Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
@sundersays.bsky.social
Director of @britishfuture.bsky.social
Author How to be a Patriot https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/how-to-be-a-patriot-why-love-of-country-can-end-our-very-british-culture-war-sunder-katwala?variant=40518936559694
Evertonian
Author How to be a Patriot https://harpercollins.co.uk/products/how-to-be-a-patriot-why-love-of-country-can-end-our-very-british-culture-war-sunder-katwala?variant=40518936559694
Evertonian
Pinned
On the way to the Festival of Remembrance, with Indi, 13. My thoughts in my column this week on how these traditions were invented to fill the identity gaps of the 1920s and how renewing them in the 2020s can be one way to bridge divides in polarised times
www.britishfuture.org/in-divided-t...
www.britishfuture.org/in-divided-t...
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
We will examine attitudes towards immigration in a public hearing for our inquiry into community cohesion.
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
November 10, 2025 at 12:25 PM
We will examine attitudes towards immigration in a public hearing for our inquiry into community cohesion.
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
Our @sundersays.bsky.social is giving evidence tomorrow to the @commonswec.parliament.uk inquiry into community cohesion - details below (you can watch live)
We will examine attitudes towards immigration in a public hearing for our inquiry into community cohesion.
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
Watch at 2.20pm on 12 November, with:
@petergeoghegan.bsky.social | @britishfuture.bsky.social | @hopenothate.org.uk
Find out more: committees.parliament.uk/event/24864/...
November 11, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Our @sundersays.bsky.social is giving evidence tomorrow to the @commonswec.parliament.uk inquiry into community cohesion - details below (you can watch live)
In Leeds today. All quiet at the majestic!
November 11, 2025 at 3:00 PM
In Leeds today. All quiet at the majestic!
Trump's nonsense $1 billion number is all over the British newspaper front-pages
November 11, 2025 at 12:36 AM
Trump's nonsense $1 billion number is all over the British newspaper front-pages
Kemi Badenoch says she "actually believes in the institution" of the BBC while "trying to save the BBC from itself"
That first bit may be the most pro-BBC thing she has said (!)
That first bit may be the most pro-BBC thing she has said (!)
November 10, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Kemi Badenoch says she "actually believes in the institution" of the BBC while "trying to save the BBC from itself"
That first bit may be the most pro-BBC thing she has said (!)
That first bit may be the most pro-BBC thing she has said (!)
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
The BBC belongs to all of us, and it is under attack as never before. The government must defend it from its enemies, within and without, says Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 6:07 PM
The first step towards saving our precious BBC: remove Robbie Gibb from the board | Ed Davey
This kind of influence by a political appointee of the Johnson government, with a strong partisan record and reputation, appeared a Faustian pact imposed on the BBC by the government of the day. Its striking that this attempt continued after a change of government
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
‘Make no mistake – this was a coup’: the extraordinary downfall of the BBC’s top bosses
The whirlwind that started when Deborah Turness came under attack at a board meeting is part of a wider political story, some say
www.theguardian.com
November 10, 2025 at 10:53 PM
This kind of influence by a political appointee of the Johnson government, with a strong partisan record and reputation, appeared a Faustian pact imposed on the BBC by the government of the day. Its striking that this attempt continued after a change of government
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
www.theguardian.com/media/ng-int...
David Szalay's Flesh wins the 2025 Booker Prize. Jury chaired by Roddy Doyle this year
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Booker Prize: David Szalay's Flesh wins 2025 fiction award
Booker judges describe British-Hungarian author David Szalay's Flesh as
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 10:03 PM
David Szalay's Flesh wins the 2025 Booker Prize. Jury chaired by Roddy Doyle this year
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
An excellent, impartial analysis of Trump's incendiary January 6th 2021 speech. From the....BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-u...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-u...
Capitol riots: Did Trump's words at rally incite violence?
Donald Trump was accused of inciting violence that left five people dead. So what did the president say?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 9:50 PM
An excellent, impartial analysis of Trump's incendiary January 6th 2021 speech. From the....BBC.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-u...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-u...
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
November 10, 2025 at 6:40 PM
SUPERB and angrily unvarnished response, by former BBC chairman, Lord Patten.
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
"I don't think that we should allow ourselves to be bullied into thinking that the BBC is only any good, if it reflects the prejudice of the last person who shouted at it." ~AA
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
No single US news source is consumed by more than 25% of Americans, whereas 60% of Brits regularly watch/read/listen to the BBC.
A single shared source of truth makes it harder for partisan echo chambers to form, or for divisive narratives to dominate. It’s good for social cohesion and compromise.
A single shared source of truth makes it harder for partisan echo chambers to form, or for divisive narratives to dominate. It’s good for social cohesion and compromise.
November 10, 2025 at 1:43 PM
No single US news source is consumed by more than 25% of Americans, whereas 60% of Brits regularly watch/read/listen to the BBC.
A single shared source of truth makes it harder for partisan echo chambers to form, or for divisive narratives to dominate. It’s good for social cohesion and compromise.
A single shared source of truth makes it harder for partisan echo chambers to form, or for divisive narratives to dominate. It’s good for social cohesion and compromise.
Anybody who had a vision to bring American levels of political, cultural and social polarisation to Britain - whether their motive was clicks or cash, ideology, boredom or anything else - would make it their top strategic priority to abolish the BBC, or to damage and diminish it at the very least
Quick thread on the BBC and the political and societal significance of recent developments:
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
One of the main reasons the UK has historically been so much less polarised than the US, is that Britain has a shared source of information, consumed and trusted by most people regardless of their politics.
November 10, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Anybody who had a vision to bring American levels of political, cultural and social polarisation to Britain - whether their motive was clicks or cash, ideology, boredom or anything else - would make it their top strategic priority to abolish the BBC, or to damage and diminish it at the very least
Ant Middleton combines racism with ignorance about the world wars as he continues his racist campaign to lose his Mayor of London deposit (when he advocates a racist bar on the current Mayor from offiice + over two-thirds of the London electorate if their grandparents weren't born here!)
"I wouldn't expect someone like Adil Ray to understand...I'd love to have grabbed Adil Ray by the scruff of the neck & thrown him back to 1944... on the beaches of Normandy... and also for him to look to his left and his right and realise they look nothing like him."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkng...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkng...
'Grab Adil Ray By The Scruff Of The Neck' Says Former UK Special Forces Officer Ant Middleton
YouTube video by TalkTV
www.youtube.com
November 10, 2025 at 5:17 PM
Ant Middleton combines racism with ignorance about the world wars as he continues his racist campaign to lose his Mayor of London deposit (when he advocates a racist bar on the current Mayor from offiice + over two-thirds of the London electorate if their grandparents weren't born here!)
Big in Japan! Interview with Hojin Fukunaga of the Mainichi Newspapers about flags, immigration, integration and national identity
mainichi.jp/premier/poli...
mainichi.jp/premier/poli...
November 10, 2025 at 5:10 PM
Big in Japan! Interview with Hojin Fukunaga of the Mainichi Newspapers about flags, immigration, integration and national identity
mainichi.jp/premier/poli...
mainichi.jp/premier/poli...
Public trust in media (Reuters/Oxford) 2024
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news...
November 10, 2025 at 1:03 PM
Public trust in media (Reuters/Oxford) 2024
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news...
reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/digital-news...
Mail Online reports Nigel Farage says that the BBC may have no future.
He imagines bringing to an end century of public service broadcasting in the UK - because the populist politician and his US political ally Donald Trump do not want the BBC to survive
No thanks, Nigel.
No thanks, Donald
He imagines bringing to an end century of public service broadcasting in the UK - because the populist politician and his US political ally Donald Trump do not want the BBC to survive
No thanks, Nigel.
No thanks, Donald
November 10, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Mail Online reports Nigel Farage says that the BBC may have no future.
He imagines bringing to an end century of public service broadcasting in the UK - because the populist politician and his US political ally Donald Trump do not want the BBC to survive
No thanks, Nigel.
No thanks, Donald
He imagines bringing to an end century of public service broadcasting in the UK - because the populist politician and his US political ally Donald Trump do not want the BBC to survive
No thanks, Nigel.
No thanks, Donald
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
I’ve written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage urging them to condemn Donald Trump’s attack on the BBC.
The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.
The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.
November 10, 2025 at 11:29 AM
I’ve written to Keir Starmer, Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage urging them to condemn Donald Trump’s attack on the BBC.
The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.
The BBC belongs to Britain, not Trump. We must defend it together.
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
After a fourth successive heavy annual defeat for Restore Trust, we should (but won't) have Telegraph reporters descending on the scone-eaters at historic properties to ask why they weren't in touch
This is an assymetry between the liberal left and the culture warriors of the metropolitan right
This is an assymetry between the liberal left and the culture warriors of the metropolitan right
November 9, 2025 at 4:34 PM
After a fourth successive heavy annual defeat for Restore Trust, we should (but won't) have Telegraph reporters descending on the scone-eaters at historic properties to ask why they weren't in touch
This is an assymetry between the liberal left and the culture warriors of the metropolitan right
This is an assymetry between the liberal left and the culture warriors of the metropolitan right
Shuab Ganote and Peter Hyman write for Demos on their conversations with 16 yesr olds on their experiences of society, technology, gender shifts, role models & their views of the future
demos.co.uk/research/ins...
demos.co.uk/research/ins...
Inside the mind of a 16-year-old: From Andrew Tate to Bonnie Blue to Nigel Farage - what do first time voters think about social media, politics, the state of Britain and their futures?
Demos is Britain’s leading cross-party think-tank. We produce original research, publish innovative thinkers and host thought-provoking events.
demos.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 8:35 AM
Shuab Ganote and Peter Hyman write for Demos on their conversations with 16 yesr olds on their experiences of society, technology, gender shifts, role models & their views of the future
demos.co.uk/research/ins...
demos.co.uk/research/ins...
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
This is true, but you know, equally, it's not like the BBC has in any way taken on *any* of the challenges in the serious thematic reviews into its coverage of the economy or of migration either!
Prescott's 19 page memo criticising specific programmes in 6 different areas. It is much more subjective - coming from his own perspective across issues - than the thematic reviews conducted by the BBC with a clear methodology & engagement with all perspectives
www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
www.bbc.co.uk/aboutthebbc/...
www.bbc.co.uk
November 10, 2025 at 12:03 AM
This is true, but you know, equally, it's not like the BBC has in any way taken on *any* of the challenges in the serious thematic reviews into its coverage of the economy or of migration either!
This is the Michael Prescott memo about BBC coverage (Telegraph).
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
Access Restricted
www.telegraph.co.uk
November 9, 2025 at 11:51 PM
This is the Michael Prescott memo about BBC coverage (Telegraph).
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11...
A strange post from the Ukip leader, pictured at the Aldershot memorial, but seeming to want people to believe/imagine it was the Cenotaph
November 9, 2025 at 11:24 PM
A strange post from the Ukip leader, pictured at the Aldershot memorial, but seeming to want people to believe/imagine it was the Cenotaph
Reposted by Sunder Katwala (sundersays)
Can’t believe they didn’t even have the decency to play Cat’s wonderful song “Endgame” when she got voted off. Tim Davie and Lisa Nandy should both resign. #thetraitors
November 6, 2025 at 11:45 PM
Can’t believe they didn’t even have the decency to play Cat’s wonderful song “Endgame” when she got voted off. Tim Davie and Lisa Nandy should both resign. #thetraitors