Helen Parker (she/her/hers)

On 11/3/2026, Look at Me! –
Yonezu Tomoko and the Politics of
Intersectionality in Post-war Japan, with Dr Anna-Viktoria Vittinghoff
University of Sheffield, 16:15, Room 1.06, 50 George Sq #asianstudiesseminars #japan #postwar #japanesestudies #intersectionality #inpersonseminar #allwelcome

The real lesson to take from Gorton and Denton is for the future of UK democracy | Institute for Government Westminster is dangerously underprepared for a multi-party future.

"If casting a vote starts to feel more like participating in a lottery than making a positive and principled decision, then voters are going to become ever more frustrated." First Past the Post needs to go - ask your MP to include it in the new Bill.
www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/gort...

Next up in our #AsianStudiesSeminarSeries, #Multiculturalism in #SouthKorea – Racialization of Migrants and Migrant Culture, with Dr Jihyun Choi from @uniofnottingham.bsky.social , 16.15 on 4/3/2026, Room 1.06, 50 George Square #allwelcome#inpersonseminar

🗯️ "At the next election, a minority party could win a majority of seats with just a fraction of the popular vote."

🗳️ APPG member @annadixonmp.bsky.social made the case in Parliament for a National Commission on Electoral Reform.

Read more about our proposal: makevotesmatter.org.uk/national-com...

Rt Rev Dr Dagmar Winter

The Right Reverend Dr Dagmar Winter was elected yesterday as the new Bishop of Edinburgh. She will take up her new post later this year.

Bishop Dagmar currently serves as the Bishop of Huntingdon, a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Ely. She is also Acting Bishop of Ely.

bit.ly/4rQ7p5h

50 leading academics warn that the distortions of First Past the Post are now “likely to be amplified to an unprecedented extent” - it's not too late for the government to include a National Commission on Electoral Reform in the upcoming bill.

www.politicshome.com/news/article...

This Is How New Zealand Fixed Its Voting System | Sightline Institute Changing to a more representative electoral system makes so much sense, and yet it can be such a heavy lift. After even Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backed away from a public promise to end ...

If you are thinking "isn't it too risky to get rid of First-Past-The-Post?" then why not have a read about the experience of New Zealand:

@MakeVotesMatter
@GetPRDone

www.sightline.org/2017/06/19/t...

Plus an extra #guestlecture for flexible learning week…Professor Michel Hockx of Notre Dame University will be speaking on The Regulation of #Literature in #ModernChina on Friday, 20 February, from 2-4 pm at 50 George Square, Room G.06.
#inperson #allwelcome

Our next #asianstudiesseminar is on 11/2/26 at 16:15 in Room 1.06, 50 George Sq. with Dr Taeyoung Kim of Loughborough University.
#Culturalpolicies in the era of the #Koreanwave - the South Korean government’s instrumentalisation of #popularculture
#inpersonseminars #allwelcome

Jim Wallace was an architect of modern Scotland and one of the finest Liberals of his age. He was my friend and our country is the poorer without him.

So sorry to hear this sad news - condolences @europesheila.bsky.social 🪷

#hotoffthepress Congratulations 🎉to Drs Chris Perkins & Ferran de Vargas on their new book📚
#PoliticalThought & #JapansNewLeftMovement
More here: www.bloomsbury.com/uk/political...

Slow, stylized movement is central to noh theater — but at Tokyo’s Suigian, the ancient art form is finding new rhythms after dark. 👉 ebx.sh/ZfNUWo

Our next #asianstudiesseminar is on 28/1/26 in Room LG.06, 40 George Square

The Beginnings of Modern Drama: Literature and the Stage in Early Twentieth Century Korea
Dr Owen Stampton, University of Sheffield

Here are the full details of speakers and topics for this semester’s #asianstudiesseminars

Letter: The economic case for coalition government From Peter Norris and others

In an open letter to the Financial Times more than 20 business leaders call for a change to the UK’s electoral system. They state our short-term, unpredictable politics - driven by the volatile ‘first past the post’ - damages business confidence.

www.ft.com/content/422f...

democracy4growth.uk

A Happy New Year to our followers! We are pleased to announce our first Asian Studies Seminar for 2026, #Sofas & #Politics in #SocialistChina, with Dr Jennifer Altehenger of Merton College, Oxford, coming up on 21/01/26 at Rm LG.06, 40GS. #inpersonseminar #allwelcome #asianstudiesseminars #chinese

Islamophobia may be on the rise but we must never normalise or accept it. Together we must call it out, challenge prejudice and build inclusive communities. On this final day of #IslamophobiaAwarenessMonth, thank you to everyone who has done just that. 🧵

Photo of Sarah Olney MP

"Thanks to first past the post nearly 60% of people who voted in the general election last year are not represented in Parliament by the candidate that they voted for. This is the most disproportionate election result that this country has ever seen." Sarah Olney MP

Pleased to announce that I've been elected as President of Liberal Democrats for Electoral Reform.

Excited to continue the work that @sarahjolney1 has already done in her role. It's time for progress on issues such as votes at 16, voter ID & wider electoral reform.

Join Japan Society of Scotland in person or online for a guest lecture by @aaronwmoore.bsky.social See the photo for details. please register for your free ticket here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/dreams-fro...

A rats to riches story: Larry the Downing Street cat finds place in TV spotlight Popularity of Britain’s top mouser – ‘the guy to meet in No 10’ – to feature in documentary series

A rats to riches story: Larry the Downing Street cat finds place in TV spotlight

Keir Starmer needs to wake up and fix our broken voting system before the next election, or he risks letting Nigel Farage into Number 10.

We will keep fighting for fair votes to make sure every voice is heard.

Mamdani: "New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant."

Congratulations @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social From one Muslim Assembly member to another - you give us hope!

💥 Great to see members of the APPG for Fair Elections calling for a fair, proportional voting system

As @annadixonmp.bsky.social writes, the first step is a National Commission: “a time-limited independent review, guided by expert evidence and the values of the voting public”

Read the proposal 👇

Liberal Democrat MP and @appgfairelections.bsky.social vice chair @lisasmartmp.bsky.social explains the latest push to secure electoral reform for the House of Commons here:
libdemnewswire.substack.com/p/important-...

#MakeVotesMatter
#ProportionalRepresentation

Strong support for fair votes and jubilant mood at Lib Dem Conference I have just returned from a very sunny weekend in Bournemouth at the annual Liberal Democrat conference.As is usually the case at the Liberal Democrats annual meeting, the mood was jubi

We were at Liberal Democrat conference to meet MPs and their staff - here is our report

At an LDER/ @appgfairelections.bsky.social Fringe event, @ollyglover.bsky.social said "I'm spending a lot of time campaigning for Proportional Representation because our politics simply isn't working. (...) We need a politics that brings more ideas into it and where everyone's votes count equally."