Feargal Cochrane
@feargalc.bsky.social
Professor (Emeritus) University of Kent. Also Prof at University of Warwick.
Have taught & written about political conflict & peacebuilding for last 30 years. Still learning. Living in Peak District England but FROM Belfast in NI.
Politics nerd
Have taught & written about political conflict & peacebuilding for last 30 years. Still learning. Living in Peak District England but FROM Belfast in NI.
Politics nerd
Reposted by Feargal Cochrane
What happens if the Greens overtake Labour in the polls? All bets are off | Gaby Hinsliff
What happens if the Greens overtake Labour in the polls? All bets are off | Gaby Hinsliff
They may lack Labour’s party machine, but Zack Polanski’s burgeoning popularity could have seismic consequences for British politics, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff
www.theguardian.com
November 11, 2025 at 6:31 AM
What happens if the Greens overtake Labour in the polls? All bets are off | Gaby Hinsliff
If an undergraduate student had ever said this to me in class I would have asked them to stand outside and give their head a wobble!
Imagine going on TV, delivering this and not imploding with shame at how fucking feeble you are
what is this ‘america’ you speak of?!!
November 7, 2025 at 11:34 AM
If an undergraduate student had ever said this to me in class I would have asked them to stand outside and give their head a wobble!
University Vice Chancellors and academic/professional services colleagues.
November 7, 2025 at 8:15 AM
University Vice Chancellors and academic/professional services colleagues.
Delighted for New Yorkers and while I get that he is too far left for a lot of Democrats in the rest of the US, Mayor Mamdani will be a lightening rod for sanity within the country.
November 5, 2025 at 6:56 AM
Delighted for New Yorkers and while I get that he is too far left for a lot of Democrats in the rest of the US, Mayor Mamdani will be a lightening rod for sanity within the country.
My mother always told me that if I don’t have something good to say about someone, I should just keep my opinion to myself -so my thoughts on Dick Cheney are copied below in full!
This is a breaking news story.
Former US Vice President Dick Cheney dies at 84
This is a breaking news story.
bit.ly
November 4, 2025 at 12:05 PM
My mother always told me that if I don’t have something good to say about someone, I should just keep my opinion to myself -so my thoughts on Dick Cheney are copied below in full!
Today’s 75th anniversary of the #ECHR seems a good day to recommend Prof Tom Hadden’s new book on Human Rights and Int Law. It is a provocative intervention and a sublimely timed publication by @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
Lots to engage with here 👏
I believe it’s available as an e-book too.
Lots to engage with here 👏
I believe it’s available as an e-book too.
November 4, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Today’s 75th anniversary of the #ECHR seems a good day to recommend Prof Tom Hadden’s new book on Human Rights and Int Law. It is a provocative intervention and a sublimely timed publication by @elgarpublishing.bsky.social
Lots to engage with here 👏
I believe it’s available as an e-book too.
Lots to engage with here 👏
I believe it’s available as an e-book too.
Nothing academic about it Steve -and I’ve worked with him!
Academic teaching Dogwhistling 101
Goodwin says "it takes more than a piece of paper" or birthplace to make somebody British.
This is not often applied to Fred West/Ian Huntley, Kim Philpy, etc
So how it is applied to British-born people from the majority + minority groups who commit crimes + who don't is rarely/never made clear
This is not often applied to Fred West/Ian Huntley, Kim Philpy, etc
So how it is applied to British-born people from the majority + minority groups who commit crimes + who don't is rarely/never made clear
November 2, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Nothing academic about it Steve -and I’ve worked with him!
Perhaps to pretend that they aren’t giving Reform a platform that far outweighs its electoral strength.
Or maybe Richard Tice was just busy this evening?
Or maybe Richard Tice was just busy this evening?
So why does the BBC label the academic and economist Faiza Shaheen an "activist" but refuse to do the same for the former academic, turned anti-migrant activist Matt Goodwin?
October 30, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Perhaps to pretend that they aren’t giving Reform a platform that far outweighs its electoral strength.
Or maybe Richard Tice was just busy this evening?
Or maybe Richard Tice was just busy this evening?
He did say country first, party second as I recall?
There was a time Starmer/Reeves could made the argument to raise income taxes and VAT. There was even a moment they could have made the argument to break their manifesto pledge. It’s far too late. Now it would spell disaster for them and for politics. My latest👇
open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...
open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...
Starmer and Reeves would destroy themselves with a manifesto break
There was a moment they could have broken their word. It's long gone.
open.substack.com
October 29, 2025 at 7:03 PM
He did say country first, party second as I recall?
Bombs
Gaza latest: At least 60 killed by Israeli strikes - as Netanyahu accuses Hamas of breaching ceasefire
Gaza latest: At least 60 killed by Israeli strikes - as Netanyahu accuses Hamas of breaching ceasefire
Fresh violence threatens the fragile ceasefire in Gaza, with Benjamin Netanyahu ordering "powerful" strikes after an Israeli soldier was killed. At least 60 have been killed by the strikes so far. Follow the latest below.
news.sky.com
October 29, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Bombs
Or ‘bombings’ …in old money. Surprised? Nope.
October 28, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Or ‘bombings’ …in old money. Surprised? Nope.
The idea that he’s going to realise the error of his ways, is fanciful. These are his ways.
All of this is retrievable, but talk about doing things the very hard way:
Starmer needs to get serious about governing — and quick
The prime minister has to change or his party will seek a change of its own
www.ft.com
October 28, 2025 at 12:36 PM
The idea that he’s going to realise the error of his ways, is fanciful. These are his ways.
Reposted by Feargal Cochrane
Farage: epic grifter
October 27, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Farage: epic grifter
Outstanding work once again by @ledbydonkeys.org and kudos to everyone involved in producing this. 👏
October 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Outstanding work once again by @ledbydonkeys.org and kudos to everyone involved in producing this. 👏
Thanks Colin -very kind of you and glad that it connected with your own experience 🙏
This was excellent, a really enjoyable read. Not your run of the mill history, but one told through the landmarks & people who made it. Laced with personal anecdotes, many of which I could easily relate to & which had me reminiscing about my own experiences. Lovely stuff @feargalc.bsky.social 😁
October 25, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Thanks Colin -very kind of you and glad that it connected with your own experience 🙏
Reposted by Feargal Cochrane
It’s official - highest percentage AND highest absolute number of votes in the history of the presidency
More than Dev, more than Michael D.
#Aras25
More than Dev, more than Michael D.
#Aras25
October 25, 2025 at 6:35 PM
It’s official - highest percentage AND highest absolute number of votes in the history of the presidency
More than Dev, more than Michael D.
#Aras25
More than Dev, more than Michael D.
#Aras25
😂 The FT demonstrating once again the full range of its insight on Irish politics 🤦♂️
Yes, voted in by the Soviet Republic of Dalkey, backed by the anarchist collective of Dublin Rathdown.
Hard-left candidate secures landslide in Irish presidential election on.ft.com/4oxeSo5
October 25, 2025 at 6:46 PM
😂 The FT demonstrating once again the full range of its insight on Irish politics 🤦♂️
Reposted by Feargal Cochrane
Labour MP: "Lucy Powell will be in her job longer than Keir will be in his, which is highly ironic."
Party source: "It's like Sunak v Truss. She won by telling the Tories a load of bollocks, but the person who lost was ultimately proven right."
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/exclus...
Party source: "It's like Sunak v Truss. She won by telling the Tories a load of bollocks, but the person who lost was ultimately proven right."
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/exclus...
Analysis: Lucy Powell's Election As Deputy Labour Leader Is Sweet Revenge After Being Sacked By Starmer
Her victory came just seven weeks after she booted out of the cabinet by the PM.
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk
October 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Labour MP: "Lucy Powell will be in her job longer than Keir will be in his, which is highly ironic."
Party source: "It's like Sunak v Truss. She won by telling the Tories a load of bollocks, but the person who lost was ultimately proven right."
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/exclus...
Party source: "It's like Sunak v Truss. She won by telling the Tories a load of bollocks, but the person who lost was ultimately proven right."
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/exclus...
Congratulations to her on a first rate & professionally run campaign- I’m sure she will do a wonderful job and carry on from the excellent tenure of President Higgins.👏👏👏👏👏
Now Bend the Knee Conor McGregor! 😂💪
Now Bend the Knee Conor McGregor! 😂💪
Catherine Connolly has arrived at Dublin Castle ahead of an announcement expected to confirm a landslide victory for her in the Presidential Election | Follow live:
Connolly set for Áras while 190k spoiled votes recorded
Follow live updates as counts begin to come in from constituencies around the country with Catherine Connolly set to become the tenth President of Ireland.
www.rte.ie
October 25, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Congratulations to her on a first rate & professionally run campaign- I’m sure she will do a wonderful job and carry on from the excellent tenure of President Higgins.👏👏👏👏👏
Now Bend the Knee Conor McGregor! 😂💪
Now Bend the Knee Conor McGregor! 😂💪
I don’t disagree about controlling disruption, my point is that Iso is in practice over-used and it impacts disproportionately on neuro/divergent children. This actually worsens the behavioural problems rather than resolving them.
School is not supposed to be perpetually disruptive either, and if you spent any time at all in a classroom, you'd soon see that some kids' behaviours are just that and that they lower the interest of the strongest students. Iso may not be the answer, but there needs to be one.
October 23, 2025 at 10:06 AM
I don’t disagree about controlling disruption, my point is that Iso is in practice over-used and it impacts disproportionately on neuro/divergent children. This actually worsens the behavioural problems rather than resolving them.
Excellent piece by @sweale.bsky.social @theguardian.com 🙏
Iso’ is often used at a whim against neuro-diverse kids. The petty authoritarianism & vindictiveness for ‘equipment violations’ etc for kids with #ADHD is brutalising.
School is supposed to be a safe space for your child but is anything but.
Iso’ is often used at a whim against neuro-diverse kids. The petty authoritarianism & vindictiveness for ‘equipment violations’ etc for kids with #ADHD is brutalising.
School is supposed to be a safe space for your child but is anything but.
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
Parents say use of isolation room damages mental health and children’s learning
*
One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds
Max was 11 and had just started his new secondary school when he was first put into isolation. He had asked to use the toilet between lessons, which was not ordinarily allowed, and was told to go quickly.
“He knew he wasn’t allowed to run, so he walked quickly,” his mother, Beth, told the Guardian. But teachers claimed he was running and Max’s secondary school career began with a week’s isolation. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 9:08 AM
Excellent piece by @sweale.bsky.social @theguardian.com 🙏
Iso’ is often used at a whim against neuro-diverse kids. The petty authoritarianism & vindictiveness for ‘equipment violations’ etc for kids with #ADHD is brutalising.
School is supposed to be a safe space for your child but is anything but.
Iso’ is often used at a whim against neuro-diverse kids. The petty authoritarianism & vindictiveness for ‘equipment violations’ etc for kids with #ADHD is brutalising.
School is supposed to be a safe space for your child but is anything but.
Reposted by Feargal Cochrane
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
Parents say use of isolation room damages mental health and children’s learning
*
One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds
Max was 11 and had just started his new secondary school when he was first put into isolation. He had asked to use the toilet between lessons, which was not ordinarily allowed, and was told to go quickly.
“He knew he wasn’t allowed to run, so he walked quickly,” his mother, Beth, told the Guardian. But teachers claimed he was running and Max’s secondary school career began with a week’s isolation. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 5:24 AM
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
It’s scandalous -in my experience used as an alternative to detention - a first resort not a last one. Disproportionally imposed on neuro -diverse boys, & those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Schools who use this frequently would literally do less damage if they used corporal punishment.
Schools who use this frequently would literally do less damage if they used corporal punishment.
One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds
One in 12 secondary pupils put in isolation rooms at least once a week, study finds
Children with special educational needs more than twice as likely to be put in isolation, say Manchester researchers
*
‘Publicly humiliated’: parents describe difficulty of children’s isolation at school
One in 12 secondary pupils report being put into school isolation rooms at least once a week where they often spend in excess of eight hours, missing more than a full day of lessons, according to research.
Children with special educational needs were more than twice as likely to be placed in isolation, otherwise known as internal exclusion, while students from low-income backgrounds were also disproportionately affected. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 23, 2025 at 6:44 AM
It’s scandalous -in my experience used as an alternative to detention - a first resort not a last one. Disproportionally imposed on neuro -diverse boys, & those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Schools who use this frequently would literally do less damage if they used corporal punishment.
Schools who use this frequently would literally do less damage if they used corporal punishment.
Unless Rory Stewart has some sort of medical affliction on BBC Newsnight, his body language is an appalling attempt at disdainful detachment. He is so above discussing whether the brother of the King is a sponging pedophile, as he explains how lucky UK is to have a monarchy.
What an odious ghoul 🤮
What an odious ghoul 🤮
October 22, 2025 at 10:56 PM
Unless Rory Stewart has some sort of medical affliction on BBC Newsnight, his body language is an appalling attempt at disdainful detachment. He is so above discussing whether the brother of the King is a sponging pedophile, as he explains how lucky UK is to have a monarchy.
What an odious ghoul 🤮
What an odious ghoul 🤮