Nick Anstead
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nickanstead.bsky.social
Nick Anstead
@nickanstead.bsky.social
1.8K followers 3.9K following 680 posts
Associate Professor at LSE, researching political communications and the role of ideas in politics. More on me and my research: https://linktr.ee/NickAnstead
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nickanstead.bsky.social
Nick Anstead @nickanstead.bsky.social · Apr 24
🚨New article alert! 🚨

"Facebook election advertising: dangerous for democracy or politics as usual? The case of the 2017 UK general election" in the Journal of Information Technology & Politics.

Available open access: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
New article title: Facebook election advertising: dangerous for democracy or politics as usual? The case of the 2017 UK general election Abstract: Recent years have seen increasing concern about the potential of Facebook advertisements to microtarget small groups or individuals in the electorate with specific messages during campaigns and the impact such practices might have on democratic institutions. This article examines Facebook advertising during the 2017 UK general election using a dataset created by the civil society organization Who Targets Me. We use content analysis to code negativity and political topics to identify if certain messages disproportionately appear in the feeds of particular voters. Our empirical findings suggest that, while there is evidence of broad demographic targeting occurring, the single most important factor in what appears in a user’s Facebook feed is the point in the election campaign they are accessing Facebook. Surprisingly, given the UK’s first-past-the-post election system, we find limited evidence of geographical targeting. We situate these findings in the political context of the 2017 UK General Election, an unexpected “snap election” which saw large opinion poll movements during the campaign, and was called in the period of political dislocation following the UK’s referendum on European Union membership in 2016. As such, we argue that the election remains an important case study for understanding the interaction between the affordances of Facebook advertising and the political context.
nickanstead.bsky.social
Most British reaction to this policy ever would be other “mansion” owners being very supportive, as the levy forces out the people on their road who don’t have the resources to maintain their properties and are thus harming the value / saleability of their houses.
jameschalmers.bsky.social James Chalmers @jameschalmers.bsky.social · 20h
Mumsnet is already on the case.
My elderly mum lives in a London house worth about 2million. She's been there for over 50 years, and is physically and mentally fragile. There is no way she would EVER want to move, the house and her neighbours are her whole world. She has no spare money - at all. (Neither do I, before anyone suggests this!) How is she supposed to manage this? It's not exactly her fault that the value of the property increased so much since my parents bought it all that time ago. I also have a friend, also in London. Both parents sadly died in an accident about 15 years ago, and she used her inheritance to buy a family home which has also increased massively in value. It's probably also worth over 2 million now! She's a single mum on a lower income with 3 kids who very happy at their local school and within their community - what's she supposed to do? It's just not as simple as 'you live in a high-value house, you can obviously afford to pay several grand a year' as RR seems to think. And for anyone who is about to say 'oh tiny violin, their houses are worth two million' - both of these situations are complicated and quite sad in many ways. Neither my mum nor my friend can simply just sell up and move...anyone have any thoughts on this?
November 27, 2025 at 8:38 AM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
robertsaunders.bsky.social
Even @channel4news.bsky.social opens its budget coverage by asking "What will this do for Labour's position in the polls?"

Polls are not even a good predictor of future elections. They're certainly not a test by which budgets should be measured.

We have to break their cold, dead grip on politics.
November 26, 2025 at 7:15 PM
nickanstead.bsky.social
It doesn’t quite fit with our romantic vision of big pictures and grand reform but there is an argument that the greatest skill in politics is biding your time and just waiting for something to turn up. If you can defer a problem long enough the situation might well change to your advantage.
duncanweldon.bsky.social Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 11h
My real problem today is that I genuinely think “muddling through” is the best short description of this budget approach. But I can’t really say that without it sounding like a desperate book plug.
November 27, 2025 at 8:24 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
Divided by a common language.
cinemashoebox.bsky.social Ben @cinemashoebox.bsky.social · 1d
new favourite New York Times term for a British thing just dropped
November 27, 2025 at 7:45 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
This is a great question… as ever with these things implementation with be tricky.

Personally - speaking as current petrol driver but aspiring EV driver, hopefully in a few years - I can see the rationale for this. You do need to replace the revenue you are losing through petrol duty.
del-boy.bsky.social Kevin Thurston @del-boy.bsky.social · 12h
Genuine question:

What happens if I drive to the South of France and back?

How are we working out UK mileage only?

Seems a bit Little Britain if they plan to use MOT readings.

Tracker devices will be a hard sell.
November 27, 2025 at 7:44 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
Fascinating diagram in this @theguardian.com article on the so-called mansion tax… it shows 25 constituencies with most £2m+ properties and only four of them have a Conservative MP (otherwise Labour, Lib Dem’s and Corbyn). Shows spectacular pivot in UK politics.

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...
‘I don’t live in a mansion. It’s a 1930s house’: Richmond residents react to council tax rise
Rachel Reeves’s new council tax surcharge on homes worth £2m or more earns mixed reception in well-heeled London borough
www.theguardian.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
samfr.bsky.social
Whatever else this government do (and there's plenty of issues with this budget) ministers will always be able to point to this as an incredible important contribution to the country's future. Almost half a million kids taken out of poverty.
alexclegg.bsky.social Alex Clegg @alexclegg.bsky.social · 1d
Scrapping the two-child limit in full is a monumental decision. Well done to all involved in the Child Poverty Strategy, and everyone who has made the case against the policy.

OBR says scrapping costs £3 billion in 2029-30 and will lift 450,000 out of poverty
November 26, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
cjayanetti.bsky.social
OBR says lower net migration will hurt overall productivity
OBR report text: 2.17 Our central forecast sees potential output growth slow from 1.8 per cent in 2025 to 1.3 per cent in 2026, before picking up to 1.5 per cent by 2030 (Chart 2.5). The slowdown next year partly reflects a further fall in levels of net migration, which affects labour supply and aggregate output but has a much smaller impact on output per person. Potential output growth picks up over the rest of the forecast thanks to a recovery in TFP growth, which rises from 0.3 per cent in 2026 to 0.8 per cent in 2030
November 26, 2025 at 12:31 PM
nickanstead.bsky.social
So 24 years ago, I wasn’t able to get tickets when #Radiohead played Headington Park in Oxford…

(loved this period review in @theguardian.com, where Kid A is described as “daring one material”).

www.theguardian.com/culture/2001...
Pop:Radiohead
Radiohead South Park, Oxford ****
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 10:02 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
The obvious response to this sort of commentary is “what steps would you suggest towards eradicating child poverty then?” All the evidence suggests that lifting the two child cap will have a disproportionality positive effect for £s spent. It is a rare easy win.
November 26, 2025 at 9:52 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
Could not be more important at the moment.
hetanshah.bsky.social Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 3d
Important role - new Chair of the Board of @ukri.org
£33k for one day a week. Closes 11 Jan. Would be good from my perspective to get someone who understands higher education and the value of the arts, humanities and social sciences!
plusportal.perrettlaver.com/VacancyDetai...
Perrett Laver - Leading Global Executive Search Firm
plusportal.perrettlaver.com
November 25, 2025 at 8:56 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
🚨🚨🚨Great job at LSE, with lovely colleagues in @lsegovernment.bsky.social.
sarahobolt.bsky.social Sara Hobolt @sarahobolt.bsky.social · 2d
🚨 LSE Assistant Professor in Political Science 🚨

We’re hiring a tenure-track assistant professor - any area of empirical political science - to join our wonderful Government Dept @lsegovernment.bsky.social

Any questions, please reach out to me

📣 Please share! 📣

jobs.lse.ac.uk/Vacancies/W/...
November 25, 2025 at 8:41 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
5 party politics with first past the post? What could go wrong?
electionmaps.uk Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 2d
Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 25% (-2)
LAB: 19% (=)
CON: 18% (+1)
GRN: 16% (-1)
LDM: 15% (+2)
SNP: 3% (=)

Via @yougov.co.uk, 23-24 Nov.
Changes w/ 16-17 Nov.
November 25, 2025 at 8:37 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
⬇️ this looks like a great job!
November 25, 2025 at 8:36 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
Commiseration to anyone who invested in day 3 or day 4 tickets of this Ashes test series.
November 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
lastpositivist.bsky.social
This (from: www.ft.com/content/75ce...) is something you can *feel* if you are in the UK, especially if you've experienced living abroad. But infuriatingly successive governments and our entire media are somehow absolutely committed to suggesting anyone who wants to change this is the devil...
Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour. https://www.ft.com/content/75ce2fba-f6df-4d72-a5a4-0a297d50891f?emailId=5ae282da-81cb-4162-8f99-b98a89b5f638&segmentId=22011ee7-896a-8c4c-22a0-7603348b7f22 Successful social democracies spread both taxation and spending across the population. Everyone pays their way and everyone reaps the benefits in the form of high-quality and well-funded public services, fostering socio-economic solidarity with buy-in from the top and bottom alike. At the other end of the spectrum, the US has lower taxes and public spending, but a far more dynamic economy and strong incentives for work and innovation. Its robust growth means high living standards are no longer confined to the top but increasingly shared across much of the population. The UK has the worst of both worlds: it collects much less tax revenue from the middle of the income distribution than its European neighbours with better-quality public services, while at the top the combination of high and rising taxes with the abrupt withdrawal of public goods creates bad incentives and resentment all round. The UK’s curious experiment in eating the rich while shrinking the state has left Britons less satisfied with their public services than not only Scandinavians but most Americans, and poorer than not only Americans but most Scandinavians.
November 21, 2025 at 7:38 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
The report may go into this - I have not read yet - but important to remember that when lockdown happened, it was not actually (directly at least) an attempt to prevent Covid deaths, but rather to stop the NHS from collapsing under the weight of need.

www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...
Lockdown a week earlier could have saved 23,000 lives, Covid report concludes – UK politics live
Findings of inquiry into handling of pandemic by Boris Johnson’s government paint picture of delay and inaction
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 4:58 PM
nickanstead.bsky.social
❤️ this, as we were a Master System family.

Also hat tip to @richardanstead.bsky.social & @edwardanstead.bsky.social who found it in the loft a few months ago & got it working (sadly the light gun no longer works because apparently modern TVs are better…).

www.theguardian.com/games/2025/n...
Master System at 40: the truth about Sega’s most underrated console
Forty years ago, the Nintendo Entertainment System dominated the markets in Japan and the US. But in Europe, a technologically superior rival was making it look like an ancient relic
www.theguardian.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
nickanstead.bsky.social
This is genuinely bizarre… a “bombshell u-turn” for a policy that hasn’t been announced? Briefings have firmed up in past few days, suggesting income tax change was likely but it is beyond weird to climb down from a position that didn’t actually exist. #budget #labour
Guardian headline saying that government to abandon income tax plans.
November 14, 2025 at 7:54 AM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
levostregc.bsky.social
Spydere Man, Spydere Man
Doth al things a spydere kan
Sondry webbes he kan weaven
Thieves lyke flyes he kan cacchen
Lo! anon cometh Spydere Man
November 13, 2025 at 4:33 PM
nickanstead.bsky.social
If you enjoyed the final of Celebrity Traitors last night, you might be interested in this blog post I wrote on how celebrities voted differently at the roundtable from regular contestants.

hardboardscrookedtimbers.org/yes-celebrit...
a woman in a green hooded cape holding a lantern
Alt: Alan Carr in a green hooded cape holding a lantern
media.tenor.com
November 7, 2025 at 2:28 PM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
lsemedia.bsky.social
Yes, celebrities do play #Traitors differently from regular contestants… and here’s the political science to prove it, as explained by @nickanstead.bsky.social: hardboardscrookedtimbers.org/yes-celebrit...

#CelebrityTraitors
Yes, celebrities do play Traitors differently from regular contestants... and here's the political science to prove it - Hard boards and crooked timbers
(Warning: this post contains spoilers, so if you haven’t been watching Celebrity Traitors, you might wish not to read on…) As well as being the TV event of the year so far, Celebrity Traitors, which c...
hardboardscrookedtimbers.org
November 6, 2025 at 5:08 PM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
dralanwager.bsky.social
Superb stuff from @nickanstead.bsky.social.

The Celebrity Traitors are behaving like a more fragmented and volatile electorate. Perhaps because they have less on the line?
November 6, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Reposted by Nick Anstead
alicecpark.bsky.social
Understanding the causes of things….
nickanstead.bsky.social Nick Anstead @nickanstead.bsky.social · 21d
Yes, celebrities do play Traitors differently from regular contestants... and here's the political science to prove it

https://hardboardscrookedtimbers.org/yes-celebrities-do-play-traitors-differently-from-regular-contestants-and-heres-the-political-science-to-prove-it/
November 6, 2025 at 8:53 AM
nickanstead.bsky.social
A new blog entry from me, crunching some numbers on voting in the Celebrity Traitors roundtables (warning: contains spoilers). TLDR: they vote differently from regular players.

#traitors #bbc #final #fragmentation

hardboardscrookedtimbers.org/yes-celebrit...
Yes, celebrities do play Traitors differently from regular contestants... and here's the political science to prove it - Hard boards and crooked timbers
(Warning: this post contains spoilers, so if you haven’t been watching Celebrity Traitors, you might wish not to read on…) As well as being the TV event of the year so far, Celebrity Traitors, which c...
hardboardscrookedtimbers.org
November 6, 2025 at 7:11 AM