In the context of today's headlines around the University of Sussex and the Office for Students, sharing my article from last year - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1...

Finally had confirmation that @bloomsburybooksuk.bsky.social are going to pay me the £80 they owe from November last year for reviewing 10 chapters for an upcoming textbook. Academic publishing really is a joke!

The workload facing MPs and their staff is growing, in ways that aren't visible to the public: casework and the inbox. For @thehousemag.bsky.social, I delved into what the workload looks like, why it's growing, and what this means for how MPs can balance the different aspects of their role

New Swingometer! The Gorton and Denton By-election: A tale of Two Manchesters open.substack.com/pub/swingome...

Radical right accommodation really does not work. New paper out with this exceptionally talented team @katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk doi.org/10.31235/osf...

📣 NEW PAPER ALERT! 🚨 "School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support" Just published in @wepsocial.bsky.social with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social. doi.org/10.1080/0140... 🧵👇

Mine and @profsob.bsky.social paper Comparing registration systems using the International Difficulty of Registration Index (IDORI). How difficult is electoral registration in the UK? has been published. Please read it here, url: academic.oup.com/pa/article/d...

Good, solid local journalism from @manchestermill.bsky.social on mental health care in Greater Manchester. A salient reminder of what local journalism is meant to be manchestermill.co.uk/a-murder-of-...

🛎️ New Publication 🛎️ How did public and party priorities interact during the 2024 European Parliament elections? In our new @wepsocial.bsky.social article, Daniela Braun, @giucarny.bsky.social @rosanavarrete.bsky.social @annreinl.bsky.social and I find some connections tinyurl.com/yhc4ae8m 🧵

🚨NEW PUBLICATION 🚨 Though people have moved on from Brexit, they still vote in line with their Brexit preferences - with age/education still separating voters. Voters now back party blocs, which matters greatly for Labour's current appeals to Reform voters. 🧵 academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

UK has a comparatively difficult registration process. Our comparative analysis of registration difficulty in 62 countries is timely as Labour consider introducing automatic voter registration. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

To propose taxing the income stream that is essentially keeping UK higher education from widescale collapse is the sign of a government that has given up trying to understand the country it is meant to lead.

The failure of our public service broadcaster to actually engage with evidence is really quite staggering, sometimes. I recall, with a chill, their constant coding of any actual discussion of policy during Brexit as "nerd stuff".

Yes, there are only 6 Labour seats where the Lib Dems are 2nd. This is because the 2024 Labour vote was propped up by tactical voting between the two parties. Allowing Labour to win seats in Conservative areas... seats they won't be able to keep if their left-wing coalition crumbles

Out now (OA) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social. Do people in rural areas want politicians offering stronger representation to rural areas - as opposed to just their local area? Yes - based an original conjoint experiment in the UK (1/5) www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

“No single decision is to blame” for UK universities' dire financial situations, writes @rostaylor.bsky.social. “But many trace [the crisis] back to a decision made by chancellor George Osborne in December 2013.” www.prospectmagazine...

Hey this seems sensible! I wrote a while ago about how crazy it is British election infrastructure relies on a bunch of volunteer nerds. (takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/its-mad-th...) Now the electoral commission is bringing it in-house! democracyclub.org.uk/blog/2025/04...

The core trilma here remains the same - the govt needs to accept one of three things: high student migration, higher domestic student fees (or higher taxes to fund universities) or university bankruptcies. Those are the only options, given where we are. Pick one.

Sussex's Vice-Chancellor states that the OfS investigation into that University was "flawed and politically motivated". The OfS's methodology was flawed, and its behaviour erratic - www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

It is remarkable how little central government trusts local government. It is less remarkable, and more wearingly predictable, to see a new duty created for local government without specific money allocated to fulfil that duty.

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS 📢 🚨 Just over a week left to apply for this amazing opportunity with UKICE's @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @uniofmanchester.bsky.social 👇

@markzuckerberg pay up, mark x

*Extremely* deep cut here, but I'm hoping the right nerds follow me. Does anyone know if French legislative elections between 1958-1966 had a threshold of 5% of *registered* voters or 5% of *votes cast*? I'm finding conflicting information (in English and in French!)

Latest issue! With @colmpm.bsky.social @pjsloman.bsky.social @gerryhassan.bsky.social @profsob.bsky.social @tjoliver.bsky.social @jwfurlong.bsky.social @lawrencemckay.bsky.social @psurridge.bsky.social @martamiori.bsky.social @profrosiecamp.bsky.social   onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/1467923x...

The Ukrainian government has a list of places where you can donate to the war effort here. I personally just donated $100: war.ukraine.ua/donate/ Slava Ukraini.

Local journalism is one of the cornerstones of a democratic society. @manchestermill.bsky.social's work on the University of Greater Manchester (formerly Bolton) is a reminder of just what we're missing as so many local papers become hollow shadows of themselves manchestermill.co.uk/the-universi...

As someone with a clear subject specialism; do not do this without serious critical thought. Google Search's AI has returned to me answers that are entirely 180 degrees from the truth, or entirely invented. LLMs are not fonts of all knowledge.

There are just TWO WEEKS left to apply for this PhD opportunity with me @robfordmancs.bsky.social @martinboon.bsky.social If you've ever wondered why polls get it wrong & want to spend three years fully funded (!) figuring out the answer, then apply now: www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

This is a fascinating article. I have somewhere a mostly-drafted chapter of my PhD thesis on declinism, and Barnett features heavily. It's an almost medical account - we are diseased, we need radical treatment to save us.

At @politicsoxford.bsky.social we are launching the Centre for Democratic Resilience. Building on our expertise, we do not only want to produce cutting-edge research but we also want to connect research to important stakeholders. Democracy is under threat. We want to work together to protect it.

I'm assisting @robfordmancs.bsky.social in organising this ECR event for UK in a Changing Europe. Get your papers in, come to Manchester, enjoy the rain, have a drink, go home, tell your mates how good it was.

New article by tjoliver.bsky.social in @politicalquarterly.bsky.social onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Have you finished your PhD? Have you got a project you want to work on for the next three years? Do you want to live in a vibrant, diverse, cosmopolitan city? Then apply for this unique opportunity at the University of Manchester! Pls RT @psaepop.bsky.social

Just had an article published in Political Quarterly on the Office for Students. As regulator of Higher Education, it has a key role to play in the future of the sector - yet it lacks independence, or clear direction. Without these, it is a hinderance, not a help, to fixing HE's many issues -

Excellent funded PhD opportunity at Manchester coming up for anyone interested in polling, and particularly why it understates the right so often. With the splendid @robfordmancs.bsky.social @lottehargrave.bsky.social www.findaphd.com/phds/project...

Disappointed to see this burdensome law, which does not add new freedoms, but does impose steep new costs on an already fragile sector, will go into action www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

With Kemi Badenoch calling for a review into something already reviewed yesterday, and now the government setting up a review into something already reviewed today, is the UK suffering from inquiritis? An inflammatory condition where the number of inquiries grows, but policy does not occur.

The English Devolution White Paper has landed - assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/676028...

Exciting times at EPOP yesterday, fascinating and stimulating discussions and papers. Many new things learned about this summer's general election. Future Tim is going to resent having to update all those lecture slides, the poor sod.

NEW: We’ve just launched the IfG Ministers Database as a public resource What’s that, you ask? It’s a record of all ministerial appointments back to 1979 – we use it in research on ministerial churn, gender balance and lots more Check it out here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/ministers-da...

Join the Constitution Unit as a Leverhulme Early Career Fellow! There is frequently chocolate. Find out more 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/constitution....

Fantastic post by colleagues at the Scottish Election Study on what happened in Scotland in the UK's most recent general election, including how Yes voters are now the ones making the greater constitutional compromise: scottishelections.ac.uk/2024/08/05/g...

Interesting post by @cerifowler.bsky.social and Anna Sanders on gender gaps we might see on Thursday - ukandeu.ac.uk/will-there-b...

First shoutout with a Bsky handle from @chanret.bsky.social at the Democracy & Elections workshop today!

An important thread of useful posts!

Been a while but - I have been offered a permanent position here at Manchester, as a Lecturer in British Politics, and I'm thrilled to say I've accepted. So excited to get settled into this role!

Watching Rishi Sunak up before the Liaison Committee today - www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

Boris Johnson is now up for two days of testimony before the Covid Inquiry - www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOkK...

Thrilled to see this paper published in the APSR, with my amazing co-authors @katharinalawall.bsky.social and James Tilley doi.org/10.1017/S000... Here’s a thread on the main findings:

Matt Hancock up at the Covid Inquiry today, for a full day. www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBK4...