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
‘Getting the populists’ message’, Policy Network, 20 February 2014
The power of populism lies principally in its appeal to our emotions, or so we’re often told. That may be true – but only up to a point. Focusing on populism’s emotional appeal allows us to forget that much of … Continue reading
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Tagged Europe, Mainstream response, Nigel Farage, Populism, UKIP
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‘Inside the Tory Mind’, Progress, 3 February 2014
The past often sheds light on the present, either by throwing up stark contrasts or by revealing eerie similarities. Stuart Ball’s book, Portrait of a Party: The Conservative Party in Britain 1918-1945, which came out last year, provides plenty of … Continue reading
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Tagged Conservative, David Cameron, Margaret Thatcher, MPs, Parliament, right-wing, Tory
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‘Tim Yeo’s deselection: Is this the start of a Tory Spring?’ Telegraph, 5 February, 2014
The result of the ballot of local members was decisive. After a long and bloody deselection battle with his constituency association, the sitting MP had to admit defeat. Tim Yeo, Suffolk South, February 2014? No. Nigel Nicholson, Bournemouth East, 45 … Continue reading
‘Picking up on populism: playing with fire, or putting out the flames?’, Policy Network, 15 January 2014
The centre-left is still missing a popular critique, particularly on the economy. Picking up on populism may be playing with fire but, done carefully and, dare one say, responsibly, it could very well do social democrats more good than harm … Continue reading
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Tagged Centre-left, Cooper, economy, Farage, immigration, Labour, Miliband, Populism
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Four reasons Ed Miliband is still a good opposition leader, Guardian, 16 January 2014
Ed Miliband’s numbers are bad – so bad that apparently anyone presenting on polling to the shadow cabinet isn’t allowed to talk about them. But that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s doing a bad job as Labour leader. Nor does it mean his … Continue reading
Alan Bown’s Ukip polling only tells half the story, Telegraph, 18 December 2013
I’m not entirely sure how Ukip’s latest sugar-daddy, Alan Bown, has chosen the constituencies in which he’s commissioned polls, but they were presumably picked because they’re easily portrayed as precisely the sort of seats the Tories need to hold on … Continue reading
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Tagged Alan Bown, Cameron, Conservatives, Polling, Tories, UKIP
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How the countryside could lose David Cameron the 2015 general election, Telegraph, 1 November 2013
Quite how they conducted their poll, I’m not sure – they never got back to me.* But the Countryside Alliance is claiming that around a fifth of its members have fallen out of love with the Conservatives. And not just because … Continue reading
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Tagged Conservative Party, Countryside Alliance, David Cameron, election, hunting, Vote-OK
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Get a sense of humour: the Tories and Coalition, Spectator, 5 October 2013
Like so many pundits before me, I had earnestly hoped never to begin a piece on coalitions by quoting Disraeli. But since I was asked by Bright Blue and the Electoral Reform Society to join Mrs Bone’s husband, as well … Continue reading
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Tagged Cameron, Clegg, Coalition, Conservatives, Lib Dems, membership
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What was the point of the party conferences? The Conversation, 2 October 2013
“War – huh. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing”, sang Edwin Starr back in the sixties. Most people say the same about party conferences. They take up half a week. They cost a fortune. They don’t actually decide anything important, especially … Continue reading
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