Mike Tillbrook
miketillbrook.bsky.social
Mike Tillbrook
@miketillbrook.bsky.social
History, Politics, beer, red wine, Sunderland supporter, Durham CCC member. Exiled in Rutland.
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Is the tide turning? New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Renewed talk of a customs union may well come to nothing, but rapidly changing geo-politics mean the UK needs urgently to face up to the failure of the entire Brexit ‘strategy’: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...
December 12, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Stasis, sanctimony and the liberal paradox. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog with such Brexit news as there is, but mainly analysis of what 'responsible Farage' tells us about the tensions in Reform and what the BBC row tells us about Brexitism: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/stas...
November 14, 2025 at 7:55 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
New post: Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
In my last post about the prospect of Labour breaking its tax pledge, I did something I don’t often do, which is indulge in some ‘I told y...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
November 11, 2025 at 9:07 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Five distinct groups:
•Disgusted Disruptors
•Left-Behind Collectivists
•Traditional Conservatives
•Melancholy Middle
•Civic Pragmatists
November 1, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
This is Tony Blair once again doing his best to push a surveillance society on everyone. As he is the architect of this that’s reason enough to oppose it.
September 28, 2025 at 9:56 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
There is another country. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog discussing the thuggery, sanctimony and hypocrisy of the last fortnight, and how Starmer should lead in articulating an alternative version of patriotism to that of the far-right: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/ther...
September 19, 2025 at 6:23 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
To all the weirdos marching around with clipboards, deciding who is and isn't English based on where their grandparents were living... THIS is England! ⬇️
July 27, 2025 at 7:24 PM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
How Trump has reset the Brexit reset. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. The moral collapse of the US & the US's declaration of economic war both change the meaning of the Brexit reset, but they don't necessarily change it in the same way: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/how-...
April 4, 2025 at 6:42 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
5. Politics is still (mostly) local, seems unlikely Musk endorsement or Vance intervention helped AfD much but maybe helped Linke. Where Trump admin does appear to be shifting politics is away from the US - see Merz last night on need for European defence independence or boost for Canadian liberals
February 24, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
NEW BLOG: How have voter ID requirements affected elections?

@ralphscott.bsky.social & Edward Fieldhouse examine recent data to show what voter groups are without an accepted form of voter ID and how the new rules affected turnout at recent elections.
How have voter ID requirements affected British elections?
The July general election was the first UK-wide vote since new voter ID rules were introduced by the Elections Act 2022. Ralph Scott and Edward Fieldhouse examine recent data to show what voter groups are without an accepted form of voter ID and how the new rules affected turnout. They argue that the list of permissible forms of ID should be expanded and that more needs to be done to educate electors about the rules.
constitution-unit.com
February 21, 2025 at 6:05 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
ON THE BLOG: Should we be worried about the decline of parliamentary scrutiny?

Ahead of a related Constitution Unit event next week, Meg Russell summarises her recent article in Public Law which crunches the numbers on parliamentary scrutiny over time.
Should we be worried about the decline of parliamentary scrutiny?
Complaints about declining standards of government scrutiny by parliament have been commonplace in recent times – particularly during the troubled years of Brexit and Covid. But how can such claims be objectively assessed, and crucially, have scrutiny standards since recovered? Constitution Unit Director Meg Russell addressed these questions in a recently published journal article, summarised here. She concludes that there is significant cause for concern, and that standards actually worsened under Rishi Sunak, once the Brexit and Covid crises were over. To reverse the decline, both government and parliament need to act.
constitution-unit.com
February 17, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Why is Trump (or people in his circle) talking about building an American empire that includes (depending on the day) Greenland, Canada, Panama, Mexico? Here are five Trumpian logics explanations, all of which can function together, and probably do.
snyder.substack.com/p/why-greenl...
Why Greenland?
And Canada, Mexico, Panama...
snyder.substack.com
January 15, 2025 at 5:09 PM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
"Trumpomuskovia" is a word I introduced in an essay about some historical moments that might help us to understand the coming reality. The better we see the new regime, the more clearly we might also see its fractures and weaknesses.
snyder.substack.com/p/why-trumpo...
Why is America "Trumpomuskovia"?
A New Name for a New Regime
snyder.substack.com
December 9, 2024 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
It's astonishing in how many areas the last government's response to difficult problems was just to abandon governing: to stop processing asylum claims, stop setting realistic budgets, ignore critical warnings from the prison system, and ultimately scuttle the ship by bringing forward the election.
This is what the increase in decisions and interviews following the election looks like. The drop off in May, June and July was because the Illegal Migration Act had prevented officials from processing any claims. The new government undid that, getting the system going again.
November 28, 2024 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Post-Brexit Britain’s Trump problem goes much deeper than trade tariffs. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. The discussion of how the UK might respond to Trump's tariffs is already confused, and anyway misses the bigger challenge they betoken:
chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/post...
November 22, 2024 at 7:37 AM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Time for a romp through the history of ECHR-scepticism in Britain.

A 40-part thread…… /1
November 14, 2024 at 8:01 PM
Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Each of Trump's proposed appointments is a surprise. It is comforting to think that he is simply a vengeful old man, lashing out. This is unlikely. He and Musk and Putin have been talking for years. And the whole idea was that this time he had a plan.
snyder.substack.com/p/decapitati...
Decapitation Strike
Preserving America from Trump's Appointments
snyder.substack.com
November 15, 2024 at 6:34 PM