“Treason doth never prosper. What’s the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason”
Epigrams, Sir John Harington, 1618
Worth a read from friend and colleague @timbale.bsky.social

How to deal with defecting MPs Voters should be able to force parliamentarians who change parties to face the electorate

Thoughts in the FT on why I don't like the idea of an automatic by election if an MP changes party - but understand why some people do, along with a possible compromise...

How to deal with defecting MPs - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

Front cover of "The Conservative Party After Brexit'

Possibly worth a read? (Tasters here theloop.ecpr.eu/the-british-..., here blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsereviewofb..., and here www.theguardian.com/books/2023/m...) if you can't afford the time or the £15). 2/ENDS

With Suella Braverman’s defection to Reform, the Conservative party’s rejuvenation begins today | Justine Greening Without Braverman and Robert Jenrick, Kemi Badenoch is free to return to the political mainstream, says former Conservative MP Justine Greening

'Free to' and 'will' are, I'm afraid, two totally different things. And the idea that it was only the presence of these two jokers that has prevented the Tories turning away from culture-war populism towards the centre right before now is, I'm sorry to say, utterly preposterous. 1/n

Very timely and reflective piece on Centrism from friend and colleague @karlpike.bsky.social - worth a read - in essence Centrism as shape-shifting and opportunism I think…..

The House of Lords has voted to stop under 16s using social media – what happens now? The vote in the Lords took place on an amendment to the government’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill.

New piece by me for @uk.theconversation.com, explaining yesterday’s Lords vote on under-16s’ social media use.

‘The House of Lords has voted to stop under 16s using social media – what happens now?’

theconversation.com/the-house-of...

More detail on this and other aspects of party membership here 4/ENDS esrcpartymembersproject.org/wp-content/u...

The Professor Will See You Now: Road deaths Lessons in political science. This week: road deaths

Latest piece for @thehousemag.bsky.social, on the 1954 British government report estimating that the deaths of women in road traffic accidents had benefited the UK to the tune of just over £1.2m.

Yes, benefitted.

www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Churchill’s defection didn’t kill the Tories. Robert Jenrick’s certainly won’t The Conservative Party is remarkably resilient. So long as departures for Reform remain a trickle, it will survive

Bit of history from yours truly for the Telegraph, covering Churchill ratting and re-ratting, the Conservatives' post-'45 and post '97 recoveries, its current situation - oh and, why not, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The ten most surprising facts from the 2024 election revealed Voters cared a lot less about tax than you might think.

An interestin read

theconversation.com/the-ten-most...

Article for the House magazine, in which I get a bit Scrooge-like about my Santa poll

www.politicshome.com/news/article...

Even tactical voting will not help Labour survive a Tory-Reform pact Nigel Farage has been quick to deny reports that, before the next general election, he intends to do a deal with the Conservatives – but if the right-wing parties ever formalised such an arrangement, ...

“A pact or merger also helps Reform overcome one of the biggest doubts that people have about voting for it –namely its sheer inexperience. Nigel Farage as prime minister and Robert Jenrick as chancellor? Be afraid – be very afraid.”

The State of Political Leadership in Britain YouTube video by UEA Public Events and Engagement

The @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social via @tobysjames.bsky.social kindly recorded this event. I gave Kemi Badenoch a grade D. But then I hadn't heard her supposedly brilliant Budget response. So should that have been a D+ or a C-?

For some pre-Budget reading (open access) about fiscal dilemmas, economic restraint, and the politics of tax:

bsky.app/profile/bjpi...

I enjoyed a rare privilege today: seeing one of my new journal articles in print.

CNN Newsroom Live-2025-11-24.mp4 Powered by SnapStream Cloud Sharing

The Tories are plumbing such depths these days that my whole business model is in severe danger, so thought I better go back to talking about Labour now and then! Here's me on CNN just now on the trouble they (and Keir Starmer) are in.

Tribute to Lord Taverne: the resilient rebel who was 'too hot to handle' In becoming the first post-war independent victor of an English by-election, Dick Taverne helped break the dominance of the main parties in 1973. W...

"As a new generation of Labour MPs grapple with their unease...Taverne’s example reminds us of the importance of having independently minded MPs with the shrewdness and elegance of the 'Victor of Lincoln'."

Words by our Manager Tom Chidwick in the latest @thehousemag.bsky.social!

shorturl.at/BeTPd

Excellent new podcast

BTW, any UK outlets that want a British based Chilean (party and electoral) politics expert, need look no further than our fab @qmulsse.bsky.social colleague @sajuria.com

If Labour want a fairer society, they must argue for it Labour must make the political argument: taxes are the critical downpayment we all pay to live in a fairer society.  It now seems all but certain that direct taxes will rise in the forthcoming Budget...

Breaking the tax pledge is the right call...and politically sulphurous. Reeves must argue, far more forcefully, that taxes are *the* essential downpayment we all pay for a fairer society.

Patrick Diamond and I wrote for @renewaljournal.bsky.social. Key points in 🧵 👇

renewal.org.uk/blog/if-labo...

Why did Nigel Farage's Ten Minute Rule Bill fail? YouTube video by Hansard Society

ft. our @qmulsse.bsky.social colleague Sofia Collignon.

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...

The Professor Will See You Now: Having A Pint Lessons in political science. This week: having a pint

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

Who joins and why? Does it matter? QMUL colleague @timbale.bsky.social sharing insight in party membership in fragmented party system.

Another excellent edition of an essential text book from the ever excellent @timbale.bsky.social - well worth a look in these ever fragmentary times!!

Just arrived. Look at all those lovely Babybels!

👏👏👏👏👏👏😂

Keir Starmer needs to give voters short-term gain to persuade them he can deliver long-term renewal Keir Starmer says painful decisions are needed now to fix the country for the future. But voters may not stick around to find out if he’s right.

Keir Starmer needs to give voters short-term gain to persuade them he can deliver long-term renewal
theconversation.com/keir-starmer...

“I want it now, I want it now
Not the promises of what tomorrow brings”

Impatient to read more from the excellent research here from @mbarnfield.bsky.social @karlpike.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social - wonderful colleagues from
@qmulsse.bsky.social

Liberal Democrat membership has halved in 5 years, figures show Analysis of available figures shows the number of party members has fallen by 49% since August 2020.

Words of wisdom from the excellent ⁦‪@ProfTimBale‬⁩ ⁦‪@QMPoliticsIR‬⁩ colleague and party membership guru!!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...