Nick Clarke

Moving ideas: An agenda for expanding the political scope of the policy mobilities approach Eugene McCann Volume 50, Issue 2 Abstract This paper addresses the policy mobilities approach’s relative inattention to counter-hegemonic activism and contentious politics. It outlines one way to expand the literature’s engagement with the political. By introducing the notion of “moving ideas”—ideas that circulate among places and also move people to political action—it outlines five avenues for policy mobilities scholars to advance the approach: situated knowledge on-the-move; persuasive storytelling; encounters in physical “truth-spots”; the temporalities of activism; and the role of “futuring” in policy change. It ends with notes on the framework’s possible applicability to numerous social movements and its challenges and limitations.

In new issue of Progress in Human Geography: "Moving ideas: An agenda for expanding the political scope of the policy mobilities approach." Connects policy mobilities & social movements studies. Focus on geogs of counterhegemonic ideas. Abstract 👇 #academicsky
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Mass Observing British politics - British Politics British Politics - The current political moment in Britain is characterised by disaffection, affective polarisation, and populist mobilisation of these (dis)affections. How best to research these...

New paper:

Mass Observing British Politics

On what Mass Observation might contribute to political studies (and what political studies might contribute to Mass Observation). With @jmoss88.bsky.social and Alex Hill. Also paging @massobsarchive.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Mass Observing British politics - British Politics British Politics - The current political moment in Britain is characterised by disaffection, affective polarisation, and populist mobilisation of these (dis)affections. How best to research these...

New paper:

Mass Observing British Politics

On what Mass Observation might contribute to political studies (and what political studies might contribute to Mass Observation). With @jmoss88.bsky.social and Alex Hill. Also paging @massobsarchive.bsky.social

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

We are advertising a two-year lectureship in Modern British History at University of Cambridge, please spread the word!
www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/assista...

All seven volumes to date in the #MassObservation Critical Series @massobscritical.bsky.social are also currently at attractive prices in the @bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social sale until Sunday @bloomsburyhist.bsky.social

As good as people say it is

We're looking for a new editor for @histhum.bsky.social's para-site histhum.com (founding editor @desfitzgerald.bsky.social; subsequent editors @sarahvmarks.bsky.social @hhnnccnnll.bsky.social), who will also be the journal's social media editor

Honorarium

Deadline: 9 March 2026

Please circulate

BBC Sounds - Rethink, Rethink... authenticity Is authenticity in the modern age in the eye of the beholder?

I was on BBCR4’s Rethink today talking with @benansell.bsky.social about

political authenticity

Research links to follow. With co-authors @viktorv.bsky.social, @drjennings.bsky.social, @jmoss88.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

The shift to authenticity: a framework for analysis of political truth claims Abstract. It is often claimed that political disinformation is more abundant than ever, that populists are particularly prone to lying, and that we live in

Lone Sorensen was also interviewed on the programme. Here is some of the nice research behind what she had to say about political authenticity.

academic.oup.com/ct/article/3...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

In this paper we showed that distrusting voters especially value political authenticity and find inauthentic politicians (extraordinary, out of touch) to be untrustworthy – so a perceived lack of political authenticity might be driving current political distrust

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Sage Journals: Discover world-class research Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.

In this article we showed that British politics is characterised by an authenticity gap between citizens (who value authenticity in their politicians) and elites (with politicians valuing integrity more highly, and journalists valuing competence more highly)

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

The Good Politician Cambridge Core - Comparative Politics - The Good Politician

In The Good Politician, we showed that British citizens have always been interested in the integrity and competence of politicians, but have recently become more interested in politicians' authenticity (the extent to which they are ordinary, in touch, at ease)

www.cambridge.org/core/books/g...

BBC Sounds - Rethink, Rethink... authenticity Is authenticity in the modern age in the eye of the beholder?

I was on BBCR4’s Rethink today talking with @benansell.bsky.social about

political authenticity

Research links to follow. With co-authors @viktorv.bsky.social, @drjennings.bsky.social, @jmoss88.bsky.social, @danjdevine.bsky.social, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Do incidents of Westminster “sleaze” damage trust in politicians? | LSE British Politics Trust in politicians has never been high, and even though the global trend is towards people trusting governments less, not every event of corruption will contribute to that trend.

Do incidents of Westminster “sleaze” damage trust in politicians? by @drjennings.bsky.social and @nickclarkegeo.bsky.social

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

After recurring sleaze scandals, can Labour regain the public’s lost trust? | LSE British Politics Controversies over "malversation" and abuses of office have contributed to the Starmer government’s and the PM’s plunging unpopularity. Patrick Dunleavy outlines the never-ending sequences of "bad gov...

Some of our older pieces have suddenly become very relevant again. A 🧵 👇

After recurring sleaze scandals, can Labour regain the public’s lost trust? by @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social

blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

The Trust Crisis: Full Documentary YouTube video by TrustGov Project

I haven't posted our documentary *The Trust Crisis* here for a while... so here you go if you have 35 minutes.

For anyone interested in our 18-month post in British Studies please follow the link below. @ihr.bsky.social

www.jobs.london.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

Right place, right time: Luck, geography, and politics On 12th May 2020, Mass Observation collected c5,000 diaries from people across the UK. Many of these diaries mention luck and many of these luck stori…

New paper on luck, geography, and politics

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Right place, right time: Luck, geography, and politics On 12th May 2020, Mass Observation collected c5,000 diaries from people across the UK. Many of these diaries mention luck and many of these luck stori…

New paper on luck, geography, and politics

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Read the full report here -> www.southampton.ac.uk/publicpolicy...

New social geography textbook out next week - paperback and hardbound

Is liberal democracy in terminal decline? The old system worked under a set of conditions that are no longer present

Some good charts in this

www.ft.com/content/b4d2...

Twentieth-Century histories of aging, gender and work - CRASSH Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities

We're hosting a very special roundtable in Cambridge and online on Friday 6th Feb featuring Alissa Klots, Christina von Hodenberg, Catriona Kelly & myself in conversation about work, gender & ageing in post-war Europe. To attend in person or via Zoom register here: www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/49412/

Support for the Greens is highest among the youngest voters, while older Britons largely favour the Conservatives and Reform UK

18-24 year olds
Green: 37%
Labour: 21%
Lib Dem: 18%
Conservative: 10%
Reform UK: 9%

70+ year olds
Reform UK: 33%
Conservative: 32%
Lib Dem: 14%
Labour: 11%
Green: 5%

. @peterallen.bsky.social and I wrote about this approach to politics - an excited, fan-like focus on Westminster gossip, to the exclusion of the material impact of political decision - in our paper “‘Huge fan of the drama’: Politics as an object of fandom” journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Research Fellow in Emotions and Grievance Politics at University of Southampton Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Research Fellow in Emotions and Grievance Politics on jobs.ac.uk!

A postdoc is available at @sotonpolitics.bsky.social in a Horizon project on 'the emotional expressions of grievance politics and implications for democratic governance':

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQD118/r...

What do people in England think about their local area? In this short report I take a look at surveys we conducted with @yougov.co.uk in 2022, 2024 and 2025 to gain some insights...

Some key findings...