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🧵On our revelations today about the BBC Coup and the Prescott Dossier. The leaked ‘BBC Bias’ memo Trump used to attack the BBC was authored by Michael Prescott — a Hanover lobbyist paid by US tech/media giants tied to Trump. Full story: bylinetimes.com/2025/11/11/b... 1/12

Elon Musk is boosting the British right - and this shows how

Great to see this out and thanks to the @leverhulme.ac.uk for the Major Research Fellowship that supported its Writing.

We are hiring PhDs and postdocs to work on the ERC project GETGOV, where I am the PI. We will investigate governing elites since 1789. I am sure that it will be a lot of fun and result in great research! Postdocs: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available... PhDs: www.jobbnorge.no/en/available...

The @leverhulmecal.bsky.social brings together global experts to explore the impact of AI and algorithms on society. This month marks the first recruitment call for researchers. Find out more: www.durham.ac.uk/news-events/... @amoorelouise.bsky.social @durham.ac.uk

“Once everything is about economic feedback, then the very purpose of a university is degraded: every element that cannot be shown to turn a ‘profit’ is eventually discarded.” Quite.

We’ve opened a call for our British Academy/Leverhulme Senior Research Fellowships which enable established scholars to have the time to complete a significant piece of humanities or social sciences piece of research, through a one year period of leave www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...

Grants going 👇

What a place for a conference. Long time since I’d been in Vancouver but so glad to be back, if only for a short while.

In what senses might body counts be, paradoxically, both humanizing and dehumanizing? @moyalloyd.bsky.social explores the role that orders of grievability play in determining whose lives are counted, and how. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/EmBVoYn @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social @sagepub.com #polsky

Join us for our next @visualpolitics.bsky.social event: Simon Philpott & William Clapton discuss their pioneering research on popular culture & global politics.   Wed 3 Sept 5-6pm BNE time (UTC+10). In person: 39a (501). Zoom rego here: www.eventbrite.com.au/e/uq-visual-...

🎉 3 (grade 7) Lecturer positions open Cardiff University in: 🌎 Non-western (espc non US) Foreign Policy/War/Security Studies 📝 Political theory inc history of political thought 📚 History & theory of colonialism & its legacies in politics & IR Apply here 👉

I am hiring! 1-2 post-docs to join my project on political violence in democracies at @uupeace.bsky.social!

This paper had a long gestation but is now out in Political Studies: doi.org/10.1177/0032...

And at a time when the OFS expects that 72 per cent of English HE providers could be in deficit by next academic year. Madness.

Want to work on the frontiers of dem theory with v. smart and lovely people @hansasenbaum.bsky.social, @lucyjparry.bsky.social & Graham Smith? They're recruiting a part-time research associate for a new project on non-human representation and participation vacancies.westminster.ac.uk/hrvacancies/...

We are recruiting! An exciting new opportunity has opened up here at Gladstone’s Library. We are looking to recruit an Archivist who will work in the Library’s busy Reading Rooms. Working in a team of five, this role is a mix of public-facing and office-based work. 1/3

My department at Leuphana University offers 6 fully funded PhD scholarships (incl. research funding) for three years. If you are interested in studying democratic resilience (particularly party competition and elections 🤓) and you have a strong methodolgical background: Apply! shorturl.at/kcTbG

2 / 3 of all support provided by @trusselluk.bsky.social food banks is for families with children. Those with 3 or more children are disproportionately facing hunger & hardship. That's why we've joined this call - the two child limit must go. @labourlist.bsky.social labourlist.org/2025/07/two-...

This is fascinating research - Attacking Reform on links to Trump and corporate interests reduces support for them. Whereas showing video of Labour going after small boats perhaps marginally increases support for Reform.

Bye forever, WeTransfer.

‘England’s higher education system risks long-term decline unless ministers overhaul their “confused, if not incoherent” approach to universities’ FT interview with outgoing @britishacademy.bsky.social President Julia Black where she pulls no punches! www.ft.com/content/3162...

Save the Children International has suspended its longstanding partnership with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a leading US-based management consultancy, citing its “utterly unacceptable” work on projects related to Gaza. Find out more: ⬇️

Big day @leverhulme.ac.uk - we are celebrating our centenary by investing £100m in blue skies research and doctoral centres. Here I explain why... @wonkhe.bsky.social Research funding requires research capacity wonkhe.com/blogs/resear...

Big news. @leverhulme.ac.uk are investing £100m in blue skies research and doctoral scholarships, as set out here in @timeshighered.bsky.social www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ps100-m...

This is a brilliant piece of reporting from @chloehadj.bsky.social. Layer upon layer of shockers.

Palestine Action isn’t a danger to British democracy – but this repressive government is | George Monbiot

Millions of workers experience the problems associated with insecure work. This includes 1.1 million workers on zero hours contracts. Read more: buff.ly/0OSArrI

A lot of media are covering Europe’s heatwave 🔥 but few are connecting it to the climate crisis. Tools like the Climate Shift Index show this heatwave is up to 5x 😱 more likely because of climate change. That context matters. csi.climatecentral.org/climate-shif...

Labour MP @marietidball.bsky.social delivers a powerful speech: “It is with a heavy broken heart that I will be voting against this bill today. “As a matter of conscience, I need my constituents to know I cannot support the proposed changes to PIP as currently drafted...”

Job! (fixed term)

“Yet still the government has shown no political will to tackle toxic levels of air pollution, which across the UK are much higher than the recommended safe levels set by the World Health Organization.”

It's a misread of public opinion to see opposition to Israel as a woke metro elite thing (though progressives care about it a lot more). In a recent YG poll just 12% thought Israel's actions in Gaza were justified.

I agree with every word of this, but missing is the fact that this is a world of old men. There are plenty of old women who hoard power too, but there are also plenty of old women - & plenty of women - doing things and differently. Gerontocracy is patriarchy: you can't undo one without the other.

Dear friends, this is great opportunity to come and work with us! This is a temporary (4 years) lectureship in European Social and Economic History post 1800. Please do apply! www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DNR005/s...

Hell of a chart, this, from @financialtimes.com. Spot the JCPOA. on.ft.com/4kSuQYO

The dominant political and media discourse over Brexit is far removed from what the public actually think...

Looking forward to this event on Monday lu.ma/re3uel1r

BISA, PSA and UACES Open letter to the UK Government: The future of International Studies and funding pressures in higher education

We are still accepting applications for our fully funded Writing Workshop on International Politics in Africa, focused on scholars based in Africa (held in Nairobi in 2026). Feel free to apply or forward to your networks!

We're 4 away from 200 if anyone else wants to sign who hasn't? If you don't have the link DM or email me

In short, Starmer has taken a massive hit among Labour voters, for no gain elsewhere, while boosting Farage's popularity, including doubling his ceiling among Labour voters. I.e., the political scientists were right, Morgan McSweeney was horrendously wrong.

Enjoying the second day of the CSD conference in Helsinki exploring the politics of engagements, conventions, and (e)valuations. Lots to thinks about.

New post from me about the elections of the last week, where the 'peak populism' hypothesis stands, and what lessons the Labour Party should be drawing. 1/n benansell.substack.com/p/labour-is-...

🖤💚💛😇😇😇

Sad news about our recently retired colleague: www.lboro.ac.uk/subjects/pol...

This week's university redundancies: Bedfordshire, Bradford, Bournemouth, Cardiff Met, Dundee, Greater Manchester (Bolton), Nottingham, Royal Holloway. This will continue until someone gets a grip.