benshimshon.bsky.social
@benshimshon.bsky.social
Co-founder & CEO, thinksinsight.com (formerly BritainThinks); Board Member, abrahaminitiatives.org. I (still) like politics. I sometimes say useful things about it.
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
CST: 'we utterly reject his message of hate and division. His so-called support for our community is not welcome or helpful'
That was 2021. I hope + anticipate similar sentiments in 2025
That was 2021. I hope + anticipate similar sentiments in 2025
October 3, 2025 at 5:54 PM
CST: 'we utterly reject his message of hate and division. His so-called support for our community is not welcome or helpful'
That was 2021. I hope + anticipate similar sentiments in 2025
That was 2021. I hope + anticipate similar sentiments in 2025
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
@benshimshon.bsky.social and I did a bit of polling on this earlier in the year- quite interesting on who cares most about the broken promise
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
How Much Do Voters Care About Broken Election Promises?
Manifesto promises matter and Labour will face fierce criticism if it breaks them. But our research suggests delivering a feeling of change is more...
www.politicshome.com
September 20, 2025 at 12:23 PM
@benshimshon.bsky.social and I did a bit of polling on this earlier in the year- quite interesting on who cares most about the broken promise
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
BREAKING: “It’s dark” - Dylan calls it.
September 18, 2025 at 5:07 AM
BREAKING: “It’s dark” - Dylan calls it.
I signed this today. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Petition: Invest in brain cancer and give rights – turn terminal into treatable
Brain cancer is the biggest cancer killer of children and adults under 40, 87% with a high-grade brain tumour diagnosis die within 5 yrs, and yet it gets just 1% of the national spend on cancer.
petition.parliament.uk
September 9, 2025 at 10:08 AM
I signed this today. petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
The takeaway:
👉 Accommodating the radical right on immigration doesn’t win back voters.
👉 It alienates the progressive base.
👉 And it raises the salience of the very issue the radical right owns.
In short: it’s electoral self-harm.
👉 Accommodating the radical right on immigration doesn’t win back voters.
👉 It alienates the progressive base.
👉 And it raises the salience of the very issue the radical right owns.
In short: it’s electoral self-harm.
September 5, 2025 at 6:50 AM
The takeaway:
👉 Accommodating the radical right on immigration doesn’t win back voters.
👉 It alienates the progressive base.
👉 And it raises the salience of the very issue the radical right owns.
In short: it’s electoral self-harm.
👉 Accommodating the radical right on immigration doesn’t win back voters.
👉 It alienates the progressive base.
👉 And it raises the salience of the very issue the radical right owns.
In short: it’s electoral self-harm.
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Longer thread with detailed results here bsky.app/profile/turn...
Radical right accommodation really does not work.
New paper out with this exceptionally talented team
@katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk
doi.org/10.31235/osf...
New paper out with this exceptionally talented team
@katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk
doi.org/10.31235/osf...
September 5, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Longer thread with detailed results here bsky.app/profile/turn...
The Maitliss - Clegg interview is so horrible. combative, unproductive, unenlightening.
September 2, 2025 at 4:33 PM
The Maitliss - Clegg interview is so horrible. combative, unproductive, unenlightening.
🙌
Today I learned, through an unfortunate chain of events, that it’s possible to start a car with the keys on the roof, have the keys stay on the roof for five miles, ask “what’s that clunk” as they fall off, continue for a further 20 miles, then find you can’t lock your car and it won’t restart.
August 29, 2025 at 7:35 PM
🙌
I wrote this in 2013 on the gap between political vision and voter vision. Main changes: twitter is now X; the energy price freeze would be a bigger deal today. archive.progressivebritain.org/2013/12/06/t...
That ‘vision thing’ – what swing voters mean | Progress | News and debate from the progressive community
archive.progressivebritain.org
July 22, 2025 at 9:05 AM
I wrote this in 2013 on the gap between political vision and voter vision. Main changes: twitter is now X; the energy price freeze would be a bigger deal today. archive.progressivebritain.org/2013/12/06/t...
Hello politics/psephology people. Is this still thought of as a good account of turnout dynamics? Do the findings around habit forming and whether you vote in the first three elections of your adult life still hold?
July 22, 2025 at 6:59 AM
Hello politics/psephology people. Is this still thought of as a good account of turnout dynamics? Do the findings around habit forming and whether you vote in the first three elections of your adult life still hold?
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
He's done Douglas Murray and now @jamesbloodworth.bsky.social takes down Britain's favourite rightwing grifter. I hope he does Bari Weiss next. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philos...
Matthew Goodwin, Reform and the politics of resentment
The ‘heterodox intellectual’ turned populist is a morbid symptom of the digital age
www.prospectmagazine.co.uk
July 16, 2025 at 6:09 PM
He's done Douglas Murray and now @jamesbloodworth.bsky.social takes down Britain's favourite rightwing grifter. I hope he does Bari Weiss next. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/philos...
Been on hold 60 minutes now. Have moved from 12 to 5 in the queue. I am the sunk cost fallacy.
July 14, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Been on hold 60 minutes now. Have moved from 12 to 5 in the queue. I am the sunk cost fallacy.
In our @thinksinsight.bsky.social focus groups, participants found it almost impossible to populate a timeline of the last year. In the survey they could recall almost nothing positive. One big negative
July 11, 2025 at 6:38 AM
In our @thinksinsight.bsky.social focus groups, participants found it almost impossible to populate a timeline of the last year. In the survey they could recall almost nothing positive. One big negative
Our @thinksinsight.bsky.social Election Diaries: 1 Year On report (and data tables) is up here: www.thinksinsight.com/reports/the-...
July 10, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Our @thinksinsight.bsky.social Election Diaries: 1 Year On report (and data tables) is up here: www.thinksinsight.com/reports/the-...
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
My @NewStatesman.com piece on why Starmer has to take on the “roll the dice” mentality that is driving voters towards Reform UK. www.newstatesman.com/comment/2025...
Why the public will keep gambling on Nigel Farage
A “roll-the-dice” mentality has taken hold of voters, and Reform will be the biggest beneficiary.
www.newstatesman.com
July 8, 2025 at 7:08 AM
My @NewStatesman.com piece on why Starmer has to take on the “roll the dice” mentality that is driving voters towards Reform UK. www.newstatesman.com/comment/2025...
And here’s a second @politicshome.bsky.social piece based on our @thinksinsight.bsky.social research, looking at how voters are thinking about Reform UK www.politicshome.com/news/article... @zoecrowther.bsky.social
More Than Half Of Public Think A Reform Government Would Be A Big Risk To The UK
More than half of the public think that electing a Reform UK government led by Nigel Farage would be a big risk for the UK, according to new pollin...
www.politicshome.com
July 7, 2025 at 6:22 PM
And here’s a second @politicshome.bsky.social piece based on our @thinksinsight.bsky.social research, looking at how voters are thinking about Reform UK www.politicshome.com/news/article... @zoecrowther.bsky.social
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Labour's 1st year: the comms problem
Government's most well-known decision is cutting winter fuel, which is also its most unpopular
Its least well-known decision is NHS investment, which is its most popular
Exc @thinksinsight.bsky.social research for PolHome
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Government's most well-known decision is cutting winter fuel, which is also its most unpopular
Its least well-known decision is NHS investment, which is its most popular
Exc @thinksinsight.bsky.social research for PolHome
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
July 5, 2025 at 9:23 AM
Labour's 1st year: the comms problem
Government's most well-known decision is cutting winter fuel, which is also its most unpopular
Its least well-known decision is NHS investment, which is its most popular
Exc @thinksinsight.bsky.social research for PolHome
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Government's most well-known decision is cutting winter fuel, which is also its most unpopular
Its least well-known decision is NHS investment, which is its most popular
Exc @thinksinsight.bsky.social research for PolHome
www.politicshome.com/news/article...
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Lots of evidence Sure Start had many lasting beneficial effects so this is an encouraging development
Sure Start is coming back.
The Labour government is to open 1000 Best Start Family Hubs covering every local authority. The first will be in place by April 2026 & all by 2028.
They will combine existing Family Hubs & the Start for Life programme & also cover areas without these services.
1/2
The Labour government is to open 1000 Best Start Family Hubs covering every local authority. The first will be in place by April 2026 & all by 2028.
They will combine existing Family Hubs & the Start for Life programme & also cover areas without these services.
1/2
Government revives family services, supporting 500,000 more kids
Up to 1,000 Best Start Family Hubs to be rolled out across the country to provide wide-ranging help for families, such as parenting and early development.
www.gov.uk
July 6, 2025 at 8:33 AM
Lots of evidence Sure Start had many lasting beneficial effects so this is an encouraging development
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
The real Salt Path: how the couple behind a bestseller le...
Penniless and homeless, the Winns found fame and fortune with the story of their 630-mile walk to salvation. We can reveal it was far from the truth
observer.co.uk
July 6, 2025 at 6:06 AM
I spent months on this investigation and gathered docs from the UK courts, Land Registry and a French local authority, to show that Raynor and Moth Winn's story is not as they claim. @tortoisemedia.bsky.social @observeruk.bsky.social
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
Reposted by benshimshon.bsky.social
Looks like we found ‘the Joe Rogan of the left’
Joe Rogan's Trump endorsement is unraveling. He's furious over ICE raids targeting gardeners and students. He's asking if we're sliding into fascism. https://gizmodo.com/joe-rogan-feels-trump-betrayed-him-on-immigration-2000624426
Joe Rogan Feels Trump Betrayed Him on Immigration
The podcast king, once a prominent supporter of Donald Trump, denounced the president’s aggressive deportation tactics on his wildly popular podcast.
gizmodo.com
July 5, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Looks like we found ‘the Joe Rogan of the left’
Challenging reading for Labour in this @politicshome.bsky.social write up of our @thinksinsight.bsky.social survey to mark one year of Labour. www.politicshome.com/members/arti...
Labour's First Year In Power Seen As Worse Than Tory Predecessors
The Labour government is generally seen as worse than its recent Tory predecessors, but still preferred to today’s alternatives, a poll for Politic...
www.politicshome.com
July 5, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Challenging reading for Labour in this @politicshome.bsky.social write up of our @thinksinsight.bsky.social survey to mark one year of Labour. www.politicshome.com/members/arti...
This was a great conversation - thanks for having me @politicshome.bsky.social
🚨 OUT NOW 🚨 Nightmare end to Keir's first year
🥀 Labour MPs @rachelblakemp.bsky.social & @juliabuckley.bsky.social, & Thinks Insight's @benshimshon.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss Labour's tough first year in office and how they can turn it around
🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/2f588b
🥀 Labour MPs @rachelblakemp.bsky.social & @juliabuckley.bsky.social, & Thinks Insight's @benshimshon.bsky.social join @alaintolhurst.bsky.social to discuss Labour's tough first year in office and how they can turn it around
🎧 Listen: pod.fo/e/2f588b
July 4, 2025 at 4:32 PM
This was a great conversation - thanks for having me @politicshome.bsky.social