Sign in

Ben Worthy

@benworthy.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.2K following 197 posts
PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Journal of Democracy @jodemocracy.bsky.social · 5h
Americans have never been angrier with one another. But polarization is not the disease—it is the response to a revanchist movement seeking to roll back sixty years of social progress. 🆕 by @lilymasonphd.bsky.social muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...
216661
Reposted by Ben Worthy
G Elliott Morris @gelliottmorris.com · 30/09/2026
Strength In Numbers called this eight months ago www.gelliottmorris.com/p/meet-ameri... (from The Bulwark's latest Focus Group pod)
012622
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Federica Genovese @fgenovese.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Lest we forget, this is politics in action: - the David Cameron-led Conservative govt had de facto halted onshore wind in 2015 (raised planning restrictions, cut subsidies) - in 2024 Labour under Starmer, and really the energy secretary Ed Miliband, removed the hurdles and lifted the ban
12912
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Andrew @openpolicy.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
I’ve written an op-ed for @newsroom.co.nz with Russell Opland, on how ministers and some senior officials are using poor quality data to justify an assault on our right to information under the OIA. Strengthening our democracy is a core issue this election. #nzpol newsroom.co.nz/2026/09/28/o...
newsroom.co.nz
Officials crack on behind closed doors to limit the OIA, under cover of election
Andrew Ecclestone and Russell Opland argue the managerialism of processing official information requests is shielding the heart of the matter: reducing our right to participate in making policies, and...
45128
Reposted by Ben Worthy
nottspolitics.bsky.social @nottspolitics.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Congratulations to Dr @neemabegum.bsky.social on winning funding from @nuffieldfoundation.org's Racial Diversity UK (RDUK) fund. Working with @climateoutreach.bsky.social and Dr Charles Ogunbode, the project will explore public attitudes towards climate-linked migration. ℹ️ ➡️ tinyurl.com/bde9jn3b
Poster featuring University logo and photos of Neema Begum and Charles Ogunbode, with text 'From rivers of blood to rising seas: attitudes to climate migration' - funding success for Dr Neema Begum and Dr Charles Ogunbode
176
Ben Worthy @benworthy.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This Fireman Sam based intervention is perfection. Water carrier of Fascism
010
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Miriam Sorace @miriamsorace.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Brilliant, as ever, from @martamiori.bsky.social and @profjanegreen.bsky.social might I add: v likely consequence is that state of the art data-driven campaign operations will become even more crucial, if anything to ensure correct signalling to voters-potentially scary, depending on campaign ethos
171
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Marta Miori @martamiori.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New opinion piece with @profjanegreen.bsky.social in @financialtimes.com ⬇️📊 We argue that five parties in the polls doesn't mean five-way races. What's really going on is a scramble within each bloc over who can win, fought out seat by seat.
03724
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Archie Hall @archiehall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
My latest for @economist.com: AI writing is taking over politics. 10% of what was is said in Parliament is now AI-drafted, per Pangram. Yet more in the House of Representatives, or in Australia and Canada. Link: www.economist.com/britain/202... And a 🧵 below, w/ some main offenders
811765
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Dr Florence H R Scott @florencehrscott.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
1529
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
We live in a poll-driven political age, but it's important for all politicians to remember that they can lead/influence public opinion through leadership and communication.
614517
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Institute for Government @instituteforgovernment.org.uk · 17/09/2026
TONIGHT | Does the UK do enough to guard against corruption in public life? With political donations in the news, join us at 17:30 to hear an expert panel discuss what reforms may be needed to strengthen transparency and accountability www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/does-u...
263
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Josiah Mortimer @josiahmortimer.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
In April 2026, while still apparently based in Hong Kong, Delo wrote in The Telegraph that he would move be moving back to Britain so he could contribute more to Reform, framing Labour’s £100,000 cap on donations from Brits living abroad as a “rigged game”. April is ofc after the 25 March cut off...
bylinetimes.com
Why Reform UK Could Be Forced to Hand Back Their £72m Donations From Crypto Billionaires
Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo gave a record £36 million each over the weekend to Nigel Farage's party, but a new law means they may have to take it all back
14610
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
How to stop billionaires buying our politics - three clear fixes to mend our democracy, from a former Electoral Commissioner democracyforsale.substack.com/p/stop-billi...
democracyforsale.substack.com
How to stop billionaires buying our politics
Ex-Electoral Commissioner David Howarth on Reform's £72m crypto donation, the loopholes that allow big money to buy our democracy – and three ways to close them
316171
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Ben Rosher @benrosher.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
New paper!! Sean Haughey, Jon Tonge, and I draw on data from the Northern Ireland General Election Survey to chart a way toward some potential reforms that could enjoy popular and political support and (hopefully) improve the stability of the NI institutions. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
cambridge.org
Why Northern Ireland’s Institutions Need Reform | Government and Opposition | Cambridge Core
Why Northern Ireland’s Institutions Need Reform - Volume 61
085
Reposted by Ben Worthy
British Journal of Political Science @bjpols.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
NEW - Reshaping Belonging: National Identity Change in Post-Referendum Britain - cup.org/4AhXkmW - @jaclarner.bsky.social, @jamesdgriffiths.bsky.social & @danielwincott.bsky.social #OpenAccess
Logo of the British Journal of Political Science with the text "#OpenAccess" below.
0125
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Sorrel @sorrelish.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Not now, Mercury
2123
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Rebecca McKee @rebeccamckee.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The assisted dying bill has been voted down by MPs at 2nd reading today. There are strong views on many sides but it also raises questions of whether PMBs are the right way to legislate on complex, ethical issues. We discussed this earlier this year www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/event/assist...
instituteforgovernment.org.uk
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.
076
Ben Worthy @benworthy.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This fascinating as to why things turned out differently by @danielgover.bsky.social 👇
011
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Daniel Gover @danielgover.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
After MPs voted against assisted dying legislation today, a new piece from me on the outcome: 'Why did MPs vote to reject the assisted dying bill – and what happens now?' @uk.theconversation.com theconversation.com/why-did-mps-...
theconversation.com
Why did MPs vote to reject the assisted dying bill – and what happens now?
It’s the end of the road for this particular bill.
11014
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Dr Adam Evans @a-b-evans.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
031
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Will Davies @will-davies.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
On fiscal hyperpolitics as Covid hangover substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Post-holiday blues
Covid and the unlearning of neoliberalism
1117
Reposted by Ben Worthy
West European Politics @wepsocial.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
🎭 Do party members with "dark" traits want "dark" leaders? Paul Webb, @timbale.bsky.social & Stavroula Chrona survey 4,266 UK party members: Reform UK and Conservative members score higher on the "Dark Triad", and those high on these traits prefer leaders who share them. 🔗 doi.org/10.1080/0140...
Description of the article "Personality, populism and party: support for 'dark triad' leaders in the UK" by Paul Webb, Tim Bale and Stavroula Chrona, published online first in West European Politics.
Table 1. Mean scores of Labour, Liberal Democrat, Green, Conservative and Reform UK members on Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy, and on their preference for leaders with those traits. Right-conservative members score higher than left-liberal members on the Dark Triad measures and are clearly keener on leaders with Dark Triad personalities.
Table 2. Regression table of two linear models predicting preference for leaders with Dark Triad traits, by party membership, party vote, demographics, ideology and respondents' own personality. Left-liberal members and voters score lower, and right-conservative members higher, than the Reform voter reference group; respondents' own Machiavellianism, narcissism and psychopathy each predict a stronger preference for such leaders.
0135
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Dr Peter Starie @stariep.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Retired academic here. Still time for a seminar before train leaves
011
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Nick Langley @nicklangley.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Never seen the numbers on one of these go up so fast. Could be faster though. act.38degrees.org.uk/act/rnli-tha...
act.38degrees.org.uk
An open letter in support of the volunteers and staff at the RNLI
This is a disgrace. Brave RNLI volunteers being called scum for risking their lives to save others at sea is just plain wrong. So I've signed an open letter of thanks for the RNLI letting them know th...
22621
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Jim Ray @jimray.net · 08/09/2026
I read this post and it answered all of the questions about AI that I have ever had, currently have, or will have in the future. Highly recommended. I also hacked @bsky38.com with the power of GLM 5.3 so now Dave will win.
3164
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Viktor Winetrout @viktorwinetrout.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
More than anything, Jaws is a metaphor about the dangers of being attacked by a killer shark
28972149
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 08/09/2026
On Andy Burnham's sudden bout of shyness. thecritic.co.uk/sanc...
The close of his statement was an appeal to our better natures. If we were going to ask Israelis and Palestinians to live side-by-side, he said, Britain also had to be a place where “people of all faiths and none have a right to live without prejudice or fear.” Listening to him was Andy Burnham, who has been strangely absent from our public debate for the last few days. In August, we couldn’t move for social media clips from the prime minister, standing on a ladder to discuss his first job, or sitting in a pub to rate bar snacks. But faced with masked thugs trying to shut down British ports over the weekend, Burnham seems to have lost the password for his phone. For a decade now, Britain has had a series of leaders apparently paralysed by the fear that if they say that racism is bad, they’ll be voted out. It would be nice to get one who had a slightly higher opinion of us.
19957304
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Jonn Elledge @jonnelledge.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I want the Prime Minister to look into a TV camera and say the RNLI are heroes, that we do not change policy by street violence in this country, and that he expects any criminal action to face the full force of the law. That's it. That's all he has to do.
632778879
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Richard Carr @richardcarr.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
His successor David Logan also a former Irish Nationalist who is Labour but kind of personally handed the seat by T.P. which he then holds to 1964.
162
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I don't think the news has made it here: bluesky political scientist Julia Azari @juliaazari.bsky.social 's _Backlash Presidents: From Transformative to Reactionary Leaders in American History_ (Princeton) was recognized with the Richard Neustadt award for best book published on the presidency!
15873160
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
15618101
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Nicholas Whithorn @nickwhithorn.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Today Meloni's government becomes the longest serving government in the history of the Italian Republic. Pity it's achieved nothing of any value whatsoever.
34210
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
One of the interesting aspects of all this footage is it reveals that parties/strategists firmly believe that opinion polls can be used for significant political advantage.
30575131
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Dylan Difford @dylandifford.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
A reminder that, even before this, most Britons regarded Reform UK as *very* sleazy, let alone sleazy to any degree, with 40% of Reform voters regarding Farage personally as sleazy.
25313
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Channel 4 News @channel4news.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation. 🔗 Read the exclusive story on Substack:
channel4news.substack.com
Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations
Undercover footage verified by Channel 4 News reveals a secret plot by senior Reform UK figures to break the law on party donations. A leading legal expert is now calling for a criminal investigation.
46894593996
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Exeter UCU @exeterucu.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The University of Exeter has confirmed that it won’t proceed with compulsory redundancies “at this time”. This means colleagues do not need to complete the pro forma, and there will be no selection process.
NO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES photo of Nicole Kidman looking incredibly joyful and free after her divorce from Tom Cruise was finalised
431288
Reposted by Ben Worthy
The City Reporter @thecityreporter.nyc · 03/09/2026
Every 1 in 5 people ICE arrested since February is a child. That and more in our latest analysis of data available through Freedom of Information Act lawsuits: www.thecityreporter.nyc/2026/08/28/i...
7508340
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Conor J. Kelly @conorjkelly.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
2/4 The book looks at why Northern Ireland’s political parties developed such different positions on Europe, tracing those divisions from the UK’s entry into the EEC in 1973 through to Brexit. I’ll be discussing it with @timbale.bsky.social and Giada Lagana, with @benworthy.bsky.social charing
142
Ben Worthy @benworthy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Strong recommend for this thread on consequential gigs, mainly MCR based 👇
010
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Arthur C. Clerk's Mysterious World @fantasticlife.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Oh. Beta Band in Cambridge. That was a memorable one. I missed my train. Jarvis Cocker was kind enough to notice me looking lonely and gave me a lift home. For some definition of home. He was going to Sheffield. I lived in Norwich at the time. So that was an adventure
111
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Ruxandra Serban @ruxandrasrbn.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
The Scottish Parliament made some important changes to its First Minister’s Questions procedure earlier this year. Some thoughts on how it might work in this new @psa-parliaments.bsky.social blog 👇🏻 wp.me/pcjoA9-23o
John Swinney in the Scottish Parliament
164
Reposted by Ben Worthy
mcc @dryad.technology · 01/09/2026
This is the single biggest physics discovery of my entire lifetime. Or something's wrong with one of the cables. One of the two
9961221240
Reposted by Ben Worthy
👻 Jack Djinn Wail 🧞 @jacktindale.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Just realised that the longest-serving Prime Minister and shortest-serving Prime Minister both held office under two monarchs.
818037
Ben Worthy @benworthy.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
I approve and support this message
020
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Chris Butler @chrisbutlerpol.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Very surprised and delighted that my lead-authored article with @robfordmancs.bsky.social & @martamiori.bsky.social has won the BJPIR John Peterson Best Article Prize for 2025! If only I could find a uni to employ me I would keep trying to produce research at this level 🤣
75514
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Strangers in a Tangled Wilderness @tangledwilderness.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
Hey I'm not actually done talking about Dolly Parton. 🧵 Specifically I want to talk about her album 9 to 5 and Odd Jobs, released in 1980 (not the soundtrack to the film 9 to 5, that's a different thing). The whole album is about work, with most of the songs focused on a different type of worker.
7466193
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Josh Marshall @joshtpm.bsky.social · 30/08/2026
Todays song is Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues by Skip James. First recorded in 1931, here performed in 1967. James voice alone can break your heart. From the generation of classic Delta Blues players (b.1902), his ethereal voice gave his work a unique, uncannily modern sound. youtu.be/DoBxzb-8oPc?...
youtu.be
Skip James - Hard Time Killin' Floor Blues (Live '67) HQ
YouTube video by The Charity
2738177
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Richard Carr @richardcarr.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
This is just great.
1104
Reposted by Ben Worthy
Richard Carr @richardcarr.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Paperback copies of Britain and Ireland from the Treaty to the Troubles - 'careful, convincing and wry' as per @colmpm.bsky.social - will apparently be available for order in September. With author discount code (which I'll provide to anyone who wishes) c.£30. www.routledge.com/Britain-and-...
routledge.com
Britain and Ireland from the Treaty to the Troubles: Independence and Interdependence, c. 1921-1973
Using extensive and fresh archival material, this book places the relationship between the United Kingdom and Ireland after 1921 in a new light, encouraging us to rethink the dominant narrative of con...
2102