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).
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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...
Good thread
Short thread- Not far from Crowborough is a place called Maresfield. An old army base there was used to house Vietnamese refugees (Boat People) in the late 70s/early 80s. Nobody was bothered about them being there at the time. No protest against them. Nothing.- www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
Thousands march in Crowborough over asylum plan for former military camp
Protesters walk to Sussex market town from base where Home Office plans to house up to 500 asylum seekers
www.theguardian.com
January 26, 2026 at 9:37 AM
Good thread
I love the way that recently Michael Gove has appeared as a talking head on several discussions of disloyalty, political backstabbing, leadership bids etc. It's as if he is in journalists' contact books as the go-to expert on being a bit of a shit. (E.g. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...)
Broadcasting House - Back him or block him? Burnham row engulfs Labour - BBC Sounds
Labour's executive decides today whether to allow Andy Burnham to seek a Westminster seat.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 25, 2026 at 8:28 PM
I love the way that recently Michael Gove has appeared as a talking head on several discussions of disloyalty, political backstabbing, leadership bids etc. It's as if he is in journalists' contact books as the go-to expert on being a bit of a shit. (E.g. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...)
Reposted by Chris Grey
Like Trump, Farage opens his mouth and the lies fall out. Pull him up on those lies and he uses the same old playbook - attack and deny
January 25, 2026 at 11:41 AM
Like Trump, Farage opens his mouth and the lies fall out. Pull him up on those lies and he uses the same old playbook - attack and deny
Reposted by Chris Grey
In case you missed it:
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
January 24, 2026 at 10:03 AM
In case you missed it:
Reposted by Chris Grey
Starmer has paused a bill to ratify the UK/Mauritius deal on transfer of Chagos Isles + leaseback of the US Diego Garcia base
The Tories tabled "a wrecking amendment" calling for its withdrawal in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances
A reminder of how the US welcomed the deal at the time
The Tories tabled "a wrecking amendment" calling for its withdrawal in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances
A reminder of how the US welcomed the deal at the time
January 25, 2026 at 10:46 AM
Starmer has paused a bill to ratify the UK/Mauritius deal on transfer of Chagos Isles + leaseback of the US Diego Garcia base
The Tories tabled "a wrecking amendment" calling for its withdrawal in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances
A reminder of how the US welcomed the deal at the time
The Tories tabled "a wrecking amendment" calling for its withdrawal in light of the changing geopolitical circumstances
A reminder of how the US welcomed the deal at the time
Reposted by Chris Grey
What do you think of this, Brits?
January 24, 2026 at 5:23 PM
What do you think of this, Brits?
Reposted by Chris Grey
This is a typically excellent piece from Chris, analysing the new geopolitical realities and the way they reframe the whole Brexit debate. Well worth reading.
In case you missed it:
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
January 24, 2026 at 10:32 AM
This is a typically excellent piece from Chris, analysing the new geopolitical realities and the way they reframe the whole Brexit debate. Well worth reading.
In case you missed it:
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
January 24, 2026 at 10:03 AM
In case you missed it:
Oh FFS
Starmer pulls Chagos bill after Trump backlash www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/202...
🤷♂️
🤷♂️
January 23, 2026 at 8:14 PM
Oh FFS
Reposted by Chris Grey
I don't think even American liberals and anti-Trump conservatives really understand how much work Trump's successors in Washington will need to do to restore European trust in the United States
January 23, 2026 at 6:22 PM
I don't think even American liberals and anti-Trump conservatives really understand how much work Trump's successors in Washington will need to do to restore European trust in the United States
This could be a big moment for Farage. His only comment so far has been insipid, saying that what Trump said was "not quite fair". I'm not sure that anything short of publicly repudiating his friendship with Trump will play well with many of his supporters. Meanwhile, Labour should press the bruise.
Okay mate, you explain that to angry voters. They'll see your true colours.
January 23, 2026 at 6:28 PM
This could be a big moment for Farage. His only comment so far has been insipid, saying that what Trump said was "not quite fair". I'm not sure that anything short of publicly repudiating his friendship with Trump will play well with many of his supporters. Meanwhile, Labour should press the bruise.
Reposted by Chris Grey
'Insulting and appalling': Starmer demands apology for Trump's comments on Nato in Afghanistan
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
January 23, 2026 at 4:42 PM
'Insulting and appalling': Starmer demands apology for Trump's comments on Nato in Afghanistan
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
www.itv.com/news/2026-01...
Reposted by Chris Grey
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
January 23, 2026 at 7:32 AM
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
January 23, 2026 at 7:32 AM
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
Nice bunch, eh?
Roughly two dozen countries have publicly accepted Trump's invitation and a senior White House official has said that they expect about 35 countries to participate.
Follow live updates: ft.trib.al/05KNr4R
Follow live updates: ft.trib.al/05KNr4R
January 22, 2026 at 7:38 PM
Nice bunch, eh?
Reposted by Chris Grey
This is a very important thread. The whole "it's a new UN" narrative is profoundly flawed. The Board of Peace has no actual power beyond the power of its individual members. So at most it is a new type of alliance between some of the worst human beings on earth -- deeply problematic but nothing new.
Reports suggest the UN will be rivalled by a "Board of Peace". But it's important to consider what this all means.
The UN, and the UN Charter, are referenced and reinforced by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of multilateral and bilateral treaties between states.
So...
The UN, and the UN Charter, are referenced and reinforced by thousands, if not tens of thousands, of multilateral and bilateral treaties between states.
So...
January 22, 2026 at 6:45 PM
This is a very important thread. The whole "it's a new UN" narrative is profoundly flawed. The Board of Peace has no actual power beyond the power of its individual members. So at most it is a new type of alliance between some of the worst human beings on earth -- deeply problematic but nothing new.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Starmer maybe rightly doesn’t take bait each time but he needs an outrider - a semi-licensed “off message” attack dog - to make Haw-Haw Farage pay for sucking up to the guy who denigrates British war dead.
Trump on NATO: "I've always said, will they be there if we ever needed them? That's really the ultimate test. I'm not sure of that. We've never needed them. They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan and this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, off the front lines."
January 22, 2026 at 1:46 PM
Starmer maybe rightly doesn’t take bait each time but he needs an outrider - a semi-licensed “off message” attack dog - to make Haw-Haw Farage pay for sucking up to the guy who denigrates British war dead.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Tusk calls for broader European unity amid ‘stormy’ geopolitics:
“When I say Europe, I mean not only the EU,” Tusk said, praising cooperation with “the UK, Canada, Norway, and Iceland” as “exemplary.”
🔴 eurac.tv/9Ymx
#EUCO #EuractivLiveblog
“When I say Europe, I mean not only the EU,” Tusk said, praising cooperation with “the UK, Canada, Norway, and Iceland” as “exemplary.”
🔴 eurac.tv/9Ymx
#EUCO #EuractivLiveblog
LIVEBLOG: EU leaders' summit begins | Euractiv
EU leaders will discuss Artic security and EU-US relations at an emergency summit on Thursday night in Brussels
eurac.tv
January 22, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Tusk calls for broader European unity amid ‘stormy’ geopolitics:
“When I say Europe, I mean not only the EU,” Tusk said, praising cooperation with “the UK, Canada, Norway, and Iceland” as “exemplary.”
🔴 eurac.tv/9Ymx
#EUCO #EuractivLiveblog
“When I say Europe, I mean not only the EU,” Tusk said, praising cooperation with “the UK, Canada, Norway, and Iceland” as “exemplary.”
🔴 eurac.tv/9Ymx
#EUCO #EuractivLiveblog
Reposted by Chris Grey
My Trade Secrets today. Mark Carney’s speech: nice truth bomb even if not totally original.
But the middle powers finding a new way to run the world requires a massive shift in political will which Carney’s Canada itself has had trouble making.
But the middle powers finding a new way to run the world requires a massive shift in political will which Carney’s Canada itself has had trouble making.
Carney’s new global order needs a huge shift in political will
[FREE TO READ] Middle-power diplomacy of the sort the Canadian PM calls for requires governments to throw off domestic constraints
as.ft.com
January 22, 2026 at 6:56 AM
My Trade Secrets today. Mark Carney’s speech: nice truth bomb even if not totally original.
But the middle powers finding a new way to run the world requires a massive shift in political will which Carney’s Canada itself has had trouble making.
But the middle powers finding a new way to run the world requires a massive shift in political will which Carney’s Canada itself has had trouble making.
Still, out of the blue (so to speak), I got blue-ticked this week so I suppose I have to earn it.
Pity any person foolish enough to be trying to prepare a blog post for Friday providing a summary of the previous fortnight's events 😱
January 21, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Still, out of the blue (so to speak), I got blue-ticked this week so I suppose I have to earn it.
Pity any person foolish enough to be trying to prepare a blog post for Friday providing a summary of the previous fortnight's events 😱
January 21, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Pity any person foolish enough to be trying to prepare a blog post for Friday providing a summary of the previous fortnight's events 😱
Reposted by Chris Grey
So, 3 broad possibilities here:
1) Rutte agreed to something of substance pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
2) Rutte agreed to something of substance *not* pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
3) Rutte agreed to something of no substance but that made Trump feel warm and fuzzy and important
1) Rutte agreed to something of substance pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
2) Rutte agreed to something of substance *not* pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
3) Rutte agreed to something of no substance but that made Trump feel warm and fuzzy and important
Hahahahaha pathetic, well done Big Man you've torched the lot for nowt. See what happens when you stand up to the bully?
January 21, 2026 at 8:13 PM
So, 3 broad possibilities here:
1) Rutte agreed to something of substance pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
2) Rutte agreed to something of substance *not* pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
3) Rutte agreed to something of no substance but that made Trump feel warm and fuzzy and important
1) Rutte agreed to something of substance pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
2) Rutte agreed to something of substance *not* pre-cleared with Copenhagen & Nuuk
3) Rutte agreed to something of no substance but that made Trump feel warm and fuzzy and important
Reposted by Chris Grey
1) Utterly dangerous people.
2) (Also, completely demented.)
3) In that order.
2) (Also, completely demented.)
3) In that order.
There's a cake in the shape of Greenland with the US stars and stripes on it at Davos
The leader of Romania's far-right pro-Russian party joins members of the US Congress to cut a slice of the cake
The leader of Romania's far-right pro-Russian party joins members of the US Congress to cut a slice of the cake
January 21, 2026 at 8:21 PM
1) Utterly dangerous people.
2) (Also, completely demented.)
3) In that order.
2) (Also, completely demented.)
3) In that order.
Reposted by Chris Grey
Reposted by Chris Grey
She walked straight into the trap at #PMQs. She couldn't even think one day ahead.
This is (1) disgraceful at a moment of national danger, (2) laughably unserious and (3) deeply unwise when the President is obviously becoming incapacitated and the most unpopular person in the whole UK. Utterly disqualifying.
January 21, 2026 at 12:14 PM
She walked straight into the trap at #PMQs. She couldn't even think one day ahead.