Ben Rosamond
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benrosamond1.bsky.social
Ben Rosamond
@benrosamond1.bsky.social

Professor of Politics and International Relations, University of Edinburgh. Anglo-Swede, would-be leg spinner, new elite (if only). Political economy and assorted other obsessions.

Political science 81%
Economics 15%

Exactly this.
The fact that the BBC has made serious culpable errors does not negate the point that there is a real and concerted right-wing media campaign to destroy it. Both points can be true at the same time and the campaign would not end even if the errors did.
The fact that the BBC has made serious culpable errors does not negate the point that there is a real and concerted right-wing media campaign to destroy it. Both points can be true at the same time and the campaign would not end even if the errors did.

The absence of a monocle is a little disappointing.

Why the humanities *really* matter: a case study. Excellent thread.
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?

Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
The organ donation ‘opt-out’ has been a fatal failure | The Observer
observer.co.uk

Like inviting King Herod on to talk about developments in paediatric care.
Sky News just had Kelvin Mackenzie on, former editor of The Sun, one of the people at the centre of probably the most disgraceful front page in newspaper history, complaining about BBC journalists not being objective and 'fake news'. Astonishing. ~AA
Sky News just had Kelvin Mackenzie on, former editor of The Sun, one of the people at the centre of probably the most disgraceful front page in newspaper history, complaining about BBC journalists not being objective and 'fake news'. Astonishing. ~AA
What's lost when we lose staff, departments, programmes and faculties in Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, and what's that got to do with organ donation?

Amid the looming losses faced by Cardiff, Edinburgh, Lancaster, Leicester and Nottingham (among many others), here's a worked example. 1/8
The organ donation ‘opt-out’ has been a fatal failure | The Observer
observer.co.uk

Emma Monk is very good at this. Another magnificent demolition job on malevolent non-story designed to whip up Islamophobia.
It blows my mind that there are real people who see a post like this and actually believe the whole “Christmas is being cancelled by Muslims” BS 🙄

Let’s have a quick look at what’s happening to Sheffield so you can put your Express reading uncle’s mind at ease!😆

1/15
🧵
It blows my mind that there are real people who see a post like this and actually believe the whole “Christmas is being cancelled by Muslims” BS 🙄

Let’s have a quick look at what’s happening to Sheffield so you can put your Express reading uncle’s mind at ease!😆

1/15
🧵

Reposted by Tim Bale

Perhaps the most conspicuous mobilisation of non-voters in Britain came from the right in June 2016?

Plus (a) the political context is completely different (PR and the soc dems govern in coalition with the centre-right) & (b) the 'success' of the soc dems has seen a progressive erosion of their voter base (not just in terms of who the residual voters are, but also in terms of how many there are).
The idea of UK learning from Denmark on immigration and asylum is primarily rhetorical: pick fights with the left about how tough we are willing to sound.

The integration context is very different. The broader immigration context is very different.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system
Proposals draw scorn from some Labour MPs who say it is a ‘dangerous path’ to take, while others want the government to go further
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Ben Rosamond

The idea of UK learning from Denmark on immigration and asylum is primarily rhetorical: pick fights with the left about how tough we are willing to sound.

The integration context is very different. The broader immigration context is very different.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
UK to announce plans to emulate stringent Danish immigration system
Proposals draw scorn from some Labour MPs who say it is a ‘dangerous path’ to take, while others want the government to go further
www.theguardian.com

I won't be satisfied until he shows us definitive evidence that his lineage can be traced back to single cell organisms that first formed amidst primeval sludge in what we now know as Melton Mowbray.

He's a savvier politician, for sure.

So, I had to google the answer and my question is how did Joe acquire that information? - because that's gloriously obscure.

Looking forward to hearing Matt Goodwin's reaction to this.
A total and utter hero

Of course, it makes most sense to talk about bloc politics within proportional systems where governing coalitions are an inevitability. Equally, to identify potential governing blocs based upon clear polling trends is indicative of the urgent need for the UK to reform its electoral system.
Notable in today's YouGov that the centre/left bloc - Lab/Green/LD/SNP are on 54%. With Reform/Tories on 43%. That's the biggest differential in a long time.

I think useful to track blocs given instability between parties at the moment.
A total and utter hero
Notable in today's YouGov that the centre/left bloc - Lab/Green/LD/SNP are on 54%. With Reform/Tories on 43%. That's the biggest differential in a long time.

I think useful to track blocs given instability between parties at the moment.

Except that, as is well known, the likes of Goodwin, Farage et al can trace their lineage back to single cell organisms that formed amidst a lake of primordial sludge in what is now Worcestershire.

From the FT's morning email update. The answer to the question posed at the end is so obvious: because people who take a job stacking shelves are unlikely to end up as the kind of rent-a-quote CEOs who sounds off to the FT when the government seeks to raise the minimum wage in line with inflation.

A film you’ve seen more than seven times with a gif

So much for the sanctity of ‘the will of the people’.

Well, some proper investigative journalists looked into the men (all men) behind the flag protests. You’ll never guess what they found out …

Reposted by Ben Rosamond

Well, there are some interesting details in this…
The men who raised the flags
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
manchestermill.co.uk

Saturday afternoon in the record shop. A couple of teenagers (13-14 tops) dressed in scouts uniform flicking through the vinyl racks, earnestly discussing their favourites:
‘All I’ll say is that this is the best album ever made’
- What’s that?
‘Abbey Road’
- I prefer Pulp.

I blame the parents.
Awyeah Chill GIF
ALT: Awyeah Chill GIF
media.tenor.com

Outstanding thread that completely debunks this hysterical, inflammatory and deeply misleading Daily Mail headline.
FFS Daily Mail

No - the school classrooms were NOT used to teach “adult migrants”

Your own article explains this TWICE - and yet your headline…?🙄

I covered this yesterday in a thread when it was just RW accounts lying on Twitter

Now the DM are on it, let’s go again!

🧵

1/12
FFS Daily Mail

No - the school classrooms were NOT used to teach “adult migrants”

Your own article explains this TWICE - and yet your headline…?🙄

I covered this yesterday in a thread when it was just RW accounts lying on Twitter

Now the DM are on it, let’s go again!

🧵

1/12

👀 JFC.
Who are ‘they’? To which ‘you’ is he referring?

Looks a lot like tactical voting took place here.
Bromsgrove South (Worcestershire) Council By-Election Result:

🔶 LDM: 51.9% (+20.3)
➡️ RFM: 33.4% (-1.5)
🌳 CON: 11.3% (-5.8)
🌹 LAB: 3.4% (-4.1)

No GRN (-5.5) or Ind (-3.4) as previous.

Liberal Democrat GAIN from Reform.
Changes w/ 2025.