Tim Bale’s Blog- ‘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.
- ‘Our survey of Green party members suggests Zack Polanski has the mandate to take his party in a more radical direction’, (with Paul Webb and Stavroula Chrona) The Conversation, 3 September 2025
- ‘Even tactical voting will not help Labour survive a Tory-Reform pact’, Independent, 3 December 2025.
- ‘A Reform UK government isn’t inevitable’, Interview with LSE’s Joanna Bale (no relation!), 18 September 2025.
Tag Archives: Conservative Party
‘How do you solve a problem like…Nigel? What Austria can teach the Conservatives about dealing with UKIP’, LSE British Politics and Policy Blog, 27 May 2011
If UKIP manages to do even half as well at next year’s general election as it has evidently done this time, Britain’s mainstream parties are facing nothing less than a transformation in their competitive environment. Shielded for so long by … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Austria, ÖVP, Conservative Party, FPÖ, Freedom Party, radical right wing populist, UK, UKIP
Leave a comment
David Cameron’s next EU challenge: renegotiation, Telegraph, 26 May 2014
Tory MPs may have agreed not to panic in the light of Ukip’s big win, but that doesn’t mean David Cameron isn’t going to come under a huge amount of pressure from them in the coming days and weeks to do … Continue reading
The Conservatives will face many challenges after the votes are counted in the European Parliament election, LSE British Politics and Policy Blog, 9 May 2014
To say the Tories are unlikely to do as well in May 2014 as they did in June 2009 is a bit of an understatement. Five years ago they topped the poll, getting just under 4.2 million votes or nearly … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Alternative für Deutschland, Cameron, Conservative Party, ECR, Elections, European Parliament, MEPs, Merkel
Leave a comment
‘Are Tory activists weeding out “moderate” MPs?’, Political Studies Association Blog, 6 March, 2014 (with Paul Webb)
When two Conservative MPs were deselected in rapid succession by their local constituency associations, it marked to some a welcome assertion of grassroots rights and power. To others, it was no such thing. Instead the move was an inevitable consequence of … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Anne McIntosh, Conservative Party, deselection, grassroots, MPs, parliamentary candidates, selection, Tim Yeo, Tory
Leave a comment
‘David Cameron shouldn’t bank on Angela Merkel to sort out his EU issues’ Guardian, 26 February, 2014
Angela Merkel and David Cameron didn’t get off to the greatest of starts: one of his earliest decisions as party leader was to pull Conservative MEPs out of Merkel’s party’s group in the European parliament. But their relationship seems to have … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Britain. Conservatism, Cameron, CDU, Christian Democracy, Christian Democrats, Conservative Party, EU, Germany, Merkel
Leave a comment
‘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
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
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Conservative Party, Countryside Alliance, David Cameron, election, hunting, Vote-OK
Leave a comment
For his speech, David Cameron will surely lean on ethos, pathos and logos, Guardian, 2 October 2013
The pressure is on. David Cameron’s closing speech to his party’s conference will be his eighth as Tory leader, and his MPs and grassroots supporters are hoping that he can top Ed Miliband’s effort in Brighton last week. While they are bound to be … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Aristotle, Conference, Conservative Party, David Cameron, Oratory, Rhetoric, Speech
Leave a comment
What happened to Tory modernisation, Telegraph, 30 September 2013
As David Cameron finally delivers on his promise to recognise marriage in the tax system and announces yet more action on immigration and welfare, it seems like a good time to ask whether – despite the valiant efforts of commentators … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Conservative Party, David Cameron, Francis Maude, modernisation, modernisers, Nick Boles, Tory
Leave a comment
Tim Bale's Blog 