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tonymcn64.bsky.social
@tonymcn64.bsky.social
82 followers 390 following 25 posts
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timbale.bsky.social
BTW, any UK outlets that want a British based Chilean (party and electoral) politics expert, need look no further than our fab @qmulsse.bsky.social colleague @sajuria.com
tomphillips.bsky.social Tom Phillips @tomphillips.bsky.social · 3d
“An iron fist! That’s what we need! Like a Bukele!”: the ultra-conservative politician José Antonio Kast closes in on the presidency in Chile with a Trumpian pitch on crime & immigration www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
‘We need an iron fist’: the Trump-inspired favourite to win Chile’s election
José Antonio Kast, 59, is appealing to voters with a hard-right pitch on crime and immigration
www.theguardian.com
November 12, 2025 at 12:01 PM
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colmpm.bsky.social
Breaking the tax pledge is the right call...and politically sulphurous. Reeves must argue, far more forcefully, that taxes are *the* essential downpayment we all pay for a fairer society.

Patrick Diamond and I wrote for @renewaljournal.bsky.social. Key points in 🧵 👇

renewal.org.uk/blog/if-labo...
If Labour want a fairer society, they must argue for it
Labour must make the political argument: taxes are the critical downpayment we all pay to live in a fairer society.  It now seems all but certain that direct taxes will rise in the forthcoming Budget...
renewal.org.uk
November 10, 2025 at 7:34 AM
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timbale.bsky.social
ft. our @qmulsse.bsky.social colleague Sofia Collignon.
Why did Nigel Farage's Ten Minute Rule Bill fail?
YouTube video by Hansard Society
www.youtube.com
October 31, 2025 at 12:53 PM
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stijntvankessel.bsky.social
One observation re. the Dutch election is the enduring strength of the far right (I am not fully subscribing to the 'shift back to the centre' narrative). I should be on ABC Australia News channel at around 11 CET to talk about this and to show my plants (again). www.youtube.com/live/vOTiJkg...
October 30, 2025 at 9:45 AM
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philipjcowley.bsky.social
Latest @thehousemag.bsky.social column, on the politics of pints.
www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
The Professor Will See You Now: Having A Pint
Lessons in political science. This week: having a pint
www.politicshome.com
October 29, 2025 at 9:14 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Who joins and why? Does it matter? QMUL colleague @timbale.bsky.social sharing insight in party membership in fragmented party system.
October 27, 2025 at 9:56 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Another excellent edition of an essential text book from the ever excellent @timbale.bsky.social - well worth a look in these ever fragmentary times!!
timbale.bsky.social Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 22d
Just arrived. Look at all those lovely Babybels!
October 24, 2025 at 1:08 PM
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timbale.bsky.social
Just arrived. Look at all those lovely Babybels!
October 24, 2025 at 11:27 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
👏👏👏👏👏👏😂
millbrookandy.bsky.social Andy Taggart @millbrookandy.bsky.social · 26d
Labour needs to do so much better, Nothing Lasts Forever
October 20, 2025 at 10:17 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Keir Starmer needs to give voters short-term gain to persuade them he can deliver long-term renewal
theconversation.com/keir-starmer...
Keir Starmer needs to give voters short-term gain to persuade them he can deliver long-term renewal
Keir Starmer says painful decisions are needed now to fix the country for the future. But voters may not stick around to find out if he’s right.
theconversation.com
October 20, 2025 at 10:03 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
“I want it now, I want it now
Not the promises of what tomorrow brings”

Impatient to read more from the excellent research here from @mbarnfield.bsky.social @karlpike.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social - wonderful colleagues from
@qmulsse.bsky.social
October 20, 2025 at 9:42 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Words of wisdom from the excellent ⁦‪@ProfTimBale‬⁩ ⁦‪@QMPoliticsIR‬⁩ colleague and party membership guru!!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Liberal Democrat membership has halved in 5 years, figures show
Analysis of available figures shows the number of party members has fallen by 49% since August 2020.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 9, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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stijntvankessel.bsky.social
With Andrej Zaslove, I wrote a piece on the recent extreme-right riots in the Netherlands, and what should be learned from them 👇
September 29, 2025 at 4:43 PM
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robertsaunders.bsky.social
Nice to be quoted in this excellent piece by @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the role of "ethos" in politics - what it is, and why we should pay it much more attention
www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
The professor will see you now: ethos
Lessons in political science. This week: ethos
www.politicshome.com
September 24, 2025 at 1:58 PM
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danielgover.bsky.social
Very happy to be back on the Parliament Matters podcast, discussing the latest developments on the assisted dying bill with @ruthfox.bsky.social & @matthewengland.bsky.social. Thank you for having me!

Listen to the episode here: pod.link/1714627828/e...
September 20, 2025 at 7:08 AM
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philipjcowley.bsky.social
Latest piece for the @thehousemag.bsky.social, beginning with this:

"One electoral change has been unrelenting: the growing – in fact accelerating – refusal of the electorate to cast a ballot for either of the two governing parties".

When was that sentence first published? 1977...
The professor will see you now: tribalism
Lessons in political science. This week: blocs
www.politicshome.com
September 17, 2025 at 9:28 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
But you can't run a country on storytelling.
stephenkb.bsky.social Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · Sep 13
The core problem for Starmer is that what made him Labour leader and prime minister was his ability to judge what the audience in front of him wanted to hear - to work out which narrative would get him to the next step on the board. But you can't run a country on storytelling.
oldtrotter.bsky.social David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · Sep 13
Good enough at politics to become PM. Not good enough at politics to be PM. The election campaign was either dishonest or deluded. Presented with any chance of wiggle room over taxes or Brexit, he went out of his way to remove it. Failed to take multiple opportunities since and ignores the PLP.
September 13, 2025 at 3:50 PM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Great news from @mileendinstitute.bsky.social supremo Tom Chidwick

“Last month, I finally finished the draft manuscript of “Now or Never!” – the book I’ve been working on about Scotland’s first devolution referendum in March 1979.
Published next year by @BloomsburyAcad! - @atifajiwa.bsky.social ”
September 8, 2025 at 2:43 PM
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danielgover.bsky.social
The assisted dying bill begins its substantive Lords scrutiny this Friday.

Re-posting my piece on what we should expect now that the Lords has the bill. theconversation.com/assisted-dyi...

#assisteddyingbill
Assisted dying: what happens now the House of Lords has the bill?
Peers would be on dicey political ground if they tried to stop the bill passed by MPs – but they may run into problems over timing.
theconversation.com
September 8, 2025 at 8:53 AM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
@markfergusonmp.bsky.social Well done on the Whips Office - enjoy every minute of your time there, it’ll be a good grounding for when you inevitably move on. Best.
September 7, 2025 at 7:17 PM
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philipjcowley.bsky.social
"High educational purpose and low wit". I may have that on my gravestone.
September 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
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timbale.bsky.social
If you can see past Angela Rayner, PMQs, that Father Ted bloke, and Kim and Vlad, etc. etc., this, just out in @theconversation.com, on @zackpolanski.bsky.social and @greenparty.org.uk and its membership, might be of interest. 1/n 🧵
Our survey of Green party members suggests Zack Polanski has the mandate to take his party in a more radical direction
The new leader wants to be radical and a profile of his members suggests they will follow him.
theconversation.com
September 3, 2025 at 1:07 PM
tonymcn64.bsky.social
Instant interesting take on Polanski’s victory from the excellent team led by @timbale.bsk.social

Our survey of Green party members suggests Zack Polanski has the mandate to take his party in a more radical direction
theconversation.com/our-survey-o...
Our survey of Green party members suggests Zack Polanski has the mandate to take his party in a more radical direction
The new leader wants to be radical and a profile of his members suggests they will follow him.
theconversation.com
September 3, 2025 at 1:14 PM
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colmpm.bsky.social
The London Mayoralty is 25 this year. As a birthday present, the Mile End Institute asked Londoners whether they feel politically empowered.

In short, no. But why? For @theconversation.com, @elizabethsim0n.bsky.social and I dig into the clashing explanations.

theconversation.com/its-25-years...
It’s 25 years since London got a mayor – and our polling reveals discontent
Even though the position is now coveted by politicians, Londoners don’t feel their mayors are delivering.
theconversation.com
August 22, 2025 at 1:10 PM
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davehillonlondon.bsky.social
Great diagnosis for On London of the Tories' problems in the capital by the one and only @timbale.bsky.social - www.onlondon.co.uk/tim-bale-the... #london #conservatives
Tim Bale: The Conservatives' problems in London run very deep
Tories imagining they will make a comeback in the boroughs next year or win the mayoralty in 2028 could be fooling themselves badly
www.onlondon.co.uk
July 31, 2025 at 3:16 PM