Karl Pike
@karlpike.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London. Book: Getting Over New Labour.
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/fRxUuSv @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
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🧵 Progressives need to think much more ambitiously about citizenship: it can't only be a debate about the "who" - the boundaries of citizenship. Our new @ippr.org report today makes the case for a new politics of "democratic citizenship": www.ippr.org/articles/the...
The democratic citizen: Renewing citizenship and the public domain | IPPR
Often, this descends into little more than an argument about eligibility for welfare benefits. This is a disaster for progressives, who find themselves fig
ippr.org
10 years ago, the air outside Aldgate School didn’t meet legal limits. Children were breathing polluted air every day. I made it my mission to change that. Here’s the difference our bold policies have made ⬇️
Very informative from @karlpike.bsky.social on whether or not there should be a leadership contest.
Karl Pike@karlpike.bsky.social · last mo.There may be some debate about whether a contest would be a “good thing” - for policymaking, for a leader, for Labour etc.
There may be some debate about whether a contest would be a “good thing” - for policymaking, for a leader, for Labour etc.
Karl on the idea that a contest for the next leadership would be good for 'stress testing' ideas. I fear that he may be right.
Karl Pike@karlpike.bsky.social · last mo.Our public sphere isn’t, on the whole, great at nuance and giving people the time to articulate ideas in a contest, e.g. the “gotcha” questions and “will you rule out specific thing now”.
There may be some debate about whether a contest would be a “good thing” - for policymaking, for a leader, for Labour etc.
Latest piece for the @financialtimes.com, on who gets to vote for a new Labour Prime Minister www.ft.com/content/d2d9...
The strange case of who chooses the next Labour prime minister
Around three-quarters of those who can vote in any contest on who succeeds Starmer are not Labour Party members
ft.com
Great article here from @yuanfenyang.bsky.social
Yuan Yang@yuanfenyang.bsky.social · 2mo agoAs an economist, former FT journalist and now Labour MP, l don’t think the bond markets have to fear a change of Labour leadership. The biggest problem for gilt investors and MPs alike is inflation – & it remains our common enemy. My @financialtimes.com op-ed 👇 (1/5) www.ft.com/content/2a64...
Grateful for the chance to discuss private members' bills (usage, reform, etc) today at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk - alongside @kimleadbeatermp.bsky.social, @paulbrand.bsky.social, @drhannahwhite.bsky.social & Luke Norbury. Recording here: www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/assist...
Are private members' bills a good way for MPs to decide on difficult policy issues? | Institute for Government
An expert panel drew on lessons from the recent assisted dying bill and other PMBs to consider how backbench MPs should approach complex issues.
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
Discussed ongoing research with @mbarnfield.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the BBC’s Moral Maze yesterday evening - about what the ‘short term’ and the ‘long term’ mean in politics and policymaking. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Moral Maze - Who is morally responsible for Britain's political short-termism? - BBC Sounds
Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.
bbc.co.uk
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/r8Nq38r @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
buff.ly
A write-up of the key findings and points made in this thread on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/drmatthe... The way I see it, the argument that the public’s irrational impatience makes it ungovernable can’t be defended rigorously because it simply hasn’t been put to the test.
Testing the public's patience
Even if the electorate is short-termist, it's hard to argue irrational public impatience is to blame for the prime minister's woes
open.substack.com
Matthew Barnfield@mbarnfield.bsky.social · 3mo agoIs impatience killing the government? Some data and some thoughts. @karlpike.bsky.social @philipjcowley.bsky.social and I found a year ago that people expected noticeable improvements in the NHS, schools, housing well within Labour's first parliament. www.politicshome.com/news/article... 1/7
The most damning resignation letter yet, I think:
Jim Pickard@pickardje.bsky.social · 3mo agoBreaking: Jess Phillips resigns as safeguarding minister just ahead of the 1pm news bulletins
Going to be a lot of talk about who in the coming days. True labour values compel us to ask what and why first. This is my piece for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social on how we can again show our values lead our vision of the country Britain can be with Labour. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
By being true to itself, Labour can win again
At the moment the government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing
newstatesman.com
An unhappy Labour Party very uncertain about what to do next - has been the case for a while now, and remains the case.
The Conversation UK@uk.theconversation.com · 3mo agoWhat do the results mean for Labour – and is it the end of two-party politics in the UK?
What do the results mean for Labour – and is it the end of two-party politics in the UK?
Elections 2026: Experts react to the Reform surge and Labour losses
What do the results mean for Labour – and is it the end of two-party politics in the UK?
tcnv.link
My thoughts on the poll showing the Greens have overtaken Labour following the Gorton and Denton by-election, whether this could be a "bandwagon effect", and what that means, for The Conversation: theconversation.com/how-to-under...
How to understand the post-Gorton and Denton national poll that puts the Greens ahead of Labour
It’s not the byelection win that matters but the scale of the swing to Zack Polanski’s party.
doi.org
A blog on my centrism paper for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social theloop.ecpr.eu/centrism-as-...
Centrism as a structure for political action
A distinct centrism which goes ‘beyond’ left and right remains elusive, argues Karl Pike. Centrists act as a managers of an ideological context shaped by existing ideologies of left and right, moderat...
theloop.ecpr.eu
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/rdRQJBU @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
What Is Centrism? - Karl Pike, 2026
Centrism, an ambiguous political term, requires greater analytical scrutiny. After summarising conceptualisations of centrism – and of a centre in politics – th...
buff.ly
Good discussion piece from @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the issue of by-elections after defections. www.ft.com/content/5d7d...
How to deal with defecting MPs
Voters should be able to force parliamentarians who change parties to face the electorate
ft.com
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/rdRQJBU @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
I have a new article just published in Political Studies: What is Centrism? Open access here: doi.org/10.1177/0032...
What Is Centrism? - Karl Pike, 2026
Centrism, an ambiguous political term, requires greater analytical scrutiny. After summarising conceptualisations of centrism – and of a centre in politics – th...
doi.org
He's right - terrific stuff. 'You cannot “live within the lie” of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.'
Stephen Bush@stephenkb.bsky.social · 7mo agoMark Carney's speech really is terrific: full text is here and very much worth your time.
We are seeing increased illiberalism, and anti-liberalism, in our politics. The Labour party has a responsibility, as a government and as a centre-left political tradition, to counter this illiberalism, which takes different forms. fabians.org.uk/hearts-and-m...
Hearts and minds | Fabian Society
Fabian Society
fabians.org.uk
The consequences of Labour’s manifesto tax pledge continue to be significant. Real shame there wasn’t enough debate about it, particularly within the party. That it was a key pledge, though, is impossible to ignore: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
But those choices were made, and there will surely be consequences to breaking such a clear commitment - including in terms of trust. Debate about tax and spend is much needed - it was in 2024, it is now - but the context is very relevant.
What an absolute hero Samir Zitouni is - doubtless he saved lives that day www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Train hero who saved passengers during attack named
The rail worker credited with saving multiple lives is named as Samir Zitouni.
bbc.co.uk
One observation re. the Dutch election is the enduring strength of the far right (I am not fully subscribing to the 'shift back to the centre' narrative). I should be on ABC Australia News channel at around 11 CET to talk about this and to show my plants (again). www.youtube.com/live/vOTiJkg...
