Ben Worthy
@benworthy.bsky.social
📤 850
📥 1022
📝 97
pinned post!
My piece on Trump's Fascism for Political Insight 'Authoritarianism, mass arrests, political violence – Donald Trump’s regime fits the historical pattern of fascism'
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10....
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The Fascism of Donald Trump - Ben Worthy, 2025
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/20419058251376785
3 months ago
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Alan Allport
4 days ago
Social Justice Warriors, sir. Thousands of them.
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Martin Rosenbaum
4 days ago
New releases from the National Archives of government records from 2005 show how ministers and officials reacted uneasily to the implementation of FOI, and how they handled some initial cases - "This is becoming a real problem". What I found in the files:
rosenbaum6.substack.com/p/tony-we-ha...
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I never knew Brian Epstein wanted to manage the Velvet Underground. Now I do.
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6 days ago
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I just got this. Looks great.
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6 days ago
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Ben Worthy
Political Studies Association
16 days ago
*PSA PUBLICATIONS* 📚Political Insight December issue is out now!📚 Featuring
#OpenAccess
article 'Freedom of Information at 20' by
@benworthy.bsky.social
➡️ Read for FREE
buff.ly/LMYdW3U
@sagepub.com
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
https://buff.ly/LMYdW3U
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Ben Worthy
mySociety
17 days ago
On 15 Jan, we'll be launching our latest report. 'Leaky Pipes: Better Election Donation Data' uncovers the gaps, inconsistencies, and missed opportunities in how the UK records and discloses election donations. Sign up to come along and discuss the findings:
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mysociety-...
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mySociety report launch: 'Leaky Pipes: Better Election Donation Data'
Join mySociety’s democracy team for a one-hour discussion diving into the findings of our new report on election donations reporting.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mysociety-report-launch-leaky-pipes-better-election-donation-data-tickets-1974264607587?aff=bluesky
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Alex Parsons
24 days ago
Something I want to use this to build on is how we reconcile "casework as individual problem solving" with better data that informs collective solutions.
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Peter Geoghegan
17 days ago
There is much to applaud in Labour's new inquiry into foreign interference in British politics But it needs to go much further if it's to tackle how foreign influence really works - and properly protect British democracy New by me on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labours-fo...
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Labour’s foreign interference inquiry needs to go *much* further
Plus: Mark Galeotti on Russia’s foreign political influence, the war in Ukraine and how crime organises the world
https://democracyforsale.substack.com/p/labours-foreign-interference-inquiry
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Political Studies Association
17 days ago
📚New 'Political Insight' issue📚 Featuring
#OpenAccess
article 'The
#British
#GeneralElection
of 2024: A
#Labour
Landslide Built on Fragile Foundations' by
@robfordmancs.bsky.social
,
@timbale.bsky.social
,
@drjennings.bsky.social
&
@psurridge.bsky.social
➡️
buff.ly/LMYdW3U
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Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
https://buff.ly/LMYdW3U
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QMCBS
17 days ago
Check out Colm Murphy's
@colmpm.bsky.social
latest article in Past and Present:
academic.oup.com/past/advance...
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The Political Crisis of British Keynesianism, 1973–1983*
Abstract. In histories of Western political economy in the 1970s–1980s, Keynesianism is conventionally depicted as a victim of neoliberal ascendancy. Build
https://academic.oup.com/past/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pastj/gtaf012/8140335
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Stop getting Maginot wrong. Great article by
@alanallport.bsky.social
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17 days ago
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BeijingPalmer
17 days ago
very pleased to publish
@alanallport.bsky.social
on 1940.
foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/18/f...
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U.S. Strategists Keep Getting France’s Defeat Wrong
Myths about the Maginot Line are strangely persistent.
https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/12/18/france-united-states-military-1940-world-war-ii/
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Political Quarterly
18 days ago
The Covid Inquiry revealed that there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions via texts. Frequent use of WhatsApp undermines transparency, and decreases the quality of decisions. By
@benworthy.bsky.social
&
@mrosenbaum.bsky.social
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Government by WhatsApp? Covid, Transparency and Government by Text
The Covid Inquiry revealed that there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions through texts and messages. Is this ever acceptable?
https://politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/government-by-whatsapp-covid-transparency-and-government-by-text/
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Martin Rosenbaum
18 days ago
There's been a massive jump in FOI requests to the Home Office in particular, but increases across other departments too
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Prof Sheena Cruickshank
19 days ago
Good. This was such a great opportunity for students to take part in. Great to see we will be part of it again!
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UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/16/uk-to-rejoin-eu-erasmus-student-exchange-programme?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
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Political Studies Association
19 days ago
*PSA PUBLICATIONS* 📚Political Insight December issue is out now!📚 Featuring
#OpenAccess
article 'Freedom of Information at 20' by
@benworthy.bsky.social
➡️ Read for FREE
buff.ly/LMYdW3U
@sagepub.com
loading . . .
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
https://buff.ly/LMYdW3U
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Ben Worthy
Alex Parsons
20 days ago
Praise retweeting
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Colm Murphy
20 days ago
10 nuggets from the new "British General Election of 2024" book, courtesy of
@timbale.bsky.social
theconversation.com/the-ten-most...
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The ten most surprising facts from the 2024 election revealed
Voters cared a lot less about tax than you might think.
https://theconversation.com/the-ten-most-surprising-facts-from-the-2024-election-revealed-271989?utm_medium=article_native_share&utm_source=theconversation.com
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Political Quarterly
22 days ago
The Covid Inquiry revealed that there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions via texts. Frequent use of WhatsApp undermines transparency, and decreases the quality of decisions. By
@benworthy.bsky.social
&
@mrosenbaum.bsky.social
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Government by WhatsApp? Covid, Transparency and Government by Text
The Covid Inquiry revealed that there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions through texts and messages. Is this ever acceptable?
https://politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/government-by-whatsapp-covid-transparency-and-government-by-text/
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Martin Rosenbaum
23 days ago
The Covid Inquiry revealed how the use of chat apps in gov't created an unprecedented document trail, along with a temptation to avoid record keeping or to lose/delete records. By
@benworthy.bsky.social
& me, for
@politicalquarterly.bsky.social
-
thepoliticalquarterly.substack.com/p/government...
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Government by WhatsApp?
The Covid Inquiry revealed that there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions through texts and messages. Is this ever acceptable? By Ben Worthy and Martin Rosenbaum.
https://thepoliticalquarterly.substack.com/p/government-by-whatsapp
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Political Quarterly
23 days ago
We've just published a new Substack. The Covid Inquiry revealed there were ‘substantive discussions’ of important policy decisions through texts and messages. Is this ever acceptable? By
@benworthy.bsky.social
&
@mrosenbaum.bsky.social
Read:
thepoliticalquarterly.substack.com/p/government...
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Rob Ford
23 days ago
Time to look behind another "British General Election of 2024" advent calander window. As is tradition in every post 2016 Christmas, Brexit is in the air, with speculation about whether Labour might push to move closer to the EU. But what role did Brexit play in last July's election? Read on!
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NewWaveAndPunk
23 days ago
Released on this day in 1975: Marcus Garvey (album)
#BurningSpear
youtu.be/oV8QWVph4f0?si…
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Chris Campbell
25 days ago
If anyone remembers that list which said historians were second in line to be replaced by AI, I've had some thoughts about it... and how it relates to some aspects of public history and the current climate facing historians.
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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The Historian in the Age of AI | Transactions of the Royal Historical Society | Cambridge Core
The Historian in the Age of AI
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/transactions-of-the-royal-historical-society/article/historian-in-the-age-of-ai/37E3B742A2983DF4DAA2E38D48252F89
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Peter Geoghegan
24 days ago
OMG we only went and bloody won!! 🎉🎉 In barely two years Democracy for Sale has gone from nothing to winning a British journalism award Am absolutely blown away!! Thanks to everyone who reads D4S and supports us. Couldn’t do it without you all 😊
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Joe Dillon
24 days ago
absolute bargain if any of yous have a use for 7,949,020,598 wasps
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24 days ago
Ongoing decimation of British universities part 252: Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email. Please share
@ucuessex.bsky.social
@ucu.org.uk
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Peter Allen
26 days ago
My favourite of my own papers is on this exact topic (should be free to read)
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
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Jesse Crosson
26 days ago
This paper, now out at QJPS, was a labor of love, and Geoff,
@alexanderfurnas.com
and I are pleased to share it--and the data! Appreciate the opportunity to write up for
@lseusablog.bsky.social
, and very thankful for the Center for Effective Lawmaking in helping to improve the project!
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JMCQ
26 days ago
Christian von Sikorski and Michael Hameleers have curated a timely and excellent special issue on 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 👏 Check it out here:
journals.sagepub.com/toc/JMQ/curr...
.
@profdimitrova.bsky.social
@cvsikorski.bsky.social
#commsky
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Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly - Volume 102, Number 4
Table of contents for Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 102, 4
https://journals.sagepub.com/toc/JMQ/current
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Semra Sevi
27 days ago
🚨Excited to share our new paper published in PNAS (joint with
@yamilrvelez.bsky.social
and Don Green)! AI can enhance political knowledge and provide balanced information about politics with proper guardrails and vetted sources (e.g., party platforms).
www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....
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Adam Bonica
29 days ago
Study after study shows campaign ads barely move the needle. So where does money’s real power come from? I ranked the five ways money corrupts politics—from least to most corrosive. What I’ve learned from 15 years of tracking political money:
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Money Doesn't Buy Elections. It Does Something Worse.
Campaign ads barely move the needle. The real influence is hiding in plain sight.
https://open.substack.com/pub/data4democracy/p/money-doesnt-buy-elections-it-does?r=10322&utm_medium=ios
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Simon Hix
29 days ago
This is amazing, and explains a lot about US politics. Thanks for writing this up
@adambonica.bsky.social
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Jo Wolff
29 days ago
Miroslav Holub 1923 - 1998 A Boy's Head (1963) In it there is a space-ship and a project for doing away with piano lessons
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Claire Miller
29 days ago
An
#FOI
win can make future requests much easier. The ICO ruled the value of council-bought shopping centres should be revealed. A request for updated figures was answered much quicker:
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Freedom of Information in the news – week ending 5/12/2025 – #FOIFriday - Words + Numbers
Keeping on top of Freedom of Information requests is hard. I mean for public bodies across the country, rather than just me trying to see what's overdue in my spreadsheet. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has taken some more enforcement action in the past couple of months, on top of the notices already issued. Much
https://clairemiller.net/2025/12/freedom-of-information-in-the-news-week-ending-5-12-2025-foifriday/
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Jacob Öberg
about 1 month ago
Here are links to their full UK in a changing Europe blog:
ukandeu.ac.uk/brexits-impa...
and to their
@nber.org
paper:
www.nber.org/papers/w34459
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Brexit’s impact on the UK economy - UK in a changing Europe
Nicholas Bloom, Philip Bunn, Paul Mizen, Pawel Smietanka, and Gregory Thwaites argue that there is evidence that Brexit has had a large and persistent negative impact on GDP, output and productivity i...
https://ukandeu.ac.uk/brexits-impact-on-the-uk-economy/
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David Rand
about 1 month ago
🚨 New in Nature+Science!🚨 AI chatbots can shift voter attitudes on candidates & policies, often by 10+pp 🔹Exps in US Canada Poland & UK 🔹More “facts”→more persuasion (not psych tricks) 🔹Increasing persuasiveness reduces "fact" accuracy 🔹Right-leaning bots=more inaccurate
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Stephen Bush
about 1 month ago
"Keir Starmer did not create this problem — the damage done by the Conservatives cannot be overstated — but it is making matters worse." Fantastic column by
@robertshrimsley.bsky.social
on the malaise in our politics and the road that we're on without a major change in approach:
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Labour is slow-marching working people to populism
Insurgent parties to left and right peddle nonsense economics but enjoy dramatically rising support
https://www.ft.com/content/1052957c-90ef-4e00-b599-e45643c5c8e4
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Owen Boswarva
about 1 month ago
Another boffo release of
#openaddresses
from our friends in local government: Brighton & Hove City Council has released its Council Tax address list as open data
www.owenboswarva.com/blog/post-ad...
Thx
@brighton-hove.gov.uk
! Geocoded by yours truly
#FOI
#localgov
#UKhousing
#proptech
#opendata
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Frederik Hjorth
about 1 month ago
Political communication research overwhelmingly relies on text. But parliamentary speech is multimodal! In our new
@psrm.bsky.social
article, Mathias Rask and I show that legislators also signal partisan conflict nonverbally— through changes in vocal pitch during floor speeches. 🧵 1/11
#polisky
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Niko Bowie
about 1 month ago
This man may be the most racist president this country has ever had, and twelve presidents owned slaves
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Will Hayward - Wales Journo
about 1 month ago
We have written a special report looking at the people behind Reform in Wales. This was a bizarre piece to write.
willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/special-re...
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Special report: Who are Reform in Wales?
We dived into the wild world of Reform UK in Cymru
https://willhaywardwales.substack.com/p/special-report-who-are-reform-in
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Dr Adam Evans
about 1 month ago
For Welsh politicos or those who have recently developed an interest in next year’s Senedd election, this is an interesting read from
@willhaycardiff.bsky.social
on a party that is challenging for first place in the polls & looks set to be a major presence in the next
#Senedd
: Reform
#devolution
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The Author, Séamas O'Reilly
about 1 month ago
Issuing a very rare explanatory note here to say that, while I do consider this a fun and quite odd fact about Tom Stoppard, I also believe his script for Last Crusade is a genuine masterpiece. And I'm not just saying that because it might be my favourite film of all time. It's damn near perfect.
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Yes, I only found this out recently
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about 1 month ago
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Producing The Beatles
about 1 month ago
Thinking of George today, I made a mix of Beware of Darkness highlighting with just strings and vocals (and a bit of Hammond organ)
youtu.be/BI_k6x2lY64
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George Harrison - Beware of Darkness (strings and vocal mix)
YouTube video by Producing The Beatles
https://youtu.be/BI_k6x2lY64
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John Nagle
about 2 months ago
Our intro to the 2026 Ethnopolitics special issue on Protest & Power-Sharing is out. It brings together great scholars & cases — Lebanon, Bosnia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Northern Ireland — on how protest & power-sharing interact. Grateful to contributors:
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
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Contesting Power-sharing: Contentious Politics in Divided Societies
This introduction outlines an agenda for research on protest and power-sharing. Power-sharing scholarship has ignored grassroots contentious politics, viewing protest as a threat to the top-down mo...
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17449057.2025.2583797
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George Harrison's ' It's All Too Much'
youtu.be/2zc3idF_IZ0?...
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It's All Too Much (Remastered 2009)
YouTube video by The Beatles - Topic
https://youtu.be/2zc3idF_IZ0?si=CKQ4C3XmBnHLmuaS
about 1 month ago
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Kevin M. Kruse
about 1 month ago
Every single congressional Democrat needs to be out there, right now, insisting that Pete Hegseth resign right now and announcing that he will be held accountable for committing war crimes. If you do not demand accountability here and now, they will only become more emboldened.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
about 1 month ago
New report today from
@britishfuture.bsky.social
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