With the team from the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social, we set out some key recommendations on governance, project appraisal, engagement, and oversight.

Timely stuff — given how much rides on getting major projects right.

Looking forward to working on future projects with @dodspolintel.bsky.social

[3/3] Other interviews I have conducted with QMUL academics can be found here:
- Elizabeth Simon www.dodspoliticalintelligence.com/resources/in...
- Sofia Collignon www.dodspoliticalintelligence.com/resources/in...
- Tim Bale www.dodspoliticalintelligence.com/resources/do...

[2/3] We explored questions such as:
- How does this first year compare to the previous Labour governments’ early years?
- Will the Conservative Party have the same fate as the Liberal Party?
- And what’s the value of understanding political history?

Additionally, we explored when people decide how they are going to vote – this included what percentage of people did not know who they would vote for two days prior to the 2024 general election! Try to guess the answer to this before reading it in the interview – the answer certainly surprised me!

We explore questions such as:
What does the frequently used term “red wall” actually mean?
Also, we considered the common political narrative that universities make students more “liberal”, Lizzie demystifies this by exploring how much truth there is to this claim.

Finally, we explored the power of quantitative methods, and what data we would need from these methods to pursue political campaigns such as putting a chess ♟️ board in every school! (The answer may surprise you, it is much more than just being able to measure the number of #chess boards!)

We explored questions such as:
How the Labour and Conservative parties should interpret the local election results? Political violence in the UK, has it increased, what can we do about it, and how could UK politics look without political violence?

#localelections

Next up: Govt response.
Will the review shape the forthcoming Government policy and strategy, including the Environmental Improvement Plan?

The review is rich in ideas, covering 5 strategic themes, supported by 29 recommendations. For those who are interested in UK environmental regulation, it is certainly worth reading.

Shifting to a macro application of precaution could reshape environmental decision-making. But it could risk trade-offs:
e.g. localised nature decline may be permitted if offset nationally.
Although the review notes that the marco approach should be more sensitive to the needs to local people.

The review critiques Defra’s use of the precautionary principle, suggesting it’s been misapplied — too focused on micro risks.

But reform won’t be easy — especially if it reframes regulators' mandates to explicitly include growth.
A key question will be:
Can environmental groups support a model where regulators weigh economic growth alongside environmental protection?

A key message: the regulatory framework serves no group well — not nature, not business, not the public. Reform is positioned as a shared imperative.

This rings a vague bell- I think I have heard this mentioned in the context of John Rawls?
P.S. I am currently reading your book "The Murder of Professor Schlick"-finding it really interesting! It is great to have a narrative around philosophical ideas.