Nick Anstead

Ange Postecoglou sacked by Nottingham Forest after 40 days as head coach Nottingham Forest sacked Ange Postecoglou after 3-0 a defeat by Chelsea made it eight winless matches since he succeeded Nuno Espírito Santo

So big Ange manages 0.909 of a Clough or (for the politically minded) 0.816 of a Truss.

www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Story from the Guardian about the security services warning MPs that China, Russia and Iran are spying on them.

Given that US government bugged Angela Merkal’s phone for a decade, isn’t it just more sensible to assume that basically everyone is trying to spy on them?

www.bbc.com/news/world-e...

Was the left wrong to leave X for BlueSky? The platform formerly known as Twitter may be horrible, but it's still shaping policy

Thoughtful as always from @jonnelledge.bsky.social in @newstatesman.bsky.social (£).

As someone who moved to BlueSky after being on Twitter since 2007, the major issue was professional. X was no longer any use to me, since academia has largely made the leap.

www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

❤️❤️❤️ this 🧵

1970s shot of a TV screen

1950s/60s? shot of a TV screen. Female presenter

1950s/60s shot of a TV screen. Unknown guitarists

Blurry pink shot of a TV screen. Women in evening dress

🧵Thread. I collect photos that people took of their TV screens (in the days before video) because they wanted to capture a historical moment, or at least something that meant something to them.

Advert for Cadbury’s chocolate bars featuring characters from Pride and Prejudice.

No chocolate bar for Mr Wickham?

Tory MP Robert Jenrick with a judge's wig.

Oh God, Jenrick has gone full on prop comedian.

Dick Morris quote: "An elected executive... needs a popular majority every day in his term... When he dips below 50 percent he is functionally out of office".

The Tory conference has made me think of this old Dick Morris quote about being functionally out of office if poll numbers drop below 50%.

Tory position is worse. Despite having 119 MPs, they are functionally not HM opposition. And they don't have levers of government to aid recovery.

Robert Jenrick complained of ‘not seeing another white face’ in Birmingham neighbourhood Shadow justice secretary criticised for suggesting he could tell how integrated Handsworth was based on short visit

This is simultaneously incredibly clever and incredibly nasty. Jenrick will claim his observation is actually pro-multiculturalism and against geographical segregation. But all the worst elements of our political discourse will hear the dog whistle from space.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

I just learned about the hyrax. An animal that looks like they're just done with everyone's bullshit

Great opportunity if you’re interested in pursuing a PhD in political science at @lsegovernment.bsky.social - with a particular interest in elections and campaigning ⬇️

A thread of inspirational quotes from two of my idols: Kemi Badenoch and Ange Postecoglou

(uh-oh, I may have gotten some mixed up... or have I??)

🧵

a cartoon sheep and a cat are playing a game of jumping bags . Alt: a cartoon sheep and a cat are are having a sack race.

Great work.

#sackrace

Are you an early career scholar interested in some mix of media and war? We'd love to have you consider applying for Leverhulme funding to come and be part of our department.

If you think this might be you, get in touch - I'd love to see how we can support you.

www.leverhulme.ac.uk/early-career...

Home Office grants extra visas for UCL international students told to defer Hundreds of students with promised places had been left in limbo after university exceeded its visa allocations

Leaving aside the unfairness, this is a reminder that current HE/visa regime is unfit for purpose & too unwieldy for a world where demand can fluctuate wildly from year-to-year (eg. this year fewer students want to go to US due to Trump, so come to UK).

www.theguardian.com/education/20...

The European Commission has launched a new Science, Research & Innovation account.

On 🦋 @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu !!

They promise:
- EU scientific news
- Horizon Europe funding opportunities
- Innovative EU-supported projects
- Events, tools & resources

Share the news 🔁

Say what you like about the Trump project, but one of its most interesting elements is a willingness to attack the Reagan myth which had a similar hold over the GOP, especially around free trade.

Imagine it this way… you have a focus group of Reform switchers who give a clear narrative as to why their leaving, and a focus group of other switchers to LD / Greens who offer a wider variety of concerns. Which one seems to lead to the most cohesive strategy for response?

Indeed, it really is ridiculous how much it needs restating that it is the cost of living and services that are central here. This is why these voters elected Labour; it’s why they’re pissed off.

Interesting data from great 🧵 by @dylandifford.bsky.social.

My view has always been that 2029 success involves a left bloc & tactical voting.

But this data maybe holds an answer to why Lab has spent more energy on Reform switchers. The reasons they switch seem less defuse than LD/Green switchers.

British Politics' Midlife Crisis Why British Parties Can't Make Peace with Their Actual Voters

Just had time to properly read this brilliant piece by @benansell.bsky.social. It left me even more convinced than I already was that what he calls Labour's (and indeed the Conservative's) "prole-whisperers" are horribly mistaken if they genuinely think chasing after Reform voters is the way to go.

It’s August 1968 and DeForest Kelley is having a right go at the makers of Star Trek in the pages of America’s massive-selling TV Guide.

With caveat that 🇺🇸 politics is v different to other parts of 🌍 this is important work. A lot of progressive politics in lots of countries was / is based on the idea that certain ideas are outside the political mainstream & will electorally hurt their advocates. This suggests that might not be true.

Vacancy — Postdoctoral researcher Communication Science at AI, Media & Democracy Lab Do you want to be part of the AI, Media & Democracy Lab? We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher with a profile in communication science.

Come work with us 🚨

We are looking for a #postdoc in our @aimediademlab.bsky.social lab.

Profile: Comm sci / poli sci/ computational social science.

Great team, timely topocs, fabulous city, good conditions.

DL 🗓️ November 1

werkenbij.uva.nl/en/vacancies...

We are thrilled to announce that our NEW Large Language Model will be released on 11.18.25.

At the risk of doing the "well even Plato was complaining about that..." post, but...

We tend to laud the politicians of the 1970s (Callaghan, Jenkins, Williams, Castle, Foot, Crossland etc). But I am just reading MacGregor Burns on Leadership (1978). Intro is called "The Crisis of Leadership".

'Reverse Midas touch': Starmer plan prompts collapse in support for digital IDs Net public backing for scheme has fallen to -14% after prime minister's announcement, according to polling

Your regular reminder that the Midas touch did not work out well for Midas. The use of this metaphor always strikes me as weird.

Reform invited Lucy Connolly – who was jailed for inciting violence in a post calling for asylum hotels to be burned down – to be a main stage speaker at their party conference *just last month*.