Alex Prior

‘Working hard used to get you something’: what Hannah Spencer’s speech tells us about her, and the state of British politics Spencer won the Gorton and Denton byelection for the Green party.

"...what the #HannahSpencer speech tells us about her, and the state of #UKpolitics". My discussion of the victory speech in
@theconversation.com, examined through a #narrative lens.
@greenparty.org.uk #greenparty #greens

theconversation.com/working-hard...

Go-along research in the UK Parliament The current deadlock surrounding the prospective Restoration and Renewal of the UK Parliamentary Estate is attributable to several perceived risks. Th…

Just published w/ @snfschlee.bsky.social & @ryanswift93.bsky.social! We find that accompanying interviewees around the UK Parliament "allowed us to directly experience the estate...and the ongoing negotiations and interactions which produce it as a living site". www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Labour conference: Starmer takes aim at political opponents but ties his own future to Reform The prime minister mentioned Nigel Farage by name multiple times – a highly unusual approach to a party conference speech.

My initial thoughts about Starmer's speech at the #LabourPartyConference. We saw #KeirStarmer establish a clear narrative; one that ties Farage's political fate to his own. theconversation.com/labour-confe...

I am also happy to announce that this article is now available in French! For anyone who missed it, this is my article for @theconversation.com about the #WaldorfAstoria #Hotel and its place in 100+ years of US political history. theconversation.com/reouverture-...

Big Beautiful Bill: Why Donald Trump is obsessed with the manipulative language of size In-depth linguistic analyses of the language of powerful people can help us move beyond their obviously false and misleading statements to become more aware of how their words manipulate.

The phrase “One Big Beautiful Bill” might sound catchy but as this article from Prof. Andy Curtis highlights, the language surrounding it reveals something far deeper about how political power is communicated, packaged, and sold.

🔗 tinyurl.com/bdez4uxy

TLDR 👇

#langsky #politicalcommunication

New job opportunity! Come work with me at @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social on my major project on the political representation of men.
You: PhD in relevant area, strong quantitative methods skills, interest in representation.
The job: 18 months full-time, London or remote qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/appcentre...

The Waldorf Astoria: what the history of this legendary hotel says about today’s crisis of the American establishment The Waldorf Astoria Hotel has been shunned by presidents since Barack Obama after it was taken over by Chinese owners.

My first long read for The Conversation is the story of the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York & what we can learn about the US establishment's present crisis. It covers over a century of American history, with the hotel as a stage on which politics was performed. theconversation.com/the-waldorf-...

Come study with me at London South Bank University! #PhD scholarship available (fee-waiver only) for the following project: "Understanding and informing the policy process through lived citizenship", examining a range of experiences and identities. Further info: www.lsbu.ac.uk/research/res...

How narratives are central to understanding quantitative outcomes - Impact of Social Sciences To make sense of complex data, research must go beyond numbers. Alex Prior shows how the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), a structured method for analysing and communicating policy through…

To make sense of complex data, research must go beyond numbers.

@alexprior.bsky.social shows how communicating policy through storytelling can help contextualise quantitative outcomes and make them more accessible and meaningful to diverse audiences.

@lseimpactblog.bsky.social‬

Trust, public engagement and UK Parliament What is the relationship between public engagement activities and public trust? What makes different types of engagement methods effective, and how can they engage the public and impact trust levels?

Delighted to have been a contributor and external reviewer for this @ukparliament.parliament.uk (POST) research briefing on 'Trust, public engagement and UK Parliament'. Some really useful context, discussion of methods, and case studies. post.parliament.uk/research-bri...

'How narratives are central to understanding quantitative outcomes'. Here's the recent piece I wrote for @lseimpactblog.bsky.social with huge help and support from the Government Outcomes Lab, University of Oxford, whose fascinating work is discussed here.

Such a pleasure to have co-authored a chapter on "Spaces and places in parliament" for this amazing book with @ameakin.bsky.social and @kateaniconic.bsky.social. Can't wait to see the whole thing in print!

We, @iparl.bsky.social & @psagermanpol.bsky.social are organising an 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 with experts to discuss the Bundestag after the latest election

Look at the line-up of speakers and topics 👇

You can sign up here: forms.office.com/e/8EN9X1qmyL

E-petitioning Parliament: Understanding the connections between citizens and the UK Parliament Abstract. 2025 marks ten years since the UK Government and Parliament e-petitions system was established in a context of political dissatisfaction and dise

'E-petitioning Parliament: Understanding the connections between citizens and the UK Parliament', by @laurenrmartin.bsky.social. "Highlight[s] the spillover effects that arise from using an e-petition system that has formal ties to parliament". academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

Fire could ‘burn down’ UK parliament and asbestos is rife, surveys show Peter Hain says 44 fires have been recorded in the past decade and more than 1,000 asbestos incidents

Guardian, 16.03.2024: "parliament faces the possibility of a Notre Dame-style inferno"

Guardian, 16.04.2019: "UK parliament could suffer same fate as Notre Dame"

Optics aren't good when restoration is delayed, as well as discussions re. plans re. restoration.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

Keir Starmer’s chance to sparkle: Labour leader finally puts his working class credentials to work for him The need for the Labour leader to reclaim his personal narrative had become urgent – so did he succeed?

Hi John, I’ve written on this topic from a narrative standpoint and thought it might be of interest, for example: theconversation.com/keir-starmer...

Labour’s new year resolution? It needs a better story. Here’s one Starmer could tell | John Harris There’s a solid social-democratic narrative this government could use – if only its leaders would actually try, says Guardian columnist John Harris

Latest from me: Happy New Year, sigh www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Is the American Dream achievable? These students are examining its promises and pitfalls Two professors explain why and how their approach creates a richly textured understanding of the American Dream.

A new course at Washington University in St. Louis examines the American Dream's promises and pitfalls, exploring its historical roots and modern challenges.

Reimagining Parliament Reimagining Parliament; Bringing together a vibrant group of parliamentary scholars and practitioners, this innovative book questions what parliament should be in the 21st century and how it can be re...

Reimagining Parliament, edited by Cristina Leston-Bandeira and David Judge, is available to buy in all good bookshops

bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/reimagining-...

Thank you Mari! The book has great contributions from @satisfactory20.bsky.social @ameakin.bsky.social @emmacrewe.bsky.social @kerstinsailer.bsky.social @benworthy.bsky.social @alexprior.bsky.social @patricktheiner.bsky.social and others.

Politicising energy transitions: the political economy of reducing dependence on coal in South Africa’s minerals energy complex Proposals to reduce South Africa’s dependence on coal-generated electricity have repeatedly stalled despite growing internal and international pressure to decarbonise electricity generation. Where ...

My first sole-authored publication and free to read:

Politicising energy transitions: the political economy of reducing dependence on coal in South Africa’s minerals energy complex www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

Excited for @psa-parliaments.bsky.social's Annual Conference next week, presenting w/ @louisevthompson.bsky.social on 'strategic effectiveness of parliamentary member organisations'. Can't wait to hear talks on procedure, participation, and virtual/physical spaces. psaparliaments.org/annual-confe...

It'd be my pleasure! There's also an excellent peach lager in Norwich, if you're willing to travel even further :)

Well I'm glad you asked, because if you want to make sense of the world, @vanhoef.bsky.social is a great follow.

I suppose I now need to start uploading posts and content...

Ahead of a discussion with my UK politics students, recommendations needed: what’s a particularly good #PMQs to show them? Ideally something with theatrics *and* content.

We are looking for a postdoctoral researcher to work on political trust and skepticism in my ERC-funded research project CRITICALTRUST.
vacatures.uva.nl/UvA/job/Post...
Please contact me if you have any questions!