Laurence Cooley

The environment as a second policy dimension in a deeply divided society: The politics of Northern Ireland’s Lough Neagh crisis - Timofey Agarin, Laurence Cooley, Elliott Hill, 2025 Environmental concerns are often marginalised in post-conflict societies. Especially under power-sharing, political parties tend to prioritise their ethno-natio...

This article is now out in @bjpir.bsky.social! In it, we explain why government action to tackle the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh has lagged behind the apparent rhetorical consensus about its importance. Has Muir been set up to fail? #LoughNeagh #openaccess journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

The environment as a second policy dimension in a deeply divided society: The politics of Northern Ireland’s Lough Neagh crisis - Timofey Agarin, Laurence Cooley, Elliott Hill, 2025 Environmental concerns are often marginalised in post-conflict societies. Especially under power-sharing, political parties tend to prioritise their ethno-natio...

This article is now out in @bjpir.bsky.social! In it, we explain why government action to tackle the ecological crisis at Lough Neagh has lagged behind the apparent rhetorical consensus about its importance. Has Muir been set up to fail? #LoughNeagh #openaccess journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

We've just launched a new policy brief series, evaluating the Dayton Agreement at 30. A partnership between @inclusivepeaceora.bsky.social and the Forum of Federations, our first brief examines public opinions on constitutional reform options in BiH. Read it here: www.forumfed.org/collection/f...

Britpilled: the process of radicalsing an Irish person into a far-right reactionary through the consumption of British media and British social media.

What are Danny Tommo and his mates planning in France next weekend? | Searchlight Danny Tommo making a point at the Bromsgrove meeting British vigilantes travelled to northern France last week and posted footage of themselves digging up, ...

Last week, Danny Tommo and his mates were filmed slashing a refugee boat in France. Later, at a pub in the West Midlands, they were discussing another, bigger action next weekend.

So what are they up to?

searchlightmagazine.com/2025/11/what...

Is there anything we can do to alleviate flash floods in the West Midlands Experts say housebuilding and concrete drives are making floods worse, but that there are things we can do.

I dunno, convert some of the endless paved space reserved for cars into green space that can absorb water, maybe?

Sorry, forget it. That could result in a car owner being inconvenienced, which would of course be far worse than the flooding of our cities and towns.

Splashing a million pound of our money on a gang of thugs is beyond sick Public services in Northern Ireland are collapsing, and we’re constantly told there’s not enough money to fix them.

Three different articles on the BelTel alone today, showcasing appropriate anger at PEACEPlus (the EU programme) and Co-operation Ireland for financing proscribed organisations, specifically the South East Antrim UDA, that was behind the Ballymena race riots in June.

Federal Suit Seeking Names of Some Jewish Employees at Penn Sparks Backlash

New York Times coverage of lawsuit requesting names of Jewish employees at Penn.

[Gift Link]

www.nytimes.com/2025/11/21/u...

The ‘Danish model’ is the darling of centre-left parties like Labour. The problem is, it doesn’t even work in Denmark | Cas Mudde This week’s local elections are the latest reminder that when social democrats move rightwards, they’re making a mistake, says academic and author Cas Mudde

Cas Mudde spells out what has become largely the consensus among researchers: moving right on immigration will not weaken the far right nor strengthen social democracy. If your reaction is "but in Denmark" please at least familiarize yourself with Danish politics

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Why do people think England flags have been raised on lampposts?

White adults
National pride: 26%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 49%
Both: 19%

Ethnic minority adults
National pride: 15%
Anti-migrant/minority sentiment: 55%
Both: 20%

yougov.co.uk/society/arti...

This is one of the changes in the UK media landscape that should be more remarked on: the fact that being a very open, proud, outright racist is no longer a bar to being a pundit on some TV stations (in this case GBN and Talk TV).

This is an excellent piece in a week when so many people are talking about Dayton 30 years on..... and often ignoring the role that "the west" has played in reinforcing the dysfunctional political economy enabled precisely by the Dayton structure

Many English universities to report deficits despite rise in tuition fees Continued funding squeeze and volatile student enrolment will continue to hit finances, regulator warns

64 of UK higher education institutions were predicted in May this year to be in deficit next year; now that figure is 114, a significant worsening of the situation, with liquidity problems also rising. 1/2

This is, of course, a stark betrayal of the New School’s storied history and animating spirit. It demonstrates something many of us know intellectually but have trouble grasping: many university leaders *do not care* about, even *actively despise*, the basic values that bring us to work every day.

This issue includes articles by our colleague, Dr Dawn Walsh @dawnwalsh.bsky.social , and our former PhD student, Dr Emma Murphy @emmamurphy.bsky.social , including:

"Gender quota adoption for commissions in post-conflict societies" by Dawn Walsh and Emma Murphy

journals.sagepub.com/toc/ipsa/46/5

Fleeing From The North Fleeing the North of Ireland across the border in times of conflict.

"no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark
you only run for the border
when you see the whole city running as well"

- Warsaw Shire

#spéirghorm #speirgorm

The British library is in crisis: why does nobody care? The widespread indifference to the British Library's crippling cyberattack demonstrates a perilous failure to value the knowledge infrastructure vital for national prosperity

I’ve written a piece on the curious lack of media and political interest in the issues faced by our national @britishlibrary.bsky.social. This is strange given we live in a world where ideas, knowledge and research are a long-term source of innovation and insight
www.cityam.com/the-british-...

Train ad for yoga classes at Bolands Mills with the caption "we're back" – Bolands Mills was a scene for fighting during the 1916 Easter Rising.

With apologies to those whose yoga classes were disrupted by the 1916 Rising, Bolands Mills is back open again.

The far right’s impact on the EU’s climate agenda The far right is stronger than ever in the European Parliament. And climate policy has become a testing ground for its influence. 

The main finding is that the increased far right presence in the EP is starting to impact policy. But it's happening primarily through influencing the mainstream, that is, the EPP. For more, read the paper here: www.cer.eu/insights/far...

Flaggers' mask slips as fascists and nazis take centre stage | Searchlight Britain First leader Golding addresses Kent flaggers “Don’t you dare call us fascists. We’re just ordinary folk worried about our women and kids.” It’s the ...

Flaggers’ mask slips as fascists and nazis take centre stage

Don’t call us fascists. We’re just ordinary folk worried about our women and kids.”

It’s the familiar refrain from the groups of self-styled “patriots,” “anti-groomers,” and flag-wavers who have sprung up in towns across the country.

Labour’s plan for migrants to ‘earn’ permanent residency turns belonging into an endless exam In this hierarchical system, migrants are kept on extended probation and judged by standards never applied to British nationals.

Among the many things wrong with Labour’s immigration strategy, this stands out: to “fight” a few thousand so-called illegal migrants, Shabana Mahmood is willing to make life hell for hundreds of thousands of people who are legally in the UK.
🔗 theconversation.com/labours-plan...

After failing to divide Stirchley (Birmingham, UK), RtC have decided to turn their selective video editing skills and faux patriotism to France.

@localnotail.bsky.social @laurencepb.bsky.social

Niamh Gallagher · Carrion and Earth: Ireland’s Great Famine Although Ireland had endured earlier famines – including one in the 1740s that, proportionally, claimed more lives...

Carrion and Earth www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

Good to see someone joining more of the dots on the flagging group that's been targeting Stirchley, Birmingham.

This is what happened to me: a few students in a course called “Sex and the American Empire: Journalism and Frames of War” thought the class should not include discussions of sex at all or the war in Palestine. If you were silent on anti-Palestine speech, you helped bring this fascism to everyone

Is AI making job recruitment less meritocratic? We're getting some v interesting research studies on this question now, and the news is... not good. @jburnmurdoch.ft.com & I dive in, in the latest edition of our newsletter The AI Shift www.ft.com/content/e5b7...

The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001 Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons formed a crucial part of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But the decommissioning of Irish Republican Army (IRA) weapons (the most prominent paramilitary gr...

My new article is out with Irish Political Studies ‘The Rocky Road to Decommissioning: Revisiting the Decommissioning of Irish Republican Army Weapons Part 1 – August 1994 to October 2001’. Thanks all interviewees, reviewers and archive staff. www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Wat gaat er gebeuren met het archief van het Joegoslavië Tribunaal? En is dat de verantwoordelijkheid van Nederland? De klok tikt Het is het grootste oorlogsmisdrijvenarchief ter wereld, maar vooralsnog is onduidelijk wat er gaat gebeuren met het archief van het Joegoslavië Tribunaal. ‘Ze lijken niet te beseffen dat dit archief ...

My old friend Predrag talks to the Groene about the #ICTY #archives which are now in danger of disappearing from the internet, and into some dusty boxes no one can find. We need to protect it and keep it available for research #History #Accountability #Research #Justice www.groene.nl/artikel/het-...

X is in clear + systemic breach of its legal duties in the UK to remove unlawful content from its platform.

Proof: when X users abuse + harass others with the racial slur "paki", X reporting system defends the racist abuse in more than 90% of cases reported.

A new thread documenting this.