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Colm Murphy

@colmpm.bsky.social
6.7K followers 2.8K following 1.4K posts

Historian of UK and ROI politics and political economy. Senior Lecturer at QMUL and Deputy Director of Mile End Institute (www.qmul.ac.uk/politics/staff/profi…). Book on Labour and 'modernisation' (tinyurl.com/37tzatvk).

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Moby Dick @mobydickatsea.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
a profound silence
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Such idiocies are also, of course, a boon to the disingenuous, pro-Israeli expansionist, settler colonialist and racist right. People never learn.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
It is perfectly possible, indeed I would say easy, to condemn a genocide without implicitly endorsing ethnic cleansing - especially in something as abstract as a conference motion. It has long been a source of morbid fascination to me why so many feel compelled to fail this test.
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Tarik Abou-Chadi @tabouchadi.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
For my new research unit Politics of Democracy at the Berlin Social Science Center @wzb.bsky.social, we have 3 open research positions. 2 postdocs: 4 + 2 years (100%) 1 doc: 2 years (75%) Starting date: 1 March 2027 (negotiable) Application deadline: 1 November
Job adjob ad
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I remembered this 'objective' claim today when reading Minford, this time in 1989, on EMU: 'an extraordinary surrender of control over economic policy to the cartel of Brussels bureaucrats … The prospect is so hopelessly unacceptable that it is incredible anyone would seriously put them forward’
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Imogen Shaw @imogenshaw.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Baffling to see The Times claim that Burnham “did not mention energy” in his conference speech. Energy was referenced no fewer than 10 times, alongside a major announcement of £4bn for Great British Grid to cut connection delays and bring bills down. Britain's energy challenge was front & centre.
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Peter Whitewood @pwhitewood.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Seal the tomb, salt the earth. He must not rise again.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Join our fantastic roster of speakers - @stephanomics.bsky.social @will-davies.bsky.social @colmpm.bsky.social & Kathleen Burk - to explore everything from the 1976 crisis & the 1997 Asian crash to the 2007 Financial Crisis & the 2022 mini-budget. Tickets free! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/politics-a...
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
On 26 October, we'll be marking 50 years since the IMF crisis by exploring the politics of economic shocks. What is it like to govern in an economic crisis? What happens when "the markets" turn on governments? And what does this mean for democracy? All welcome! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/politics-a...
eventbrite.co.uk
Politics and Economic Shocks, from the IMF Crisis to the Mini-Budget
Join the Mile End Institute for a discussion exploring how financial crises and market pressures have shaped British politics since 1976.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I too was reading Sainte-Just's despatches to the CPS in my spare time when I had just finished my A Levels...
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Sometimes one just feels inadequate. This snippet from @emile-chabal.bsky.social's fascinating intellectual biography of Eric Hobsbawm describes his reading and essay criticism of Sorel, in I believe a third language (French). He was around 19 years old and about to go to university.
Extract from Chabal's book The Age of Hobsbawm, describing his critical views of Sorel's interpretation of the French Revolution, having "just read" Sainte-Just's despatches to the Committee of Public Safety
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Imogen Shaw @imogenshaw.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Taking this opportunity for shameless self-promotion, if you want to read into the background of Burnham’s upcoming announcement on Great British Grid, here’s me for Renewal over the summer ⬇️ @renewaljournal.bsky.social renewal.org.uk/blog/the-gri...
renewal.org.uk
The Grid Theory of Everything
The UK’s electricity grid is a problem. It has been underinvested in for decades, leaving it low on capacity and poorly designed to accommodate the rapid rollout of new renewable energy generation. C...
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Tyron @tyron.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
rare column from @stephenkb.bsky.social that combines my interest in the state of the UK charts in a siloed culture with my interest in public policy giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
giftarticle.ft.com
What ‘Choosin’ Texas’ tells us about Burnham’s social care obstacles
Convincing the British public to pay higher taxes for something they wrongly assume the state provides will not be easy
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I definitely lean pessimistic in snap judgements, but I do prefer that immeasurably to self-harming optimism.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
No, it is not guaranteed that your asset will rise with/above inflation. Of course, as a debtor, your mortgage will fall with inflation too.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
It's quite interesting how so many people just assume that the 1980s, the 2000s and the 2010s are the norm for the housing market. Even after the early 1990s crash and 2008-2010.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
yes, I suppose it might not be *that* exciting...
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I just spotted that my book was one of those reviewed in this suggestive essay about the transnational circulation and contestation of, and adaptation to, neoliberal ideas in late C20th European social democracy. Very pleasing to be read alongside such excellent authors. doi.org/10.1017/S096...
doi.org
Social Democracy and Neoliberalism since the 1970s: Adaptation, Convergence or Contestation? | Contemporary European History | Cambridge Core
Social Democracy and Neoliberalism since the 1970s: Adaptation, Convergence or Contestation? - Volume 35
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regular meghan 나영지 🇵🇸 @ruemcclammyhand.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
i asked them about your posts and the reviews are in
Erica, 40, Republican, Latino, customer service Bad.

Pam, 66, Republican, white, retired Amoral.

Becky, 51, Democrat, white, retail Disgusting.

Robert S., 52, Republican, Latino, human resources Two words: morally corrupt.

Hitesh, 57, Republican, Asian, looking for work Disgusting.
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David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
For Histoire @ Politique, I reviewed Jean Vigreux's 'Découvrir le Front populaire' - a new source-based introduction to France's Popular Front, which eschews simplistic celebration in favour of highlighting the Popular Front moment as one of extreme social and political tensions
journals.openedition.org
Jean Vigreux, Découvrir le Front populaire
Politics in Europe today is increasingly marked by what the historian Renauld Meltz describes as a “compulsive return to the 1930s” as a primary lens through which to view the present. In France, t...
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
For Histoire @ Politique, I reviewed @emmanuelleavril.bsky.social and Eric Shaw's 'Order and Rebellion: Labour’s Managerial Politics from Miliband to Starmer'. journals.openedition.org/histoirepoli...
journals.openedition.org
Emmanuelle Avril and Eric Shaw, Order and Rebellion: Labour’s Manag...
The job of leading a large political party in a European democracy can sometimes resemble a circus trick. Party leaders perform a high-wire balancing act, juggling multiple balls (electoral strateg...
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David Ornstein @david-ornstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
nytimes.com
Manchester City found guilty on almost all Premier League charges relating to financial breaches
City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
I enjoyed the preface, by the IEA's Colin Robinson: "The decision is so important for the economic future of Britain that nothing less than the most objective economic analysis, untainted by 'political' considerations, will suffice." Minford is your man for that, of course.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
At the cutting edge of policy debate today.
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Sarah O'Connor @sarahoconnorft.ft.com · 24/09/2026
Please excuse me while I scream into a cushion at the thought of ALL the articles I had to write on the "UK productivity puzzle" in the 2010s www.ft.com/content/c819...
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History of Parliament @histparl.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Congratulations to our colleague Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones and @colmpm.bsky.social for yesterday's fascinating workshop on the future of 19th and 20th century British political history. Many thanks to @ihr.bsky.social and @historyandpolicy.bsky.social for helping host and support the event as well!
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Victorian Commons @victoriancommons.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Congratulations to our research fellow Dr Naomi Lloyd-Jones and @colmpm.bsky.social for organising such an interesting workshop on modern British political history yesterday, held @ihr.bsky.social
Photo of a tall white building with multiple floors and lots of windows.
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Tim Price @timprice.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
You joined "grand vizier chat (secret)" You: dark rumors from aboard You: abroad* fuck Sssnakecharmer: mf said aboard WhispersintheChapel: ahoy matey lol PonderMyOrb changed the group name to "rumors from aboard"
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Great piece and thread. Find it heartening that most people get why it is a particular problem for politicians to do this, also!
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Imogen Shaw @imogenshaw.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Excited to be chairing this brilliant LCEF event at Labour Conference next week! We’ll be talking about how, done well, the green transition has the potential to revitalise communities and build local prosperity - and how we can make that happen.
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Sharon O'Dea @sharonodea.com · 22/09/2026
A landlord making £100,000 a month says young people have “no excuse to be poor”. Excellent. I love financial advice. Gather round, children, let's examine how he himself stopped being poor. metro.co.uk/2026/09/20/i...
metro.co.uk
I’m a landlord making £100,000 a month — young people have no excuse to be poor
Samuel bought his first home aged 17 with a 100% mortgage.
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Nick Garland @npjgarland.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
To mark Progressive Review's relaunch, we've put together a collection of the greatest hits from @ippr.org's various journals since 1994 - all free to read. Including Jürgen Habermas, Thomas Piketty, Helen Thompson, David Runciman, Will Davies & Jean Seaton. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Reinventing the Left Since 1994: The Best of New Economy, Public Policy Research, Juncture and Progressive Review: IPPR Progressive Review
Click on the title to browse this issue
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👻 Jack Djinn Wail 🧞 @jacktindale.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
I think it says all you need to know about Mearsheimer that his own personal website is dominated by a portrait of himself in the style of Machiavelli.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
"I am a neglected and vital contributor to society with real insight, you are a well funded interest group, they are a vested interest"
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The bizarre implication of this paragraph is that the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce are not "well funded interest groups". The relentless creep of Britain’s compliance state - www.ft.com/content/6750... via @FT
The drive is accelerating, because swaths of government are increasingly controlled by well-funded interest groups or victims with loud voices, while business has even less time to complain, the more complexity is thrust upon it. The Federation of Small Businesses says that 40 per cent of its members engage with at least four different regulators. The British Chambers of Commerce estimates that the domestic policy-driven costs for a hypothetical 50-person business have risen from 31 per cent of turnover in 2016 to 39 per cent now. It finds an acceleration in the past two years, with the hikes to employer national insurance and the minimum wage, but also from compliance.
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Duncan Weldon @duncanweldon.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
One big impact of this, I think, is that the UK goes from being a huge outlier in terms of the scale of the post-2008 productivity slow down to being broadly in line with international peers.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I have a short essay in this relaunched Progressive Review from @ippr.org, called ‘A Liberalism of Public Things’. Open access link below: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
A Liberalism of Public Things
The social democratic ideological tradition - including the liberalism within it - should be described more accurately and defended. Liberalism within social democracy is the liberalism of public thi...
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Hugo Gordon @hugogordon.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
If not exactly sympathetic to Sheeran I'm not entirely unsympathetic, he's been put in a difficult position by promoters/stadium owners. But putting out a statement saying he decided to continue in part to ensure the support acts could still get paid, only for them to all withdraw, is pretty funny.
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Marzia Maccaferri @marzmac.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Politics is conceived as a market in which someone puts up the capital, someone distributes the benefits, and everyone must know which side of the transaction they are on. My two cents on donations and democracy (in Italian). appunti.substack.com/p/la-democra...
appunti.substack.com
La democrazia in vendita
In Gran Bretagna sono i miliardari a trasferire denaro a un partito; negli Stati Uniti è il presidente a promettere denaro agli elettori: la rappresentanza diventa transazione
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
(in terms of his reception)
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I think you're right that if he'd used the language of "utility maximisation" the story would have been very different
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Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Sure why not
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Past and Present @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
On advance access "The Political Crisis of British Keynesianism, 1973–1983" by @colmpm.bsky.social (‪@qmpoliticsir.bsky.social‬) #OpenAccess doi.org/10.1093/past...
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Daniel Gover @danielgover.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
In 2015, MPs voted to reject the assisted dying bill, a private member's bill. Tomorrow, exactly 11 years later to the day, MPs expect to vote on a similar bill. In May I wrote that supporters faced 4 key challenges. They've cleared the 1st. Tomorrow they face the 2nd challenge.
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Nadine Batchelor-Hunt @nadinebh.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Ed Miliband’s parents survived the Holocaust, Ed Miliband is Jewish - that is immutable Questioning his Jewishness like this tells you all you need to know about people like this, and what their values are - and what they truly think about Jewish people that don’t behave how they want them to
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John Oxley @joxley.jmoxley.co.uk · 09/09/2026
Also, why is this basically written up as "quirky crowd make an embarrassing mistake" and not "violent racists form mob because Asian people use hotel"?
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
This was very interesting
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Henry Mance @henrymance.ft.com · 09/09/2026
There's a constant insinuation that Ed Miliband is not a 'real Jew', and it seems very bad
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
A new statue of British prime minister William Gladstone was unveiled in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria earlier this year. Find out why in this week's @ppfideas.bsky.social: a story of three empires, two great popular movements, the origins of "jingoism" & the last great battle between Gladstone & Disraeli
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Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Latest article for the House magazine, in which I wonder if I have wasted my life learning about leadership elections rules... www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...
politicshome.com
The Professor Will See You Now: Defenestration
Lessons in political science. This week: defenestration
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