Prof Colin Talbot
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colintalbot.bsky.social
Prof Colin Talbot
@colintalbot.bsky.social

Professor (Emeritus) U of Manchester ▪️co-ops and cooperation ▪️progressive pluralism▪️ex Aikidoka ▪️Arsenal ▪️Born Dover (that's my Castle)

Colin Ronald Talbot is a British political scientist. He was until August 2017 a professor at the University of Manchester and held the Chair of Government in the School of Social Sciences. He is now Professor Emeritus at Manchester and a research associate at the University of Cambridge. He has also been an adviser to UK Parliamentary Committees on HM Treasury and on Public Administration. .. more

Political science 54%
Business 17%
Pinned
Withe abolition of Police & Crime Commissioners, who will
Police the Police?

consoc.org.uk/the-abolitio...
With PCCs abolished, who polices the police?  - The Constitution Society
Colin Talbot explores the unanswered questions arising from the government's decision to abolish Police and Crime Commissioners.
consoc.org.uk

The USA is so “in charge” in Venezuela that it is advising all American citizens to leave. 🤡

It’s also time we considered denying Russian warships right of passage between Dover and Calais?

They are enemy ships and a danger to shipping and undersea infrastructure and other things

On the trail of the new social economy: Coop-Sapporo, May 2025

Henry Mintzberg and Masako Fujii take a tour of Coop-Sapporo, an affiliation of social enterprises on the island of Hokkaido

www.thenews.coop/on-the-trail...
On the trail of the new social economy: Coop-Sapporo, May 2025
Henry Mintzberg and Masako Fujii take a tour of Coop-Sapporo, an affiliation of social enterprises on the island of Hokkaido
www.thenews.coop

Reposted by Colin Talbot

It's unacceptable that Britain and France allow free passage of Russian shadow fleet tankers through their water.
Two oil tankers under US sanctions sailing through Channel towards Russia
Aria and Tia both south of Britain after US-UK seizure of Marinera, deemed to be part of Moscow’s ‘shadow fleet’
www.theguardian.com
Walz: "I couldn't help but think, and it scares me a bit -- 'The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most important directive.' It certainly feels like that in this moment."
For those keeping score, Bellingcat, The New York Times Visual Investigation Team, & Washington Post's Visual Forensic team have all published analysis showing the ICE shooter wasn't in the path of Renee Nicole Good’s vehicle when he shot her, contradicting statements by the President & his cronies

Reposted by Colin Talbot

That’s better than Trump. Apparently he said he’d done a jigsaw very quickly in a week. Quick because it said 2-4 years on the box 🤣

Reposted by Colin Talbot

That’s exactly what we did last year, made life SO much easier this year. We also labelled each set of lights as well with colour and location. My Swiss ancestors would be so proud of me.

Reposted by Colin Talbot

I have just spent two days detangling a new, long set of lights which had been covering our holly hedge. A delivery van had hooked them, snapped them and tangled them.
After hours spent on them I find only half now work. I "may" put them away carefully

Bet it cost more than mine tho 😀

Reposted by Colin Talbot

That’s what I used to do until I found one of these, which is a game changer!

My very simple, and cheap, way to store Christmas tree lights.

Just a bit of cardboard with notches cut in each end. Wind the lights round. And pop the result in a plastic box or bag. No tangles. No fuss. Your welcome.

That’s terrible. Apologies on behalf of all decent Britons Dan
Trump is probably focused on the money he wrongly thinks he'll make from Venezuelan oil. But he's not a details guy and nobody has thought through the details. Essentially, the US has taken over Venezuela by mistake. Stranger things have happened, but not many.
open.substack.com/pub/arthursn...
Stranger Things
The 1980s Nostalgia of Trump's Foreign Policy is probably going to end up, like Stranger Things, as a horror show.
open.substack.com
Keir Starmer should condemn Trump’s illegal action in Venezuela.

Maduro is a brutal and illegitimate dictator, but unlawful attacks like this make us all less safe.

Trump is giving a green light to the likes of Putin and Xi to attack other countries with impunity.

Govt policy seems to focus on elected Mayors. Where they exist. With some sort of Police Cttee where they don’t?

Very unclear tho.

The Muppet Show never went away. It just relocated. To DC.

Reposted by Colin Talbot

Went to a ‘ticket, coach and all drinks included’ event at a massive stately home. Too many people, not enough staff, utter chaos. Loads of fights broke out amongst coked-up Essex boys, the ‘bars’ got rushed and looted, toilets flooded with shit and I had an expensive jacket robbed. £150 well spent

Reposted by Colin Talbot

In the 90s I got the ferry from Mull to Iona with some friends

Stayed inside as I was feeling delicate from the night before and didn’t realise it had docked until I was on my way back to Fionnphort sans friends

The next ferry wasn’t for around 4 hours so I ended up propping up the bar on my own

Reposted by Colin Talbot

I spent Millennium NYE in the Thar desert, sitting under the stars, eating food cooked on an open fire and sleeping under camel blankets. They stank, and camels are a VERY uncomfortable mode of transport 😆

Reposted by Colin Talbot

Searching for nesting turtles on a beach in South Africa (didn't find any) and then getting stuck behind a group of elephants on the way back - the guides were very miffed with the elephants because they wanted to get to their NYE party but there's not much you can do if an elephant refuses to move.

OK - most unusual NY?

I’ll start.

I once spent NYE - from 10pm to 2am - in a Dojo practicing Aikido.

We then had some sake, snacks and a chat - and went home.

ICYMI - abolishing Police & Crime Commissioners - it’s complicated!
Denmark lost more troops per capita in the post 9/11 war on Afghanistan. Saying they “are not a good ally” because they won’t surrender their territories to the US is lunacy. We are betraying our allies to satisfy the whims of a would-be Emperor for whom the US is not enough.
They’re again advocating against Denmark when it comes to Greenland
They’re again advocating against Denmark when it comes to Greenland
Dean Martin, born Dino Paul Crocetti, son of Italian immigrant Gaetano Crocetti

Frank Sinatra, son of Italian immigrants Antonino Sinatra and Natalina Garavanta

Merry Christmas to everyone except Stephen Miller and his enablers and handlers
The name of the building is set by law. The board is likely to see legal pushback to any attempt to unilaterally rename it.
The Kennedy Center will become the Trump-Kennedy Center: Leavitt
Leavitt said the the board unanimously voted to rename the performing arts venue.
www.axios.com

Reposted by Colin Talbot

Reposted by Colin Talbot

Rejoining Erasmus is unambiguously good news - and a rare example of a policy that particularly benefits the young.

And no, it is a not a "betrayal" of Brexit. It's the kind of sensible, grown-up arrangement between the UK & the EU that many Brexiters said they wanted.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK will rejoin Erasmus student scheme in 2027
The UK left in December 2020 as part of the post-Brexit trade deal with the EU negotiated by Boris Johnson.
www.bbc.co.uk