Vladimir Bortun
@vladimirbortun.bsky.social
Materialist political scientist and lecturer in politics, currently based at St. John's College, Oxford. Working on class politics, far right parties, fractions of capital, political elites, and the European left. From Bucharest.
Pinned
The paper on the class politics of Reform UK, which I've been working on with @aaronreeves.bsky.social for the last year and a half, is now available as a pre-print on SSRN. These are our main findings. Any feedback is more than welcome.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
The most important Marxist event in Eastern Europe now at its third edition: Cluj, 16-18 April. Last week to send in your abstracts.
www.historicalmaterialism.org/event/histor...
www.historicalmaterialism.org/event/histor...
Historical Materialism Cluj / Kolozsvár - Historical Materialism
www.historicalmaterialism.org
February 2, 2026 at 11:53 PM
The most important Marxist event in Eastern Europe now at its third edition: Cluj, 16-18 April. Last week to send in your abstracts.
www.historicalmaterialism.org/event/histor...
www.historicalmaterialism.org/event/histor...
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
With the far right gaining ground, some on the Left look to the Popular Front of the 1930s for inspiration. But despite its successes in unifying the Left against fascism, the Popular Front’s overall track record was in fact decidedly mixed.
The Popular Front’s Enduring but Ambivalent Legacy - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
Unity against the far right is a vital precondition for social transformation, but socialist strategy must go further
www.rosalux.de
February 2, 2026 at 10:12 AM
With the far right gaining ground, some on the Left look to the Popular Front of the 1930s for inspiration. But despite its successes in unifying the Left against fascism, the Popular Front’s overall track record was in fact decidedly mixed.
Reform leaders say they're "the party of the workers", but only 4% of their 2024 parliamentary candidates had occupations traditionally deemed as working class. However, they are different from mainstream politicians in one crucial respect: the overrepresentation of the petty bourgeoisie.
February 2, 2026 at 8:47 AM
Reform leaders say they're "the party of the workers", but only 4% of their 2024 parliamentary candidates had occupations traditionally deemed as working class. However, they are different from mainstream politicians in one crucial respect: the overrepresentation of the petty bourgeoisie.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Israel bombed tents in Gaza today, killed at least 30 people including children, and the death toll is likely to rise
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Children and police officers among at least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza
Deadly attacks launched day before border crossing due to open as part of ceasefire deal
www.theguardian.com
January 31, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Israel bombed tents in Gaza today, killed at least 30 people including children, and the death toll is likely to rise
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Something that "man-of-the-people" Matt Goodwin might not mention in his bid to become an MP is his leading role in one of the most Thatcherite think-tanks out there.
www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-mone...
www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-mone...
February 1, 2026 at 10:12 AM
Something that "man-of-the-people" Matt Goodwin might not mention in his bid to become an MP is his leading role in one of the most Thatcherite think-tanks out there.
www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-mone...
www.opendemocracy.net/en/dark-mone...
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
straight up Gestapo shit
January 31, 2026 at 8:54 PM
straight up Gestapo shit
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Israel's apologists spent over 2 years sowing distrust in the official Gaza death toll.
Now the Israeli army quietly accepts that it is actually an underestimate.
Eternal shame for the atrocity deniers. They must never be absolved of their guilt.
Now the Israeli army quietly accepts that it is actually an underestimate.
Eternal shame for the atrocity deniers. They must never be absolved of their guilt.
January 30, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Israel's apologists spent over 2 years sowing distrust in the official Gaza death toll.
Now the Israeli army quietly accepts that it is actually an underestimate.
Eternal shame for the atrocity deniers. They must never be absolved of their guilt.
Now the Israeli army quietly accepts that it is actually an underestimate.
Eternal shame for the atrocity deniers. They must never be absolved of their guilt.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Happy to have been interviewed for @rfi.fr 's latest "Spotlight on France" podcast on drug prices and Trump's threats! An episode that you can listen to here:
Spotlight on France - Podcast: Drug prices, Dry January, nuclear tests in French Polynesia
How France negotiates drug prices and the impact of US President Donald Trump's pressure to raise them. The Paris bar celebrating sobriety as more people embrace Dry January. And the radioactive…
www.rfi.fr
January 30, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Happy to have been interviewed for @rfi.fr 's latest "Spotlight on France" podcast on drug prices and Trump's threats! An episode that you can listen to here:
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Wonder if Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin remembers this.
January 28, 2026 at 12:54 PM
Wonder if Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin remembers this.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/01/28/d...
Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life...
From the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) yesterday: Reform UK have announced plans for cuts to income tax in Scotland if they were to win the Scottish Parliament elections in May. They say they …
talkingupscotlandtwo.com
January 28, 2026 at 7:54 PM
Dear voter, sick of the other parties and tempted by Reform UK? Don’t be daft. Don’t do it. They’re not your friends. Unless you are already rich, this report proves that they will only make your life and your family’s lives worse talkingupscotlandtwo.com/2026/01/28/d...
The paper on the class politics of Reform UK, which I've been working on with @aaronreeves.bsky.social for the last year and a half, is now available as a pre-print on SSRN. These are our main findings. Any feedback is more than welcome.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
January 28, 2026 at 5:01 PM
The paper on the class politics of Reform UK, which I've been working on with @aaronreeves.bsky.social for the last year and a half, is now available as a pre-print on SSRN. These are our main findings. Any feedback is more than welcome.
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
My recent article on the European left now in Spanish for the Argentinian edition of Jacobin.
jacobinlat.com/2026/01/la-d...
jacobinlat.com/2026/01/la-d...
La década perdida de la izquierda europea - Jacobin Revista
Hace diez años, partidos insurgentes en el sur de Europa fueron elegidos con la promesa de transformar el capitalismo. Su fracaso ofrece lecciones que la izquierda contemporánea no puede darse el lujo...
jacobinlat.com
January 28, 2026 at 3:15 PM
My recent article on the European left now in Spanish for the Argentinian edition of Jacobin.
jacobinlat.com/2026/01/la-d...
jacobinlat.com/2026/01/la-d...
Matt Goodwin's trajectory, from scholar of the far-right to its 'organic' intellectual to parliamentary candidate, certainly has an ideological component but ultimately can't be understood without factoring in his own material interests. From my review of his book for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social.
January 28, 2026 at 9:39 AM
Matt Goodwin's trajectory, from scholar of the far-right to its 'organic' intellectual to parliamentary candidate, certainly has an ideological component but ultimately can't be understood without factoring in his own material interests. From my review of his book for @lsereviewofbooks.bsky.social.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
Very much looking forward to this - Silicon Empires by @nsrnicek.bsky.social is the best book I've read on the political economy of AI
The Dig you’ve been waiting for to understand the political economy of AI as it becomes fulcrum of global contests and conflicts over economic and military dominance. My interview w/ @nsrnicek.bsky.social on his book Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI www.thedigradio.com/podcast/sili...
Silicon Empires w/ Nick Srnicek
Nick Srnicek on Silicon Empires: The Fight for the Future of AI. A deep exploration of the political economy of AI: the fulcrum of the authoritarian tech oligarchy—and of global contests for economic ...
www.thedigradio.com
January 27, 2026 at 5:15 PM
Very much looking forward to this - Silicon Empires by @nsrnicek.bsky.social is the best book I've read on the political economy of AI
This dual peformativity is typical of Reform's party elites: simultaneously mobilise working class and elite credentials to distinguish themselves from both the current political elites and the working class they claim to represent.
Matt Goodwin to run for Reform in Gorton and Denton
January 27, 2026 at 8:51 PM
This dual peformativity is typical of Reform's party elites: simultaneously mobilise working class and elite credentials to distinguish themselves from both the current political elites and the working class they claim to represent.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
A critique of the polarisation narrative: expanding the limits of democracy, parties and political participation doi.org/10.1057/s412... Polarization
Narrative, Political parties, Public sphere, Democratic expansion @juanroch.bsky.social @daniel-balinhas.bsky.social @aurelmondon.bsky.social
Narrative, Political parties, Public sphere, Democratic expansion @juanroch.bsky.social @daniel-balinhas.bsky.social @aurelmondon.bsky.social
A critique of the polarisation narrative: expanding the limits of democracy, parties and political participation - Contemporary Political Theory
Contemporary Political Theory - Public discourse about polarisation has become one of the latest hypes in politics, whether it is in the political sphere proper, the media, or academia. Much like...
doi.org
January 27, 2026 at 9:07 AM
A critique of the polarisation narrative: expanding the limits of democracy, parties and political participation doi.org/10.1057/s412... Polarization
Narrative, Political parties, Public sphere, Democratic expansion @juanroch.bsky.social @daniel-balinhas.bsky.social @aurelmondon.bsky.social
Narrative, Political parties, Public sphere, Democratic expansion @juanroch.bsky.social @daniel-balinhas.bsky.social @aurelmondon.bsky.social
The crypto-AI-military complex and its tentacles. Fascinating project that maps the fraction of US capital currently in the driving seat and how far right, so-called "sovereignist", parties in Europe are keen to serve its imperialist and authoritarian agenda.
authoritarian-stack.info
authoritarian-stack.info
January 27, 2026 at 4:36 PM
The crypto-AI-military complex and its tentacles. Fascinating project that maps the fraction of US capital currently in the driving seat and how far right, so-called "sovereignist", parties in Europe are keen to serve its imperialist and authoritarian agenda.
authoritarian-stack.info
authoritarian-stack.info
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
In just a few years, a cabal of right-wing tech oligarchs has taken control over large swaths of governance infrastructure. The new project Authoritarian Stack maps this cabal — and exposes the grave threat to European democracy it poses.
The Authoritarian Stack: Mapping Big Tech’s Capture of State Power - Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung
A new project exposes the infrastructure of techno-oligarchic control — and why Europe must act
www.rosalux.de
January 27, 2026 at 12:11 PM
In just a few years, a cabal of right-wing tech oligarchs has taken control over large swaths of governance infrastructure. The new project Authoritarian Stack maps this cabal — and exposes the grave threat to European democracy it poses.
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
I spoke to the brilliant @petergeoghegan.bsky.social about the British elite and how they profit from the symbolic market for ordinariness
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/who-really...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/who-really...
Who really rules Britain?
I talked to Sam Friedman about Britain’s elite - and its political power
democracyforsale.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 8:02 AM
I spoke to the brilliant @petergeoghegan.bsky.social about the British elite and how they profit from the symbolic market for ordinariness
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/who-really...
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/who-really...
This speech from the Canadian PM is truly remarkable, the kind of stuff you'd hear a neo-Gramscian IR scholar say at some fringe academic conference - simply unimaginable only a couple of years ago (when, for example, the Biden administration was sponsoring the genocide in Gaza).
Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "
January 20, 2026 at 5:20 PM
This speech from the Canadian PM is truly remarkable, the kind of stuff you'd hear a neo-Gramscian IR scholar say at some fringe academic conference - simply unimaginable only a couple of years ago (when, for example, the Biden administration was sponsoring the genocide in Gaza).
Reposted by Vladimir Bortun
New CPERN online workshop: Finance and the Far Right (29 Jan)
Join us to discuss how asset-manager capitalism has shaped financial-nationalist politics
With author @ingarade.bsky.social and discussants Owen Worth and @alentop.bsky.social
On zoom: bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
See you there!
Join us to discuss how asset-manager capitalism has shaped financial-nationalist politics
With author @ingarade.bsky.social and discussants Owen Worth and @alentop.bsky.social
On zoom: bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
See you there!
Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: CPERN monthly workshop - January. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.
Inga Rademacher (City) presents her working paper: 'Finance and the far right: financial-nationalist politics in an asset-manager world'
Discussants: Owen Worth (University of Limerick) and Alen Topl...
bham-ac-uk.zoom.us
January 20, 2026 at 11:51 AM
New CPERN online workshop: Finance and the Far Right (29 Jan)
Join us to discuss how asset-manager capitalism has shaped financial-nationalist politics
With author @ingarade.bsky.social and discussants Owen Worth and @alentop.bsky.social
On zoom: bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
See you there!
Join us to discuss how asset-manager capitalism has shaped financial-nationalist politics
With author @ingarade.bsky.social and discussants Owen Worth and @alentop.bsky.social
On zoom: bham-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
See you there!
Where's the separation of powers when you need it? US federal institutions are at best passive enablers of Trump's state terrorism on domestic soil and belligerent imperialism abroad. Checks&balances has always been about keeping in check popular demands and any progressive goverment acting on them.
January 20, 2026 at 4:57 PM
Where's the separation of powers when you need it? US federal institutions are at best passive enablers of Trump's state terrorism on domestic soil and belligerent imperialism abroad. Checks&balances has always been about keeping in check popular demands and any progressive goverment acting on them.
The main function of the far right is to defend the interests of monopoly capital. That was the case a century ago, this is the case today.
January 16, 2026 at 3:03 PM
The main function of the far right is to defend the interests of monopoly capital. That was the case a century ago, this is the case today.
Full solidarity with the Iranian popular classes against their repressive regime and with their right to self-determination.
Full opposition to American imperialism and its proxies trying to hijack the mass protests for their own agenda.
There should be nothing controversial about this on the left.
Full opposition to American imperialism and its proxies trying to hijack the mass protests for their own agenda.
There should be nothing controversial about this on the left.
January 15, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Full solidarity with the Iranian popular classes against their repressive regime and with their right to self-determination.
Full opposition to American imperialism and its proxies trying to hijack the mass protests for their own agenda.
There should be nothing controversial about this on the left.
Full opposition to American imperialism and its proxies trying to hijack the mass protests for their own agenda.
There should be nothing controversial about this on the left.