@betterstreetsforbirmingham.org Thought you’d be interested in this 1986 Department of Transport advert in the NME…

We are excited to announce that our annual conference will take place at the University of Manchester on Monday 2nd of November 2027! 🎉🐝 There will also be an Early Career Research Workshop on Sunday 1st of November aimed at giving feedback on draft papers for a small number of our ECR members. 📝

NEW: Are there too many Urgent Questions in the House of Commons? @ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social looks at how much the use of UQs has grown, which departments face the most scrutiny, and which ministers actually turn up to answer? ⬇️

Are there too many Urgent Questions in the House of Commons?

Urgent Questions have grown substantially since 2010 and are now a routine feature of House of Commons business. In this blog, Ruxandra Serban analyses the scale of that growth, which departments…

buff.ly

37 degrees in London for three days is it? YIKES. Time to review the Shade the UK list of ideas again to see if there’s anything further I can do on the flat. (Main thing is getting at least a temporary canopy up over the sunny patio, I suspect) So many ideas: www.shadetheuk.com/overheating-...

Overheating Adaptation Guide for Homes — Shade the UK

shadetheuk.com

(Trigger warning: any sociologists among us may wish to avert their eyes to avoid spontaneous combustion resulting from exposure to the worst theory of social action I have seen in decades) For the rest of you, beware if you are “unhappy” or “looking for justice” you may be on the road to terrorism

How many backbench roles do MPs play? We think the answer is 7. We introduce these roles and some examples of typical MPs in each group in this guest @hansardsociety.bsky.social blog: www.hansardsociety.org.uk/blog/backben...

What roles do backbench MPs play?

How many backbench roles are there in the House of Commons? New research has looked at 26 forms of parliamentary activity across five parliaments since 2001 and concluded that the answer is seven. In ...

hansardsociety.org.uk

The University of Birmingham can apparently find £879,828 for a Westminster lobbying firm, but claims there is no money to end casualisation, reverse cuts, or fund decent pay for staff. 1/4

📢 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: 2026 UNDERGRAD ESSAY COMPETITION! 📢 👉 If you are teaching undergraduates in the UK, please consider nominating a student for their excellent written piece on parliaments and legislatures. 🎉 Full details on our website: psaparliaments.org/undergraduat...

Can social norms and stereotypes be changed from the top, and how can parliaments set an example for the society they want to see? I was lucky enough to be invited to give some academic insights about this topic at the @ipuparliament.bsky.social GCWP, alongside inspiring female parliamentarians.

For Westminster: if you want broadly proportional results, a modest bonus shared across several parties, and the option to give voters choice within parties as well as between parties (e.g. Open Lists or STV), then Welsh-style low-magnitude party list PR would be the best.

*PSA Prize Winners* 🎉Congratulations to Prof. Susan Banducci @unibirmingham.bsky.social who is this year’s academic prize winner of the Carole Pateman Prize for outstanding research contributions ➡️

Susan Banducci - University of Birmingham | LinkedIn

Professor Susan Banducci, FBA FAcSS 125 Anniversary Chair (University of Birmingham) and… · Experience: University of Birmingham · Education: UCSB · Location: United Kingdom · 500+ connections on...

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🥳🎉🎈🥂

Kiran Stacey@kiranstacey.bsky.social · 3mo ago

One detail I hadn't realised about parliament finishing today - today is the last day a hereditary peer will ever sit in the House of Lords.

Supported Exempt Accommodation plays a vital role in society but the system in Birmingham is broken. There are things that Birmingham City Council can do now before new regulations come into force in 2027. We call on all candidates in the 2026 local elections to commit to our 7-point manifesto.

At a loose end on the evening of Wednesday 20th May? In or around Birmingham? Wondering why politics is in a right state and where it's heading? This is the talk for you.

Declassified photos of Stasi agents modeling undercover disguises.

This morning we took a 43 minute cycle from Longbridge to the City Centre. We wanted to show what the current end-to-end @a38cycleway.bsky.social cycle route experience is like. Note that it includes section on pavements, which are shared paths, indicated by the circular blue signs.

A38 Cycle Lane - Longbridge to Birmingham City Centre 2026 (Sped up)

YouTube video by Better Streets for Birmingham

youtube.com

This is a great opportunity for someone with research expertise in processes of autocratisation and democratic resilience to work on a cool project with nice people. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQY811/r...

Research Fellow at University of Birmingham

Discover Research Fellow jobs and more in higher education on jobs.ac.uk. Apply for further details on the top job board.

jobs.ac.uk

New substack: income inequality has fallen slightly, but inequalities of power are a big problem: chrisdillow.substack.com/p/one-cheer-...

One cheer for falling income inequality

Income inequality has fallen slightly. This does not mean inequality isn't a problem.

chrisdillow.substack.com

🚨 NEW REPORT! 🚨 What is the state of the UK academic job market in politics, and what does this mean for the field and #highered? In a new @psaecn.bsky.social report, @lawrencemckay.bsky.social @williamlallen.bsky.social and I find worrying trends in job adverts and HESA data from 2012-25 #PSA26

Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations - Political Studies Association

Academic Job Market Trends in Politics and International Relations: Evidence from the UK, 2012-25 Authored by: Dr Ralph Scott, Dr Lawrence McKay, and Dr William Allen Read the full report here   Execu...

psa.ac.uk

🎉 Our first #PSA26 panel, “What is Parliament?”, was a fantastic start to our programme! Thank you @stephenholdenbates.bsky.social, @alyssamartin.bsky.social, James Strong, Shirin Rai and @pandapoliticus.bsky.social 😊

This article reminded me of this @psa-parliaments.bsky.social blog that we had in draft form for some years and which I eventually found behind the sofa: psaparliaments.org/2026/03/25/e...

Philip Cowley@philipjcowley.bsky.social · 5mo ago

New article for @thehousemag.bsky.social, this time on Early Day Motions. They are often dismissed as parliamentary graffiti, but even graffiti can sometimes be revealing. www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

The dismal tide accelerates, sweeping from Coventry through Sheffield Hallam to London South Bank. 1/2

London South Bank to create ‘two track’ academic workforce

Staff to be divided into teaching and research roles, with new starters hired via subsidiary firm

timeshighereducation.com

Many thanks to Andy Street for coming to speak to our @unibirmingham.bsky.social students yesterday! A great way to end our guest speaker sessions on our new POLSIS module "UK Politics in Times of Crisis".

UK Parliamentary Studies 2026 beano.

Very pleased to see our article on backbench roles in the HoC published in @hansardsociety.bsky.social Parliamentary Affairs. @carolinebha.bsky.social @socialpolicy.bsky.social & I group MPs by activity across 26 measures, identifying 7 roles. It's free to read! academic.oup.com/pa/advance-a...

NEW ANALYSIS: UK emissions fell 2.4% in 2025 as coal fell to a 400-year low. Incredibly, we used less coal last year than than in 1600, when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne and Shakespeare was writing Hamlet. All the details in our article: www.carbonbrief.org/...

106 people will be killed on Birmingham's roads next council term. Along with 15 organisations, we're calling for Birmingham's future leaders to adopt 10 practical steps to prevent these deaths and many more serious injuries. Who will make Birmingham's roads safer?

Will you make Birmingham's roads safer?

Better Streets joins with 15 organisations to make ten asks of tomorrow's politicians to address road safety.

betterstreetsforbirmingham.org

“When I began teaching, I joined UCU because the people in the union seemed cool – and because I quickly realised I needed to organise with my peers. If you’re feeling isolated or precarious at UoB, BUCU is where you’ll find your people.” Betsy Porritt - BUCU Anti-casualisation officer ​

The Spectator published this attack on me & colleagues just as the High Court is considering Sussex’s request for review of the Office for Students fine. It accuses us of ‘repressing’ our students. The magazine ignored my request for to reply. Please disseminate. alanlester.co.uk/blog/smearin...

Smearing Sussex (and Me): Responding to Nigel Biggar’s Latest Attack in The Spectator

The University of Sussex, Feb 2026, taken by the author. Alan Lester The Spectator has published an article by Nigel Biggar smearing the University of Sussex as repressing students who ‘don&#…

alanlester.co.uk