Excited about our event as part of RSE's Festival of Knowledge 5 Sept 5pm, free hybrid event with me, @cjcarman.bsky.social and Prof John Curtice Tickets bookable on link below. Bring your questions! rse.org.uk/event/scotla...

Scotland's 2026 election explained

What does the recent Scottish election tell us about the future of Scottish democracy?

rse.org.uk

We're recruiting a new member to join the excellent team at Boundaries Scotland. Fair electoral boundaries are essential to the democratic process so this is an important and rewarding role. @boundaries-scot.bsky.social Ad is here: fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Appointment of Member to the Board of Boundaries Scotland

The Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans is seeking to appoint a Commissioner to Boundaries Scotland.

fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com

Excellent news from the social-media-free Professor Tierney. Richly deserved, though I would say that! @uoelawschool.bsky.social www.law.ed.ac.uk/news-events/...

TODAY SES Annual Lecture. Professor Richard Wyn Jones, The Decline and Fall of Welsh Labour 6pm, Usha Kasera Lecture theatre, Old college, University of Edinburgh Eventbrite: edin.ac/4mHfPKZ

Folks in Scotland waiting for a referendum bill might find this collection of reactions to Alberta referendum prospects interesting.

Lisa Young 🇨🇦🇺🇦@jlisayoung.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Happy to have contributed to this collection of commentary on last week’s separation referendum decision for @thewalrus.ca : thewalrus.ca/alberta-sepa...

Fascinating stuff. Only thing I'd add is that ability of list to compensate for disproportionality in const depends on limited split ticket voting. Prelim SES data suggest *split tickets at an all time high* this election, thus further weakening Lab and Con chances esp Quebec proposed a model of ...

Simon Hix@simonhix.bsky.social · 3mo ago

On 7 May 2026, Britain ran a PR experiment: Scottish Parliament: a Mixed-Member Proportional system Welsh Senedd: a (new) Low-Magnitude Party List system Same day, same political context, different outcomes. Which version of PR would be better for Westminster? 🧵

All elections are exciting, but the 2026 Senedd election could be the election of a century in Wales. To hear more about it, join us 25 May for the 2026 SES annual lecture, delivered by @walesgovernance.bsky.social 's @richardwynjones.bsky.social Will probably contain Venn diagrams

Scottish Election Study@scotvoting.bsky.social · 3mo ago

🚨 SES Annual Lecture 2026 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 @richardwynjones.bsky.social 🥀 The Decline and Fall of Welsh Labour 🕗 6PM, 23rd of May 📍 Usha Kasera Lecture Theatre, University of Edinburgh Sign up edin.ac/4mHfPKZ

Join David Phillips, @ailsahenderson.bsky.social and Sean Smith from 6pm tonight at @edinburgh-uni.bsky.social for our joint event on tax, spending and the economy ahead of next week's Scottish elections. ➡️ Find out more and register to attend here: ifs.org.uk/events/scott...

There is a rare permanent job in the UK - assistant prof (lecturer) in political science with a focus on quant methods www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DRD143/a...

Assistant Professor in Political Science at University of Nottingham

Recruiting now: Assistant Professor in Political Science on jobs.ac.uk. Click for details and explore more academic job opportunities on the top job board

jobs.ac.uk

SES scoop out @scotvoting.bsky.social

Andrew Learmonth@andrewlearmonth.bsky.social · 5mo ago

Scottish Labour trailing in fourth behind a resurgent Scottish Greens, according to new poll. Story by @hannahmargbrown.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2589383...

Scottish Labour trailing in fourth behind a resurgent Scottish Greens, according to new poll. Story by @hannahmargbrown.bsky.social www.heraldscotland.com/news/2589383...

Fractured Scottish poll bodes ill for Labour and Conservatives this May

Scottish Labour trails in fourth on the regional list as the SNP lead on 34 and Reform UK hold second place, the final Scottish Election Study poll…

heraldscotland.com

Calls to mind Parizeau's rx to 1995 Quebec referendum defeat

Trafodir ymchwil @theunionsurvey.bsky.social gan @richardwynjones.bsky.social ac @ailsahenderson.bsky.social yn yr erthygl hon 👇 / This article discusses our research about Englishness from The Union Survey 👇 www.japantimes.co.jp/commentary/2...

So what does it mean to be properly English?

There’s nothing wrong in anybody taking pride in being English, of course, but as Orwell said, there’s something very un-English in shouting about it.

japantimes.co.jp

The underlying study: "Experimental evidence of the effects of large language models versus web search on depth of learning" academic.oup.com/pnasnexus/ar... "participants reported developing shallower knowledge from LLM summaries even when the results were augmented by...web links" vs. search

The Conversation U.S.@us.theconversation.com · 9mo ago

Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other. Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq

"I am willing to accept slower economic growth in Canada if it means greater economic independence from the United States" 🟢 Agree: 70% 🔴 Disagree: 19% Read it here: canadianpolling.substack.com/p/budget-wee...

Budget Week Opens with Rising Public Skepticism

Canadians remain split on Carney's ability to deliver results, while dissatisfaction with Ottawa ticks upward

canadianpolling.substack.com

Newly out from James Mitchell and me, explaining the 2024 UKGE in Scotland @edinburghpir.bsky.social academic.oup.com/pa/article-a... Email me if you want access and can't get it via your institution

Shifting sands: Sources of voter volatility in the 2024 UK General Election in Scotland

Abstract. In one sense, the 2024 UK General Election in Scotland provided a significant departure from what we have come to expect from elections in the af

academic.oup.com

New SES methodology incoming. Flawless.

RDCK98@comradekenobi.bsky.social · 10mo ago

I cannot believe someone has signed off a post saying they are confident about what the Scottish are like because they drink Ardberg

Indeed. While often ignoring the devolved elections in May, which *will* lead to government formation Both UK Lab and UK Cons making life difficult for their devolved parties by fighting the next UKGE 4 years early

Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 11mo ago

It just straightforwardly *insane* how much political chatter in the United Kingdom is about the next general election, an event that is a long way in the future, and how basically none of it is about 'uh, this policy agenda doesn't look adequate to the scale of the inherited problem'.

Advice for the age

Josiah Mortimer@josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 11mo ago

The conclusion was: if it's bunting, it's a fete. If there's no bunting and an anti-refugee message, it's the far right. Just flags: could be for the women's rugby...

Latest ITV BarnCymru 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 poll confirms trend seen over last 6 months - neck and neck race between Plaid Cymru and Reform UK for largest party, with Labour falling to even more distant third. Evidence growing of distinct realignment in Wales 🧵

158. AP-GfK, 2009: "If you had to choose, would you prefer to attend a wedding that served champagne and caviar, wine and chicken breasts, or beer and pigs in a blanket?"

153. Gallup/CNN/USA Today, 1998: "For the next question, assume that the Seinfeld characters were real people. Aside from how funny you think they are, would you generally consider them to be likeable people or annoying people?"

Humanities, arts and social sciences degrees are disappearing in many UK regions. With more young people than ever studying close to home, course cuts are narrowing their choices at university. @timeshighered.bsky.social covers our 'Cold Spots' report today. Read more at https://bit.ly/46e3wOy

Humanities and arts degrees disappearing in parts of UK

Students from rural and disadvantaged areas disproportionally affected by subject cuts, British Academy warns

bit.ly

Those who say the Western provinces should join the United States: 🔴 MB: 6% 🔴 AB: 6% 🔴 BC: 4% 🔴 SK: 3% Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/canadian...

Western Canadians Cooling On Separation

While many believe they'd be better off on their own, support for leaving remains low

open.substack.com

Department of Offense

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 11mo ago

Trump: "We decided to go woke and we changed the name to Department of Defense. So we're going to Department of War ... I think it's a much more appropriate name especially in light of where the world is right now."

Featuring @scotvoting.bsky.social data and our recent blog You can read it, and other great SES analysis, here: scottishelections.ac.uk/category/blog/

David Leask@leaskyd.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Scots split three ways on second independence referendum www.thetimes.com/article/de58...

Lovely use of the phrase "constitutional Tetris" in explaining why lack of effective devolved (and local?) democracy in England enables Farage to stir up xenophobia

Richard Wyn Jones@richardwynjones.bsky.social · 11mo ago

NEWYDD - gan @ailsahenderson.bsky.social a minnau. NEW by me and my fellow student of Englishness, Prof. Ailsa Henderson. theconversation.com/nigel-farage...

centre.irpp.org/research-stu...

A Less Resentful Federation? Findings from the 2025 Provincial Resentment Index - Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation

The fourth edition of the Provincial Resentment Index shows that, on average, Canadians feel slightly less aggrieved about their province’s place in the federation than at any point since the index wa...

centre.irpp.org

Same is visible in SQA data (which admittedly is begging out for control vars like course choice) Large gap at Nat5 Visible gap at Highers Gone by Adv Highers - pity we don't use those for uni entrance as much www.itv.com/news/2025-08...

I grew up near the route of the old Aberdeen-Ellon-Fraserburgh railway - it would have made my life a lot easier. Freight was still using the line after oil was struck, and towns mushroomed. Maybe a pipe dream, but this would be great for the region. www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/politics/...

Fraserburgh and Peterhead now 'strongest candidates in Scotland' for new rail links

Campaigners say it’s more important than ever to reverse historic railway cuts in north Aberdeenshire - ahead of a major energy conference.

pressandjournal.co.uk