Tim Bale
@timbale.bsky.social
Professor of Politics at Queen Mary University of London & author of The Conservative Party after Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation (now out in paperback). The bits and pieces I do for websites and newspapers turn up eventually at https://proftimbale.com
Reposted by Tim Bale
📻 Great new podcast on political behaviour - the last episode features my @lsegovernment.bsky.social colleague Florian Foos @florianfoos.bsky.social on whether campaigns matter, Mamdani’s victory and the Dutch elections -
listen here ⬇️
linktr.ee/Politically....
listen here ⬇️
linktr.ee/Politically....
November 15, 2025 at 6:48 PM
📻 Great new podcast on political behaviour - the last episode features my @lsegovernment.bsky.social colleague Florian Foos @florianfoos.bsky.social on whether campaigns matter, Mamdani’s victory and the Dutch elections -
listen here ⬇️
linktr.ee/Politically....
listen here ⬇️
linktr.ee/Politically....
Reposted by Tim Bale
Research on this is clear: the uncertainty created by this policy will lead to people integrate less into British society. It is trading-off the reasonable policy goal of integration for the useless symbolism of immigration numbers. Bad policy to appease the far right.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 1:09 PM
Research on this is clear: the uncertainty created by this policy will lead to people integrate less into British society. It is trading-off the reasonable policy goal of integration for the useless symbolism of immigration numbers. Bad policy to appease the far right.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Tim Bale
Terrific, thought-provoking piece by @chrisdillow.bsky.social:
On incompetence
Much of our political culture is fundamentally incompetent.
chrisdillow.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 1:18 PM
Terrific, thought-provoking piece by @chrisdillow.bsky.social:
Reposted by Tim Bale
(walks into a room, sees a blonde man called Brexit frantically stabbing for four years a twitching near-corpse called British Productivity)
"Well, the Resolution Foundation has a *lot* of explaining to do"
"Well, the Resolution Foundation has a *lot* of explaining to do"
The Resolution Foundation should take this as a sign of support from the editor of the Times that they haven't chosen to send out one of their credible, economically rated writers, but someone who's actually run a similarly-redistribution minded think tank, and former Tory candidate to boot
At last, a fearless @thetimes.com enquiry into the Institute of Economic Affairs’ economically disastrous effects and Policy Exchange’s pernicious legacy of division? No, just an attack one of the few think tanks that did not shape Labour’s toxic inheritance.
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
www.thetimes.com/comment/colu...
November 15, 2025 at 1:24 PM
(walks into a room, sees a blonde man called Brexit frantically stabbing for four years a twitching near-corpse called British Productivity)
"Well, the Resolution Foundation has a *lot* of explaining to do"
"Well, the Resolution Foundation has a *lot* of explaining to do"
Reposted by Tim Bale
So many social media patriots! Delighting in the hope that the president of a foreign nation might destroy a British institution that is envied around the world! 🇬🇧
November 15, 2025 at 1:49 PM
So many social media patriots! Delighting in the hope that the president of a foreign nation might destroy a British institution that is envied around the world! 🇬🇧
Reposted by Tim Bale
Indeed. The BBC is in my view one of Britain‘s most important institutions. It is imperfect.
Everything is.
You destroy it at your peril.
If ever there was a time to rally around something very British, it is now.
Just an outsider‘s opinion.
Everything is.
You destroy it at your peril.
If ever there was a time to rally around something very British, it is now.
Just an outsider‘s opinion.
So many social media patriots! Delighting in the hope that the president of a foreign nation might destroy a British institution that is envied around the world! 🇬🇧
November 15, 2025 at 1:52 PM
Indeed. The BBC is in my view one of Britain‘s most important institutions. It is imperfect.
Everything is.
You destroy it at your peril.
If ever there was a time to rally around something very British, it is now.
Just an outsider‘s opinion.
Everything is.
You destroy it at your peril.
If ever there was a time to rally around something very British, it is now.
Just an outsider‘s opinion.
Reposted by Tim Bale
Labour's fear of Reform, 'the election is tomorrow' attitude means that they are completely incapable of going 'okay, but what are *actually* the consequences of refugee and asylum policy that people don't like?'
This is as bad as anything proposed by Reform.
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Leaving refugees in permanent limbo and unable to build a new life in the UK would be a complete abdication of our humanitarian responsibilities
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
UK set to limit refugees to temporary stays
Shabana Mahmood is expected to say the era of permanent protection for refugees is over, in major changes to the UK's asylum and immigration system.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Labour's fear of Reform, 'the election is tomorrow' attitude means that they are completely incapable of going 'okay, but what are *actually* the consequences of refugee and asylum policy that people don't like?'
Reposted by Tim Bale
Forgive me if I'm wrong, I can't think of a single politician who campaigned hard for Brexit who has since come out and said that they think it was a mistake. Surely, in their heart of hearts, literally one or two of them must know that. So is it that they can't admit it to themselves or just to us?
November 14, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Forgive me if I'm wrong, I can't think of a single politician who campaigned hard for Brexit who has since come out and said that they think it was a mistake. Surely, in their heart of hearts, literally one or two of them must know that. So is it that they can't admit it to themselves or just to us?
Reposted by Tim Bale
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Reposted by Tim Bale
Probably a wise move to follow and trust independent media, like Sam. Here tackles greedy liars who took a wrecking ball to Britain
open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...
open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...
November 15, 2025 at 10:26 AM
Probably a wise move to follow and trust independent media, like Sam. Here tackles greedy liars who took a wrecking ball to Britain
open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...
open.substack.com/pub/writesbr...
Wet grass never tasted or sounded so good!
November 15, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Wet grass never tasted or sounded so good!
Reposted by Tim Bale
I don't think this will actually happen. But if it does, the UK should simply start subjecting the actions of US-owned social media platforms in this country to British law. Incitement, defamation, intellectual property.
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM
I don't think this will actually happen. But if it does, the UK should simply start subjecting the actions of US-owned social media platforms in this country to British law. Incitement, defamation, intellectual property.
@martinrowson.bsky.social nails it - and them. (www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...)
November 15, 2025 at 7:40 AM
@martinrowson.bsky.social nails it - and them. (www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...)
Reposted by Tim Bale
Britons, Your Auntie Needs YOU!
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:21 AM
Britons, Your Auntie Needs YOU!
Cracking, as per, from @chrisgrey.bsky.social . I particularly loved "[BBC] Radio Four’s Moral Maze (surely the most flatulently self-important and uninformative show in the entire history of broadcasting, but that’s by the way)." #DriveBy
Stasis, sanctimony and the liberal paradox. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog with such Brexit news as there is, but mainly analysis of what 'responsible Farage' tells us about the tensions in Reform and what the BBC row tells us about Brexitism: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/stas...
November 15, 2025 at 7:18 AM
Cracking, as per, from @chrisgrey.bsky.social . I particularly loved "[BBC] Radio Four’s Moral Maze (surely the most flatulently self-important and uninformative show in the entire history of broadcasting, but that’s by the way)." #DriveBy
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
Trump says he will sue BBC for at least $1bn over Panorama edit
The US president confirmed he intends to sue the broadcaster for at least $1bn over the Panorama edit of a 2021 speech.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 7:10 AM
Buckle up - because this now amounts to a direct and deliberate attack on our country and its cultural sovereignty. Which side our politicians take - Trump's or the BBC's - over the coming days and weeks will speak volumes about their patriotism.
PREACH!
When I chose to study politics for a living I had no idea that politics would get this dumb.
November 15, 2025 at 6:59 AM
PREACH!
ft QM’s Amanda Vickery
AntiSocial - The single woman stigma - BBC Sounds
Why have single women been feared, vilified and associated with cats?
www.bbc.co.uk
November 15, 2025 at 6:58 AM
ft QM’s Amanda Vickery
Reposted by Tim Bale
A Washington resident has been hospitalized with bird flu, according to the Washington State Health Department, and they’re infected with a strain of the virus that hasn’t been seen in humans before. https://cnn.it/4oIRswI
November 15, 2025 at 3:31 AM
A Washington resident has been hospitalized with bird flu, according to the Washington State Health Department, and they’re infected with a strain of the virus that hasn’t been seen in humans before. https://cnn.it/4oIRswI
Apposite across the Atlantic.
“Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it; and this I know, my Lords, that where laws end, there tyranny begins.”
The Great Commoner, William Pitt the Elder, born #OTD 1708.
Portrait by William Hoare c. 1754, National Portrait Gallery London
The Great Commoner, William Pitt the Elder, born #OTD 1708.
Portrait by William Hoare c. 1754, National Portrait Gallery London
November 15, 2025 at 6:46 AM
Apposite across the Atlantic.
Reposted by Tim Bale
It doesn't follow that rejoining will give a 6-8% boost to GDP, as much of the hit came from uncertainty reducing business investment, & we mightn't get this back. If a man's been hit by a bus you don't restore him to health by reversing the bus.
November 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM
It doesn't follow that rejoining will give a 6-8% boost to GDP, as much of the hit came from uncertainty reducing business investment, & we mightn't get this back. If a man's been hit by a bus you don't restore him to health by reversing the bus.
Leaf etched on a pavement by nothing but the autumn rain.
November 14, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Leaf etched on a pavement by nothing but the autumn rain.
Reposted by Tim Bale
He's lucky that I love a A House Through Time so much is all I'm saying.
“Bristol Dog Action Welfare Group Greyhound & Lurcher Rescue” is quite something too
November 14, 2025 at 5:13 PM
He's lucky that I love a A House Through Time so much is all I'm saying.
Reposted by Tim Bale
Don't think there's any doubt it would have been incredibly unpopular.
The relevant questions are a) will the tax rises they do instead be more or less unpopular and b) would it allow them to do things that made them look more competent in three years' time.
The relevant questions are a) will the tax rises they do instead be more or less unpopular and b) would it allow them to do things that made them look more competent in three years' time.
Quite a contrast to the BlueSky consensus the last 24 hours
Do you think the government was right or wrong to decide not to raise income tax at the Budget?
Right: 58%
Wrong: 21%
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
Right: 58%
Wrong: 21%
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
November 14, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Don't think there's any doubt it would have been incredibly unpopular.
The relevant questions are a) will the tax rises they do instead be more or less unpopular and b) would it allow them to do things that made them look more competent in three years' time.
The relevant questions are a) will the tax rises they do instead be more or less unpopular and b) would it allow them to do things that made them look more competent in three years' time.