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Reposted by Tim Oliver

Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte @turnbulldugarte.com · Sep 5

Radical right accommodation really does not work.

New paper out with this exceptionally talented team
@katharinalawall.bsky.social @robjohns75.bsky.social @drjennings.bsky.social @sarahobolt.bsky.social @zachdickson.bsky.social @danjdevine.bsky.social & @jack-bailey.co.uk

doi.org/10.31235/osf...

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Ralph Scott @ralphscott.bsky.social · Jul 14

📣 NEW PAPER ALERT! 🚨

"School subject choices in adolescence affect political party support"

Just published in @wepsocial.bsky.social with @nspmartin.bsky.social and @rolandkappe.bsky.social.

doi.org/10.1080/0140...

🧵👇

Article abstract, which says:

The educational cleavage is restructuring electoral competition in many democracies, yet there has been insufficient attention on how variation in educational content affects this. In order to address this, this article combines English administrative school records with a unique representative panel of adolescents to estimate the within-individual effect of studying different subjects at school on political party preference. This analysis finds that studying arts and humanities subjects leads to greater support for socially liberal parties, whilst studying business and economics increases support for economically right-wing parties. Students who study technical subjects become more likely to support socially conservative and economically right-wing parties. These relationships between particular subjects and party support also persist into adulthood. As such, this article provides new evidence on the importance of subjects taken in secondary school for political socialisation, during the impressionable years of adolescence.

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Kenn Rushworth @kennrushworth.bsky.social · Jul 3

Mine and @profsob.bsky.social paper
Comparing registration systems using the International Difficulty of Registration Index (IDORI). How difficult is electoral registration in the UK?
has been published. Please read it here,
url: academic.oup.com/pa/article/d...

Comparing registration systems using the International Difficulty of Registration Index (IDORI). How difficult is electoral registration in the UK?

Abstract. Electoral registration in the UK is often critiqued for making it hard for voters to participate in elections. However, without a tool for a syst

academic.oup.com

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Jun 28

Good, solid local journalism from @manchestermill.bsky.social on mental health care in Greater Manchester. A salient reminder of what local journalism is meant to be

manchestermill.co.uk/a-murder-of-...

A murder of crows: how a blog post deepened the conflict inside Greater Manchester Mental Health Trust

The board says it’s committed to transparency, critics say it prefers ambiguity

manchestermill.co.uk

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Alex Hartland @alexhartland.bsky.social · May 26

🛎️ New Publication 🛎️

How did public and party priorities interact during the 2024 European Parliament elections?

In our new @wepsocial.bsky.social article, Daniela Braun, @giucarny.bsky.social @rosanavarrete.bsky.social @annreinl.bsky.social and I find some connections

tinyurl.com/yhc4ae8m

🧵

The role of key European issues in the 2024 election campaign

International crises and Euroscepticism have made European issues prominent in citizens’ lives. This article studies the role of three key European issues – migration, the environment, and EU integ...

www.tandfonline.com

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James David Griffiths @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social · May 12

🚨NEW PUBLICATION 🚨

Though people have moved on from Brexit, they still vote in line with their Brexit preferences - with age/education still separating voters.

Voters now back party blocs, which matters greatly for Labour's current appeals to Reform voters.

🧵

academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

The Brexit realignment amid electoral volatility: The role of party blocs in the 2024 General Election

Abstract. Brexit accelerated the long-term realignment of how demographic groups vote in Britain. However, Europe is no longer salient to voters, support f

academic.oup.com

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Reposted by Tim Oliver

Kenn Rushworth @kennrushworth.bsky.social · May 12

UK has a comparatively difficult registration process.

Our comparative analysis of registration difficulty in 62 countries is timely as Labour consider introducing automatic voter registration.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Britain has one of most difficult voter registration processes, report finds

UK system makes it a ‘real outlier’ among liberal democracies, according to study examining 62 countries

www.theguardian.com

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · May 12

To propose taxing the income stream that is essentially keeping UK higher education from widescale collapse is the sign of a government that has given up trying to understand the country it is meant to lead.

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · May 12

The failure of our public service broadcaster to actually engage with evidence is really quite staggering, sometimes. I recall, with a chill, their constant coding of any actual discussion of policy during Brexit as "nerd stuff".

Marta Miori @martamiori.bsky.social · May 11

Yes, there are only 6 Labour seats where the Lib Dems are 2nd. This is because the 2024 Labour vote was propped up by tactical voting between the two parties. Allowing Labour to win seats in Conservative areas... seats they won't be able to keep if their left-wing coalition crumbles

Marta Miori @martamiori.bsky.social · May 11

This take on #BBCNewscast *completely* misses the point about how it's precisely losing votes to the LD and Greens that can make Labour lose seats to Reform ...

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Marta Miori @martamiori.bsky.social · May 11

Yes, there are only 6 Labour seats where the Lib Dems are 2nd. This is because the 2024 Labour vote was propped up by tactical voting between the two parties. Allowing Labour to win seats in Conservative areas... seats they won't be able to keep if their left-wing coalition crumbles

Marta Miori @martamiori.bsky.social · May 11

This take on #BBCNewscast *completely* misses the point about how it's precisely losing votes to the LD and Greens that can make Labour lose seats to Reform ...

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Reposted by Tim Oliver

Lawrence McKay @lawrencemckay.bsky.social · Apr 29

Out now (OA) in @electoralstudies.bsky.social. Do people in rural areas want politicians offering stronger representation to rural areas - as opposed to just their local area? Yes - based an original conjoint experiment in the UK (1/5)

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

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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · Apr 12

“No single decision is to blame” for UK universities' dire financial situations, writes @rostaylor.bsky.social. “But many trace [the crisis] back to a decision made by chancellor George Osborne in December 2013.”
www.prospectmagazine...

How universities were sent over the edge

UK higher education institutions did as the government asked and took on more students. Now many face collapse

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Apr 10

I try and keep Tony Harland's advice on the 3 P's of lecturing - performance, passion, purpose - at the heart of mine. In particular, performance, as - "a performer has a deep respect for their audience." Something a lot of contemporary documentary makers could do with remembering!

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James O'Malley @jamesomalley.co.uk · Apr 10

Hey this seems sensible!

I wrote a while ago about how crazy it is British election infrastructure relies on a bunch of volunteer nerds. (takes.jamesomalley.co.uk/p/its-mad-th...)

Now the electoral commission is bringing it in-house!

democracyclub.org.uk/blog/2025/04...

A new home for the polling station finder

Big news from the Electoral Commission's five-year plan.

democracyclub.org.uk

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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · Apr 8

The core trilma here remains the same - the govt needs to accept one of three things: high student migration, higher domestic student fees (or higher taxes to fund universities) or university bankruptcies. Those are the only options, given where we are. Pick one.

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Apr 8

The UK government is proposing to finally finish off its universities by further tightening the terms of the graduate visa route. The stupid fools. Playing with dangers they don't even understand. www.ft.com/content/f441...

UK Home Office’s reform of graduate visas runs into opposition

[FREE TO READ] Education department at odds with plan to curb number of overseas students allowed to stay in Britain

www.ft.com

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Apr 8

Also, the limpness of failing to stand up for something that this country has done well for decades, and is actually a key strength, is awful to see. Politicians need to be far more robust in defending our strengths against lazy opinion-havers.

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Apr 8

Fairly sure that it is those post-1992s that do most in terms of social mobility. I am sceptical of these proposals for similar reasons - they are always economically (and culturally!) bad for a bunch of places that really do not need more bad news.

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Apr 8

I also don't see how "mergers, campus closures" don't also produce damaging economic effects at a local level. Why does, say, York deserve a university, but Hull doesn't?

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 26

The OfS has too many goals, and too little independence. Both show through here, and both need to be changed for it to have any hope of being a source of solutions rather than new problems - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Learning to Stand on its own Two Feet: The Office for Students and the Crisis in Higher Education in England

In order to address an ever-growing crisis in higher education in England, policy makers need tools capable of meeting the challenge. Yet the Office for Students has been roundly criticised for its s...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 26

Sussex's Vice-Chancellor states that the OfS investigation into that University was "flawed and politically motivated". The OfS's methodology was flawed, and its behaviour erratic - www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

The Kafkaesque investigation into our university looks like political scapegoating

The Office for Students' so-called investigation into the University I represent was flawed and politically motivated. The implications for the hig...

www.politicshome.com

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 24

What are the odds, I am left to wonder, that in a year we will be back here, with central government complaining that some of this money has been "wasted" on administration, when the requirements here raise administration costs for councils for their road programmes?

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 24

It is remarkable how little central government trusts local government. It is less remarkable, and more wearingly predictable, to see a new duty created for local government without specific money allocated to fulfil that duty.

Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · Mar 24

It's all too tempting for government to do this (& go big on it in the media) but asking 'every council in England' to publish how many pot holes they've filled is overly burdensome & bad for everyone.

It's a regressive move after some positive steps on LG finance reform
www.gov.uk/government/n...

PM tells councils to prove action on pothole plague to unlock extra cash and reveals £4.8 billion for major roads

The Plan for Change is tackling the pothole plague, building vital roads and ensuring every penny is delivering results for the taxpayer.

www.gov.uk

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Reposted by Tim Oliver

UK in a Changing Europe @ukandeu.bsky.social · Mar 19

📢 CALL FOR PAPERS 📢

🚨 Just over a week left to apply for this amazing opportunity with UKICE's @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @uniofmanchester.bsky.social 👇

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Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 20

@markzuckerberg pay up, mark x

Michael Livingston @michaellivingston.com · Mar 20

Meta used at least 16 of my books, and numerous articles, to help train the AI it will use to make billions.

Authors, search your name here:

www.theatlantic.com/technology/a...

Search LibGen, the Pirated-Books Database That Meta Used to Train AI

Millions of books and scientific papers are captured in the collection’s current iteration.

www.theatlantic.com

Tim Oliver @tjoliver.bsky.social · Mar 18

Ah, thank you so much!

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