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strandgroup.bsky.social
Strand Group KCL
@strandgroup.bsky.social
Teaching, research and events unit examining the institutions of British Government based at King's College London - home of the MA Government Studies https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-taught/courses/government-studies
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📖 As 2025 draws to an end, check out our year in review, featuring highlights from the work of all the units that make up the Policy Institute: @ukandeu.bsky.social, @schoolforgovt.bsky.social, @strandgroup.bsky.social, @hscwru.bsky.social

➡️ mailchi.mp/kcl/our-year...
December 19, 2025 at 12:48 PM
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Congrats to Will Stark and Simon Mortimer - winners of the Mayor of London's Essay Prize 2024/5!

2x great essays on @strandgroup.bsky.social's London government module. Grateful to Mayor @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social for taking the time.

Join MA Government Studies in 2026:
kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...
December 19, 2025 at 12:16 PM
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A wonderful climax to the 'Chancellors and the Treasury' @strandgroup.bsky.social module - many thanks to Dr Kwasi Kwarteng who spoke on 'Being Chancellor' during the infamous 2022 mini-budget offering students an unique insider's perspective

Join us in 2026 👇🏽

thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk/teaching/
December 19, 2025 at 10:45 AM
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Perfect end to our @strandgroup.bsky.social London governance module this year - across to City Hall for an excellent session with Deputy Mayor @howarddawber.bsky.social discussing the mayoralty today.

Join us on MA Government Studies for 2026/27:
www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...
December 17, 2025 at 2:44 PM
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📣 Delighted to read this review of my 📕 ‘The Art of Delivery’ by Ferdinand Mount in @thetls.bsky.social

✍️ ‘Seldom since Samuel Pepys have the comings and goings in Whitehall been so meticulously recorded...’

www.the-tls.com/politics-by-...

@bitebackpublishing.bsky.social @strandgroup.bsky.social
Second mover advantage
The postman delivers the parcel. The midwife delivers the baby. The highwayman invites us to stand and deliver. In each case, we know what to expect. But when the flustered politician protests that “I...
www.the-tls.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Huge congratulations to our Visiting Professors Sir Michael Barber and Catherine MacLeod having been raised to the peerage.

Both are wonderful teachers on our MA Government Studies programme: www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...

@policyatkings.bsky.social
December 11, 2025 at 10:56 AM
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Applications are now open for the @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Government Studies programme for the 2026/27 academic year. To find out more or apply 👇🏽

thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk/teaching/
December 4, 2025 at 3:07 PM
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Financial crisis week in 'Chancellors and the Treasury' @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Govt Studies module - fmr Treasury perm sec Sir Tom Scholar ex SPAD to Alistair Darling, Catherine MacLeod @officialedballs.bsky.social offered unique insights into how British govt managed a global crisis
December 4, 2025 at 3:07 PM
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Delighted to welcome Lord Francis Maude to ‘History of the Civil Service’ class to reflect on his experience as a reforming minister in Cameron govt

Part of @strandgroup.bsky.social
MA Government Studies 👇
www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...

@policyatkings.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social
November 28, 2025 at 2:27 PM
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Wonderful as always to take our @strandgroup.bsky.social 'London: Governing the Global City' class to the Guildhall to discuss the ancient City of London's role in London, the UK and the world.

Not sure whose bright idea was it to take a class pic in the crypt... 💡😬
November 4, 2025 at 12:53 PM
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Employability - serving civil service and @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Government Studies student @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social Tom gives our students a masterclass on the civil service fast stream application process
November 3, 2025 at 5:18 PM
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Case study week on the 'Chancellors and the Treasury' module on @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Government Studies - Expert advisers @nickmacpherson.bsky.social @officialedballs.bsky.social prep students before they re-enact the day UK left the ERM in Sep 1992, a historic and chaotic 24 hours
October 29, 2025 at 11:13 AM
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Insightful session with Munira Mirza, former Deputy Mayor to Boris Johnson - discussing the limits and the possibilities of London’s mayoralty for our @strandgroup.bsky.social London government module.
October 29, 2025 at 10:41 AM
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"the civil service in the United Kingdom... easily bears comparison with the finest minds you'll meet in corporate law, or investment, or anywhere else"

Douglas Alexander MP recently joined us and @strandgroup.bsky.social to discuss his life and career

📺 Full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSCD...
October 27, 2025 at 10:11 AM
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Delighted to welcome a new cohort of MA Government Studies students to ‘The History of the Civil Service’ module @strandgroup.bsky.social

Over 10 weeks we examine how the Civil Service has evolved alongside changing role of the state

Applications for 2026/27 open
www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgr...
October 23, 2025 at 8:15 AM
Watch last week's insightful Strand Group / @policyatkings.bsky.social event with Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander 'in conversation' with our Visiting Professor Catherine MacLeod.

thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk/event/in-con...
In Conversation with Douglas Alexander MP - The Strand Group
The seventy-eighth Strand Group event, in partnership with the Policy Institute, took place on 15 October when Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Scotland, discussed the challenges and comp...
thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk
October 22, 2025 at 2:22 PM
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Great that @fletchersimon.bsky.social, political advisor and former Chief of Staff to Mayor Ken Livingstone, could join our London government module for the first time last week.

Some serious insights into the mayoralty, alongside some excellent Trafalgar Square Pigeon discussion
October 21, 2025 at 12:09 PM
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Full house this evening for our event with @strandgroup.bsky.social

Secretary of State for Scotland Douglas Alexander is discussing his career and the current geopolitical challenges facing government with Catherine Macleod
October 15, 2025 at 5:47 PM
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Case study week on the 'Chancellors and the Treasury' module on @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Government Studies - Expert advisers @nickmacpherson.bsky.social and @officialedballs.bsky.social help prep students before they re-enact debates over the 1976 IMF crisis
October 15, 2025 at 11:26 AM
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Wonderful start to the 'Chancellors and the Treasury' module on @strandgroup.bsky.social MA Government Studies - BOE Deputy Governor Sir Dave Ramsden explained the big themes in Treasury history to a mixed class of @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social students and Treasury officials.
October 14, 2025 at 2:07 PM
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...and delighted to welcome Natan Doron, Mayoral Head of Policy at the GLA, to talk us through the challenges and opportunities faced by the capital today. Our students getting a crash course into what it's really like to govern one of the world's greatest cities (2/2)
October 14, 2025 at 9:44 AM
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All smiles as we're back underway with our 'London: Governing the Global City' module on @strandgroup.bsky.social
MA Government Studies - Prof Tony Travers delivering his masterful '2000 years of London history in 45 mins' lecture to kick off... (1/2)
October 14, 2025 at 9:44 AM
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The MA Government Studies team are delighted to be back in the classroom, teaching our second cohort. The programme goes from strength to strength, with more students than ever before participating in our unique expert-led courses.

Watch this space for the applications to open for next year…
October 13, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Join us on 15 October at 1830 for an in conversation event with Douglas Alexander the Secretary of State for Scotland.

To apply for tickets: thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk/event/in-con...

In partnership with @policyatkings.bsky.social

@kingscollegelondon.bsky.social
In Conversation with Douglas Alexander MP - The Strand Group
The seventy-eighth Strand Group event will take place on 15 October where Douglas Alexander, the Secretary of State for Scotland, will discuss the challenges and complexities governments are navigatin...
thestrandgroup.kcl.ac.uk
September 22, 2025 at 1:06 PM
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Delighted to share insights from my 📕 The Art of Delivery with @danbloom1.bsky.social for his deep dive @politico.eu piece on PM Starmer’s No10 machinery of govt changes

📰 www.politico.eu/article/keir...

@bitebackpublishing.bsky.social @strandgroup.bsky.social @kingscollegelondon.bsky.social
Keir Starmer wants to fix Britain. He’s still working out how.
As Britain’s prime minister embarks on another No. 10 revamp, some officials are questioning the structures he created to show “delivery” to the public.
www.politico.eu
September 2, 2025 at 1:52 PM