Dr Nick Dickinson
@nickdickinson.bsky.social
Political Scientist | British Politics and History | PhD on political salaries (Exeter) | Mst. Modern British and European History (Oxford) | DMs closed, so email me @ n.dickinson3@exeter.ac.uk
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Your Party: if the name sounds terrible, there’s a good reason for it
Parties of the British left have been notorious for the arguments about what names mean. No wonder this new endeavour chose a name that effectively says nothing.
theconversation.com
I dug up my old masters thesis on the names of far-left parties in the UK for @theconversation.com to explain why 'Your Party' had such an issue picking a name, and why they eventually chose the one they did. @uniofexeternews.bsky.social theconversation.com/your-party-i...
Excessive defence spending wasn’t a big factor in Soviet collapse; Cavalry was still highly effective in conflict after WW1; Britain was the big power most opposed to Israeli statehood in 1947; Germany didn’t have great generals in WW2; the US won independence only because of French assistance.
Here’s a fun top five: things that are consensus among historians but are essentially unknown by the public. Richard I, a bad king of England. Roman Empire, fell in 1453. Paul, more important than Jesus. Witch burning, a modern phenomenon not a medieval one. Britain last invaded in 1688. Yours?
As someone who wrote a dissertation on that damnable Frenchman; one can only hope.
January 6, 2026 at 12:40 AM
Excessive defence spending wasn’t a big factor in Soviet collapse; Cavalry was still highly effective in conflict after WW1; Britain was the big power most opposed to Israeli statehood in 1947; Germany didn’t have great generals in WW2; the US won independence only because of French assistance.
Does this make it a DRONPAD?
NEW: Russia is modifying its Shahed long-range strike drones to target Ukrainian aircraft as part of a wider effort to innovate and maximize long-range drone capabilities. 🧵(1/4)
Read more: isw.pub/UkrWar010526
Other Key Takeaways ⬇️
Read more: isw.pub/UkrWar010526
Other Key Takeaways ⬇️
January 6, 2026 at 12:11 AM
Does this make it a DRONPAD?
Nothing says bold confidence and pride in your achievements like spending half your comeback post crying about your (former) audience being mad at you
On his first day after leaving the FBI, Dan Bongino essentially confirms that he's going right back to podcasting and his radio show.
January 6, 2026 at 12:05 AM
Nothing says bold confidence and pride in your achievements like spending half your comeback post crying about your (former) audience being mad at you
It’s like he’s trying to take the position most calculated to piss off everyone; the opposition, the US domestic audience, oil majors themselves, and obviously the still very much current Venezuelan government. In six months we could still be in this weird stalemate.
January 5, 2026 at 11:39 PM
It’s like he’s trying to take the position most calculated to piss off everyone; the opposition, the US domestic audience, oil majors themselves, and obviously the still very much current Venezuelan government. In six months we could still be in this weird stalemate.
Anthropic is also mogging OpenAI and X when it comes to corporate clients who actually pay money to use it, while not burning cash on unnecessary video/audio functions. When the crash comes they have a good shot at being the Amazon of AI.
last i checked, grok was #3 in the apple store's productivity downloads, and claude, which people i trust say is the best (at least for coding) and the most ethically run, wasn't in the top 10
Wrote about an obvious and yet profoundly underappreciated aspect of the AI boom: its total narrative capture by Elon Musk's X nymag.com/intelligence...
January 5, 2026 at 4:02 PM
Anthropic is also mogging OpenAI and X when it comes to corporate clients who actually pay money to use it, while not burning cash on unnecessary video/audio functions. When the crash comes they have a good shot at being the Amazon of AI.
Netanyahu may well not be able to travel to the US in future. But there would still be the small matter of the IDF to deal with. Could the US depose an Israeli government by force? Yes. But it wouldn't go like it did with a corrupt and incompetent dictatorship. This guy on the other hand...
I don't have much hope of it actually happening even if/when Dems win back power, but is nice to see one Dem politician bring it up
January 5, 2026 at 11:24 AM
Netanyahu may well not be able to travel to the US in future. But there would still be the small matter of the IDF to deal with. Could the US depose an Israeli government by force? Yes. But it wouldn't go like it did with a corrupt and incompetent dictatorship. This guy on the other hand...
Reposted by Dr Nick Dickinson
The Manchester United board this morning
January 5, 2026 at 10:19 AM
The Manchester United board this morning
I get this impulse but international relations isn't a televised debate. China *does* want to do this. It lacks the capacity not the precedent. And although the US would of course point out that Taiwan is a democracy, the question is what would they *do* in furtherance of that interest.
If Xi Jinping invaded Taiwan right now, and toppled the president there, on what grounds would the United States object? Or have any credibility to say anything?
January 4, 2026 at 10:59 PM
I get this impulse but international relations isn't a televised debate. China *does* want to do this. It lacks the capacity not the precedent. And although the US would of course point out that Taiwan is a democracy, the question is what would they *do* in furtherance of that interest.
This is the actual Trump doctrine. The only unique thing about his foreign policy is sudden assassination, as with Soleimani, and now kidnapping using the US SOF skills, honed in the GWoT era, and applied to interstate conflict.
Watch this. Watch again.
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
"This incredible thing last night... We have to do it again [in other countries]. We can do it again, too. Nobody can stop us."
January 4, 2026 at 7:29 PM
This is the actual Trump doctrine. The only unique thing about his foreign policy is sudden assassination, as with Soleimani, and now kidnapping using the US SOF skills, honed in the GWoT era, and applied to interstate conflict.
Reposted by Dr Nick Dickinson
I love this. Cites right wing political figures as evidence that there might be civil war. Makes up some numbers and then no doubt this is used by other right wing figures and himself as evidence that there might be civil war. Lovely circularity.
It’s not even the worst bit of math in that paper. Look what he opens with. And if you look at the appendix his evidence for conditions is just quoting a series of far right leaders “warning” about civil war.
January 4, 2026 at 4:04 PM
I love this. Cites right wing political figures as evidence that there might be civil war. Makes up some numbers and then no doubt this is used by other right wing figures and himself as evidence that there might be civil war. Lovely circularity.
Me, for Military Strategy Magazine m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5k...
January 4, 2026 at 4:13 PM
Me, for Military Strategy Magazine m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gb5k...
Knowing this DoJ they’ll probably fail to get a grand jury indictment and their lead prosecutor will get disbarred for malpractice.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were indicted on charges including narco-terrorism, cocaine trafficking conspiracy, and weapons offenses tied to a federal case.
Live updates: Trump says Maduro captured in ‘large scale strike’ against Venezuela
The United States launched a large-scale strike on Venezuela, captured its president, Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country, President Trump said.
www.washingtonpost.com
January 3, 2026 at 2:21 PM
Knowing this DoJ they’ll probably fail to get a grand jury indictment and their lead prosecutor will get disbarred for malpractice.
While column remains bery funny, it’s worth bearing in mind that Rubio is the key driver of policy here.
'inside the red-faced hawk is a dove, with an almost physical horror of violence'
'Trump is as close as a pacifist as we've seen in the White House'
Pure pundit brain from Ian Leslie in March 2025
'Trump is as close as a pacifist as we've seen in the White House'
Pure pundit brain from Ian Leslie in March 2025
January 3, 2026 at 2:19 PM
While column remains bery funny, it’s worth bearing in mind that Rubio is the key driver of policy here.
Well so much for those ideas. You do have to wonder who in the county was in on it though for anyone to be able to just scoop up the president and leave 😳
Two bits of pure speculation:
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
if they were not even trying to get maduro even having them in the country was an insane thing to do
January 3, 2026 at 11:15 AM
Well so much for those ideas. You do have to wonder who in the county was in on it though for anyone to be able to just scoop up the president and leave 😳
Two bits of pure speculation:
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
if they were not even trying to get maduro even having them in the country was an insane thing to do
so, uh, so far it doesn't seem like they got Maduro? or even went after him? was this just "let's bomb the shit out of Caracas"? what the fuck is the plan here?
I realize I am asking this of people who are possibly incapable of formulating one, but still
I realize I am asking this of people who are possibly incapable of formulating one, but still
January 3, 2026 at 9:06 AM
Two bits of pure speculation:
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
a) they were getting someone/something else out. Detainees, intel, someone from the opposition?
b) they were establishing contact with someone/some group (maybe in the military?) that is cooperating on the ground for a coup
The language here is also a ridiculous shifting of the blame. Grok didn’t do anything it can apologise for because it isn’t a moral agent. Its creators and owners are. Once again tapping the sign.
January 2, 2026 at 9:26 PM
The language here is also a ridiculous shifting of the blame. Grok didn’t do anything it can apologise for because it isn’t a moral agent. Its creators and owners are. Once again tapping the sign.
The really funny thing about this is he thinks it would necessarily be somewhere else in the US. And not say, London and Shenzhen.
January 1, 2026 at 10:08 PM
The really funny thing about this is he thinks it would necessarily be somewhere else in the US. And not say, London and Shenzhen.
This reads like the old Gorilla Channel article but it's actual reporting in the Wall Street Journal
2/ he takes a dose of aspirin that’s too high for him now but refuses to lower it because he’s always taken that dose and doesn’t want “thick blood.”
January 1, 2026 at 6:54 PM
This reads like the old Gorilla Channel article but it's actual reporting in the Wall Street Journal
We're never beating the "local council with nuclear weapons" allegations
January 1, 2026 at 6:32 PM
We're never beating the "local council with nuclear weapons" allegations
This happened back in August. But it is interesting. It’s not an independent model but a plugin of Perplexity, the AI search engine, but that heavily relies on ChatGPT and Gemini as a back end. So it’s not surprising it gives similar answers.
BREAKING NEWS: Actual facts appear for the first time on "Truth" Social.
December 31, 2025 at 2:37 PM
This happened back in August. But it is interesting. It’s not an independent model but a plugin of Perplexity, the AI search engine, but that heavily relies on ChatGPT and Gemini as a back end. So it’s not surprising it gives similar answers.
Bit of a weird error here @financialtimes.com. May wasn’t PM in October 2019. Also the Johnson low point seems unlikely to be Sept 2019. YouGov has quite different numbers.
December 31, 2025 at 1:11 PM
Bit of a weird error here @financialtimes.com. May wasn’t PM in October 2019. Also the Johnson low point seems unlikely to be Sept 2019. YouGov has quite different numbers.
Reposted by Dr Nick Dickinson
Our @yougov.co.uk data journalism extraordinaire Matt Smith has compiled all news tracker results from 2025 into this stunning graphic
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
December 31, 2025 at 11:45 AM
Our @yougov.co.uk data journalism extraordinaire Matt Smith has compiled all news tracker results from 2025 into this stunning graphic
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
This tells us so much about what 'cuts through', how news cycles evolve, and what grabs attention re: flash moments vs ongoing stories
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
Better than the reverse I guess
December 30, 2025 at 10:08 PM
Better than the reverse I guess
Basically the generation who mainlined the anti-austerity economic takes after 2008, and either a) went off the deep end right then and there, or b) just never realised exactly *why* economists argued what they did then and what’s different now.
December 30, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Basically the generation who mainlined the anti-austerity economic takes after 2008, and either a) went off the deep end right then and there, or b) just never realised exactly *why* economists argued what they did then and what’s different now.