Mark Doidge
@markdoidge.bsky.social
Sociologist at Loughborough University researching sport, environmental sustainability, antiracism & refugees. Member @fanseurope, trustee @britsoci
Pinned
Mark Doidge
@markdoidge.bsky.social
· Oct 17
One of the hardest things to do in academia is to try new skills and make yourself uncomfortable. We tried new creative methodologies with football fans and, for me at least, fear of looking stupid was a big thing.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
He might get invited for interviews at that point
Just 46 more Tory MPs joining Reform and Ed Davey becomes leader of the opposition
January 18, 2026 at 10:06 PM
He might get invited for interviews at that point
Reposted by Mark Doidge
The UK government – Trump is threatening to destroy NATO, so let's give our military data to a company owned by a political extremist who wants to abolish democracy, and whose money and influence put Vance in the White House.
January 18, 2026 at 8:01 PM
The UK government – Trump is threatening to destroy NATO, so let's give our military data to a company owned by a political extremist who wants to abolish democracy, and whose money and influence put Vance in the White House.
Didn’t think this final could get more farcical but that penalty was something else
January 18, 2026 at 9:17 PM
Didn’t think this final could get more farcical but that penalty was something else
Reposted by Mark Doidge
The opportunity for a new Tory leader to say: look to my left, a failed Labour government, won’t condemn Trump, look to my right, the worst dregs of my party, now back to me, I hate Trump, I like business, I’ve renewed my party.
Think the danger is less "You look like a party for has-beens" and more "You have become a party of infighting twats".
January 18, 2026 at 9:01 PM
The opportunity for a new Tory leader to say: look to my left, a failed Labour government, won’t condemn Trump, look to my right, the worst dregs of my party, now back to me, I hate Trump, I like business, I’ve renewed my party.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
The very stable geniuses of British politics should not be allowed to forget their sycophancy towards Trump.
January 18, 2026 at 8:40 PM
The very stable geniuses of British politics should not be allowed to forget their sycophancy towards Trump.
Some finale to the AFCON final
January 18, 2026 at 9:05 PM
Some finale to the AFCON final
There’s a slice of the Conservative, Labour, and Reform parties who happily betray this country too
Watching GB News or reading the Telegraph you realise there is a slice of right-wing opinion that would happily betray this country.
January 18, 2026 at 8:32 PM
There’s a slice of the Conservative, Labour, and Reform parties who happily betray this country too
Reposted by Mark Doidge
truly, hate to say i told you so on the whole standing up to Trump thing.........!
NEW: Keir Starmer has had a phone call with President Trump.
No10 releasing very little detail, save to say, “The Prime Minister reiterated his position on Greenland.”
“He also said that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is wrong.”
No10 releasing very little detail, save to say, “The Prime Minister reiterated his position on Greenland.”
“He also said that applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is wrong.”
January 18, 2026 at 7:42 PM
truly, hate to say i told you so on the whole standing up to Trump thing.........!
Reposted by Mark Doidge
If Starmer had handed all of our data to a Chinese company with ties to the state, would that be something we would be ok with?
If he had handed it to a Russian state backed firm, would we think that was good judgment?
US isn't our ally and always threatens us if we don't do exactly what they want
If he had handed it to a Russian state backed firm, would we think that was good judgment?
US isn't our ally and always threatens us if we don't do exactly what they want
Palantir was a warning sign.
Keir Starmer choosing to hand our data and security to US tech companies is an outrageous failure of judgment.
All in the name of "investment." What about national security?
Keir Starmer choosing to hand our data and security to US tech companies is an outrageous failure of judgment.
All in the name of "investment." What about national security?
January 18, 2026 at 7:42 AM
If Starmer had handed all of our data to a Chinese company with ties to the state, would that be something we would be ok with?
If he had handed it to a Russian state backed firm, would we think that was good judgment?
US isn't our ally and always threatens us if we don't do exactly what they want
If he had handed it to a Russian state backed firm, would we think that was good judgment?
US isn't our ally and always threatens us if we don't do exactly what they want
Reposted by Mark Doidge
What kills me about the number of takes like this, see also Ian Leslie and Ross Barkan, is that not only are they wrong in hindsight, they were wrong at the time!
When are people going to be held accountable for the nonsense slop and puff they emit.
January 18, 2026 at 10:41 AM
What kills me about the number of takes like this, see also Ian Leslie and Ross Barkan, is that not only are they wrong in hindsight, they were wrong at the time!
Reposted by Mark Doidge
How it started ... How it's going
January 17, 2026 at 9:58 PM
How it started ... How it's going
Reposted by Mark Doidge
the thing is, universal human rights are only universal if they include everyone, even the groups of people society has decided are less important (children, prisoners, people with names you can't pronounce, homeless people, the unemployed, disabled people who don't make good inspiration porn, etc)
January 18, 2026 at 3:28 AM
the thing is, universal human rights are only universal if they include everyone, even the groups of people society has decided are less important (children, prisoners, people with names you can't pronounce, homeless people, the unemployed, disabled people who don't make good inspiration porn, etc)
Reposted by Mark Doidge
Lisa Nandy says Reform demonises and scapegoats "people who are somehow different" and "we should have no truck with it at all"
Shameless. This govt, that Nandy is a willing part of, has attacked & scapegoated migrants & asylum seekers relentlessly.
Shameless. This govt, that Nandy is a willing part of, has attacked & scapegoated migrants & asylum seekers relentlessly.
January 18, 2026 at 9:18 AM
Lisa Nandy says Reform demonises and scapegoats "people who are somehow different" and "we should have no truck with it at all"
Shameless. This govt, that Nandy is a willing part of, has attacked & scapegoated migrants & asylum seekers relentlessly.
Shameless. This govt, that Nandy is a willing part of, has attacked & scapegoated migrants & asylum seekers relentlessly.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
Somehow people like this are still listened to.
January 18, 2026 at 9:58 AM
Somehow people like this are still listened to.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
"Under the weather" is a funny way to spell "chicken"
Farage is apparently 'under the weather' today and unable to talk about the US threats to the UK and Europe over Greenland.
Which is unfortunate.
Which is unfortunate.
January 18, 2026 at 10:09 AM
"Under the weather" is a funny way to spell "chicken"
Reposted by Mark Doidge
Just love how British politics has been obsessed about which fortunate party gets hold of a politician with a minus thirty approval rating and favourables of ten percent.
Following his defection, favourability of Robert Jenrick has fallen sharply among Tory voters since our last poll (in Oct), while being largely unchanged among Reform UK voters
2024 Con
Favourable: 23% (-7 from 13-14 Oct)
Unfavourable: 39% (+18)
2024 Ref
Favourable: 32% (+2)
Unfavourable: 22% (-3)
2024 Con
Favourable: 23% (-7 from 13-14 Oct)
Unfavourable: 39% (+18)
2024 Ref
Favourable: 32% (+2)
Unfavourable: 22% (-3)
January 16, 2026 at 2:12 PM
Just love how British politics has been obsessed about which fortunate party gets hold of a politician with a minus thirty approval rating and favourables of ten percent.
They should also explain the causes. Was it deregulation of the stock markets, high rents, social inequality, Austerity, Brexit, or just wang on about foreigners?
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
January 17, 2026 at 4:39 PM
They should also explain the causes. Was it deregulation of the stock markets, high rents, social inequality, Austerity, Brexit, or just wang on about foreigners?
Reposted by Mark Doidge
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
January 17, 2026 at 3:12 PM
every provocateur who wangs on all the time about Britain being “broken” should be sent to an actual failed state or autocracy for a month as a learning experience, there’s no shortage of them
Reposted by Mark Doidge
This is astonishing, really
21 per cent of the Premier League’s history has had the City case hanging over it
That extends to 48.4 per cent if you go back to 2009-10 and the first season the charges relate to.
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
21 per cent of the Premier League’s history has had the City case hanging over it
That extends to 48.4 per cent if you go back to 2009-10 and the first season the charges relate to.
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
The unthinkable consequence and five vital questions over Man City case
City strongly maintain their innocence, with further delays adding tension, as Miguel Delaney details the important issues provoked by the wait for a verdict
www.independent.co.uk
January 16, 2026 at 3:59 PM
This is astonishing, really
21 per cent of the Premier League’s history has had the City case hanging over it
That extends to 48.4 per cent if you go back to 2009-10 and the first season the charges relate to.
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
21 per cent of the Premier League’s history has had the City case hanging over it
That extends to 48.4 per cent if you go back to 2009-10 and the first season the charges relate to.
www.independent.co.uk/sport/footba...
It’s amazing that supposedly intelligent academics, who are supposedly astute in their analysis of the wokeness of contemporary universities, are so ignorant of the ideological nature of free speech proponents & the wider social implications. Every time they show themselves to be profoundly stupid.
They didn’t want a university without cancel culture. They didn’t want to be criticized for their retrograde views so they created a pretend school funding by their rich friends. The only people surprised that this failed were credulous enough to believe the fairy tales these folks told.
They Wanted a University Without Cancel Culture. Then Dissenters Were Ousted.
Inside the civil war at the anti-woke university backed by Bari Weiss.
www.politico.com
January 17, 2026 at 4:10 PM
It’s amazing that supposedly intelligent academics, who are supposedly astute in their analysis of the wokeness of contemporary universities, are so ignorant of the ideological nature of free speech proponents & the wider social implications. Every time they show themselves to be profoundly stupid.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
Hard agree. I'm increasingly just zero sympathy for the cowardly chauvinists who can't handle places where lots of different people get along together.
I realise I'm just a freak, but living in a multicultural city is the best thing of all time, it's just the best possible human experience and i can not understand why anyone on earth would be like "weve got to destroy this"
January 17, 2026 at 8:11 AM
Hard agree. I'm increasingly just zero sympathy for the cowardly chauvinists who can't handle places where lots of different people get along together.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
American commentators and right wing politicians are expressing shock that countries they have repeatedly threatened with invasion, disrespected on the international stage, and economically bullied are forging new alliances.
Sorry guys, but it’s FAFO time.
Sorry guys, but it’s FAFO time.
January 17, 2026 at 12:18 PM
American commentators and right wing politicians are expressing shock that countries they have repeatedly threatened with invasion, disrespected on the international stage, and economically bullied are forging new alliances.
Sorry guys, but it’s FAFO time.
Sorry guys, but it’s FAFO time.
Reposted by Mark Doidge
Dictatorships work by invading other countries whilst repressing populous at home, and stripping both of resources to fund these two unsustainable activities.
#Lebensraum was what the invading Nazis called it while rounding people up into camps and issuing yellow stars
#Lebensraum was what the invading Nazis called it while rounding people up into camps and issuing yellow stars
January 16, 2026 at 9:11 AM
Dictatorships work by invading other countries whilst repressing populous at home, and stripping both of resources to fund these two unsustainable activities.
#Lebensraum was what the invading Nazis called it while rounding people up into camps and issuing yellow stars
#Lebensraum was what the invading Nazis called it while rounding people up into camps and issuing yellow stars
Reposted by Mark Doidge
It will not surprise you to learn that Toby Youngs 'Free Speech Union' has obtained a High Court injunction banning the publication of a list of its donors open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Who funds the Free Speech Union?
Toby Young’s outfit went to court to hide its donors. Today we reveal that funders include US anti-abortion groups, Brexit politicians and Tufton Street insiders.
open.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:45 AM
It will not surprise you to learn that Toby Youngs 'Free Speech Union' has obtained a High Court injunction banning the publication of a list of its donors open.substack.com/pub/democrac...
Infantino paid over $6 million a year to cosy up to dictators
Comment Gianni Infantino a vu ses rémunérations s’envoler en dix ans de règne à la FIFA
Comment Gianni Infantino a vu ses rémunérations s’envoler en dix ans de règne à la FIFA
D’après des documents fiscaux américains, dont « Le Monde » a pris connaissance, la Fédération internationale de football a payé en 2024, pour son patron, un peu plus de six millions de dollars annuels en salaires, bonus, et autres avantages contractuels.
www.lemonde.fr
January 17, 2026 at 8:49 AM
Infantino paid over $6 million a year to cosy up to dictators