@barneybarney.bsky.social
Reposted
January 10, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Reposted
I was also really concerned about the entirely possible next party in power until I read "Someone who was born British and has no other nationality cannot be deprived of their citizenship in any circumstances."
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
Deprivation of British citizenship and withdrawal of passports
In the 21st century there has been a revived use of government powers to deprive people of their British citizenship and withhold UK passports, particularly as a counter-terrorism measure.
commonslibrary.parliament.uk
December 29, 2025 at 3:01 PM
I was also really concerned about the entirely possible next party in power until I read "Someone who was born British and has no other nationality cannot be deprived of their citizenship in any circumstances."
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-bri...
Reposted
New research!
Austerity and the labour market in the UK.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Headline result: austerity reduced wages, increased employment rates, and contributed to weak productivity.
1/n
Austerity and the labour market in the UK.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Headline result: austerity reduced wages, increased employment rates, and contributed to weak productivity.
1/n
Estimating the effects of austerity on the labour market: Evidence from Great Britain
Between 2010 and 2019, in response to concern about the public finances, the UK government imposed substantial cuts to public spending. This austerity programme
papers.ssrn.com
December 15, 2025 at 10:48 AM
New research!
Austerity and the labour market in the UK.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Headline result: austerity reduced wages, increased employment rates, and contributed to weak productivity.
1/n
Austerity and the labour market in the UK.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Headline result: austerity reduced wages, increased employment rates, and contributed to weak productivity.
1/n
Reposted
Revealing below-the-line comment on the dire state of the Tory Party on the ground (Source: conservativehome.com/2025/12/18/c...)
December 19, 2025 at 8:50 AM
Revealing below-the-line comment on the dire state of the Tory Party on the ground (Source: conservativehome.com/2025/12/18/c...)
Reposted
Though it's getting lots of attention, the extra tax on £2m+ houses will raise only £435m by 2030-31. Higher taxes on dividends will raise 3x as much, & taxes on salary sacrifice pension contributions will raise 5x as much. Political importance is not the same as macroeconomic significance.
November 26, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Though it's getting lots of attention, the extra tax on £2m+ houses will raise only £435m by 2030-31. Higher taxes on dividends will raise 3x as much, & taxes on salary sacrifice pension contributions will raise 5x as much. Political importance is not the same as macroeconomic significance.
Reposted
NEW! How should Labour respond to the two key issues to voters of the economy and immigration and what are the electoral stakes this week of the budget?
Read on for our answer...
@nprcoxford.bsky.social @jrf-uk.bsky.social
Read on for our answer...
@nprcoxford.bsky.social @jrf-uk.bsky.social
November 24, 2025 at 11:02 AM
NEW! How should Labour respond to the two key issues to voters of the economy and immigration and what are the electoral stakes this week of the budget?
Read on for our answer...
@nprcoxford.bsky.social @jrf-uk.bsky.social
Read on for our answer...
@nprcoxford.bsky.social @jrf-uk.bsky.social
Reposted
Folk are rightly criticizing Polanski for ignoring the fact that there are constraints on govt borrowing now (ie inflation). But fiscal conservatism can be perfectly compatible with economic radicalism, as I've said: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/some-lefti...
November 24, 2025 at 12:20 PM
Folk are rightly criticizing Polanski for ignoring the fact that there are constraints on govt borrowing now (ie inflation). But fiscal conservatism can be perfectly compatible with economic radicalism, as I've said: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/some-lefti...
Reposted
Really interesting post - captures a lot about the dysfunctionalities of modern government.
For people who leave their nerdy public sector reform long-reads to the weeekend… 👇👀
Are legacy mentalities from comms, political strategy and trad policy dragging government down?
Are legacy mentalities from comms, political strategy and trad policy dragging government down?
Are a small number of legacy disciplines dragging the whole of government down? A provocation:
medium.com/@jamestplunk...
Government seems increasingly unable to cope with the pace and complexity of today's world. Why? 1/n
medium.com/@jamestplunk...
Government seems increasingly unable to cope with the pace and complexity of today's world. Why? 1/n
November 24, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Really interesting post - captures a lot about the dysfunctionalities of modern government.
Reposted
While support for Reform UK is often noted to be higher in “left-behind” areas where deprivation is thought to be more pronounced, the correlation between their vote share and different deprivation measures remains rather weak. Only deprivation in education shows a somewhat stronger relationship.
November 3, 2025 at 8:41 AM
While support for Reform UK is often noted to be higher in “left-behind” areas where deprivation is thought to be more pronounced, the correlation between their vote share and different deprivation measures remains rather weak. Only deprivation in education shows a somewhat stronger relationship.
Reposted
Which party underperformed the most in the 2025 local elections?
Arguably Reform UK. A 🧵 on what the locals tell us about a key and neglected dimension in analysis of the current political situation.
Arguably Reform UK. A 🧵 on what the locals tell us about a key and neglected dimension in analysis of the current political situation.
October 12, 2025 at 9:32 AM
Which party underperformed the most in the 2025 local elections?
Arguably Reform UK. A 🧵 on what the locals tell us about a key and neglected dimension in analysis of the current political situation.
Arguably Reform UK. A 🧵 on what the locals tell us about a key and neglected dimension in analysis of the current political situation.
Reposted
They’ve been calling a significant section of the public unBritish hatemongers. They’ve been telling everyone who objects to their horrible politics to fuck off, for years. It’s not that mild-mannered is it, and that’s before we get to the Enoch Powell speech.
October 10, 2025 at 4:27 PM
They’ve been calling a significant section of the public unBritish hatemongers. They’ve been telling everyone who objects to their horrible politics to fuck off, for years. It’s not that mild-mannered is it, and that’s before we get to the Enoch Powell speech.
Reposted
we have been working on this new polling aggregation website for a few months now, and are excited to share it with the world! plenty more features and polls to come.
October 9, 2025 at 2:51 PM
we have been working on this new polling aggregation website for a few months now, and are excited to share it with the world! plenty more features and polls to come.
Reposted
All the chat this week about how the Tories are “no longer a serious party” reminds me of this, which I put together just to show how wacky and disastrous Theresa May’s first few months in office were. Not all of this was their fault, but the summary is worth reviewing.
October 8, 2025 at 12:23 PM
All the chat this week about how the Tories are “no longer a serious party” reminds me of this, which I put together just to show how wacky and disastrous Theresa May’s first few months in office were. Not all of this was their fault, but the summary is worth reviewing.
Reposted
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
Misperceptions about the popularity of violence increase public support for it — but you can help change that.
www.gelliottmorris.com
October 7, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Why most polls overstate support for political violence
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
www.gelliottmorris.com/p/most-polls...
Reposted
Our poll of over 1000 16/17 year olds for the Sunday Times explored how the newest additions to the electorate may vote. It finds Labour in the lead on 30% over Reform, but including Corbyn's new party could reduce their vote share by 6 points and form a virtual three-way tie. Read it all below
September 2, 2025 at 10:05 AM
Our poll of over 1000 16/17 year olds for the Sunday Times explored how the newest additions to the electorate may vote. It finds Labour in the lead on 30% over Reform, but including Corbyn's new party could reduce their vote share by 6 points and form a virtual three-way tie. Read it all below
Reposted
Blogged: there is a problem with political communication - but it's not the one Starmer thinks it is: stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com/stumbling_an...
The political communication problem
Sir Keir Starmer thinks the government has a communications problem. He's right, but not in the way he thinks. James Austin summarized succinctly what many believe Starmer's problem to be: There simpl...
stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com
August 7, 2025 at 8:30 AM
Blogged: there is a problem with political communication - but it's not the one Starmer thinks it is: stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com/stumbling_an...
Reposted
100/ More politically interested people in Britain should be into European politics, especially considering the number invested in American politics. It's much more interesting - the politics of the first Italian Republic alone is amazingly fascinating!
August 2, 2025 at 1:37 PM
100/ More politically interested people in Britain should be into European politics, especially considering the number invested in American politics. It's much more interesting - the politics of the first Italian Republic alone is amazingly fascinating!
Reposted
90/ Even if somewhat unfair, my favourite British political quote is Harold Macmillan's "As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.".
August 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM
90/ Even if somewhat unfair, my favourite British political quote is Harold Macmillan's "As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original ideas is sound.".
Reposted
Based on a quick analysis of the relevant literature on historical protests (violent & non-violent) and use of state force against protesters, plus a fudge factor for polarization/partisan sorting, here's my guess at how each affects support for Trump. He's taking a big risk by militarizing
June 11, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Based on a quick analysis of the relevant literature on historical protests (violent & non-violent) and use of state force against protesters, plus a fudge factor for polarization/partisan sorting, here's my guess at how each affects support for Trump. He's taking a big risk by militarizing
Reposted
It isn't possible to design a school system where everyone leaves with the skills needed for the workplace because *they're all going to do different jobs*.
Workplace training needs to be done by employers.
Workplace training needs to be done by employers.
We need our children to leave school ready for life in the real world
To ensure that young people embarking on a career have the skills and mindset employers are looking for, education must be linked more closely to the workplace, writes David Blunkett.
To ensure that young people embarking on a career have the skills and mindset employers are looking for, education must be linked more closely to the workplace, writes David Blunkett.
‘We need our children to leave school ready for life in t...
To ensure that young people embarking on a career have the skills and mindset employers are looking for, education must be linked more closely to the wor...
bit.ly
June 2, 2025 at 2:19 PM
It isn't possible to design a school system where everyone leaves with the skills needed for the workplace because *they're all going to do different jobs*.
Workplace training needs to be done by employers.
Workplace training needs to be done by employers.
Reposted
The fact that we have a Member of Parliament effectively endorsing and certainly normalising incitement to violence against a marginalised and racialised social group says everything about just how dangerous the spread of fascist logic in British society has become.
Farage: "Lucy Connolly should not be in prison... Understand, there were millions of mothers at that moment in time after Southport feeling exactly the same way.
Connolly was imprisoned because she posted:
“Set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards… if that makes me racist so be it.”
Connolly was imprisoned because she posted:
“Set fire to all the fucking hotels full of the bastards… if that makes me racist so be it.”
May 27, 2025 at 11:30 AM
The fact that we have a Member of Parliament effectively endorsing and certainly normalising incitement to violence against a marginalised and racialised social group says everything about just how dangerous the spread of fascist logic in British society has become.
Reposted
Blogged: we should criticize systems, not individuals: stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com/stumbling_an...
Systems, not individuals
Here are three recent items that are connected: - Morgan McSweeney thinks that abolishing the two child limit on universal credit wouldn't give Labour "enough political capital with voters." - Nick Cl...
stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com
May 27, 2025 at 11:55 AM
Blogged: we should criticize systems, not individuals: stumblingandmumbling.typepad.com/stumbling_an...
Reposted
This is really important - the GENIUS Act is, foreseeably, going to fill the whole American financial system with exposures to incredibly run-prone liability structures.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
The Moment I Realized We Were Headed for Another Financial Crisis
Banking collapses in 2023 almost triggered disaster—but the real crisis might be caused by what happened after.
slate.com
May 25, 2025 at 1:04 PM
This is really important - the GENIUS Act is, foreseeably, going to fill the whole American financial system with exposures to incredibly run-prone liability structures.
slate.com/technology/2...
slate.com/technology/2...
Reposted
Absolutely, we picked up on this earlier in the week - government approval is consistently terrible among women.
Just 22% of Labour voting women approve of the government's record!
Just 22% of Labour voting women approve of the government's record!
Government approval is consistently lower among women than men
All Britons: 11% women approve vs 20% men
Labour voters: 👩22% vs 👨39%
18-29: 👩14% vs 👨32%
30-39: 👩13% vs 👨24%
40-49: 👩11% vs 👨19%
50-59: 👩12% vs 👨20%
60-69: 👩10% vs 👨16%
70+: 👩7% vs 👨10%
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
All Britons: 11% women approve vs 20% men
Labour voters: 👩22% vs 👨39%
18-29: 👩14% vs 👨32%
30-39: 👩13% vs 👨24%
40-49: 👩11% vs 👨19%
50-59: 👩12% vs 👨20%
60-69: 👩10% vs 👨16%
70+: 👩7% vs 👨10%
yougov.co.uk/politics/art...
May 25, 2025 at 11:46 AM
Absolutely, we picked up on this earlier in the week - government approval is consistently terrible among women.
Just 22% of Labour voting women approve of the government's record!
Just 22% of Labour voting women approve of the government's record!
Reposted
It's worth emphasising the existential problem for the Tories right now - they no longer lead among older Britons, in the South of England or among the middle classes, while holding a 17pt deficit among Leave voters. Their islands of strength are gone and they're becoming a party for nobody.
May 25, 2025 at 11:41 AM
It's worth emphasising the existential problem for the Tories right now - they no longer lead among older Britons, in the South of England or among the middle classes, while holding a 17pt deficit among Leave voters. Their islands of strength are gone and they're becoming a party for nobody.