Alexander Clarkson
@aphclarkson.bsky.social
Lecturer for European Politics and History at King's College London. Opinions my own. RT not always endorsement.
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
When Trump first became President in 2016, Sharaa was one of several rebel and former Al Qaeda commanders fighting for survival in Northern Syria after experiencing brutal defeat in the siege of Aleppo.
How the world turns.
How the world turns.
November 10, 2025 at 9:34 PM
When Trump first became President in 2016, Sharaa was one of several rebel and former Al Qaeda commanders fighting for survival in Northern Syria after experiencing brutal defeat in the siege of Aleppo.
How the world turns.
How the world turns.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
One nice detail that can easily be lost in this graph - even right wingers trust the BBC more than the right wing tabloids
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
November 10, 2025 at 5:40 PM
One nice detail that can easily be lost in this graph - even right wingers trust the BBC more than the right wing tabloids
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
It's trendier to study the 1990s. But one can trace so much about today's world back to the early-2010s.
- Dawn of multipolar age
- Xi and Modi rise to leadership
- Reordering of Middle East from within
- Russia annexes Crimea
- Euro-crisis roils Europe
- Smartphones & social media become dominant
- Dawn of multipolar age
- Xi and Modi rise to leadership
- Reordering of Middle East from within
- Russia annexes Crimea
- Euro-crisis roils Europe
- Smartphones & social media become dominant
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
It's trendier to study the 1990s. But one can trace so much about today's world back to the early-2010s.
- Dawn of multipolar age
- Xi and Modi rise to leadership
- Reordering of Middle East from within
- Russia annexes Crimea
- Euro-crisis roils Europe
- Smartphones & social media become dominant
- Dawn of multipolar age
- Xi and Modi rise to leadership
- Reordering of Middle East from within
- Russia annexes Crimea
- Euro-crisis roils Europe
- Smartphones & social media become dominant
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The Anglo consensus of the first half of 2010s was that where continental Europeans were endemically subject to crises and demagoguery, "we" were distinctly were more enlightened. Cameron's Britain. Obama's America. Ponderous essays about Magna Carta and the "golden thread".
How wrong it all was.
How wrong it all was.
I fear we are seeing in the UK what has become abundantly clear in the US: for all their power and privilege, elites and institutions are absolute cowards in the face of right-wing authoritarianism. Weak, weak, weak, as Tony Blair once said
November 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
The Anglo consensus of the first half of 2010s was that where continental Europeans were endemically subject to crises and demagoguery, "we" were distinctly were more enlightened. Cameron's Britain. Obama's America. Ponderous essays about Magna Carta and the "golden thread".
How wrong it all was.
How wrong it all was.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
this is brilliant satire:
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
Crisis at the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation!
Crisis at the CSC | Robert Hutton | The Critic Magazine
From the desk of Lord Kronsteen, founder and proprietor of the Critic Sketchcasting Corporation. To all staff, It is with a heavy heart that I take pen in hand to inform you of the resignation of both…
thecritic.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 5:54 PM
this is brilliant satire:
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
“Given what I took to be the anti-Trump nature of the Sketch, I of course assumed there would be a similar, balancing Sketch discussing the possibility that the Capitol building had attacked the rioters....."
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The reported material in the article is pretty brutal, but so is the fact it sounds like a lot of current allied and US intelligence officials vented to the NYT about Patel
Seems like there should be a petition to write this into the plot of a future season of Slow Horses.
F.B.I. Director Is Said to Have Made a Pledge to Head of MI5, Then Broken It
www.nytimes.com
November 10, 2025 at 12:53 PM
The reported material in the article is pretty brutal, but so is the fact it sounds like a lot of current allied and US intelligence officials vented to the NYT about Patel
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
thinking back to when eric cantor got knocked out in a primary in 2014
November 10, 2025 at 2:47 AM
thinking back to when eric cantor got knocked out in a primary in 2014
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Obviously I enjoyed using the Long Walk analogy for my new Prospect piece but I especially enjoy this fantastic Stephen King / Keir Starmer image mashup.
Despite the press’s salivation over the prospect of Farage becoming PM, we are a long, long way from the next general election. And a lot could change before then, writes @benansell.bsky.social.
Labour’s long, tortuous walk to 2029
There are more than three years of unease left until the next general election. What can we expect along the way?
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 4:39 PM
Obviously I enjoyed using the Long Walk analogy for my new Prospect piece but I especially enjoy this fantastic Stephen King / Keir Starmer image mashup.
There was always a chance that Trump would end up making a Senate Democrats cave look good by then going so batshit crazy that the MAGA Republicans completely take the blame for a collapse of efforts to end the government shutdown
Wait did...they not get what they wanted last night? What is happening?
*TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY SUPREME COURT SHOULD KEEP FOOD AID ON HOLD
*TRUMP: ALL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS MUST GET BACK TO WORK, NOW
*TRUMP: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS NOT WORKING WILL BE 'DOCKED'
*TRUMP OFFICIALS SAY SUPREME COURT SHOULD KEEP FOOD AID ON HOLD
*TRUMP: ALL AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS MUST GET BACK TO WORK, NOW
*TRUMP: AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS NOT WORKING WILL BE 'DOCKED'
November 10, 2025 at 4:35 PM
There was always a chance that Trump would end up making a Senate Democrats cave look good by then going so batshit crazy that the MAGA Republicans completely take the blame for a collapse of efforts to end the government shutdown
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The dedication ICE shows in proving every allegation that they operate like an invading army is truly astonishing:
Astonishing: Bovino and his agents showed up at the Bean this morning to pose for pictures. While Border Patrol snapped photos, one agent shouted, “Everyone say, ‘Little Village!’” The neighborhood where they are least welcome and most acutely felt. blockclubchicago.org/2025/11/10/b...
Border Patrol Agents Pose At 'The Bean' For Apparent Photo Op
The photo op came after agents tear-gassed a Little Village street and were spotted in the area numerous times. At the Bean, one agent shouted, "Everyone say, Little Village!"
blockclubchicago.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The dedication ICE shows in proving every allegation that they operate like an invading army is truly astonishing:
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
This in turn deepens a dynamic of 'MY side is poorly represented - why does that CRANK always get on?' when you have hot button debates largely discussed by people who are not fluent in the actual topic but are reciting talking points, often poorly.
it‘s also changed the incentives a bit. You don’t get on a programme by leading a campaign or having expertise in an area, you get on it by saying something a bit spicy on Twitter before 11am in the hope that an overworked 24 year old researcher books you.
November 10, 2025 at 3:19 PM
This in turn deepens a dynamic of 'MY side is poorly represented - why does that CRANK always get on?' when you have hot button debates largely discussed by people who are not fluent in the actual topic but are reciting talking points, often poorly.
It also means a substantial amount of detailed factual programming ends up spiralling off into the world of niche podcasts and Youtube channels rather than formats that are accessible for a mass audience
I go on about 'remember when BBC Parliament was a real channel?', but from a 'protecting the corporation' perspective, the flight from detail both means 'fewer programmes that MPs and the political class themselves directly enjoy' and also 'fewer programmes that the political class appears on'.
It would also have more defenders more readily to say no thats bullshit its a great institution and you can fuck off when facing this kind of assault
November 10, 2025 at 3:29 PM
It also means a substantial amount of detailed factual programming ends up spiralling off into the world of niche podcasts and Youtube channels rather than formats that are accessible for a mass audience
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I go on about 'remember when BBC Parliament was a real channel?', but from a 'protecting the corporation' perspective, the flight from detail both means 'fewer programmes that MPs and the political class themselves directly enjoy' and also 'fewer programmes that the political class appears on'.
It would also have more defenders more readily to say no thats bullshit its a great institution and you can fuck off when facing this kind of assault
November 10, 2025 at 2:52 PM
I go on about 'remember when BBC Parliament was a real channel?', but from a 'protecting the corporation' perspective, the flight from detail both means 'fewer programmes that MPs and the political class themselves directly enjoy' and also 'fewer programmes that the political class appears on'.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I agree with this, but I think if the BBC were better led, it would make fewer culpable errors and it would both directly and indirectly be better placed to fight the real and concerted campaign against it.
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.
November 10, 2025 at 2:28 PM
I agree with this, but I think if the BBC were better led, it would make fewer culpable errors and it would both directly and indirectly be better placed to fight the real and concerted campaign against it.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
This would be an absolutely gigantic political mistake...which is why Trump will do it.
He knows what she can say, after all.
He knows what she can say, after all.
BREAKING:
A whistleblower tells House Judiciary Democrats that convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell is in the process of seeking a commutation of her 20-year prison sentence from Donald Trump. tinyurl.com/582addcc
A whistleblower tells House Judiciary Democrats that convicted sex offender Ghislaine Maxwell is in the process of seeking a commutation of her 20-year prison sentence from Donald Trump. tinyurl.com/582addcc
November 10, 2025 at 3:21 PM
This would be an absolutely gigantic political mistake...which is why Trump will do it.
He knows what she can say, after all.
He knows what she can say, after all.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The gratuitous violence being inflicted on Chicago would have been anathema during the U.S. military's counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.
And the "threats" Bovino claims CBP and ICE agents face there pales in comparison to Iraq.
They're weekend warriors with a sadistic streak.
And the "threats" Bovino claims CBP and ICE agents face there pales in comparison to Iraq.
They're weekend warriors with a sadistic streak.
Kyle Kingsbury is not a journalist. He is not an op-ed writer.
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
He is a computer safety researcher.
And he has written one of the most compelling, comprehensive accounts of the ongoing hell in Chicago that you could possibly imagine.
In under 1600 words.
aphyr.com/posts/397-i-...
November 10, 2025 at 3:20 PM
The gratuitous violence being inflicted on Chicago would have been anathema during the U.S. military's counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.
And the "threats" Bovino claims CBP and ICE agents face there pales in comparison to Iraq.
They're weekend warriors with a sadistic streak.
And the "threats" Bovino claims CBP and ICE agents face there pales in comparison to Iraq.
They're weekend warriors with a sadistic streak.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Fun fact, the median Newsmax viewer is a sixty-three year old white man.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
November 10, 2025 at 3:22 PM
Fun fact, the median Newsmax viewer is a sixty-three year old white man.
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Stephen really does have the best take on this. It’s not clear that the BBC Board or indeed the rest of the News team really understood the message of the previous reviews, which were about getting detail right. Instead they wanted to know what was ‘biased’ or not like they were blotting out stains.
The impossible dream some people on the British right are chasing is that you can have a BBC News operation that retreats from detail and expertise, that takes dictation from the government, but this will only create incompetence and failure when it suits you:
To fix the BBC, focus on competence and cash
Corporation fails to learn from criticism, while politicians have consciously reduced its scope for quality journalism
www.ft.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Stephen really does have the best take on this. It’s not clear that the BBC Board or indeed the rest of the News team really understood the message of the previous reviews, which were about getting detail right. Instead they wanted to know what was ‘biased’ or not like they were blotting out stains.
These are economic fundamentals underpinned by a tacit policy consensus between PD and FdI that the UK's Starmer government dreams of having
November 10, 2025 at 10:24 AM
These are economic fundamentals underpinned by a tacit policy consensus between PD and FdI that the UK's Starmer government dreams of having
The strength of the app would certainly be a strong legacy, but I suspect you could cut 90% of the BBC reporting staff and just run it as a news aggregator and most voters below the age of 40 would barely notice until it was too late
It's a downstream thing! The BBC App is incredibly important as it's where millions get their news bulletins from. People obviously don't care about the inner workings of the BBC but if you care about how people get their information you very much should.
Outside of particular corners of social and traditional media I'm not sure the BBC demanding answers from the BBC about the BBC is necessarily a discourse that much of the rest of the UK population will get that preoccupied over
November 10, 2025 at 10:24 AM
The strength of the app would certainly be a strong legacy, but I suspect you could cut 90% of the BBC reporting staff and just run it as a news aggregator and most voters below the age of 40 would barely notice until it was too late
These are economic fundamentals underpinned by a tacit policy consensus between PD and FdI that the UK's Starmer government dreams of having
November 10, 2025 at 10:22 AM
These are economic fundamentals underpinned by a tacit policy consensus between PD and FdI that the UK's Starmer government dreams of having
Outside of particular corners of social and traditional media I'm not sure the BBC demanding answers from the BBC about the BBC is necessarily a discourse that much of the rest of the UK population will get that preoccupied over
November 10, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Outside of particular corners of social and traditional media I'm not sure the BBC demanding answers from the BBC about the BBC is necessarily a discourse that much of the rest of the UK population will get that preoccupied over
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The impossible dream some people on the British right are chasing is that you can have a BBC News operation that retreats from detail and expertise, that takes dictation from the government, but this will only create incompetence and failure when it suits you:
To fix the BBC, focus on competence and cash
Corporation fails to learn from criticism, while politicians have consciously reduced its scope for quality journalism
www.ft.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 AM
The impossible dream some people on the British right are chasing is that you can have a BBC News operation that retreats from detail and expertise, that takes dictation from the government, but this will only create incompetence and failure when it suits you: