Monthly Archives: October 2026

“End of the Brexit era? Burnham’s pivot back to Europe”, Anadolu Ajansı, 7 October 2026.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham surprised everyone – including many of his Cabinet colleagues – when, in his speech to the Labour Party’s annual conference, he unexpectedly reopened the question of the UK’s relationship with the EU. Brexit, he declared, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Burnham’s proposed electoral reform could have unpredictable effects”, LSE Blog, 6 October 2026.

Far be it from me – a supporter of proportional representation and even, I confess, compulsory voting – to throw shade on the first Prime Minister in my lifetime to commit to electoral reform. But before we get carried away, we … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Keminaissance is a myth. The Tories are still like a weird uncle”, Bright Blue, 2 October.

I hate to be a party pooper, but I confess talk of a Keminaissance leaves me, if not quite cold, then at the very least somewhat sceptical. So, at a recent gathering of polling and election experts, I took the opportunity … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Members of right‑leaning parties prefer leaders with ‘dark triad’ personality traits” (with Paul Webb and Stavroula Chrona), The Conversation, 18 September, 2026.

How does someone’s personality relate to their choice of political party? It’s a fascinating question, and one that has interesting implications in the changing landscape of British politics right now. Would someone joining a party, for example, want to see … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“A fractured Union? Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland first ministers meeting”, Anadolu Ajansı, 17 September 2026.

Every now and then, the official designation, United Kingdom, can seem particularly inapposite. The relationship between its component parts – England (population 56.5 million), Scotland (5.5 million), Wales (3.1 million), and Northern Ireland (1.9 million) – is rarely as harmonious … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Can’t you do it?”, Review of “Sunak at 10” by Anthony Seldon and Tom Egerton, Literary Review, 2 September 2026.

Anyone who becomes prime minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland knows that the proverbial ‘first draft of history’ of their time in Downing Street will be written not by journalists but by the indefatigable Anthony … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“Hands off the constitution, Andy”, Unherd, 18 August 2026

For fans of British exceptionalism, the fact that the UK is only one of three of the world’s democracies without a written constitution — the other two being Israel and New Zealand — is yet another quirk to celebrate. For … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment