Back writing Substacks after a mini-hiatus! This week, I've written about the rise and mainstreaming of Islamophobia in Britain, and why the Gorton and Denton by-election gives me hope that we can defeat the politics of hate 👇 open.substack.com/pub/mikebank...

Thrilled to be standing for the Greens in Tooting Broadway. Time to fight for a fairer future 💚

Local elections are this May and we need your help to elect Wandsworth’s first Green Councillors. Rachael, Michael and Cameron are keen to get to work and make real change in Tooting Broadway💚 Donate Today! www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/wandsworth... #hopeishere #greenparty #tooting #wandsworthgreenparty

I’ve just pre-ordered Martin’s book and you should too! It’s currently number 2 in Waterstones History pre-order chart - let’s get it to number 1. Super proud of Martin and can’t wait to have a read 😄

There are good reasons to be in the office more often: collaboration, collective organising, etc. But there’s little serious evidence to suggest that forcing everyone back in 5 days a week boosts productivity. This is just more “back in my day” politics from Farage

Starmer promised competence and an end to scandals, but the Mandelson–Epstein scandal raises serious questions about his political judgement and reinforces the sense that this government isn’t delivering the reset people were promised My thoughts on @news.sky.com earlier 👇🏾

“The United States government under Trump has made a deliberate, calculated, and shameful decision to embolden and enable Nazi-glorifying elements within his party; to elevate and amplify Nazi messaging” My latest for the Guardian, and I bring receipts:

Latest Substack is out now! I argue that we need to rethink our assumptions about diversity. Representation does not guarantee progressive outcomes, and Shabana Mahmood’s asylum announcement makes that painfully clear 👇🏾 open.substack.com/pub/mikebank...

Looking forward to being on stage for TAW Live this Thursday evening in London with @knoxharrington.bsky.social, @johngibbons.bsky.social, @craighannan.bsky.social, and Dan Morgan Still a few tickets left. 7pm at 21Soho. Be there or be square xxx theanfieldwrap.com/tawlive

Hey peeps. I’ve started a Substack. I’ll be writing about politics and my research (with the odd piece on football)

What a night 🥰🥰🥰

Reform often make their racism explicit, but racism isn’t just a Reform problem. From Jenrick’s complaints about a “lack of white faces” in Handsworth to Starmer’s “island of strangers” speech, racism is being mainstreamed across British politics Me on @lbc.co.uk earlier

🚨 NEW: "Rising autocracies know to pressure schools, universities, corporations and government institutions into silence. Together, these tactics do more than harm Black communities – they hollow out our democracy itself." - Stacey Abrams www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

*NEW PSA FILM* Why does #Equality, #Diversity & #Inclusion matter in academia? Find out with Dr Michael Bankole @mikebankole.bsky.social how to help champion #EDI how and where you teach. ➡️ buff.ly/rYu9KAq Supported by @acadsocsciences.bsky.social @ukri.org #PoliticalStudies #BHM2025

We’ve gone from being ‘cancelled’, to doing Press Conference Extra without the press conference @andyheaton.bsky.social @4hundredblows.bsky.social 😂👇🏾 www.theanfieldwrap.com/2025/09/live...

“You're choosing to be complicit. You're choosing to step back while a crime is happening and do nothing about it and not take a principled stance.” Shared some thoughts on Trump’s state visit and “neutrality” re: the genocide in Gaza on @novaramedia.com last night 👇🏾

"It feels odious having this man paraded around Windsor castle, who's not just complicit, playing a central role in this genocide" Mike Bankole on @novaramedia.com

Let me elaborate my disagreement with @zackpolanski.bsky.social in a 🧵. The scenes on our streets are not "the consequences of decades of austerity" but of centuries of racism propagated by the British ruling classes to rationalise the social order they have constructed at home and abroad.

I’m a little bummed that the Press Conference Extra was cancelled by @theanfieldwrap.bsky.social but it was great to hear @andyheaton.bsky.social @mikebankole.bsky.social and @4hundredblows.bsky.social back together on Sunday Best today! Dearth of tech fleece chat but so it goes. 😄

*NEW* PSA #EDI film now live! Learn what #Equality #Diversity & #Inclusion means, the challenges within #academia and how the PSA is supporting change. Special thanks to @anandmenon.bsky.social @mikebankole.bsky.social @jtlabarca.bsky.social & Manjeet Ramgotra. ➡️ watch & share

Happy to share my first published article based on my PhD in Party Politics with @journals.sagepub.com in open access! doi.org/10.1177/1354...

“Britain is a country that, in many ways, was built on acts of political dissent.” Dissent is essential to any functioning democracy. Whatever your views on Palestine Action, proscribing them as terrorists is a dangerous overreach. Was good to be back on @novaramedia.com yesterday to unpack this 👇🏾

Press Conference Extra on tour @4hundredblows.bsky.social

Enjoyed speaking at the @londongreenparty.bsky.social conference on Saturday about diversity in politics Key takeaway: diversity matters, but it must be part of a deeper critique of power and structural inequality. Without that, change risks being cosmetic

Liverpool are champions, got to watch it with the main man @ro-kalli.bsky.social after he completed his *8th* London Marathon, and my sister crushed her first London Marathon. Unbelievable scenes. What a day! 😍😍😍😍

Additional Conference speakers announced! - @mehreenfaruqi.bsky.social: Australian Greens deputy leader and New South Wales state senator - @mothinali.bsky.social Leeds Green Party Councillor 🗓 Saturday 10th May 🎫 Free tickets available ✅Open to non-members actionnetwork.org/ticketed_eve...

Another PSA conference in the books! Really enjoyed presenting my research, chairing some great @psa-race.bsky.social panels and catching up with old friends. Till next year! #psa25

Thrilled to be speaking at the Green Party’s London Conference in May alongside some pretty cool peeps! Come down if you can — it’s free, open to everyone, and shaping up to be a fun day 😄 Book here: actionnetwork.org/ticketed_eve...

Pints and prizes last night 🍻 ⭐ Honoured to receive the Joni Lovenduski Prize for outstanding professional achievement as an early career scholar at the @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social AGM last night AND thrilled that @psawomenpol.bsky.social won Specialist Group of the Year! 💥 💫

Planning your #PSA2025 agenda? Be sure to add the Race, Migration and Intersectionality panels to your agenda! All of our sessions will be @ Library of Birmingham Room 102 - head that way to meet up with other RMI members and co-convenors @mikebankole.bsky.social & @jessunderwood.bsky.social!

Looking forward to this!

Being disabled, or living in a household where someone is disabled, is one of the strongest predictors of poverty in the UK—yet Labour has chosen to cut £5bn from disability benefits, stripping support from 1 million people A cruel, regressive move that will likely deepen inequality and poverty

Review is out now on @TheAnfieldWrap.bsky.social with Dan Mike & me Liverpool approach Liverpool build up phase vs man to man marking 1st half corners dissected Poor half time 2nd half plan(?) & changes Elliot & Chiesa Last 10 games & the forwards

Great start to a big week. 16 points clear 🥰🥰🥰

The NO OTHER LAND team on the red carpet 😭

Statement win today. Felt like we played in 2nd gear for much of the game and still had too much for Bournemouth. 7 points from the next 3 and the maths gets increasingly difficult for the teams chasing us 🤞🏾

One of my rituals since I've subscribed to @theanfieldwrap.bsky.social is listening to the Press Conference Extra with @andyheaton.bsky.social @mikebankole.bsky.social & @4hundredblows.bsky.social. Today's is a fun listen, subscribe & check it out. 😄 www.theanfieldwrap.com/2025/01/live...

📢New #PAG20 Critical Perspectives📢 Neema Begum, @mikebankole.bsky.social , @drshardiabpalmer.bsky.social , @dangodshaw.bsky.social & Rima Saini introduce the concept of paradoxical representation to understand the actions of ethnic minority officeholders polisky gendersky https://buff.ly/4gPH9mD

Had a great chat yesterday with the main man @aaronjbastani.bsky.social about Reform It’ll be interesting to see how both Labour and the Conservatives respond. A race to the bottom on issues like migration plays right into Farage’s hands—they can’t out-Farage Farage youtu.be/U6F7UMn4vYI?...

"The AfD is trying to present a more moderate image, the question will be whether they can convince prospective voters in the run up to the elections in February." Great to speak to @france24-en.bsky.social yesterday, I gave my thoughts on the AfD and the German elections: youtu.be/u-p2vFG0u7Y

Will be live on LBC in 20 mins to talk about racism in the workplace with Shelagh Fogarty. Tune in if you can 😀

Hillsborough campaigner Phil Scraton refuses OBE "I could not accept an honour tied in name to the 'British Empire'. In my scholarship and teaching I remain a strong critic of the historical, cultural and political contexts of imperialism and their international legacy." ❤️

7 points clear. Up the foggy Reds ✊🏾

Decided to create a starter pack featuring some of the best LFC-related accounts on here @theanfieldwrap.bsky.social @theredmentv.bsky.social @kopendfracas.bsky.social @anfieldindex.com Feel free to share and happy to add to it! go.bsky.app/2VLVqpS

Watched this today (cc: @cburchett.bsky.social) and would 100% recommend. It is moving, but a good (and important) first-hand account of life for Palestinians under occupation

It’s funny because I think 6-3 flatters Spurs haha. We were much the better team. Top at Christmas! 😁🎄

Enjoyed this. I think Fulham will be a stern test for us, but the manager’s tone suggests we’ll be right up for it, especially after a disappointing performance in midweek. Time to go on a big run!

Glad this is out now! We introduce the concept ‘paradoxical representation’ to help understand the politics of the Conservatives’ ethnic minority politicians cc: @dangodshaw.bsky.social @drshardiabpalmer.bsky.social 1/4 🧵

This is what happens when you pander to anti-immigration sentiments, rather than confronting them. Starmer's continued claim that the UK has "Open Borders" is false in absolutely every way. What it inevitably does though is embolden the far-right and risk more violence against migrants. #r4today

1/5 A groundbreaking Amnesty report published today concludes Israeli authorities are committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. www.amnesty.org.uk/genocide-rep...