Vladimir Bortun

@vladimirbortun.bsky.social

Materialist political scientist and lecturer in politics, currently based at St. John's College, Oxford. Working on class politics, far right parties, fractions of capital, political elites, and the European left. From Bucharest.

With Burnham there's now renewed talk of politicians' class backgrounds. Here I argue that where politicians are now, economically&socially, might matter more for their politics than where they started from in life. If we care about representation, we need to pay more attention to class destination.

Fabian Society@thefabians.bsky.social · 2w ago

"Without enough working-class politicians, policies risk being calibrated to median or elite experiences" The left often fixates on politicans' working-class origins - but where they end up may matter more, writes @vladimirbortun.bsky.social fabians.org.uk/class-act/

🔴 NEW: The Far-Right Billionaire Who Is Buying Up French Culture By Olly Haynes Vincent Bollore is helping push France to the right as he gathers a growing empire of publishing houses, newspapers, and film studios across the country Read the full story below.

The Far-Right Billionaire Who Is Buying Up French Culture

Vincent Bollore is helping push France to the right as he gathers a growing empire of publishing houses, newspapers, and film studios across the country

bylinetimes.com

🟨 Print Edition — Hedge Funds and Tech Bros: Reform UK James Orr’s Road to Damascus How did Nigel Farage’s head of policy move from corporate law to political religiosity? Peter Jukes and Nafeez Ahmed report The post Hedge Funds and Tech Bros…

Hedge Funds and Tech Bros: Reform UK James Orr’s Road to Damascus

How did Nigel Farage’s head of policy move from corporate law to political religiosity? Peter Jukes and Nafeez Ahmed report The post Hedge Funds and Tech Bros: Reform UK James Orr’s Road to Damascus appeared first on Byline Times .

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📌 ICYMI — The Neo-Nazi and Far-Right Coalition that Converged on Southampton Over Henry Nowak’s Murder — @josiahmortimer.bsky.social There were Nazi salutes and 'White Power' chants on the streets of Southampton, after the Reform UK leader called for "pure cold rage" in response to Nowak's death

The Neo-Nazi and Far-Right Coalition that Converged on Southampton Over Henry Nowak’s Murder

There were Nazi salutes and 'White Power' chants on the streets of Southampton, after the Reform UK leader called for "pure cold rage" in response to Nowak's death

bylinetimes.com

Reform UK Councillor Says Families Who Can’t Afford IVF Treatment ‘Should Not be Bringing Babies Into the World’ Bridget Porter backs cuts to fertility treatment funding in Kent saying that those on low incomes should "cut their garment according to their cloth"...

Reform UK Councillor Says Families Who Can’t Afford IVF Treatment ‘Should Not be Bringing Babies Into the World’

Bridget Porter backs cuts to fertility treatment funding in Kent saying that those on low incomes should "cut their garment according to their cloth"

bylinetimes.com

Ten years after the Paris Agreement, the 1.5° target is out of reach. Meanwhile, wealth concentration has increased massively. These facts are interlinked: wealth inequality determines who causes the climate crisis & who profits from it. @cmohren.bsky.social @wid.world @lseinequalities.bsky.social

Why climate policy has to tackle the question of ownership

Wealth inequality determines who causes the climate crisis and who profits from it, so the low-carbon transition offers an opportunity to redistribute wealth

blogs.lse.ac.uk

Only last month Bilgi University hosted the Historical Materialism conference. Now it's virtually being shut down by the authoritarian-neoliberal regime of Erdogan. Thousdands of staff members and students are suddenly left in the dark. Full solidarity! hmistanbul.org/2026/05/23/s...

Statement Regarding Current Developments at Bilgi University

The operation license of Istanbul Bilgi University was revoked by a presidential decree issued on early hours of May 20. This is where we held our last Istanbul HM meeting last April thanks to the …

hmistanbul.org

So it's not even that Labour's strategy to chase Reform voters by being more reactionary isn't working, but there's barely anyone to chase: only 5% of those who voted Labour in 2024 voted for Reform last week. Most voters deserting them are switching to more progressive parties or not voting at all.

Steve Akehurst@steveakehurst.bsky.social · 3mo ago

NEW: What exactly happened in the local and devolved elections in England, Scotland and Wales last week? @persuasionuk.bsky.social has some new polling out today which offers a first glimpse. Thread here on top line findings from each nation. 🧵

I’m pleased to see people realising this morning that a Lab>Reform seat change can happen because Lab>others and Con>Reform. The underlying vote flow evidence has been screaming this since autumn 2024 😎.

The red thread that will be running through most mainstream media narratives today and for some time to come: overemphasise the success of Reform to pepare the ground for pragmatic lesser evilism in the next general election. It's all about manufacturing consent in defence of the status quo.

Local elections today across England, regional legislative elections in Wales and Scotland. It's obvious to many people that an anti-establishment alternative to the mainstream parties (Labour, Tories, LibDems) is needed. But Reform is not that alternative. It's more of the same, but more radical.

Bild

In this piece for @uk.theconversation.com, I look at Reform's first year in local government: increases in the (regressive) Council Tax, attempted privatisation of care homes, push for deregulation of fracking. But all these face opposition from their own base. theconversation.com/after-a-year...

After a year of Reform UK in local government, the cracks are starting to show

A gulf is emerging between the party’s populist rhetoric and what it does in practice.

theconversation.com