Michael Eades

I’ll be there!

Thanks for this. A fascinating take on a fascinating time in UK politics. One other thing that I think incredibly important though is the role of the media. Blair worked hard to get the Murdoch press in his pocket at a time when that was essential. New Labour’s media operation was formidable…

Imagine devoting your entire career to selling the idea that the British public hates wokery and is clamouring for radical right wing populism, only to then be defeated in an actual election by the most left wing possible coalition of politicians and activists in the country.

It's got to hurt

Indeed. My worry is that we’re heading for many more Runcorns in the years to come….

That’s fair. Not super close, but pretty close or close-ish. I guess my point is that we came second with around 10k votes, whereas when you look at the more progressive votes together he’s not even in the mix. It doesn’t bode well for other seats but by-elections are a bit different, as you say.

Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election with Labour pushed into third by Reform Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, also becomes the first Green Party candidate to win a Westminster by-election.

Phew! The good guys won this time. Major achievement for the Greens…

Still, due to a big split in the left vote a despicable creep like Matt Goodwin came pretty close to being an MP. Unelectable otherwise. We need to be very careful about this in coming elections. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...

Anxious about Gorton & Denton. Greens are bookies favourite and I hope they win. BUT huge risk in this election of progressive vote splitting and Reform coming through the middle. A Reform MP in a constituency with a huge Muslim community would be a farcical disaster whichever way you look at it.

Will do! Looking forward to it. Hope to catch you at the launch in March too!

This beauty arrived in the post today. Looks like it’s time to #getkeshed in South London… Am I right, @stuhennigan.bsky.social ?

Job losses at research-intensive universities double in two years - Research Professional News Exclusive: Scale of redundancies revealed by RPN branded a “disaster” for UK research capacity

We are approaching a tipping point in relation to research capacity at uk universities. Despite being recognised as a national priority by successive governments, it’s absolutely running on fumes at many unis. A huge failure of policy and imagination: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

So good 👌✨

Starmer appoints Antonia Romeo as head of UK civil service Dame Antonia will be the first woman to hold the post and replaces Sir Chris Wormald as the UK's top civil servant.

My hot political prediction for 2026…. Appointing someone with a background of multiple workplace bullying accusations as head of the UK civil service because they’re going to ‘shake things up’ and ‘get things done’ is going to end in tears, regrets and U-turns www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What made this country great?

Immigration!!!

How are we going to make it great again?

Stopping immigration!!!

Out on the South Downs yesterday making the most of a brief break in the weather. Windmills, woodlands and dew ponds. Lovely.

UK economy grew by 0.1% in final quarter of 2025 Manufacturing was the main driver of growth during the final three months of the year, official figures show.

UK construction and service sectors shrank in 2025. Both crucial sectors, particularly services. Higher Education also obviously shrank significantly. At least some of this will be driven by lower migration, which as ever is crucial to our economy: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Two grant schemes from the School of Advanced Study are now open for applications: Being Human Festival 2026 and the Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities’ new Collaboration and Innovation Grant.

Go to bit.ly/3ZoolUq for details on how to apply

Lee Miller at Tate Britain. Beautiful images. Haunting images. Images of shattered worlds…

I’m so sorry to hear that. It’s really gut wrenching to watch from afar but absolutely devastating, of course, for the people directly impacted. Far too common a situation in HE at the moment…

‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university? When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...

Heartbreaking piece here on the closure of the University of Essex’s Southend campus. Unlike much that’s written about universities, it really captures the deep emotional connection between university and place, and what it means when that’s lost: www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Early signs of spring at the end of the garden, and a new guardian spirit to help them along….

X Posts about London Crime - large growth in number of likes after monetisation introduced

Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced…
economist.com/britain/2026...

It’s not just a lack of government support. Government policies are driving the crisis. Visa restrictions, national insurance hike, overseas student levy… It goes on. The impacts will be felt for a very long time.

Homicides at lowest level in nearly 50 years, ONS statistics show The 499 homicide cases in the year to September were the lowest in England and Wales since 1977.

‘Lawless Britain’ update, in case you missed it. Homcides in England and Wales currently lower than at any point since the 1970s. Knife crime at its lowest level since 2003… Why aren’t we shouting this stuff from the rooftops? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

The slopaganda era: 10 AI images posted by the White House - and what they teach us Under Donald Trump, the White House has filled its social media with memes, wishcasting, nostalgia and deepfakes. Here’s what you need to know to navigate the trolling

Perhaps Jean Baudrillard was onto something after all… www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Oh my god, Reform have dredged up Matt Goodwin of all people to stand in Gordon and Denton… Seriously, people of Gorton YOU DESERVE BETTER!

It was a genuinely beautiful talk and tribute. I could see it took a lot to do and I found it a powerful reminder of all sorts of things that are precious and are easily lost…. Thanks for doing the event and the reminder of what a university can be!

Sorry I didn’t get a chance to say hello. You were mobbed! Hope to run into you again on campus sometime soon.

A real honour to attend a Memorial Service marking the 45th anniversary of the New Cross Fire at St Andrew’s church, Brockley yesterday. A beautiful service honouring the 14 lives lost to this still unresolved tragedy, and the dignity and resilience of all those impacted by it.

This really can’t be repeated and shared enough…

I’ve got the date saved in my diary. Not booked as yet but I’ll get on that pronto!