Thinking about going back to blogging about music for a bit.

I took a break from Poll Watch in July, but here's my latest re: YouGov: 📊Polls seem to be stubbornly sticking still - have we settled? 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿Scotland’s polling is key to transforming Westminster. ❔Are the young still looking for something “else”? rookeryreview.co.uk/p/poll-watch-y…

My piece about Reform UK and their relationship with women. Featuring interviews, polling numbers and stats. Can they make a move without ladies or could they become the party of women?

"It’s a poorly-kept secret that Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) has faced crisis after crisis. But the latest scandal over 3 million “unseen patients” may be its worst yet. In fact, this omnicrisis is worsened by the fact that barely anyone is speaking about it.

Really good thread, worth a read.

"The real lesson of Thatcherism is something else entirely: how to build a coalition of forces outside Parliament that could fight alongside the party, shape the political battlefield, and keep the government’s project alive long after the election was over." I wrote my Master's

We often forget how solid Mrs T's coalition was. It was subtly different from Reagan's three legged stool. Good overview here by Jake Scott

This is a great and perceptive piece on political coalition building by Jake. While Thatcher won in the context of 1970s decay, we can definitely learn lessons from how she brought together three different but important voting blocs into her coalition.

"For a government elected on promises of economic stability, this yawning £50 billion fiscal abyss represents a betrayal of trust." My reaction for Foundation for Economic Education to the Chancellor paving the way for tax rises in Autumn. fee.org/articles/brita…

"A grinding, multi-year conflict like this inevitably produces a large pool of well-armed, combat-experienced, pissed-off young men." 🇺🇦🇷🇺As peace talks take place in Alaska, we need to think about what comes after. rookeryreview.co.uk/p/russias-peac…

A bonus of the 21st century is that it is easy and inexpensive to get in the top 1% for knowledge on a given topic. In a year, you can see more theatre/serious cinema than 99% of people will see in their lifetimes. You can just choose a topic and download and read every policy

"Rachel Reeves, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, stands at the precipice of a fiscal catastrophe, with a £50 billion shortfall in public finances threatening to upend her economic strategy. The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR), a think tank

I have to admit, I wasn’t massively impressed with the Araknae Quad Accelerator Platform at the Saturnine announcement, but this has turned out to be one of the most enjoyable kits I’ve ever put together.