Andrej Zaslove and I wrote down our thoughts on the recent Dutch election results, noting the continuing relevance of the far right and the hollowing of the (liberal) centre. 👇 @qmul-sse-cgd.bsky.social @qmulsse.bsky.social

One observation re. the Dutch election is the enduring strength of the far right (I am not fully subscribing to the 'shift back to the centre' narrative). I should be on ABC Australia News channel at around 11 CET to talk about this and to show my plants (again). www.youtube.com/live/vOTiJkg...

Latest @thehousemag.bsky.social column, on the politics of pints. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Enjoyed chatting to The Westminster Hour about our PMP research on party membership, as well as about the UK's increasingly crowded party system. Just in case you're interested, that bit starts at just over 34 mins in over on BBC sounds. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Just arrived. Look at all those lovely Babybels!

I wrote a pre-election briefing / commentary ahead of the Dutch parliamentary election next week (October 29th). The main focus is on the enduring relevance of the far right, the salience of the immigration issue, and how mainstream parties contribute to its politicisation.

Great to speak to @greenmirandahere.bsky.social for today's FT Inside Politics about the latest finding from our politics of (im)patience project, w/ @karlpike.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social. www.ft.com/content/e984...

Latest article in @thehousemag.bsky.social - on opposition. What % of government bills do you think are opposed in full by the opposition? That is, what % see the opposition vote against at second and/or third reading? www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Me, on @markpackuk.bsky.social's polling podcast, taking about the book... Or: "50 gems from political science", as Mark puts it... www.markpack.org.uk/175771/the-s...

One reflection talking to other Jews today is how unshocking this is. Numbing, upsetting, scary but not shocking. We all knew it was coming. Given the enormous rise in antisemitic incidents in recent years, it's a surprise it hasn't happened more often.

With Andrej Zaslove, I wrote a piece on the recent extreme-right riots in the Netherlands, and what should be learned from them 👇

Keir Starmer writes in the Telegraph (where else!?) that Labour “did shy away from people’s concerns around illegal immigration.” Perhaps I was living in a parallel universe when I wrote this for @politicalquarterly.bsky.social in 2014? (Free to read version here: qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/bitstr...)

Nice to be quoted in this excellent piece by @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the role of "ethos" in politics - what it is, and why we should pay it much more attention www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Latest piece for @thehousemag.bsky.social - on the importance of ethos in political parties... www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Very happy to be back on the Parliament Matters podcast, discussing the latest developments on the assisted dying bill with @ruthfox.bsky.social & @matthewengland.bsky.social. Thank you for having me! Listen to the episode here: pod.link/1714627828/e...

Latest piece for the @thehousemag.bsky.social, beginning with this: "One electoral change has been unrelenting: the growing – in fact accelerating – refusal of the electorate to cast a ballot for either of the two governing parties". When was that sentence first published? 1977...

The assisted dying bill begins its substantive Lords scrutiny this Friday. Re-posting my piece on what we should expect now that the Lords has the bill. theconversation.com/assisted-dyi... #assisteddyingbill

This moment never ceases to excite. Out in shops on 9 Sept...

New job opportunity! Come work with me at @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social on my major project on the political representation of men. You: PhD in relevant area, strong quantitative methods skills, interest in representation. The job: 18 months full-time, London or remote qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/appcentre...

“True political strength lies not in the ability to punish dissent, but in the confidence to accommodate it” Insightful piece by @tonymcn64.bsky.social on how the government whips are responding to backbench disquiet. theconversation.com/starmers-sus...

Out in the autumn/fall. Nice cover IMHO. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/european-...

I was interviewed on Today in Parliament on Radio 4 on Friday, discussing how the assisted dying bill might fare in the House of Lords. Listen here (around 7 mins in): www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

From the CPGB to Left Unity: Sultana and (now) Corbyn's venture is not the first time a new party has challenged Labour from the left. I wrote for @theconversation.com about the dilemmas these predecessors faced, which confront the new party today. theconversation.com/what-would-i...

"They say “never meet your heroes” – but meeting your antiheroes can be absolutely fascinating. At least, that was my experience when I met Norman Tebbit." Me for @the-independent.com on why he was so much more than simply "the Chingford skinhead". 1/n

Latest @thehousemag.bsky.social piece - on how to rank MPs, inc one of my fave academic studies, which put Diane Abbott to the right of Giles Radice. Also includes Rush reference.

Me, on a podcast, talking about backbench rebellions. What else do you want? pod.link/oppositionca...

Happy Birthday? As Labour marks a year in office, Nigel and Sarah review how it's going and consider the fragmented nature of opposition to the government. Plus we talk to the guru of parliamentary rebellions, Professor @philipjcowley.bsky.social, about this week's revolt: pod.link/oppositionca...

A good time to reshare this fun piece I did with @alfiesteer.bsky.social on the Labour left's options: Conversion, Loyalty, Voice, and Exit. In resigning the party membership, Sultana bets on Exit...and a new party. We cover the opportunities and risks 👇 journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...

'Parliamentarians should seize this opportunity now to implement a reform that has been decades (even centuries) in the making. I hope our poll offers them the confidence to do so.' Meg Russell writes for @uk.theconversation.com ahead of the hereditary peers bill being debated today. Read it 👇

We have new opinion polling on House of Lords reform! There is overwhelming public support to go beyond the government's current plans to remove hereditary peers (due to be debated in the Lords on Wednesday), including to limit prime ministerial appointments and cap the chamber's size. A thread 👇

Latest @thehousemag.bsky.social article on the costs of governing. Inc references to Game of Thrones (lame), the opening credits of Fame (more than 40 years ago), and Rush (maybe not the coolest band ever). As always, ultra hip, finger on the pulse, etc. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

It would be a sign of something going spectacularly wrong in the government's parliamentary management operation if it did get defeated - despite spotting this a mile off. Which is of course not to say that it definitely won't happen. But it shouldn't.

New @mileendinstitute.bsky.social and @savanta.bsky.social polling out today shows that a quarter of Londoners who voted Labour in the 2024 GE would not do so again if there was a GE tomorrow - with Labour losing voters to parties on the right and left in roughly equal measure in the capital

‘Labour isn’t a London city any more’ @timbale.bsky.social discusses new polling from @mileendinstitute.bsky.social on political attitudes in London. www.standard.co.uk/comment/lond...

A high risk strategy - as discovered by Liz Truss.

A very useful article by @danielgover.bsky.social (formerly of this parish) about how the assisted dying bill will fare in the House of Lords.

“Many in the Lords will recognise the risks of any situation in which they are now seen to stand in its way.” From our @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social colleague and parliamentary expert @danielgover.bsky.social

After last week's vote in the Commons, could the assisted dying bill be blocked in the Lords? New piece by me for @uk.theconversation.com. 'Assisted dying: what happens now the House of Lords has the bill?' theconversation.com/assisted-dyi... #AssistedDyingBill

I was on Times Radio this morning, bright and early, with @calumam.bsky.social, talking about assisted dying, welfare, and tensions within the governing Labour Party. From about 1'26". www.thetimes.com/radio/show/2...

Have written up some of my thoughts about the increasingly sinister use of 'non-UK born' and 'white British' in the British press. The obsession with 'white British' citizens over other British citizens harms all of us and needs to be called out. benansell.substack.com/p/who-counts

Assisted dying bill has been approved by MPs. Has cleared the Commons chamber. Now will move to the Lords where must go through an equivalent set of stages. Story not over yet!

Whatever happens, that the #assisteddyingbill has made it to a final Commons third reading vote is remarkable given the procedural challenges facing private members’ bills. MPs on all sides deserve credit for enabling it to be decided on its merits rather than procedural games.

New piece by @zoecrowther.bsky.social in @politicshome.bsky.social covering some of our ongoing research (w/ @karlpike.bsky.social @philipjcowley.bsky.social) into voters' time horizons and its implications for the current UK government's "politics of patience": www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Very pleased to see my co-authored piece with Patrick Diamond for @bjpir.bsky.social published! We use the case of the UK since 1945 to show that fiscal orthodoxy, macroeconomic prudence, and even 'austerity' can, in certain conditions, be pursued by the left as well as right. But... (1/2)

What better way to celebrate Big Dog Boris Johnson's birthday today than by signing up to hear @nigelfletcher.bsky.social and the @newstatesman.com's @rmcunliffe.bsky.social and me discuss the death (sorry, future) of the Tory Party this coming Monday? www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/does-the-c...

Our book is out and available to read open access online: academic.oup.com/book/60532. It is dedicated to Niko.

This letter claims insufficient scrutiny of the #assisteddyingbill & makes point it's 'now longer than the Government's Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill'. But BSAI Bill had: ⚫ 3.5 hours for report and third reading (cf 3 days on assisted dying). ⚫ 12 committee sittings (cf 29).

Key points from #assisteddyingbill debate. ⚫️ Report stage not concluded today; will resume next Friday. ⚫️ Majority behind bill supporters largely holding up. ⚫️ But majority overcome on one new clause. ⚫️ Bill supporters will be optimistic that bill will pass Commons - but too soon to be sure.

Hard to see there now being enough time to complete Report stage divisions today. Proceedings must conclude by 2:30pm. So I would expect Report to be concluded, and Third Reading held, on 20 June. #assisteddyingbill

MPs now on 2nd day of Report on the assisted dying bill. Speaker expects to call frontbenches no earlier than 1:15pm. Also intends separate decisions on proposals from Waugh, Hillier (x2) & Paul. Hence seems likely Third Reading (final decision) will be pushed to next week. #assisteddyingbill