity to learn about Parliament in the building and from those who work there.

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 17
Current reading #ArtofSpying

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 17
Aside from the broader point, lots of security measures depicted in Eurich’s painting - more details in catalogue entry here www.iwm.org.uk/collections/...
Preparations for D-Day
image: A coastal scene looking out to sea with an island on the left horizon. In the central foreground tanks line up for loading on board ship, through gaping red metal doors opening into a dark hold...
www.iwm.org.uk

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 17
Each week I share artwork with students on my intelligence module. This week's topic is intelligence failure. I've chosen Preparations for D-Day (1944) by Richard Eurich from the Imperial War Museum a reminder that intel success for one side may be failure for another #ArtofSpying

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 14
Each year I get my Parliamentary Studies students to write questions as if for PMQs. When we look at them in class, in order to demonstrate bad questions I have to intersperse them with recents questions from real PMQs.

Reposted by Ben Worthy

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Nov 13
With Police and Crime Commissioners heading for the history books it’s a good time to revisit my blogpost written following the first PCC elections in 2012 - Was the election of Police and Crime Commissioners the most expensive election in history? whorunsbritain.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2014/11/01/w...

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Oct 31
Each week I share with students on my intelligence module, Vigilant State, an artwork relating to that week’s topic. This week we were discussing intelligence analysis and I selected ‘Road to Baghdad’ (1996) by Elwyn Lynn from the AustralianWar Memorial art collection #ArtofSpying

adefty.bsky.social
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · Oct 30
Continuing to collect artworks relating to intelligence. Struck by these from Australian War Memorial ‘Two types: Imperial and Colonial Intelligence Officer’ (1901) by Norman Hardy & untitled portrait of a member of the Australian Intelligence Corps, Afghanistan (2013) by Campbell Myers #ArtofSpying