Goodwin: "I'm not an expert in Tom Stoppard. But to go back to Sunak. I think Rishi Sunak himself - or say Suella Braverman - they may describe themselves as British Asian or British Hindu, but may say "I am not entirely sure I fit a definition of English". But Sunak certainly does not say that.

Why not relax on a hot, bank holiday weekend with a pair of podcasts on why British politics is such a mess? Featuring great contributions from @drhannahwhite.bsky.social @dmk1793.bsky.social and @robfordmancs.bsky.social, plus some burbling from me. Episode 1 here: www.ppfideas.com/episodes/the...

How do politicians weaponise Christianity? An ever-relevant question, of particular significance of late, and the subject of my discussion with academic and MEP Tobias Cremer on @theosthinktank.bsky.social's Reading our Times this week: tinyurl.com/5cr54pb5

Good to be back in Toronto again

I fear Labour people risk falling into an ecological fallacy visible from space when reacting to these results. Here is what is very clear in results so far: Labour are losing *seats* to Reform, but... Labour are losing *votes* to the Greens Greens split the vote, Ref comes thru middle

It's 100 years since the General Strike: the biggest industrial action in UK history. The PM, Stanley Baldwin, claimed Britain was "nearer to civil war than for centuries past". The Times called it "the gravest domestic menace since the fall of the Stuarts". So what was it & why does it matter? 🧵

Very much looking forward to this.

James Talarico, a 36-year-old Democrat with a progressive Christian faith, who is standing for the Senate in Texas, is 'politically recoding' the Christian faith. Katy Balls reports that he has spoken of the need to recast religion for a younger generation 'or risk losing them for good':

Israel killed every single person in this photo in Lebanon. All journalists. Targeted and assassinated intentionally. For reporting the truth from the frontlines. ##JournalismisNotaCrime #israelkillsjournalists #israelkillsthetruth

An influential pro-Israel lobby group named ELNET has been quietly taking UK journalists on propaganda tours of Israel, @john-mcevoy.bsky.social reveals. The journalists who participated have written for the Telegraph, Spectator, and Mail on Sunday. www.declassifieduk.org/lobby-group-...

The Government says clearly why the Israeli death penalty law is wrong and its 'deep concern' but it says nothing about what it will do beyond strong words We need sanctions now and in particular #StopArmingIsrael petition.parliament.uk/petitions/75...

“Superpower Suicide” is a concept to help understand the approach of the Trump regime to the rest of the world. We are fighting a war for no reason we can name, losing it, and covering our defeat with genocidal and apocalyptic propaganda. snyder.substack.com/p/superpower...

NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! Today’s ep in our series about how George Orwell tried to make sense of WW2 looks at his response to the lurches of fortune from 1942-43 as Hitler’s plans for world domination started to fall apart. Where did the ideas for 1984 first come from? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com

Legal action and constant threats are now targeting me over my reporting on Gaza and the Middle East. If my work has ever mattered to you, please share it and support however you can. Thank you. buymeacoffee.com/josepgodedf www.patreon.com/josepgoded www.paypal.com/paypalme/Jos...

Poll: Trump still hasn’t sold Americans on Iran

China defies the blockade. The Iran War has become about China’s energy security, who controls the maritime lanes, especially the choke points and a battle to protect/diminsh the petrodollar that the Arab Gulf states have built their economy and US dependence on. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKwp...

One week left to apply👇

A reply by Simon Thompson and I to Jonathan Chaplin's critque of our article on the theme of Recognition, Religion and the State with some reference to the Anglican Establishment: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

NEW: the Danish Refugee Council, Norwegian Refugee Council, Oxfam, Refugees International, and Save the Children find the Trump-Vance admin is dramatically failing to implement the ceasefire in Gaza, being delinquent on 21 of 26 metrics. 1.7 million remain in displacement camps.

So the President of the US has made a credible threat against Iran, saying that ‘a whole civilisation will die’, and the only thing we’ve heard from the PM is about the Wireless Festival. Good, good.

Nigel Farage - claiming a "whitewash" after police investigated - should have petition to Election Court setting his evidence about electoral malpractice. Otherwise, he undermines democracy by making empty allegations wherever eligible minority voters take part www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

White working class voters want recognition and inclusion: not appeals to crude prejudice. As argued here with @tariqmodood.bsky.social Sam Taylor Hill open.substack.com/pub/nationst...

British Muslims Cannot Sit This Moment Out Even seasoned campaigners are shocked at the scale and depth of Islamophobia being whipped up by politicians and the media these days. Hasan Patel wrote about it in our Substack ➡️ https://loom.ly/Hxgkntg

2028 Dems reject AIPAC

Pleased to have participated in this:

Political Secularism and the governance of religious diverity: an Open Access reply by Thomas Sealy and I to Simon Thompson, Sophie Lauwers and Pier-Luc Dupont in our book review symposium brill.com/view/journal...

❌ Reform UK's attempt to divide us, to sow hatred in our society, will fail. ♥️ We are a bright, vibrant, and proud multicultural nation. We must never let hatred win.

Isn't that nice - a bit of national recognition of the kind that the Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft usually gets: www.thetimes.com/article/7023...

"No imminent threat": U.S. Counterterrorism Center head resigns over Iran war: It's the sharpest public rebuke of the Iran war from inside Trump's administration, with combat veteran Joe Kent warning the U.S. is repeating the mistakes of the Iraq War. www.axios.com/2026/03/17/j...

My May 2019 view when govt embarked on this process - almost 7 years ago - was that controversy made it important to find a definition, to engaging with good faith questions on boundaries. I quote @tariqmodood.bsky.social on tests/questions that help pass the schoolgate test capx.co/how-to-find-...

What can make inclusion & belonging work in the fastest-changing borough in London - and indeed the UK as a whole? I have been chairing the Independent Commission on Inclusion and Belonging on a multi-ethnic Newham, whose final report is published today www.britishfuture.org/newham-shoul...

While the Iran War serves as cover, Israel is carpet bombing entire neighborhoods in Beirut, a 5,000 year old city of 2.4 million people. Israel’s bombing campaigns have already displaced close to a million people in Lebanon.

The rector of the University of St Andrews has been reinstated to its governing body for a second time during a tumultuous term in office, with both sides claiming victory after a legal battle over governance. @twilliamsthe.bsky.social reports

The blog is followed up with a seminar at the LSE on Thursday, 12th, 6.30pm.

Of course Sunder is correct. There is no logical/principled *argument* behind this hypocrisy. But IMO there is indeed a logic to it. The reason the Spectator/Telegraph want to crack down on antisemitism is not because they care about Jews, but because they want to legitimise anti-Muslim bigotry.

Sam Hill, @johndenham.bsky.social and I are doing a talk at the LSE on Thursday, 6.30pm. The theme of the talk as well as the venue details are in this blog: blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

A much more positive vision from @johndenham.bsky.social than that coming out of the Home Office today: www.ippr.org/articles/rec...

Includes some good points about the smearing of Muslims with charges of 'sectarianism' goodallandgoodluck.substack.com/p/starmer-wa...

I am pleased to have a chapter in this book which has just been published: bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/the-modern-w... I will put details of the book launch webinar in the Comments below.

From @jydenham.bsky.social's Substack substack.com/inbox/post/1...

Starmer government has no anti-racism or hate crime strategy (this last existed under May in 2016-2020) though its been drafting up a cohesion plan for some months This govt has more anti-racism rhetoric (since Sept). I still see no strategy/policy beyond conference speech + ad hoc media comments

Matt Goodwin's candidacy in Denton & Gorton "illuminates the balance of risks & rewards for Reform, presenting itself as a potential govt, in embracing the sharper edges of the online right." Our @sundersays.bsky.social for @thenewworldmag.bsky.social www.thenewworld.co.uk/sunder-katwa...

Nus Ghani MP - the Deputy Speaker - moved to the UK as a small child. She has been elected by the voters in Wealden in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2024 More outright racism from the regular GB News & Talk TV contributor Lucy White - who previously called (on GB News) for all Muslims to leave Britain

"The collision of a multiparty electorate with a voting system designed for two parties is creating new risks for Britain". I signed this letter. It's not about blocking Reform;it's about the danger to democracy of a system that can't cope with multiparty voting www.politicshome.com/news/article...

I am talking about how we talk about immigration - the numbers & being "colonised" - on the World Tonight, BBC Radio 4 after 10pm tonight

More opportunities to come and join us at the @bennettschool.cam.ac.uk!