Tim Bale’s Blog- Electoral reform for the UK? Don’t bet on it, Financial Times, 3 June 2026.
- ‘Britain’s “ungovernable” decade’, Anadolu Ajansı, 21 May 2026.
- ‘Dumping Starmer won’t reverse Labour’s fortunes [unless….]’, New Statesman, 12 May 2026
- ‘Will Nigel Farage overtake the prime minister as the U-turn leader?’, Independent, 2 April 2026
- ‘Polarised and Powerful: Party Members in British Politics’, Political Insight, 18 March 2026.
- ‘Political treachery is a dangerous art. Streeting must perfect it if he wants to wear the crown’, Daily Telegraph, 16 February 2026.
- ‘The two bloc polarisation of Britain’s voters and Party members’, LSE British Politics Blog, 2 February 2026.
- ‘Ahead of seismic local elections, what we know about Reform’s ability to put boots on the ground for the campaign’, The Conversation, 20 January 2026
- ‘Churchill’s defection didn’t kill the Tories. Robert Jenrick’s certainly won’t’, Daily Telegraph, 19 January 2026.
- ‘The ten most surprising facts from the 2024 election revealed’, The Conversation, 15 December 2025.
Author Archives: tpbale
‘It’s the economy, stupid: time to regain credibility?’, Progress, 19 May 2015
Restoring Labour’s reputation for economic competence – or perhaps I should say resuscitating or even raising it from the dead – has to be the number one task for whoever becomes its new leader. It may sound, and it may … Continue reading
‘What should Cameron do next’, Conservative Home, 17 May 2015
‘The problems of victory’, Winston Churchill told the House of Commons in November 1942, ‘are more agreeable than the problems of defeat, but they are no less difficult.’ As a pragmatist and a realist, David Cameron almost certainly realises this … Continue reading
Where did it go wrong for Ed Miliband, New Statesman, 12 May 2015
So Ed Miliband has joined the roster of Labour leaders never to have become Prime Minister, and already plenty of people have been more than happy to tell anyone who’ll listen that they always knew he was a loser. Many … Continue reading
‘The Conservatives: what happened and what next?’, QMUL Post-election Breakfast Briefing, Westminster, 11 May 2015
David Cameron is the first PM since Margaret Thatcher in 1983 to increase the number of Tory MPs in parliament from one election to the next, and the first Tory PM since Anthony Eden in 1955 to increase the party’s … Continue reading
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‘Behind the Political Masks’, Financial Times, 4 May 2015
It’s been a no-surprises campaign — or so runs the conventional wisdom. Yet, almost in spite of themselves, nearly all the party leaders have told us something worth knowing. From Natalie Bennett, we’ve learned that the Greens have picked a … Continue reading
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Tagged Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Natalie Bennett, Nick Clegg, Nicola Sturgeon, Nigel Farage, SNP, UKIP
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‘The guys who crashed the car: why Labour is still in a mess over spending’, New Statesman, 1 May 2015
When it comes to being interrogated on live television by members of the public, as they were on the BBC’s Question Time last night, most politicians, even the most testosterone-fuelled, tend to follow the advice of Estravan, the androgynous lead … Continue reading
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Tagged Ed Balls, Ed Miliband, Gordon Brown, Labour, Labour government, Tony Blair
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‘Want to get your research noticed by politicians? Work with a think tank’, Guardian, 27 April 2015
Academic impact on politicians can be a hit and miss affair. Indeed, when it comes to direct influence, it may well be more hit than miss. Carefully crafted press releases and the launch of new institutes is one thing. But … Continue reading
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Tagged Channel Four, Conservatives, Demos, IPPR, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Open Europe, Policy Exchange, Think Tanks
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‘Cameron looks more like a captive than a captain of his party’, ConservativeHome, 26 April 2015
You don’t have to have succumbed to full-blown “Milifandom” to notice that Labour’s leader seems to be having a better election than his Conservative counterpart. He can’t possibly be as ubiquitous in real life as he’s been on Twitter of … Continue reading
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Tagged Conservative Party, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, Milifandom
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‘UKIP should not be written off yet’, Financial Times, 24 April 2015
The narrative says one thing but the numbers say another. Contrary to common wisdom, the UK Independence party — and its leader — seem to be holding up fairly well under fire. There are plenty of accounts of the campaign … Continue reading
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Tagged Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Labour, Nigel Farage, UKIP
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‘General Election: the Parallels with 1970’s Shock Result’, Financial Times, 17 April 2015
Human beings are hard-wired to search for patterns and parallels — especially those that seem to confirm their existing prejudices. Hardly surprising, then, that politicians are so fond of comparisons between elections past and present, and so inclined to pick … Continue reading
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Tagged 1970 General Election, Conservatives, David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Harold Wilson, Labour, Ted Heath
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