Maybe Lab should worry less about the 27% Reform and more about the 29% of combined Green and Lib Dem. More broadly, this shows the same old divided country with slightly more on the Left than the Right.
Reposted by John Heathershaw, Will Jennings, Stuart White
Our latest Westminster voting intention (12-13 Oct) has the Greens on their highest figure ever recorded by YouGov
Reform UK: 27% (no change from 5-6 Oct)
Labour: 20% (=)
Conservatives: 17% (=)
Lib Dems: 16% (-1)
Greens: 13% (+1)
SNP: 3% (-1)
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
Reform UK: 27% (no change from 5-6 Oct)
Labour: 20% (=)
Conservatives: 17% (=)
Lib Dems: 16% (-1)
Greens: 13% (+1)
SNP: 3% (-1)
yougov.co.uk/topics/polit...
The timing of the Gaza deal is not explained by Trump's genius or Netanyahu's domestic politics. There were doubtless many factors but we must note Kushner's extensive business interests.
Did Qatari Money Drive Trump’s Push for Gaza Ceasefire?
theintercept.com/2025/10/11/q...
Did Qatari Money Drive Trump’s Push for Gaza Ceasefire?
theintercept.com/2025/10/11/q...
Did Qatari Money Drive Trump’s Push for Gaza Ceasefire?
Trump’s stance on Gaza shifted after Israel’s attack on Qatar — a close ally where he and his family have key business deals.
theintercept.com
“This is his moment..”. It’s almost as if all those people had to die in an armed conflict so one man gets the acclaim his ego desperately demands.
This is helpful and identifies core political causes rather than "religious" ones. But I suspect that there may be some interesting variations by denomination and that certain theologies of "Christendom" feed into Christian nationalism.
by Tim Bale — Reposted by John Heathershaw, Vaughan S. Roberts, Tim Bale
"People who attend church or identify with a Christian tradition are not systematically more (or less) nativist, authoritarian or populist than their secular counterparts. Conversely, people who hold nativist and authoritarian views are often also Islamophobes, and vice versa." 👏 @kai-arzheimer.com
Islamophobia in Western Europe is not driven by religiosity
Are Christians more likely to be Islamophobic than other citizens in Europe? New research finds European Islamophobia has no link to a person’s religiosity.
blogs.lse.ac.uk
I tried to write something less triumphalist about Gaza while recognising that this is an important step for the victims of the conflict. I also wanted to look at how "peace" is understood in the Hebrew Bible (Torah) compared to what's going on Gaza.
open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...
open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...
Making a Wasteland and Calling It Peace
Genuine and lasting peace prompts lament and repentance, forgiveness and justice. The Gaza ceasefire has elicited triumph and egoism, self-righteousness and impunity.
open.substack.com
@cais-exeter.bsky.social "public" transport for one of our former students. Check out the Trump-esque marble and gold.
Fantastic reporting by @occrp.org
If you scroll down you can see the Boeing 737 which flew Kerimguly Berdimuhamedov into Exeter, apparently to study for his Politics degree.
occrp.org/en/scoop/gol... via
@occrp.org
If you scroll down you can see the Boeing 737 which flew Kerimguly Berdimuhamedov into Exeter, apparently to study for his Politics degree.
occrp.org/en/scoop/gol... via
@occrp.org
Gold Taps and Towel Racks: How a Plane Used by Turkmenistan’s Ruling Family Got a Royal Makeover
In authoritarian Turkmenistan, even a single airplane trip abroad is out of reach for most citizens. But the country’s ruling Berdimuhamedov family, which has held power across two generations, recent...
occrp.org
In @europe-asia.bsky.social we (@tenaprelec.bsky.social et al) show how Londongrad beat the UK AML regime via the incumbency advantage (political elites being in power or favour at home) & enabler effect (networks of highly-skilled legal & financial professionals)
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
The Incumbency Advantage and the Enabler Effect: How Londongrad Beat the UK Anti-Money Laundering Regime
The emergence and survival of ‘Londongrad’, despite the UK anti-money laundering regime, is an intellectual and policy conundrum. We analyse an original dataset of £2 billion of domestic real estat...
www.tandfonline.com
Grim reading but powerful analysis. TR has gone global.
Reposted by John Heathershaw, Nikolay Marinov
I wanted to share some of the sources and inspirations for my new @jodemocracy.bsky.social essay this week on transnational repression. Like with anything, there are citations but then there's also stuff that doesn't make it into the piece
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/the...
The Golden Age of Transnational Repression | Journal of Democracy
Authoritarian regimes are targeting exiles and diaspora communities in more places than ever before. Activists, journalists, and regular people living abroad must watch their backs…
www.journalofdemocracy.org
I wrote something on one of the urgent political questions of our time: how to respond to Christian nationalism.
open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...
open.substack.com/pub/johnheat...
The Right Response to Christian Nationalism
The “Unite the Kingdom” rally was a dangerous post-Christendom moment. UK Christians are caught between shunning Christian nationalism and salvaging an acceptable version. Neither option will do.
open.substack.com
"Even [the] ugly and dehumanising fusions of religion and militarism cannot obscure our ineradicable sense that human life is a gift of God, that we are created imago Dei, in his image."
johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/an-extraor...
johnheathershaw.substack.com/p/an-extraor...
An Extraordinary Peace
A guest post by Nick Megoran on the 80th anniversary of an extraordinary peace which shows that true peace does not conform to the patterns of this world.
johnheathershaw.substack.com
It’s not clear to me how Peter Mandelson’s “singular talents” differ from his elite network connections that meant he had a relationship with Epstein (and Trump). Isn’t that why they put him in place?
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Peter Mandelson seen as ‘worth the risk’ as US ambassador, minister says
Peter Kyle says ‘singular talents’ were balanced against warnings as Epstein accuser’s family criticise appointment
www.theguardian.com
So much weird in here, but hard to disagree that the average Saxon would have recognised policies of sinking vessels you don't like the look of, and imprisoning people who look different.
Reposted by John Heathershaw
*New & open access*
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
We draw on our book Indulging Kleptocracy, reflecting on the importance of networks - even more than states, we argue - in today’s global order.
@oxfordacademic.bsky.social
@jheathershaw.bsky.social
@britishacademy.bsky.social
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Professional indulgences: the kleptocracy problem and the transformation of global politics
This article discusses the phenomenon of transnational kleptocracy and explains how kleptocrats and oligarchs have been welcomed in rule-of-law settings
The paper summarises a large body of research,...
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
by John Heathershaw — Reposted by John Heathershaw
I’m looking forward to chairing this event at the Appledore Literary Festival. I’ll speak with the journalist Michael Sheridan about his book on China, the Red Emperor. If you’re in Devon, join us!
appledorebookfestival.littleboxoffice.com/events/123175
appledorebookfestival.littleboxoffice.com/events/123175
MICHAEL SHERIDAN: THE RED EMPEROR – XI JINPING
An eye-opening portrait of Xi Jinping, the man who presides over 1.4 billion people and the second largest economy on earth. In a compulsively readable narrativ
appledorebookfestival.littleboxoffice.com
@tenaprelec.bsky.social Tom and I wrote this paper based on @oxunipress.bsky.social Indulging Kleptocracy for @britishacademy.bsky.social journal.
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Our global future will be increasingly kleptocratic unless govts enforce their own laws.
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/articles/13/...
Professional indulgences: the kleptocracy problem and the transformation of global politics
This article discusses the phenomenon of transnational kleptocracy and explains how kleptocrats and oligarchs have been welcomed in rule-of-law settings
The paper summarises a large body of research,...
journal.thebritishacademy.ac.uk
An excellent book on a topic that many of us have worked on for years. The problem of authoritarianism for academic freedom isn’t purely external (as some on the Right claim) or purely internal (as some on the Left claim). It is both, intertwined.
www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-p...
www.timeshighereducation.com/campus/how-p...
How to protect your university against authoritarianism
US institutions are facing threats to academic freedom from the Trump administration, yet they must also stay vigilant to authoritarianism from abroad. Here is what university leaders and academics ca...
www.timeshighereducation.com
This is an excellent blog on how working politically in aid is hampered by large disbursements.
“As one staff member put it: 'generally, [aid] money disrupts change, it does not promote it'.”
Ergo: don’t scale up.
Small disbursements via small often faith based agents.✅
odi.org/en/insights/...
“As one staff member put it: 'generally, [aid] money disrupts change, it does not promote it'.”
Ergo: don’t scale up.
Small disbursements via small often faith based agents.✅
odi.org/en/insights/...
Surviving the aid cuts: working politically to deliver value at lower cost
As aid cuts begin to hit hard, these rich lessons on how to achieve impact by taking politics seriously and focusing on issues that galvanize people are some of the best tools we have.
odi.org