Alexander Clarkson
@aphclarkson.bsky.social
Lecturer for European Politics and History at King's College London. Opinions my own. RT not always endorsement.
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
Also to be found at @APHClarkson
https://www.ullstein.de/werke/die-macht-der-diaspora/hardcover/978354910
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Dominic Cummings currently dusting off his CV and writing a 25,000 word covering letter
February 8, 2026 at 2:54 PM
Dominic Cummings currently dusting off his CV and writing a 25,000 word covering letter
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The first sentence of this statement is really interesting. McSweeney says he is resigning from the government. But he was not a member of the government: he was an adviser to it, albeit an important one. The govt comprises the cabinet and other ministers. Says it all?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
Morgan McSweeney quits as PM's chief of staff following Mandelson scandal
McSweeney says he takes
www.bbc.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 3:11 PM
The first sentence of this statement is really interesting. McSweeney says he is resigning from the government. But he was not a member of the government: he was an adviser to it, albeit an important one. The govt comprises the cabinet and other ministers. Says it all?
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Trump Rages at Bad Bunny—and Accidentally Exposes a Big MAGA Weakness
MAGA’s hatred of the Super Bowl halftime performer reflects a hubris about what parts of the culture are “theirs.” But those assumptions are proving more wrong every day.
newrepublic.com
February 8, 2026 at 1:00 PM
Trump is badly losing the war over ICE, not just on the streets, but also in the culture. As Bad Bunny shows, this has become a culture war unto itself. Trump-MAGA's initial hubris has been utterly deflated.
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
I've got fresh data illustrating the point. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/2062...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Now the question that has always haunted Starmer can no longer be dodged: does he have a project of his own? Or even the political instinct to identify one without McSweeney?
February 8, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Now the question that has always haunted Starmer can no longer be dodged: does he have a project of his own? Or even the political instinct to identify one without McSweeney?
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Morgan McSweeney resigns, taking the fall for the Mandelson appointment. He was never just Starmer’s chief of staff; he was the one who made Starmer Labour leader and PM in the first place.
McSweeney chose Starmer, not the other way around.
McSweeney chose Starmer, not the other way around.
February 8, 2026 at 2:26 PM
Morgan McSweeney resigns, taking the fall for the Mandelson appointment. He was never just Starmer’s chief of staff; he was the one who made Starmer Labour leader and PM in the first place.
McSweeney chose Starmer, not the other way around.
McSweeney chose Starmer, not the other way around.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
“in public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, which is why I resigned several weeks ago rather than clinging on to see if anything could be salvaged from this shitshow that might allow me somehow to carry on in my job as if nothing had happened”
What pitiful tripe.
What pitiful tripe.
February 8, 2026 at 2:42 PM
“in public life responsibility must be owned when it matters most, which is why I resigned several weeks ago rather than clinging on to see if anything could be salvaged from this shitshow that might allow me somehow to carry on in my job as if nothing had happened”
What pitiful tripe.
What pitiful tripe.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
McSweeney quits as Starmer's chief of staff www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
Morgan McSweeney quits as PM's chief of staff following Mandelson scandal
McSweeney says he takes
www.bbc.co.uk
February 8, 2026 at 2:43 PM
McSweeney quits as Starmer's chief of staff www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Presumably it will have to be an internal appointment to replace McSweeney because no one will give up an external job to work for a PM so clearly on the edge himself.
February 8, 2026 at 2:44 PM
Presumably it will have to be an internal appointment to replace McSweeney because no one will give up an external job to work for a PM so clearly on the edge himself.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I think not having to deal with absurd Labour factionalism is probably going to help rather a lot, though also the level of scrutiny will be different when you’re leading a smaller party that isn’t considered one of the big two parties of government.
February 8, 2026 at 2:18 PM
I think not having to deal with absurd Labour factionalism is probably going to help rather a lot, though also the level of scrutiny will be different when you’re leading a smaller party that isn’t considered one of the big two parties of government.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
tbh i think this is fairly easy to answer: the sectors that birthed Corbynism in Old Labour vs Polanski's eco-populism come from very different class formations
Ex-Corbynites exuding schadenfreude at Starmer's self-inflicted disasters need to ask themselves why someone like Zack Polanski and before him Caroline Lucas when faced with the Labour establishment seems able to avoid all the traps that Corbyn and co so enthusiastically plunged into
February 8, 2026 at 2:11 PM
tbh i think this is fairly easy to answer: the sectors that birthed Corbynism in Old Labour vs Polanski's eco-populism come from very different class formations
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I, for one, want to hear more about the economics & geopolitics of the world in 2036, where Xi Jinping & Vladimir Putin are dead, 🇷🇺 & 🇨🇳 are mired in domestic political unrest & economic crisis, & 🇺🇸, where, for all its many faults, the fascists lost & we implemented extensive democracy reforms.
As a long term optimist I hope that by the 2030s the US-EU partnership will be on a more stable footing as Trumpism self-sabotages through delusional hubris
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
The extremely racist posturing about Bad Bunny anchoring the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t just immoral, it’s a party-wide strategic error.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
February 8, 2026 at 2:13 PM
I, for one, want to hear more about the economics & geopolitics of the world in 2036, where Xi Jinping & Vladimir Putin are dead, 🇷🇺 & 🇨🇳 are mired in domestic political unrest & economic crisis, & 🇺🇸, where, for all its many faults, the fascists lost & we implemented extensive democracy reforms.
Ex-Corbynites exuding schadenfreude at Starmer's self-inflicted disasters need to ask themselves why someone like Zack Polanski and before him Caroline Lucas when faced with the Labour establishment seems able to avoid all the traps that Corbyn and co so enthusiastically plunged into
February 8, 2026 at 2:09 PM
Ex-Corbynites exuding schadenfreude at Starmer's self-inflicted disasters need to ask themselves why someone like Zack Polanski and before him Caroline Lucas when faced with the Labour establishment seems able to avoid all the traps that Corbyn and co so enthusiastically plunged into
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Europeans liked to be “unrealistic” in assuming that the US would be the ultimate guarantor of their security.
Trust is a fickle thing. Once breached it doesn’t grow back easily.
Europe will have to fend for itself. Let’s try to get the transition right. That is the most dangerous phase.
Trust is a fickle thing. Once breached it doesn’t grow back easily.
Europe will have to fend for itself. Let’s try to get the transition right. That is the most dangerous phase.
Every society goes through phases of internal turmoil that, even if they end well, will at least for a time paralyse the ability of its state to project power externally.
It is unrealistic for Europeans to expect that Americans can eternally escape such eras of crisis, chaos and reconstruction.
It is unrealistic for Europeans to expect that Americans can eternally escape such eras of crisis, chaos and reconstruction.
February 8, 2026 at 1:50 PM
Europeans liked to be “unrealistic” in assuming that the US would be the ultimate guarantor of their security.
Trust is a fickle thing. Once breached it doesn’t grow back easily.
Europe will have to fend for itself. Let’s try to get the transition right. That is the most dangerous phase.
Trust is a fickle thing. Once breached it doesn’t grow back easily.
Europe will have to fend for itself. Let’s try to get the transition right. That is the most dangerous phase.
As a long term optimist I hope that by the 2030s the US-EU partnership will be on a more stable footing as Trumpism self-sabotages through delusional hubris
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
The extremely racist posturing about Bad Bunny anchoring the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t just immoral, it’s a party-wide strategic error.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
“.. This is a 37 point shift left.”
February 8, 2026 at 1:13 PM
As a long term optimist I hope that by the 2030s the US-EU partnership will be on a more stable footing as Trumpism self-sabotages through delusional hubris
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
As a short term pessimist I worry over how uselessly paralysed the US could get in late 2020s as Trumpism burns it all down before it falls
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The extremely racist posturing about Bad Bunny anchoring the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t just immoral, it’s a party-wide strategic error.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
February 8, 2026 at 1:03 PM
The extremely racist posturing about Bad Bunny anchoring the Super Bowl halftime show isn’t just immoral, it’s a party-wide strategic error.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
They think it’s still November 2024 and - tellingly - they don’t know exactly why November 2024 unfolded the way it did.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
Abolish the Home Office
The Home Office now describes asylum seekers as "illegal immigrants [living in hotels]" with no reference to the reason that these people are in government-funded accommodation is that this government has taken & will process the asylum claim from them in 98-99% of cases of unauthorised entry.
February 8, 2026 at 12:57 PM
Abolish the Home Office
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
This is a mix of accelerating cognitive decline/disinhibition combined with Trumps continuing compensatory response to severe ego injury over his mounting unpopularity. It’s accelerating the collapse of that popularity. abcnews.go.com/amp/US/trump...
Trump wants Penn Station, Dulles Airport named after him in funding deal with Schumer, sources say
Sources told ABC that Schumer rejected Trump's offer.
abcnews.go.com
February 6, 2026 at 10:26 PM
This is a mix of accelerating cognitive decline/disinhibition combined with Trumps continuing compensatory response to severe ego injury over his mounting unpopularity. It’s accelerating the collapse of that popularity. abcnews.go.com/amp/US/trump...
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
This. Science and democracy are linked. We can’t put science advocacy in a bubble and do it alone— the fascism, division, and attack on experts and trust are *the reason* science is under attack.
Plus the inside advocacy alone does not work! Just look at what happened with MYF this year.
Plus the inside advocacy alone does not work! Just look at what happened with MYF this year.
MERE HOURS after the President of the United States posted an AI video of the Obama’s as monkeys, the Science Tech Action Committee (led by @aaas.org and @researchamerica.bsky.social) posted a THANK YOU to TRUMP for SIGNING THE BUDGET.
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
Shot. Chaser.
sciencetechaction.org/aboutus/
February 7, 2026 at 1:33 AM
This. Science and democracy are linked. We can’t put science advocacy in a bubble and do it alone— the fascism, division, and attack on experts and trust are *the reason* science is under attack.
Plus the inside advocacy alone does not work! Just look at what happened with MYF this year.
Plus the inside advocacy alone does not work! Just look at what happened with MYF this year.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
February 8, 2026 at 6:15 AM
I've written about the overarching post story, causes, underlying pattern. But the failure of Lewis or Bezos to even show up, literally or figuratively, on a day of devastating cuts epitomizes the profound lack of character and accountability that is so common place today within the American elite.
After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
February 8, 2026 at 12:14 PM
After a certain point the sanity of Palantir's leadership does matter to the national security of the UK and other European states buying its software
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
You could make a similar argument for how many foreign policy scholars and analysts in the UK and EU are responding to the damage the Trump administration is doing to the structural foundations of America's global power status
My point is that they've become so inured to Trump's corrosive effect on institutions and norms, and so invested in defending their prior rejection of more far-sighted critics' claims, that they shrug off things that under any other circumstances they'd see as existential threats to US democracy.
February 7, 2026 at 3:48 PM
You could make a similar argument for how many foreign policy scholars and analysts in the UK and EU are responding to the damage the Trump administration is doing to the structural foundations of America's global power status
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
The endless column inches, YouTube videos, podcasts and more given over to the largely non-existent rightwards shift of young men is exhausting.
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
The untold story that is told constantly and isn’t really true
February 7, 2026 at 12:37 PM
The endless column inches, YouTube videos, podcasts and more given over to the largely non-existent rightwards shift of young men is exhausting.
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
A small fraction are getting radicalised by the online right. But most young men vote left and liberal! Even more so than millennials did at their age!
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
It also bears noting that at least for some of the US attorneys GWB removed, the reason was that they did not aggressively pursue spurious election fraud cases in close races won by Democrats.
A reminder that as is often the case, Trump has personalized a false narrative with deep roots in the GOP.
A reminder that as is often the case, Trump has personalized a false narrative with deep roots in the GOP.
February 7, 2026 at 12:51 PM
It also bears noting that at least for some of the US attorneys GWB removed, the reason was that they did not aggressively pursue spurious election fraud cases in close races won by Democrats.
A reminder that as is often the case, Trump has personalized a false narrative with deep roots in the GOP.
A reminder that as is often the case, Trump has personalized a false narrative with deep roots in the GOP.
Reposted by Alexander Clarkson
My point is that they've become so inured to Trump's corrosive effect on institutions and norms, and so invested in defending their prior rejection of more far-sighted critics' claims, that they shrug off things that under any other circumstances they'd see as existential threats to US democracy.
February 7, 2026 at 12:39 PM
My point is that they've become so inured to Trump's corrosive effect on institutions and norms, and so invested in defending their prior rejection of more far-sighted critics' claims, that they shrug off things that under any other circumstances they'd see as existential threats to US democracy.