Turns out, Lowe (was).

That sound you can hear is the furious googling of the name "James Murray", from all the correspondents and pundits trying to work out who he is.

Been seeing articles using "Hard Right" to describe AUR, and now France24 to describe Reform. Reminded as ever of @timbale.bsky.social's fantastic piece in @ecprtheloop.bsky.social opposing the term. theloop.ecpr.eu/hard-right-f...

PSD has for a long time not fit within the PES. For them to post this yesterday, the same day PSD collaborated with the far right AUR to bring down a pro-EU government, pushes them from parody into farce.

🔊 One week until Prof. @allansikk.bsky.social's Inaugural Lecture 'All Tomorrow’s Parties: What Central and Eastern Europe Teaches Us About Party Politics'. Free and open to all! 🗓️ 13 May at 6pm BST 📍 Gustave Tuck LT ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

🌊 #Illiberal Wave No.46 💪 @plutscher.bsky.social, @draege.bsky.social, @karstendonnay.bsky.social & @chknutsen.bsky.social draw on 3 experiments across Venezuela, Türkiye + the US to show that visual strongman #Propaganda can deter opposition movements + mobilise supporters. 👉️ bit.ly/48vkRV3

I have linked here to a very good article on the dangers a measles outbreak would (again) pose in Romania. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Look out for our upcoming @uclssees round table on Hungary’s elections and their consequences: turning point or false dawn? www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit... Monday 20 April, 6pm (UK time). In-person and online.

✍️ Hungarian PM Orbán’s defeat in last Sunday’s election rings in a new era for the country, but also for its partners to the East and West. Still, some challenges will remain, @gabrielagreilinger.com argues in her op-ed. 🇭🇺🗳️ 🧑‍💻 Read it now: 👉 tinyurl.com/8av6bdmv

Romanian media continues to disappoint on coverage of Hungary's election. The amount of places referring to exit polls is infuriating.

Thoroughly enjoyed a trip to sunny Oxford for the @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social conference presenting my working paper on media framing of militant democracy in Romania and Moldova. A very strong range of panels and keynotes, would highly recommend!

This is an important point. There has been so much of a focus on the youth and social media influence that it is easy to think it is limited to the young - but when you look at the role of Facebook etc and how its user base skews, this has likely obscured a worrying trend in older age groups.

Great thread on the upcoming elections in Hungary. In short, apprehension is necessary.

An important contribution addressing how the Representation of the People Bill doesn't meet the needs of contemporary British democracy:

This is a fantastic opportunity for anyone looking for a comparative politics PhD:

Tell me you never read the academic literature on populism without telling me you never read the academic literature on populism (and still write a column on the topic with the self-confidence of someone who is well read in the academic literature on populism).

I remember meeting Dr Duncan in my MA, and him casually mentioning a conversation he'd had with Gorbachev, and being absolutely enthralled, realising that SSEES was the place for me. An incredible loss.

📣 Call for Panels and Papers 🏫 Conference of the Standing Group on Central and East European Politics 🗓️ 21 – 22 May, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania 🎓️ Present your research and receive feedback from leading scholars in the field ✅️ Open to all scholars ⌛ Deadline: 25 February

Worth a read just for the title, but the actual research is an incredible contribution to the literature on Media and Politics. Would definitely be interested to see if the same patterns exist in Hungary and Romania, given the highly politicised nature of media in each.

Could the centre-right Republicans join forces with the far-right National Rally in France? @phmarliere.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk writes that if a governing alliance were to be formed between the two parties, it would be unique in Europe @lseeuroppblog.bsky.social

📣 Call for Panel and Paper proposals Conference of the Standing Group on Central and East European Politics 📆 21–22 May, Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania ⏰️ Deadline: Wed 25 Feb buff.ly/bOdANBs #CEEP26 #CallforProposals

In The Politics of the Pandemic in Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Routledge, 2024), edited by Margarita Zavadskaya, the contributors provide an overview of the political impact of COVID-19 in the region with a focus on Russia. Jack Dean reviews the volume. ceureviewofbooks.com/review/expos...

🚨Publication Alert🚨 Supply & Demand of Regional Populism in Bavaria: Explaining the Regional Success of the CSU & Free Voters in German Politics 📑TL;DR: Regional populism is distinct from AfD's general populism and predicts CSU/FW voting well. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... A short 🧵 1/n

Much of what we know of Irredentism is based on it in practice. Much also assumes a logical consistency. Yet how do we explain the use of Irredentism in discourse but not practice, and with inconsistent application? In my first paper, I attempt to tackle this: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Another night, another set of protests in Romania calling for judicial reform. In the following thread, I am going to provide brief summary of how we have got here, and of where some of these slogans have been seen before.

The worst thing about these misinformed stories about ‘exodus’ of #PolesinUK - not really backed by data - is that they STILL have a whiff of awful sense of superiority of “how bad Britain must be if they’re going back to their poor, awful countries,” as per this poll.

Away from Bucharest, which I'll keep updating, it is worth looking at Chișinău. With the heavy Russian bombardment of Ukraine, and the strikes on the power grid, much of Moldova was left reliant on emergency power supply from Romania over the last 24hrs.

An unsurprising result if it stands up in reality. Two immediate notes: - AUR backed candidate getting 1/5th of the vote in the capital (albeit on a poor turnout) - that is a bad result for USR.

Turnout like this is not surprising in many respects, but it is poor.

With yesterday being the 6th anniversary of the first confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis and last week's publication of the COVID inquiry, this event comes at a great time to learn more about political communication in such moments.

Looking forward to my first time presenting at the PSA Conference, a wonderful way to kick off a hopefully busy schedule for 2026's conference season! #PSA26

We are pleased to invite you to this #PROLang roundtable event, which will examine the results of Romanian Presidential election, their causes and the consequences for politics and society in Romania and the Romanian diasporas. 🗓️ 25 November at 5pm 📍 UCL SSEES ➡️ www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

This is going to be an interesting challenge for NHS workforce in a few years - with difficulties in specialist training places as it is, how will it handle a growing cohort that are studying abroad and likely looking to return?

SOS Senator Ninel Peia to USR Senator Ruxandra Deaconu: "I have the impression that when your mother was pregnant with you she took too much paracetamol" Perhaps it's time to change the old adage to reflect recent political trends: "When America sneezes, Romania catches a cold".

Great reminder, as ever, that political positions and names aren't always as they first appear.

Diaspora falling very, very heavily for PAS currently, and over 50% in Chișinău. Overall, looks like a strong night for PAS, with it now seeming as though they have secured a majority.

Luke's thoughts here are well worth a read. There's an underlying theme and thought: after years trying to bring UKIP, then Reform into the mainstream, why is Farage now seemingly so focused on courting the online right?

Can you put a price on friendship? We may soon find out, given Russian activity in Eastern Europe has begun hitting China's trade with the European continent.

An actual quote from the Secretary of State for Business and Trade Too often people go to university to ‘explore research and knowledge’ Look forward to Wes S saying 'too often people go to hospital to have operations' or Heidi Alexander saying 'too often people go to the station to catch a train'

Elsewhere, AUR's George Simion appeared at the rally in London. In many respects, this is something unimaginable a decade ago. A Romanian populist actor would have lacked the international name to be invited; a British far-right actor would not have invited those from Eastern Europe.

There is a lot to be said about recent events in Romania, and by figures on the far right. They have been incredibly busy, as has the state in response. Inevitably, it will be too long for a single thread, so I am splitting it into two. First and most notably, Calin Georgescu has been indicted.

The whiff of gunpowder has been in the air around US politics for years. The level of complacency among European analysts and scholars over growing risks of armed political violence in America is remarkable.

Had hoped this would be the end of the charade that is the role of deputy PM. Alas, as ever I am disappointed.

Up high, in the mountains of madness. Former mayor of Cluj-Napoca, Gheorghe Funar (a far-right clown) claims Russian president Putin was born to Romanian parents named Putină. This was just one take in an interview covering 1000 years of "history". Imagine the rest.

How will the Romanian far right (especially AUR and George Simion) interfere in Moldova's elections? A couple of major directions to pay attention to. First, by having allies running directly for seats. An example: the Democracy at Home Party (PDA), run by Simion ally ...

💡 Our colleagues over in Italy are organising a Summer School on Democratic Backsliding & Political Conflict from 27-30 September 2025. There are scholarships available from Widening countries. Application details can be found at: www.eui.eu/apply?id=sum...

Most literature reviews miss the point.
 Not because they’re sloppy. 
But because they treat the literature like a box to tick. In my latest Respect the Marble Post, I carve out a 6-step process to writing a meaningful lit review: catherineeunicedevries.substack.com/p/most-liter... 🧵

Had a great time presenting at the first Conference of the @ecpr-ead.bsky.social, surrounded by an array of experts and fascinating panels. Many useful ideas for existing and future papers, and next steps. The E&D community continues to grow, and I look forward to wherever it takes us in 2027!

Be sure to check out the Standing Group's first conference where I will be presenting on AUR and SOS' use of irredentist themes, and discussing how they are selective in this regard. If that doesn't interest you, there are a range of amazing panels on populism and extremism on offer!

As I said earlier, Simion and AUR spending the last few years criticising the UDMR and ethnic Hungarians at every opportunity doesn't seem to have proved electorally viable. With c90% counted, Transylvania has gone overwhelmingly to Dan.