A recent article in PQ argues for a ‘sortition of candidature’, where parliamentary candidates would be chosen at random from the membership of political parties. But would this work in practice? @philipjcowley.bsky.social, Paul Web & @timbale.bsky.social investigate. tinyurl.com/32fjx99v

I wanted to say something about this but frankly I’ve no words

My excellent colleague @katiedd.bsky.social has just published this remarkable investigation into rampant book banning in a Greater Manchester secondary school library. 193 books including The Da Vinci Code, Twilight, White Teeth and 1984 Graphic Novel www.indexoncensorship.org/2026/03/scho...

This is *extremely* back of the envelope, but in rough terms a million tonnes of fertiliser equates to enough food to feed 50 million people for a year. So if it doesn't get where it needs to be in time, that's a substantial problem.

This racist woman lost a job at Gunster Strategies (quietly) after calling for Deputy Speaker to be banned from parliament - and deported - on grounds of race. White should be shunned by civic orgs that aren't overtly racist. [Leaving her with Britain First+Restore Britain] bsky.app/profile/sund...

These are scary times. Sadly this is what we get from mainstream parties trying to out-right-wing radical right parties (RRPs). These RRP now must be more extreme. Did we warn them it will happen/ yes we did. Did the parties of government listen/ no they did not Are they carrying on/ you betcha

Just had this flagged with me. This is disgusting. If Kemi Badenoch had one ounce of leadership in her, she would condemn this. I don’t want any faux sadness from her or Nick Timothy when one of us is hurt or worse. This is how low the Conservative Party have sunk.

⁉️ Are anti-immigration people really "sexually modern"? No ⁉️ Are people more supportive of anti-immigration platforms when these also include progressive positions on gender and sexuality? Also no I explore these questions w/ 🇬🇧🇩🇪 original survey data (+ a conjoint in 🇩🇪) 👉 osf.io/preprints/so...

In November 1967, even as US soldiers were dying, Lyndon Johnson flew General William Westmoreland home from Vietnam to reassure everyone the war was going well. Westmoreland said the U.S. was winning and “the end was in view”. The war continued for 5 more years & another 42,000 US soldiers died.

I wrote this paper because too many people feel like they’re paying more and getting less from local government. Council tax keeps going up, but the services people actually see: bins, potholes, parks, libraries, street cleaning. Too often feel like they’re getting worse.

Very strong piece, from which a couple of quotes stand out: "The Boris Johnson era was about managing humiliation." "I’m not sure we will be best served if we type ‘Angola’ into ChatGPT and see what comes out.”

Sadiq Khan: "It's Muslims today, who will it be tomorrow? Jewish people? Who the day after, Hindu people? This sort of mono-ethnic, mono-nationalistic view is a carbon copy of President Trump. These guys are pound shop President Trumps, they should be ashamed of themselves."

Come to the best conference on elections and all things public opinion and parties!

Join our special event with @mileendinstitute.bsky.social on "Inequality & the Future of London" on Mar 26. With @rupahuq.bsky.social, @mikebrewerecon.bsky.social, @sachahilhorst.bsky.social and Joe Fyans. Sign up for free tickets:

The call for papers for #EPOP2026 in Liverpool (17–19 September) is now open! We welcome submissions across all areas of research on elections, public opinion and parties. Deadline: 26 April Submit your proposals here: www.liverpool.ac.uk/politics/eve... @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social

Just a former British prime minister spreading antisemitic propaganda material under the pretence of “investigation”

This is how to protest.

Where the mental health services help the counter terrorism is to pick up slack?

I wrote a few words

Very happy that this article with Samir Negash and Lorenzo Piccoli has just been accepted at the European Political Science Review. In it we show that "welfare chauvinism" is much more nuanced than many assume.

Reminder that the deadline for nominations for the EPSS Best Book award 2026 is March 31, 2026! The EPSS Best Book Award recognizes an outstanding scholarly contribution to the field of political science. 1/2

The government. Never knowingly on the right side of public opinion.

‘Happy (and safe) shooting!’: chatbots helped researchers plot deadly attacks

Devolution is on Labour's agenda. But the most deprived councils saw funding cut by 31% per person, compared with 16% in the least deprived. The areas most in need of strong institutions are therefore the least equipped to standardise responsibilities. politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/mayoral...

Absolutely right Again, as with Guardian article, Mahmood's reliance on false/deliberately misleading claims about her "earned settlement" proposals suggests that she knows she can't defend them on the merits, in principle or in practice.

Another day- another lie…

another great time to remind folks that we want to keep our data safe and keep palantir out of the nhs

Wise words as ever, not banging on about a dimension that divides your voters but instead about the one that unites them is weirdly the choice Labour don’t seem to have considered in all this. Despite the fact that it arguably won them the 2024 election.

*PSA Prizes* Nominations open for Dissertation Prizes 2025-26 We invite nominations for dissertations covering: government & public administration; political theory; comparative politics; elections & electoral systems; international relations 📆 Deadline: 6 April 2026 ➡️ Full details

This! 👇🏻

Guardian has now [after my complaint] corrected Mahmood's deliberate & incendiary false claim settlement gives immigrants "immediate access to welfare and social housing". Good for Gdn but embarrassing/shameful that Home Secretary deliberately misled the public for political gain like this.

My thoughts on the Home Sec's immigration speech @ippr.org The Home Sec believes in control + compassion. It's the right ambition. But her plans may struggle to tackle small boat crossings and risk making integration harder. I make the case instead for a more focused approach to migration reform

If you are quite right wing on immigration and generally would like to control it and limit it, fair, but I’d like to persuade you that fiddling around with ever more stringent indefinite leave to remain, length of asylum or citizenship sits the way. Why? Bc knock on effects on integration 1/🧵

"would otherwise receive immediate access to welfare and social housing" is BS. Correct: "after 5 years working in a care home, would be eligible to apply for welfare and social housing on the same basis as the rest of us." www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Deliberately misleading/disingenous.

Personally, I'd have gone with the fact that "one in five (22%) also supported it for non-white citizens whose parents were born in the UK" for the headline. 😱

"Today’s OBR projections reveal two competing realities in government right now. The OBR and Treasury forecast an upturn in net migration, which makes their fiscal numbers add up – while the Home Office says it is determined to drive net migration down still further. They can’t have it both ways".

A case of you get what you asked for. Labour’s Home Secretary literally said Labour didn’t want these voters, so the voters go elsewhere. I suspect if you want them back you’d need a different Home Secretary.

This week's column: the Green surge is in part because Labour consciously decided they didn't want the votes they got in 2024:

I actually think he got it wrong- charge them per use, I propose a starting price at £2 billion

Genuine banger

Reform presumably furious about "clan-based voting" in south Wales although in this case the clan being the Silures, the Celtic people of pre-Roman Gwent.

A shameful, heartbreaking betrayal of our duties as a country that is lucky enough to be on the right side of history and on the lucky side of political geography. How can the politicians who betray our moral duties look themselves in the eye in the mirror I will never know.

🚨 New WP w/ @leonardocarella.bsky.social on OSF doi.org/10.31235/osf... We usually think that social identities precede preferences We show the reverse is also true: people update their social identities to match their immigration preferences Focus: class identity in 🇬🇧 + Christian identity in 🇮🇹

Very pleased to share that I passed my PhD viva yesterday! Huge thanks to my lovely examiners @robjohns75.bsky.social and @profsob.bsky.social, and amazing supervisors @rosieshorrocks.bsky.social, @nspmartin.bsky.social and Ed Fieldhouse... 1/3

Not uncommon, @sundersays.bsky.social. See "Journal of Politics", Volume 85, Number 1, January 2023, doi.org/10.1086/722042

“Life is about doing, not just a collection of end results.” You, sir, can now retire.

Yes!!! I always rant about it!

Asif Aziz's Criterion Capital halts mass eviction after London Centric uncovered what was going on. Hundreds of Londoners now receiving bizarre door-to-door visits blaming misinformation and being asked to record videos saying they don't want to be evicted. www.londoncentric.media/p/asif-aziz-...

Sadistic, abhorrent, racist, discriminatory, inhumane, economically illiterate, destabilising...there are a lot of words to describe Reform's policies. Unfortunately, Reform knows that, their supporters know that, and they actively want this reaction ahead of this week's by-election.

Feels like this comes from a similar place to some of the Tory failures to deal with Reform, politicos looking at voters and going "But why aren't you as emotionally bonded to the party as I am?"