Philip Cowley

@philipjcowley.bsky.social

7.5K followers 440 following 560 posts

Professor of Politics.

Philip Cowley is a British political scientist and an academic at Queen Mary University of London in the School of Politics and International Relations. He previously held the same title at the University of Nottingham. Within academia he is particularly notable for his analysis of Parliamentary voting behaviour in the UK House of Commons and House of Lords and secondly his opposition to a lowering of the UK voting age below 18. .. more

Political science 86%

Sociology 5%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Zach Weinersmith @zachweinersmith.bsky.social · 16h

Could someone explain to me what is meant when a British person refers to "the middle class" ? Like, in the US, as I hear it, it basically just means a person who makes a certain amount of money, not too far below and not wildly above the median. Seems like a complex concept when UK writers use it?

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 23h

It looks to me like he has spliced together two jobs...

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

It's not me saying it is. I've not been the one going round saying how 16 year olds are all ready to vote who is now going to pivot onto why they all need teaching about citizienship...

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

Of course. And we are not proposing to train or "educate" those people.

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

Well, that's one of the arguments...

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

No. But I think I could and still reject this approach. Indeed, I think to be intellectually consistent you would have to.

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

But we are not going to offer it to everyone or target everyone.

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

Anyone suggesting that cash strapped councils should be spending money they don't have solely to persuade 16 and 17 year olds to vote should be treated with the contempt they deserve.

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

Either they're ready for the vote, in which case you can end the seminar after a minute and let them get on with it.

Or they are not, in which case the voting age should stay where it is.

Reposted by Martín Lodge

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 1d

We've been told for decades that 16 year olds are super prepared for the vote - overflowing with knowledge, enthusiasm, and electoral vim.

Now they're about to get it, it'll all be about training, citizenship classes, outreach programmes and the rest...

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 1d

'Votes at 16' is coming, but how prepared are young people?

Next Thursday, join Hattie Andrews @politicsproject.bsky.social, Emma Connolly @uclspeechlab.bsky.social and Hans Svennevig @citizenshippgceioe.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social at this in-person event with @uclspp.bsky.social.

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Votes at 16: Is Citizenship Education up to Scratch?

The UK is lowering the voting age to 16, but how prepared are young people to take part in elections?

www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Philip Cowley

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 1d

Votes at 16: Is Citizenship Education up to Scratch?

The UK is lowering the voting age to 16, but how prepared are young people to take part in elections?

www.ucl.ac.uk

Reposted by Philip Cowley

John Rentoul @rentouljohn.bsky.social · 4d

This game is getting silly now. Live Aid was closer to the end of WW2 than to the present day

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 4d

And to think some people are disdainful of quantitative political science...

This brilliant piece of work comes from here:

hardboardscrookedtimbers.org/yes-celebrit...

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 4d

Inch by inch, things are getting worse not better? www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 5d

Budget time saving pro-tip: anyone whose argument amounts to go “The fiscal mess is largely due to spending money on (people and things I don’t like) and can be solved by raising taxes on (people and things I don’t like)” is not a serious person and their views can be ignored.

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 5d

University VCs:

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 5d

“What problems are you actually interested in solving?” - a question that I’m not sure most of our current crop of politicians could answer.

Mel Stride kvetching about charging EV drivers.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Neil Lee , and 2 more Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Neil Lee, Philip Cowley, Paul Nightingale

Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 5d

Tax policy on the British left is pure "anti-bedtime left". Bizarre idea that you can have a big social democratic welfare state without everyone contributing properly www.economist.com/britain/2025...

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

As far as I can tell, he did actually say the original version, which makes it a rare example of a really useful political quote that is actually genuine... See here for examples of ones that are not...

www.markpack.org.uk/175674/beati...

Beating Reform and the political quotes that people never said (LDN#201)

Welcome to Lib Dem Newswire #201, which includes a special treat for you: a chapter from a great new book on politics by Phil Cowley.

www.markpack.org.uk

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

We campaign in TikTok, we govern in Excel.

As the older Cuomo didnt say.

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 6d

The bad news for Zohran Mamdani is that now he has to actually be mayor of New York, which is a truly *horrible* job.

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

Somewhat more joyful.

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Finn Baker @finnbaker.bsky.social · 5d

hansard.parliament.uk/commons/1990...

Engagements - Hansard - UK Parliament

Hansard record of the item : 'Engagements' on Thursday 7 June 1990.

hansard.parliament.uk

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

The reason I know I'm not making it up - apart from the fact someone else has written about it - is that I remember the joy on Hattersley's face, as he could not believe Howe had fallen for it...

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

I was lookin for the Hansard text of this exchange, which I think was the last time I saw someone - as today, a stand in - walk so obviously into a trap at PMQs.

(I can't find it. Am sure it's not me hallucinating. But I wonder if it was Business of the House questions, rather than PMQs...)

Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5d

Was searching for something else, and found the most on brand debate contribution from 1990...

Reposted by Philip Cowley

LSE EUROPP Blog @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social · 5d

The Dutch election results came as a relief to many centrist voters, but this was not quite the triumphant "return to the centre" it has been portrayed as.

✍ @stijntvankessel.bsky.social & Andrej Zaslove blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2...

The Dutch parliamentary election – not quite a “return to the centre”

Rob Jetten’s victory at the 2025 Dutch election was a blow for Geert Wilders, but far-right policies remain firmly in the mainstream of Dutch politics.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Reposted by Philip Cowley

James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · 6d

🧵 Here’s why a left-wing Democrat winning in New York is proof that Keir Starmer needs to move further left to win in small red wall towns in Britain. (1/245)

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Chris Hanretty @chanret.bsky.social · 6d

I liked this story more than most people on my timeline. The reasons I liked it are mostly to do with how it shows that much of the UK state exercises a purely notional control over anything. Trading Standards? Pfft. Companies House? Don't make me laugh. www.bbc.com/news/article...

Crime network behind UK mini-marts is enabling migrants to work illegally

Undercover reporters were told how easy it was to make big profits selling illegal vapes and cigarettes.

www.bbc.com

Reposted by Philip Cowley

Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 6d

How big are these coach and horses that they can be seen from space?

Reposted by Philip Cowley

James Ball @jamesrball.com · 6d

The bad news for Zohran Mamdani is that now he has to actually be mayor of New York, which is a truly *horrible* job.

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