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.
Delighted to publish this excellent special issue of @compeurpol.bsky.social
Take a look at Ramona Coman, @nathaliebrack.bsky.social & @miscoiu.bsky.social special issue
"Liberal Democracy under Debate: Dissensus and Competing Conceptions in the European Parliament". With @manesweisskircher.bsky.social @alvarooleart.bsky.social and more.
link.springer.com/collections/...
"Liberal Democracy under Debate: Dissensus and Competing Conceptions in the European Parliament". With @manesweisskircher.bsky.social @alvarooleart.bsky.social and more.
link.springer.com/collections/...
Liberal Democracy under Debate: Dissensus and Competing Conceptions in the European Parliament
This Special Issue examines how democracy is being redefined and contested across the European Union. Moving beyond narratives of democratic backsliding, it ...
link.springer.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Delighted to publish this excellent special issue of @compeurpol.bsky.social
This is basically the National Front circa 1974 on steroids.
Nick Buckley sets out Advance UK immigration policy of Ben Habib's party
- bsn ILR & revoke aıı post-2018 grants
- encourage all settled migrants to leave
- bsn all work visas from India & all other majority non-white countries
- ban foreigners becoming citizens
- invade French waters
- bsn ILR & revoke aıı post-2018 grants
- encourage all settled migrants to leave
- bsn all work visas from India & all other majority non-white countries
- ban foreigners becoming citizens
- invade French waters
February 10, 2026 at 9:18 AM
This is basically the National Front circa 1974 on steroids.
Stripped of the GB News-y vocab, these are EXACTLY the policy preferences of actual core Labour voters.
"Full speed ahead to uber-woke, net-zeroist rejoinerism" is the funniest thing a Labour MP has said for some time I'll give it that. It's like a Jordan Peterson quote about Elmo.
Yes, god help we risk a floundering government that feels like no one is in charge.
February 8, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Stripped of the GB News-y vocab, these are EXACTLY the policy preferences of actual core Labour voters.
👀
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
February 7, 2026 at 11:03 AM
👀
Entirely predictably, the costs of blanket social media bans for under-16s are borne by disabled and neurodivergent children.
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
‘I’ve lost my friends’: advocacy groups warn Australia’s social media ban risks isolating kids with disabilities
Despite the ban’s aim to protect young people, experts are concerned that those in marginalised communities or living with disabilities could lose vital support networks
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 10:29 AM
Entirely predictably, the costs of blanket social media bans for under-16s are borne by disabled and neurodivergent children.
This 👇💯
So as I struggled with miscarriage after miscarriage before having my 🌈 baby, Reform would seriously think I should pay more tax during that agony.
This policy isn’t just a slippery slope to a handmaids tale dystopian future - it’s a deliberate step towards it
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
This policy isn’t just a slippery slope to a handmaids tale dystopian future - it’s a deliberate step towards it
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reform by-election candidate suggested people who don’t have kids should pay more tax
Exclusive: The Reform politician’s suggestion would ‘punish millions of women and strip them of their basic dignity to choose’, Labour’s deputy leader has warned
www.independent.co.uk
February 7, 2026 at 10:07 AM
This 👇💯
Reposted by Ben Rosamond
The latest in 'we're now in a era of bloc politics'
Will be more going on under the hood - but you can almost see straight intra-bloc transfers here (which was evident on the door)
Will be more going on under the hood - but you can almost see straight intra-bloc transfers here (which was evident on the door)
Clevedon South (North Somerset) Council By-Election Result:
🌹 LAB: 29.0% (-25.4)
➡️ RFM: 27.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 18.6% (-27.0)
🌍 GRN: 16.3% (New)
🔶 LDM: 8.3% (New)
Labour HOLD.
Changes w/ 2023.
🌹 LAB: 29.0% (-25.4)
➡️ RFM: 27.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 18.6% (-27.0)
🌍 GRN: 16.3% (New)
🔶 LDM: 8.3% (New)
Labour HOLD.
Changes w/ 2023.
February 6, 2026 at 9:23 AM
The latest in 'we're now in a era of bloc politics'
Will be more going on under the hood - but you can almost see straight intra-bloc transfers here (which was evident on the door)
Will be more going on under the hood - but you can almost see straight intra-bloc transfers here (which was evident on the door)
This is very good. Clear, succinct, anchored in scholarship and crystal-clear in its recommendations.
For the FES, I wrote a short brief about how mainstream party strategies have fueled far-right success. They move toward more anti-immigration positions to win voters back. This does not work, but shifts public opinion to the right. Parties then react to shifts in public opinion. A vicious cycle.
February 6, 2026 at 9:57 AM
This is very good. Clear, succinct, anchored in scholarship and crystal-clear in its recommendations.
Is this from Leviticus or Deuteronomy? I can never remember.
Trump at National Prayer Breakfast: "They rigged the second election. I had to win it. I needed it for my own ego. I would've had a bad ego for the rest of my life. Now I really have a big ego. Beating these lunatics was incredible ... The first time they said I didn't win the popular vote. I did"
February 5, 2026 at 3:59 PM
Is this from Leviticus or Deuteronomy? I can never remember.
cc @edinburghpir.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social
Why has the populist radical right failed in Scotland? @davidevampa.bsky.social, Alan Convery & @frasmcm.bsky.social examine how symbiotic polarization between SNP and Conservatives blocked PRRPs, until recently. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/WeHXRFw
@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polsky #PartyPolitics
@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polsky #PartyPolitics
February 4, 2026 at 9:14 PM
cc @edinburghpir.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social
Two points. 1. There was Epstein merch? 2. This seems to have been taken in 2009. Epstein was first convicted in 2008, meaning that Mandelson is sporting convicted paedophile merch.
"My Jeffrey Epstein-branded sweatshirt has people asking a lot of questions which, now I come to think of it, are entirely reasonable."
February 4, 2026 at 2:16 PM
Two points. 1. There was Epstein merch? 2. This seems to have been taken in 2009. Epstein was first convicted in 2008, meaning that Mandelson is sporting convicted paedophile merch.
Excellent article but stark reminder that for all the perceptions of universities as ivory towers for elites, they are actually vital hubs in towns n cities supporting local businesses and providing key services as well as education….
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:37 AM
@peterjukes.bsky.social has been joining the dots in light of the latest Epstein releases. It's an extraordinary story about moves to deregulate crypto, centring a new financial order on Russia and - to deliver on those aims - the strategic de-stablisation of liberal democracies (incl. Brexit).
Thread starting with 🚨 TWO SHOCKING FACTS: Epstein was in direct contact with Putin, boasting of personal invites to St Petersburg. He co-owned Thiel’s Valar Ventures w/ Ehud Barak, backing Israeli surveillance firm Carbyne. 1/12
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/03/i...
bylinetimes.com/2026/02/03/i...
In Putin’s Orbit: The Crypto Politics of Jeffrey Epstein and Peter Thiel
The web of ties between Epstein, Moscow and Silicon Valley leads back to Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage
bylinetimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:58 AM
@peterjukes.bsky.social has been joining the dots in light of the latest Epstein releases. It's an extraordinary story about moves to deregulate crypto, centring a new financial order on Russia and - to deliver on those aims - the strategic de-stablisation of liberal democracies (incl. Brexit).
Reform pivoting to plunging children back into poverty for the sake of a slightly cheaper pint.
February 3, 2026 at 11:18 AM
Reform pivoting to plunging children back into poverty for the sake of a slightly cheaper pint.
👀
Sad news from Wikipedia. Following lengthy discussion on the talk page, they've removed Matt Goodwin's claim to be the first in his family to go to university on the grounds that it [checks notes] isn't true. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Ma...
Talk:Matt Goodwin - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
February 2, 2026 at 5:42 PM
👀
A great piece by @iandunt.bsky.social that provides not only a delicious skewering of Matt Goodwin, but also (and perhaps more importantly) offers a striking thesis on how Goodwin's brand of politics has been able to flourish.
Matt Goodwin and the end of England: How one man's career explains our public life iandunt.substack.com/p/matt-goodw...
Matt Goodwin and the end of England
How one man's career explains our public life.
iandunt.substack.com
January 30, 2026 at 12:24 PM
A great piece by @iandunt.bsky.social that provides not only a delicious skewering of Matt Goodwin, but also (and perhaps more importantly) offers a striking thesis on how Goodwin's brand of politics has been able to flourish.
*PSA Mackenzie #BookPrize Shortlist 2025-26*
Congratulations to Dr Philip Rathgeb @philiprathgeb.bsky.social for 'How the radical right has changed capitalism and welfare in Europe and the USA', published by Oxford University Press @academic.oup.com
➡️ buff.ly/X13TKjK
#Books #Politics #Capitalism
Congratulations to Dr Philip Rathgeb @philiprathgeb.bsky.social for 'How the radical right has changed capitalism and welfare in Europe and the USA', published by Oxford University Press @academic.oup.com
➡️ buff.ly/X13TKjK
#Books #Politics #Capitalism
January 30, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Well, Leverhulme is definitely the craft beer of finders compared to - say - the Carling Black Label of UKRI.
January 29, 2026 at 8:21 AM
Well, Leverhulme is definitely the craft beer of finders compared to - say - the Carling Black Label of UKRI.
As a former resident of (the then not at all hipster) Levenshulme, I read this with great interest. It’s a brilliantly detailed and subtle analysis of the forthcoming by-election - especially good on the complexities of the left ‘bloc’ and the perils (for Reform) of Goodwin’s candidacy.
New Swingometer! The Gorton and Denton By-election: A tale of Two Manchesters
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
open.substack.com/pub/swingome...
The Gorton and Denton by-election: a tale of two Manchesters?
Unpopular incumbent + fragmented opposition + unusual seat = unpredictable contest
open.substack.com
January 29, 2026 at 7:33 AM
As a former resident of (the then not at all hipster) Levenshulme, I read this with great interest. It’s a brilliantly detailed and subtle analysis of the forthcoming by-election - especially good on the complexities of the left ‘bloc’ and the perils (for Reform) of Goodwin’s candidacy.
👀
Reform seem to have been charging people £125 to put themselves up as potential Gorton and Denton parliamentary Candidates:
Applications closed Sunday.
When did they select Goodwin?
Applications closed Sunday.
When did they select Goodwin?
January 28, 2026 at 9:15 AM
👀
cc @edinburghpir.bsky.social @edinburghir.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social @a-bergman-rosamond.bsky.social
In our latest issue, Annika Bergman Rosamond contends that the protection of cultural heritage in armed conflict is militarized, and informed by "notions of protection that are broadly western-centred and masculinised." This article is #OpenAccess now!
📘 ➡️ buff.ly/g9S1f2C
📘 ➡️ buff.ly/g9S1f2C
January 27, 2026 at 9:07 AM
👇🎯💯
It's not a battle "over" the truth when truth is one of the combatants.
A battle over the truth erupts after deadly Minneapolis shooting
January 26, 2026 at 4:23 PM
👇🎯💯
👀
Well well well. The Danes are weaponising firesales.
January 20, 2026 at 2:42 PM
👀
What scenes there must have been!
January 19, 2026 at 4:32 PM
What scenes there must have been!
🎯💯
January 19, 2026 at 4:20 PM
🎯💯