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Political science 76%
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Reposted by Peter Allen

dmk1793.bsky.social
I’ve written a response to @samuelmoyn.bsky.social’s recent essay in Democracy Project - agreeing with him about the problem of gerontocracy, but suggesting his advocacy of weighted votes for the young ignores an obvious egalitarian alternative: compulsory voting
An egalitarian answer to gerontocracy
Debates about gerontocracy often focus on the age of leaders, but the deeper issue lies in the age of electorates. Older citizens vote far more than the young, skewing democratic outcomes. This blo…
blogs.bath.ac.uk
3 2 5

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Really enjoyed this, especially the contemporary references you included for the young audience such as mentions of Monty Python and Mystic Meg. Reminds me of talking to my UG students about their CD collections.
3

by David Runciman — Reposted by Peter Allen, Simon Wren‐Lewis, David Runciman

ppfideas.bsky.social
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

In this special live episode recorded in front of pupils from schools in Doncaster, David talks to political scientist @robfordmancs.bsky.social about whether Nigel Farage is really going to be the UK’s next Prime Minister.

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
3 4 9

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
This was the front of the card #eighties
A very eighties Christmas card that has a picture of a candle and reads “Season’s Greetings”
3

by Peter Allen — Reposted by Philip Cowley

peterallen.bsky.social
A delightful but poignant find in a second-hand copy of Ulysses that bought this weekend. I doubt that someone today would think that they could ‘make their life useful again’ after a divorce by getting more involved in politics.
A card that reads: Dear Name and Name, How are you both? I are still in Shropshire , inspite of one valiant attempt fo get back to Oxfordshire , my parents’ home county. Name and I finally parted for good and all last July (1982) He met someone in the Psychology Dept at Keele and they are now living together in Sussex. I was very upset, as you can imagine, and I am still not properly back to my old self. Such is life though and I try to make my life useful in other respects. I am once again involned in the L.P. and C.N.D. I would love to hear from you and hear how life treats you in South Wales. Have a lovely time at Christmas. Take care, Name XX
4 13 53

by Peter Allen — Reposted by Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte, Nick Clarke

peterallen.bsky.social
Print and send this chart (from your newsletter on Tuesday) to every household in the country.
A graph from the FT showing government spending by age cohort. Over-70s have more spent on them than any other age cohort.
7 19 86

Reposted by Peter Allen

psapolpsychology.bsky.social
This time in two weeks, we will launch our autumn/winter seminar series. We have an exciting line-up of four online talks covering a range of topics in political psychology.

All presentations are on Thursdays at 12:00 UK.

Sign up to attend here!: www.psa.ac.uk/specialist-g...
Political Psychology | The Political Studies Association (PSA)
Political Psychology is a multi-disciplinary group established to provide a forum for collaboration, discussion and support for political psychology scholars and practitioners as well as to facilitate...
www.psa.ac.uk
1 1 5

Reposted by Peter Allen, Hilde Coffé, Stuart J. Turnbull‐Dugarte , and 1 more

anacweeks.bsky.social
🚨 New article out today in @cpsjournal.bsky.social !

📄 “Strategic Inclusion Without Transformation: How Populist Radical Right Parties Engage With Women’s Interests”

With Bonnie Meguid, @hildecoffe.bsky.social & Miki Kittilson

🔗 doi.org/10.1177/0010...
Strategic Inclusion Without Transformation: How Populist Radical Right Parties Engage With Women’s Interests - Bonnie M. Meguid, Hilde Coffé, Ana Catalano Weeks, Miki Caul Kittilson, 2025
Despite their Männerparteien reputation, populist radical right (PRR) parties have recently expanded their agendas to include women’s interests. When do they em...
doi.org
3 29 72

Reposted by Peter Allen

bjpir.bsky.social
📣 New #openaccess #BJPIR article out now!

'Does independent regulation of MPs’ pay and expenses improve political trust? Evidence from a survey experiment' by Helen Bramah.

🔗 buff.ly/FPMxXzL

@polstudiesassoc.bsky.social
1 1 2

Reposted by Peter Allen

uniofbathipr.bsky.social
The UK’s voting system is under pressure – is reform possible?
A new APPG proposal for a National Commission could offer a fair, open path forward.
Read our latest IPR blog by @dmk1793.bsky.social 👇
buff.ly/YMCsBFw
Why a “National Commission” is the way forward for electoral reform
Electoral reform is back on the UK’s political agenda as First-Past-the-Post strains under the pressures of multi-party politics. The new APPG for Fair Elections proposes a National Commission to e…
blogs.bath.ac.uk
3 1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Congratulations 🥂
1

Reposted by Peter Allen

daimoon.bsky.social
New article out in @bjpir.bsky.social that investigates the #WWE + Welsh Government 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 deal to host “Clash at the Castle 2002” in Cardiff.

Mixing nation branding & pro-wrestling literature it analyses how WWE fit the Cymru Wales Brand into its broadcasts. (1/?)

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
National gimmicks as soft power strategy: WWE’s Clash at the Castle and the performance of the Cymru Wales Brand This article introduces the concept of the national gimmick – a performative, stylised persona derived from professional wrestling – as an effective lens for analysing government nation branding and soft power strategies. Using WWE’s Clash at the Castle and its 2022 partnership with the Welsh Government as a case study, the article demonstrates how governments employ entertainment spectacles to project curated national identities to global audiences. It argues that professional wrestling’s emphasis on stereotype, performance, and narrative makes it an especially potent medium for understanding how states simplify and disseminate nation brands. By examining the portrayal of the Cymru Wales Brand through WWE media, and the tensions surrounding Welsh representation at the event, the article highlights both the potential and the limitations of such partnerships. This interdisciplinary contribution bridges political communication and pro-wrestling studies to advance the study of government’s soft power strategies and the politics of branding.
3 6 12

Reposted by Peter Allen, David Runciman, James Connelly

dmk1793.bsky.social
It was a very great pleasure to appear on one of my favourite podcasts, and to talk with David Runciman about the Past, Present, and Future (!) of electoral reform & proportional representation
ppfideas.bsky.social
Past Present Future Podcast @ppfideas.bsky.social · Sep 14
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

For the first episode in a new series about the ideas that could help democracy work better David talks to @dmk1793.bsky.social of the Constitution Society about proportional representation. When will we get serious electoral reform in the UK?

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
6 23 75

by David Runciman — Reposted by Peter Allen, James Connelly, David Runciman

ppfideas.bsky.social
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW!

For the first episode in a new series about the ideas that could help democracy work better David talks to @dmk1793.bsky.social of the Constitution Society about proportional representation. When will we get serious electoral reform in the UK?

Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
4 15 30

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
A different kind of Oxford union
1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Congratulations, if that’s the word(?)
1 1

by Peter Allen — Reposted by Justin H. Kirkland

peterallen.bsky.social
The persistence of New Labour ideas and people was something @ntmatthews.bsky.social and I discussed in our paper from last year titled “New Labour and Political Myth”, free to read www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
2 2

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Possibly the only place in London with smaller offices than SPIR?
1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
An aside, but which podcast app do you use? The transcripts are easier to read than the Spotify ones.

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Thanks for this, I love it. Aside from the obvious referents, it’s a bit reminiscent of an Irish band who did (I think) one album and then no more called HAL youtu.be/X1RTvpuyAog?...
Worry About the Wind
YouTube video by Hal - Topic
youtu.be
1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Agreed — I have subscribed for a decade, so I do pay. The point is that they have changed what you get in return for that subscription.
1 1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Ok, to be fair I just checked and they are now giving me The Athletic (sports) as part of my subscription so I partly take that back.

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
The premiumisation of their subscription model is quite something— to see recipes (understandable-ish) and then sports coverage (less understandable) I would need to pay extra. Both were included when I first subscribed a decade ago (so far as I can recall).
2 1

Reposted by Peter Allen, Nick Pearce, Max Nathan , and 1 more

samfr.bsky.social
New post out:

Today we have a guest post from the brilliant @dmk1793.bsky.social asking whether low turnout is harming growth as well as undermining democratic legitimacy.

(Free to read)

open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/i...
Is low turnout undermining growth?
A reminder that you can read Lawrence’s post on the Tump-Putin summit here, his next post will look at the outcome.
open.substack.com
9 22 54

by Philip Cowley — Reposted by Peter Allen, Ben H. Ansell, Will Jennings , and 2 more

philipjcowley.bsky.social
This moment never ceases to excite. Out in shops on 9 Sept...
3 22 100

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
This article is refreshing not least because it starts from the point of thinking about voters as they actually are, not as we might wish them to be. The key idea — that voters aren’t pundits and political science shouldn’t expect them to be — is crucial.
mbarnfield.bsky.social
Matthew Barnfield @mbarnfield.bsky.social · Aug 6
I have a new article out at @polstudies.bsky.social. In "Electoral Hope", I make the case that supposedly irrational "wishful thinking" is actually a crucial part of how voters make rational sense of their role in democracies.

OA link: doi.org/10.1177/0032...
Title page of article "Electoral Hope" in journal Political Studies.
1 4

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
Yes, aiming for PSA so see you there!
1

by Peter Allen

peterallen.bsky.social
This looks great, congratulations.
1

Reposted by Peter Allen, Dave O’Brien, Catherine E. De Vries

niceonecombo.bsky.social
🚨New book alert!🚨

Thrilled to announce that my @britishacademy.bsky.social Monograph, 'Capital, Privilege, and Political Participation,' will be published via @livunipress.bsky.social later this month.

Find details and pre-order (with discount) here: liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/doi/book/10....
8 15 39

Reposted by Peter Allen, David M. Farrell, Ruth Dassonneville , and 4 more

mbarnfield.bsky.social
I have a new article out at @polstudies.bsky.social. In "Electoral Hope", I make the case that supposedly irrational "wishful thinking" is actually a crucial part of how voters make rational sense of their role in democracies.

OA link: doi.org/10.1177/0032...
Title page of article "Electoral Hope" in journal Political Studies.
2 32 69

References

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