Three excellent things have just happened: 1) the Rycroft Review of pol finance has been published 2) govt is implementing key changes with immediate effect 3) those changes got cross-party support in the Commons. Careful scrutiny of the detail will now be essential. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Looking forward to this hugely! @dmk1793.bsky.social is always brilliant and thought-provoking.

Last call for tomorrow's @mileendinstitute.bsky.social event on "Inequality and the Future of London", co-hosted with @politicalquarterly.bsky.social. Join @rupahuq.bsky.social @mikebrewerecon.bsky.social @sachahilhorst.bsky.social & Graeme Atherton. All welcome! www.eventbrite.com/e/inequality...

Is there a cartoon yet of Paddington Bear leading Mo Salah out of Anfield?

When "over two-thirds of all private donations in 2023 came from just 19 mega donors, you no longer have a system that represents the people. A bill called the Representation of the People Bill ought to take that seriously." A good article, that makes a compelling case for a cap on party donations.

"Is woman becoming too obtrusive?" Debate at the London School of Economics in 1926, between Labour's "mighty atom" Ellen Wilkinson and Tory MP Walter Elliott. Wilkinson really did have to put up with some ****.

"History has lied to you". No it hasn't, and it's really sad that a university is using this framing. Historians debate evidence - often, as here, quite fragmentary. They question received ideas, test new theories, correct mistakes. That's the joy of history. But it doesn't mean others "lied". /

from Fraser Nelson:

Just the story of his name is one of the coolest things of all time

"The church has a duty to protect the free practice of all faiths in this country" (Queen Elizabeth II, 2012). It's good to see the Bishop of Kirkstall rising to that call, reminding Nick Timothy that "Islamophobia is not a Christian value or Christian virtue". www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

It's World Frog Day, so why not enjoy Kermit the Frog duetting with Debbie Harry? If anything can get you through a Friday afternoon, it's this. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOMs...

This is a superb editorial from the Jewish News. Nick Timothy and those who supported him this week should read it with shame.

Tonight at Queen Mary! We'll be launching the brilliant @morganj0nes.bsky.social's new book on the campaign for a second referendum after 2016, with a great line-up of speakers. There are still a few tickets available, so do join us at 18:30! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/no-second-...

It is a fundamental principle of anti-corruption policy that parties must not be able to hand out financial inducements to voters - whether that's to attend an event, hand over their contact details or visit a website. If this isn't unlawful, it should be. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

Apparently Eventbrite was briefly showing this as "sold out". We've now corrected that, so if you want a (free) ticket please do have another go.

Fascinating book. Should be a really good discussion. Sign up before it’s too late!

Sad to be missing this, it'll be great! Morgan's book is fab.

On 19 March we're launching @morganj0nes.bsky.social's brilliant new history of the People's Vote campaign. From Steve Bray & EU Supergirl to John McDonnell & Alastair Campbell, we'll explore one of the most turbulent & remarkable periods in UK politics.Do come! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/no-second-...

The idea that only a craven fear of Muslim voters is keeping Labour out of the war is delusional - and shameful. If there's a problem with "sectarianism" in UK politics, it's coming from those who routinely cast Muslim voters as standing outside "the national interest" & acting as a brake upon it.

Narcissistic autocrat meets democrat.

🔴 The Elections Watchdog Doesn’t Know Where Reform UK’s Crypto Donations Are Coming From The UK’s electoral watchdog tells @bylinetimes.bsky.social it wants tough new legal powers to prevent overseas donors from secretly bankrolling British political parties bylinetimes.com/2026/03/16/t...

Unsurprising but very pronounced demographic splits in Hungary election poll: - Among 18–29 year olds, Tisza leads Fidesz by 67% to 8% (!); among 65+, Fidesz leads 48%-26% - Among university grads, Tisza leads 63%-13%, but Fidesz leads among lowest education groups - Cities/towns vs villages

I joined David Runciman on @ppfideas.bsky.social to discuss the idea of America in British politics over the last 200 years. Why were the Victorians so obsessed with America? What was the impact of the US Civil War on British politics? When did the idea of an "Anglo-Saxon" economic model emerge?

I joined David Runciman on @ppfideas.bsky.social to discuss the idea of America in British politics over the last 200 years. Why were the Victorians so obsessed with America? What was the impact of the US Civil War on British politics? When did the idea of an "Anglo-Saxon" economic model emerge?

8 March: Trump tells UK not to send ships to the Gulf as "We don't need people that join Wars after we've already won". 14 March: Trump asks UK to "send ships to the area so that the Hormuz Strait will no longer be a threat". It's a tragedy that so many lives hang on the whims of this angry child.

Fancy a podcast for the weekend? I joined David Runciman on @ppfideas.bsky.social to discuss Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, delivered 80 years ago in Fulton, Missouri. We talked about the "special relationship", the Cold War and why Churchill vested such hopes in the United Nations. Enjoy!

This is cruel to the young people concerned, self-destructive for the UK and will not win over a single Reform voter.

"For your people have corrupted themselves. ... They have made themselves a molten calf, and worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god’" (Exodus 32:7-8).

Shame can be a destructive emotion, but this is what a culture without shame looks like. And it's consistently rewarded and indulged.

Watch back our full event with Dr Saunders on the history of Lords reform, how it became a "complete mishmash, a kind of Frankenstein's monster", and how we might want it to function in future 👇 buff.ly/DyfrSKE

As @robertsaunders.bsky.social told us at an event last year, "we do have to think about how the chamber would actually work in a scenario in which it's not just the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats who matter politically." That task has become even more necessary since.

Should Nigel Farage be able to create 200 life peers after the next election? How will the House of Lords work if a party of government or the official opposition has no - or next to no - representation in the Lords? The House of Lords is unprepared for today's multi-party politics.

The one candidate on whom we can all agree: both a great historical figure AND a cute animal.

Surely there's an easy solution to the historical figures/cute animals on banknotes dilemma...

On 19 March the @mileendinstitute.bsky.social is delighted to be launching @morganj0nes.bsky.social's book "No Second Chances: The Inside Story of the Campaign for a 2nd Referendum". Join us to explore an amazing period in modern history, & the lessons for today www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/no-second-...

80 years ago, Churchill spoke at Fulton of an "iron curtain" falling across Europe. He called for a "special relationship" with the US, a "settlement" with Stalin & an army under the UN. I joined @ppfideas.bsky.social to discuss one of Churchill's most important, contested & misunderstood speeches

"For your people have corrupted themselves. ... They have made themselves a molten calf, and worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god’" (Exodus 32:7-8).

What did Churchill mean by "the special relationship"? Why did he vest such hopes in the United Nations? Why was there such anger in the US press? I joined @ppfideas.bsky.social to explore Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech, 80 years after it was delivered. Available wherever you get your podcasts

More book events: I could not be more delighted that I will be speaking about Fantastic Kingdom with @robertsaunders.bsky.social at the brilliant @mileendinstitute.bsky.social in London on 17 June. Details to follow.

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Today David & historian @robertsaunders.bsky.social explore the 80th anniversary of Churchill’s ‘Sinews of Peace’ speech given in March 1946. It's best known for introducing the idea of the ‘Iron Curtain’. What was Churchill trying to achieve? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

80 years ago, Churchill spoke at Fulton of an "iron curtain" falling across Europe. He called for a "special relationship" with the US, a "settlement" with Stalin & an army under the UN. I joined @ppfideas.bsky.social to discuss one of Churchill's most important, contested & misunderstood speeches

As the government's controversial reforms to jury trial come back to the Commons today, here's our recent @mileendinstitute.bsky.social webinar on "Reforming the Jury System". With the excellent Hannah Quirk, @kaycrosby.bsky.social and @rebeccakhelm.bsky.social. www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiep...

A rather gloomy read..., When I ask students whether they ever read for pleasure, the most common response is a look of total incomprehension, as if I've asked whether they play with dollies or ride a tricycle. Followed by "well, I did when I was a child". www.generationtechblog.com/p/are-books-...

GB News is both broadcasting + clipping "there is a genocide happening in this island" due to immigration and demographic change, by Thomas Corbett-Dillon, a former digital campaign adviser to Johnson's Conservatives.

Rare footage from yours truly at @mileendinstitute.bsky.social talking about Winston Churchill, Fulton, the Anglo-American relationship, and the dangerous openness of the moment. Joined by the great @sophgaston.bsky.social and @robertsaunders.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrL4...

Sorry, but this is an absurd demand. No prime minister can "guarantee" that energy prices won't rise, when war is raging in the Middle East. They can, however, be more honest with the public about how vulnerable our economy is to world events, and what it will take to become more resilient.

"Midnight at Midday. Symbolical Shadow over London". A "shroud of darkness" (smog) falls across London on day two of the General Strike in 1926. "The darkness was so intent it could almost be felt ... Everybody seemed to realise that there was something curiously fitting about this deep darkness".

This is the warning on the blood pressure monitor my dad just got. Exceptional work. Anybody know what the fuck it’s supposed to mean? Last line is especially ominous

I thought this was a joke, but "Ms Badenoch has ranked MPs based on how well they are performing on X" is an actual quote from this article.

Crypto donations are a new back door for foreign interference. Only one Westminster party accepts them: Reform UK. We must close every loophole and defend our democracy. youtube.com/shorts/IMlSC...