Chris Grey
@chrisgrey.bsky.social
Emeritus Prof of Organization Studies, Royal Holloway University of London, ex-Prof Warwick & Cambridge. FAcSS, FRHistS. Now mainly Brexit analysis including Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Author Brexit Unfolded (Biteback, 2021, 2023). Elsewhere @chrisgreybrexit
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Chris Grey
@chrisgrey.bsky.social
· Jun 23
So it's now 7 years since the vote to leave the EU. For a detailed account & analysis of what happened from the day after that, see my book, "Brexit Unfolded: How no one got what they wanted (and why they were never going to)" (2nd, updated, edition 2023): www.bitebackpublishing.com/books/brexit...
Reposted by Chris Grey
I had forgotten this, but it is consistent with Trump's efforts to pressure Zelenskyy into dangerous concessions to Putin. It should be (yet another) alarm signal to European leaders - Trump's goals in Ukraine may be the opposite of Europe's.
During Fiona Hill's testimony to Congress on Oct 14, 2019, she described how Trump and Putin discussed exchanging Ukraine for Venezuela. The quid pro quo was if Trump refuses to help Ukraine fight off a Russian invasion, Putin would not help Venezuela (a Russian ally) resist a US takeover.
January 4, 2026 at 11:22 AM
I had forgotten this, but it is consistent with Trump's efforts to pressure Zelenskyy into dangerous concessions to Putin. It should be (yet another) alarm signal to European leaders - Trump's goals in Ukraine may be the opposite of Europe's.
Good, nuanced piece
Hannah Arendt warned that democratic collapse rarely announces itself loudly.
Christopher Finlay's piece asks what her thinking reveals about populism today. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!
eastangliabylines.co.uk/democracy/ha...
Christopher Finlay's piece asks what her thinking reveals about populism today. From _The conversation_ -- thanks!
eastangliabylines.co.uk/democracy/ha...
Hannah Arendt and the new age of populism
A year into Trump’s second term is a good moment to revisit Hannah Arendt’s warnings about ideology, isolation, and the slow erosion of truth.
eastangliabylines.co.uk
January 4, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Good, nuanced piece
Reposted by Chris Grey
Good article this. Racism really is the reverse of a performance-enhancing drug, the mad, stupid shit it leads people to believe in and to do:
‘Once whispered, now discussed’: the rise of dubious claims of civil war in the UK
Dystopian warnings once reserved for the far right have found a wider audience – but there are good reasons for scepticism
www.theguardian.com
January 4, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Good article this. Racism really is the reverse of a performance-enhancing drug, the mad, stupid shit it leads people to believe in and to do:
Strange that he talks of a 'food and agriculture' deal (by which he presumably means SPS) as if it has already been agreed and now just has to be implemented when, as yet, no deal has been reached.
“If it’s in our national interest to have even closer alignment with the single market than we should consider that, we should go that far”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
Prime Minister Keir Starmer
January 4, 2026 at 11:17 AM
Strange that he talks of a 'food and agriculture' deal (by which he presumably means SPS) as if it has already been agreed and now just has to be implemented when, as yet, no deal has been reached.
Reposted by Chris Grey
This statement certainly doesn't back Trump's attack explicitly - it very carefully doesn't do that - and implicitly rebukes it through its referance to international law.
It's carefully drafted to avoid direct criticism, but very clearly doesn't do what Adam claims.
It's carefully drafted to avoid direct criticism, but very clearly doesn't do what Adam claims.
Keir Starmer explicitly backs Trump's attack on Venezuela.
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
Says he has "long supported" getting rid of Maduro, who is an "illegitimate President" and "we shed no tears about the end of his regime".
January 3, 2026 at 8:11 PM
This statement certainly doesn't back Trump's attack explicitly - it very carefully doesn't do that - and implicitly rebukes it through its referance to international law.
It's carefully drafted to avoid direct criticism, but very clearly doesn't do what Adam claims.
It's carefully drafted to avoid direct criticism, but very clearly doesn't do what Adam claims.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Unsurprisingly, seeing a whole load of contradictory claims about the Venezuela attack & Maduro on here – which is what happens when (a) it’s chaos & (b) you try to extrapolate back from the facts – as they appear to you – to possible causes. A lot of this is just going to take time to become clear
January 3, 2026 at 10:36 AM
Unsurprisingly, seeing a whole load of contradictory claims about the Venezuela attack & Maduro on here – which is what happens when (a) it’s chaos & (b) you try to extrapolate back from the facts – as they appear to you – to possible causes. A lot of this is just going to take time to become clear
Reposted by Chris Grey
Well this was kinda inevitable. Allows Russia to play the hypocrisy card and makes western allies job very tricky
January 3, 2026 at 10:13 AM
Well this was kinda inevitable. Allows Russia to play the hypocrisy card and makes western allies job very tricky
Reposted by Chris Grey
Days like this are a stark reminder that the UK undertook Brexit at historically the worst possible moment. Bloc politics is here to stay and fiddlearsing about with 2mm advances towards smoother customs arrangements with the EU is not the leadership Britain needs.
January 3, 2026 at 10:04 AM
Days like this are a stark reminder that the UK undertook Brexit at historically the worst possible moment. Bloc politics is here to stay and fiddlearsing about with 2mm advances towards smoother customs arrangements with the EU is not the leadership Britain needs.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Stark warning from the Education Secretary.
The decline in literacy risks undermining British national security by leaving future generations more at risk from Russian disinformation, Bridget Phillipson argues
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
The decline in literacy risks undermining British national security by leaving future generations more at risk from Russian disinformation, Bridget Phillipson argues
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
Decline in reading is a national security threat, says Phillipson
Education Secretary cited growing risk of deliberately misleading information from hostile states such as Russia
www.telegraph.co.uk
January 2, 2026 at 2:59 PM
Stark warning from the Education Secretary.
The decline in literacy risks undermining British national security by leaving future generations more at risk from Russian disinformation, Bridget Phillipson argues
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
The decline in literacy risks undermining British national security by leaving future generations more at risk from Russian disinformation, Bridget Phillipson argues
www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
Reposted by Chris Grey
Remember when the right-wing press and the private schools lobby said VAT would mean an exodus to state schools causing a crisis? Not so much.
(From this FT analysis: www.ft.com/content/c979...)
(From this FT analysis: www.ft.com/content/c979...)
January 2, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Remember when the right-wing press and the private schools lobby said VAT would mean an exodus to state schools causing a crisis? Not so much.
(From this FT analysis: www.ft.com/content/c979...)
(From this FT analysis: www.ft.com/content/c979...)
Reposted by Chris Grey
She’s not joking about it being a long thread, but it is full of good points.
It's New Year, so time to look back and forward. These are 10 things I think we need to recognise in 2026. It’s a response to what I think are profoundly damaging mistaken assumptions I’ve heard and read from practitioners, journalists, and analysts in 2025. Warning: very long🧵
January 1, 2026 at 6:20 PM
She’s not joking about it being a long thread, but it is full of good points.
Reposted by Chris Grey
These days, people can't just dislike. They have to loathe.
Glad the FT is asking the question. Even if I’m not convinced they found a compelling answer.
I get that Starmer & Reeves are unpopular, I really don’t understand the extent of the dislike.
www.ft.com/content/1995... ‘There’s a real dislike, even loathing’: why voters hate Starmer and Reeves
I get that Starmer & Reeves are unpopular, I really don’t understand the extent of the dislike.
www.ft.com/content/1995... ‘There’s a real dislike, even loathing’: why voters hate Starmer and Reeves
‘There’s a real dislike, even loathing’: why voters hate Starmer and Reeves
Allies concede the prime minister and chancellor have made mistakes yet the level of disdain towards them is still striking
www.ft.com
January 1, 2026 at 5:34 PM
These days, people can't just dislike. They have to loathe.
Reposted by Chris Grey
One of the first things a Farage government will do will be to make sure "the young are
taught correctly about our history," and if that doesn't set off all manner of alarm bells then it should. (MAIL)
taught correctly about our history," and if that doesn't set off all manner of alarm bells then it should. (MAIL)
January 1, 2026 at 4:58 PM
One of the first things a Farage government will do will be to make sure "the young are
taught correctly about our history," and if that doesn't set off all manner of alarm bells then it should. (MAIL)
taught correctly about our history," and if that doesn't set off all manner of alarm bells then it should. (MAIL)
Reposted by Chris Grey
What the war against London really is about. V good by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social #Giftlink
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
The plot against London
Distorted attacks by the populist right are really about demography
giftarticle.ft.com
January 1, 2026 at 11:29 AM
What the war against London really is about. V good by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social #Giftlink
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
And on a different note: A v Happy New Year to everyone!
Plenty to object to here (pretty much every sentence, in fact), but what's interesting is the appeal for the restoration of 'traditional values' alongside an economic policy of a 2nd City Big Bang based on cryptocurrencies 🤣. This is the fault-line that could & should do for Farage.
December 31, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Plenty to object to here (pretty much every sentence, in fact), but what's interesting is the appeal for the restoration of 'traditional values' alongside an economic policy of a 2nd City Big Bang based on cryptocurrencies 🤣. This is the fault-line that could & should do for Farage.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Tommy Robinson got kicked out of a pub in Bedford and threw a massive tantrum.
Not everyone supports teeny tiny tommy 10 names. Great to see him being barred from this pub.Kudos to the landlord. But sad to say followers of rancid robinson have been posting horrendous reviews about the pub. Something should be done about this.
youtube.com/shorts/y6ZCT...
youtube.com/shorts/y6ZCT...
Tommy Robinson kicked out of the rose in Bedford.
YouTube video by Working Class Patriot
youtube.com
December 31, 2025 at 6:44 PM
Tommy Robinson got kicked out of a pub in Bedford and threw a massive tantrum.
Reposted by Chris Grey
This is a very silly headline in The Times
December 30, 2025 at 10:58 AM
This is a very silly headline in The Times
Reposted by Chris Grey
I already agree with this in principle - citizenship is an untouchable status or it is nothing - but also for reasons of prudence. “The Home Sec can revoke citizenship when he/she deems someone’s online output sufficiently offensive” is a v dangerous precedent to set with Reform leading all polls.
Hell, I'm not convinced we should revoke citizenship at all.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
But certainly not for being a twat online.
December 29, 2025 at 11:18 AM
I already agree with this in principle - citizenship is an untouchable status or it is nothing - but also for reasons of prudence. “The Home Sec can revoke citizenship when he/she deems someone’s online output sufficiently offensive” is a v dangerous precedent to set with Reform leading all polls.
Reposted by Chris Grey
I've written an end of year substack post about tracking Trump, where we are ending the year and some implications for Europe and for me personally...
christinapagel.substack.com/p/personal-r...
christinapagel.substack.com/p/personal-r...
Personal reflections on a Trumpian 2025
The implications of a year in Trump's new America and why I started tracking Trump - and why I'm not stopping.
christinapagel.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 3:25 PM
I've written an end of year substack post about tracking Trump, where we are ending the year and some implications for Europe and for me personally...
christinapagel.substack.com/p/personal-r...
christinapagel.substack.com/p/personal-r...
Reposted by Chris Grey
"Farage and Badenoch are free to offer up an explanation as to why Connolly should be able to incite violence without consequence, while el-Fattah should face extrajudicial punishment for it. Until they do so, there is an all too obvious one: they are openly pandering to racists."
Calls to remove el-Fattah’s UK citizenship are dictatorial
Yes his tweets were disgusting, possibly criminal, yet it should not be possible for politicians to revoke someone’s national identity just because they dislike their views
www.thenewworld.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 6:05 PM
"Farage and Badenoch are free to offer up an explanation as to why Connolly should be able to incite violence without consequence, while el-Fattah should face extrajudicial punishment for it. Until they do so, there is an all too obvious one: they are openly pandering to racists."
It's really beyond belief. Now, the "Romanians propped up UK's economy" (though I notice the Mail have now changed the headline). Then, they were taking our job/ scrounging welfare/ committing crimes. As, ofc, the Mail now says non-EU immigrants are doing.
Mail report: 70,000 more EU nationals left than arrived in the 12 months June 2024- June 2025, while somewhere around 3.5 million to 4 million EU nationals live in the UK
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article...
Up to 1m Romanians propped up UK's economy - now they are going home
The numbers of Romanians leaving the UK are higher than for any other EU nationality, dwarfing the 25,000 Poles who left Britain to return to their low-tax homeland in the year up to last June.
www.dailymail.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 6:47 PM
It's really beyond belief. Now, the "Romanians propped up UK's economy" (though I notice the Mail have now changed the headline). Then, they were taking our job/ scrounging welfare/ committing crimes. As, ofc, the Mail now says non-EU immigrants are doing.
Reposted by Chris Grey
The Daily Mail is now concerned at net emigration of Romanians from the UK to Romania: there were 539,000 people born in Romania in 2021 (+460k on 2011) but net emigration to Romania of 23,000 in 2024-25
December 29, 2025 at 5:44 PM
The Daily Mail is now concerned at net emigration of Romanians from the UK to Romania: there were 539,000 people born in Romania in 2021 (+460k on 2011) but net emigration to Romania of 23,000 in 2024-25
Apart from anything else this is stupid in its own terms. What would Lowe (& the many others on the far right now openly saying it) do if some future regime decreed that he was 'not British'? What legal redress would he have if Britishness were defined not by citizenship but by some other test? 1/2
December 29, 2025 at 6:35 PM
Apart from anything else this is stupid in its own terms. What would Lowe (& the many others on the far right now openly saying it) do if some future regime decreed that he was 'not British'? What legal redress would he have if Britishness were defined not by citizenship but by some other test? 1/2
I'm certainly not defending the Abd el-Fattah tweets but I really can't stomach the outrage about them from those who also insisted that Lucy Connelly was a heroic martyr for free speech and were equally outraged by her punishment.
December 29, 2025 at 6:15 PM
I'm certainly not defending the Abd el-Fattah tweets but I really can't stomach the outrage about them from those who also insisted that Lucy Connelly was a heroic martyr for free speech and were equally outraged by her punishment.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Indeed. But it's not just Putin. It is also Trump, Musk, and the other plutocrats. I don't think this is about Russia v. EU, it's about plutocrats and oligarchs v. democracy.
The dictator’s threats and dirty tricks go unanswered and unpunished. We can’t keep rolling over like this
✏️ @lukemcgee.bsky.social
✏️ @lukemcgee.bsky.social
Putin is out to destroy the UK and Europe. If we don’t accept that, we’re doomed
The dictator’s threats and dirty tricks go unanswered and unpunished. We can’t keep rolling over like this
www.thenewworld.co.uk
December 29, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Indeed. But it's not just Putin. It is also Trump, Musk, and the other plutocrats. I don't think this is about Russia v. EU, it's about plutocrats and oligarchs v. democracy.