Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 14hwww.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...theguardian.comEU drops sponsorship of disinformation conference at Trump officials’ requestLithuania and Canada were also pressured to withdraw, and days before #Disinfo2026, logos were wiped off website 010
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnSteve Rosenberg @bbcstever.bsky.social · 22h"In this building lived and worked journalist Anna Politkovskaya. Killed 7 October 2006" 19540144
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnSteve Rosenberg @bbcstever.bsky.social · 07/10/202620 years ago today Anna Politkovskaya, one of Russia’s most prominent investigative journalists, was murdered. I found no mention of the anniversary in today's Russian newspapers. #ReadingRussiayoutu.beRussian papers silent on the 20th anniversary of journalist's murderYouTube video by Steve Rosenberg 10386136
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnAdam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 07/10/2026From the new Private Eye 522666961
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnAdam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 06/10/2026The utter shamelessness of Kemi Badenoch boasting at Conservative party conference about 'defending press freedom' and berating Reform for banning critical journalists from their conference, just days after banning Byline Times journalists from her own 451380567
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Latest Climate Change: Kuhla et al. on "Different norms, different impacts? Testing the effects of deliberative norms on climate deliberation." link.springer.com/article/10.1...link.springer.comDifferent norms, different impacts? Testing the effects of deliberative norms on climate deliberation - Climatic ChangeThe need to find rapid yet fair and legitimate policy responses to climate change has prompted calls for more democratic deliberation in climate policymaking. Democratic deliberation, however, contain... 000
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnAdam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 02/10/2026Was just on LBC with @mrjamesob.bsky.social to discuss Kemi Badenoch's banning of @bylinetimes.bsky.social from attending Conservative conference after calling such bans by Reform "authoritarian" and an assault on free speech bylinetimes.com/2026/09/30/k...bylinetimes.comKemi Badenoch's Conservatives Block Byline Times From Conference After Condemning Reform for Journalist BanThe ban comes just weeks after the Conservative leader called Reform's barring of critical journalists from their conference an "authoritarian" attack on the free press 18447153
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 30/09/2026There's no bend here at all on the nationalist side -- no possibility of deliberation or compromise. And they wonder why unionists are so resistant to a united Ireland. Silly, wrong, and self-defeating. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...theguardian.comMediation over Drumcree parade is ‘dead in the water’, say nationalistsNorthern Ireland secretary holding talks with both sides as Garvaghy Road group launches fresh legal challenge 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 30/09/2026If political parties are to serve a deliberative function (for too long sorely overlooked), the key to understanding that function is surely the principle of accountability. (There's a very interesting project to be done here, imo.) 010
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnAlan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 29/09/2026New variant on the Kinsley definition of gaffe: a public figure complains when his remarks are used entirely in context by people inconvenient to him. 15717
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 29/09/2026english.elpais.com/internationa...english.elpais.comGaza before and after: New Google Maps imagery shows destruction of the StripThe app has updated the satellite imagery for much of the Palestinian territory with photos from February 2026 that lay bare the effects of the Israeli offensive 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 29/09/2026Perhaps*the* challenge for deliberative democracy today. 1124
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026NI's First Minister just refused to come to the Assembly to answer questions because apparently last night she was at Garvaghy as SF vice president not First Minister. Just in case you were wondering, here's the sectarian rabble responsible for instilling fear in the residents. Father Ted, anyone? 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026To be clear: both Irish nationalism and British unionism are nationalist movements. 100
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 28/09/2026How can you have meaningful deliberation under these conditions? Or any possibility of compromise? No mention of the rule of law. Sympathy for the residents. No mention of the lodge who are also residents of the town. www.gov.ie/en/departmen...gov.ieStatement by Minister McEntee on the Garvaghy Road developmentsStatement by Minister McEntee on the Garvaghy Road developments 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026Let's face it, both sides are pretty exclusionary. And that's the problem (sigh?): you're only pointing the finger at one side. As a way forward, that's hopeless. 110
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026And you think nationalism has? If that doesn't encapsulate the problem I don't know what does. 300
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026As Einstein famously put it, nationalism is an “infantile disease,” the “measles of mankind.” Sorry for banging on about this one, but, after 30 years, people really, really need to grow up, sit down, talk, and reach a compromise. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukOrange Order march row goes to heart of ongoing divisions in Northern IrelandThe dispute over the controversial parade is a reminder that the peace process is not over. 200
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026This is a good example of why this issue is unlikely to be solved. When one side thinks that the problem lies entirely with the other, a dialogue of the deaf is the best that can be hoped for. 210
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 26/09/2026They must indeed, though not as hardened as they would like! 010
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Obviously a sensitive topic. But 28 years on, I'm not sure I see the problem in allowing a small group of old men to walk quietly down a road at 8am on a Sunday morning to collect a banner. Deliberative democracy in deeply divided societies remains a challenge. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukOrange Orderparade along Garvaghy Road halted after injuction grantedPortadown District Orange Lodge had declined a request from Judge Patricia Smyth to postpone the parade along the Garvaghy Road 120
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026This debate is worth watching. In a way, the most interesting aspect is the Labour politician who puts what she thinks will best convince her constituents that Labour is improving their lives above what she knows to be the facts of the case. 010
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnUCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 22/09/2026Is democracy declining? What do citizens think? Has anywhere stemmed or reversed backsliding? On 13 October, hear from @clandwehr.bsky.social, Seema Shah @internationalidea.bsky.social and Jan Teorell @vdeminstitute.bsky.social at our free, online event. Sign up 👉️ ucl.zoom.us/webinar/regi.... 085
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 21/09/2026Imagine living in a country in which your deliberations would count for nothing -- in which you had no say at all in who should rule. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukRussia's elections had few surprises - but how the Kremlin uses the results is far from clearVladimir Putin will likely use the result to claim most Russians back the so-called special military operation in Ukraine, writes the BBC's Steve Rosenberg. 010
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 20/09/2026Latest Environmental Values: Knops and Silberzahn on "Beyond deliberation: Why we need affect for ecological democracy." journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1... 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 20/09/2026"[I]n our transformed information environment, with its premium on attention, drama and passion, democracy can’t be defended simply by legal constraints and rational policies. Democrats...need to compete...on the emotional plane, too." Dem as spectacle Vs DMPs? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...theguardian.comHere’s how Germany can defend its democracy – banning the AfD isn’t the answer | Timothy Garton AshInstead, constrain it legally and fight it politically. The world is watching, says Guardian columnist Timothy Garton Ash 000
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnRikki Dean @rikkidean.bsky.social · 18/09/2026🚨 Job alert 🚨 Come and join me and @paul-kindermann.net researching European process preferences. 3-year postdoc @sotonpolitics.bsky.social with travel and training budget. Potentially of interest to those attending #EPOP2026. Details at: jobs.soton.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx... #poliskyjobs.soton.ac.ukJob Opportunity at the University of Southampton: Research Fellow - Political Process Preferences in Europe (PoPPiE) projectWe are delighted to welcome applications for the position of Research Fellow within a new ERC-funded research group on Political Process Preferences in Europe (PoPPiE): Rethinking Conceptual, Ontologi... 0925
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Why does this guy get a voice? Why doesn't the BBC give the same space to, I dunno, a climate scientist (who probably doesn't have £15bn in the bank but who, on the other hand, isn't insulting immigrants and threatening the country either). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukBillionaire Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he has lost confidence in UKIneos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe tells the BBC he thinks the country is "on the slide" and calls for more investment in the North Sea. 032
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Bioethics early view: Saunders on "How Bioethicists Can Contribute to Democratic Deliberation." onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....onlinelibrary.wiley.comHow Bioethicists Can Contribute to Democratic DeliberationIt is sometimes suggested that policymaking on bioethical questions should be more democratic, either through direct popular participation (as in a referendum) or through improved forms of representa... 031
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Global Constitutionalism early view: Synot and Arcioni on "The Voice: constitutional relationship between peoples in a shared polity." www.cambridge.org/core/journal...cambridge.orgThe Voice: constitutional relationship between peoples in a shared polity | Global Constitutionalism | Cambridge CoreThe Voice: constitutional relationship between peoples in a shared polity 021
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026John 11:35 delibdemjournal.org/article/id/2...delibdemjournal.orgWaiting for Pepper: When Robotic Silence Becomes Deliberative SpaceThis paper examines how robotic silence functions as a deliberative resource rather than a technical deficit. Drawing on the reflexive practitioner analysis of Robots in the Room—six deliberation sess... 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026'Responding to the village saying it had "roared", Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast: "I think they have – we have heard it, we are listening.' You can't have deliberation without listening. But you can have (performative) listening without deliberation www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukPiddington in Oxfordshire votes to leave UK over asylum plansPiddington residents vote over proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby. 011
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026If you think that deliberative democracy is something that only happens in mini-publics, you obviously haven't been paying attention. 011
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 16/09/2026"Money doesn't give you the right to own the conversation ... Nobody's bank balance should decide who gets to speak or which suffering we're allowed to acknowledge." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukEd Sheeran's support acts quit tour in support of MacklemoreThe star said he was not responsible for Macklemore being dropped from the line-up after he made pro-Palestinian statements on stage. 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 15/09/2026www.theguardian.com/technology/2...theguardian.comAI models chatting in ‘surreal’ dialect mixing poetic language and tech bro jargonExperts air concern over AI lingo redolent of James Joyce’s prose that is creating headaches for monitoring and oversight 020
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 14/09/2026An interesting read (from a few years back). Of course, internally, China's Politburo might be highly deliberative. But so what? Deliberative democracy isn't really the confection some poeple seem to think it is. It's an ideology in its own right. www.ideology-theory-practice.org/blog/ideolog...ideology-theory-practice.orgIdeologies of deliberationProf. William Smith is Associate Professor of Government and Public Administration at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He researches in the field of contemporary political theory, with particular ... 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 13/09/2026There are limits to how many flags you can stick up on lampposts. But £72m can do untold damage to public discourse -- to the fundamentals of democracy (and, I might add, decency). 021
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnEU Science, Research & Innovation @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu · 11/09/2026Explore how citizen engagement can strengthen democratic resilience with us🤝 The Festival brings together policymakers, public servants, researchers, practitioners, innovators and civil society to exchange ideas, build connections & shape the future of citizen participation. link.europa.eu/6NHC7V 099
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 11/09/2026Latest Res Publica: Loobuyck and Lukić on "The Mutual Reinforcement of Populism and Post-Truth in Undermining Deliberative Democracy." link.springer.com/article/10.1...link.springer.comThe Mutual Reinforcement of Populism and Post-Truth in Undermining Deliberative Democracy - Res PublicaThis paper examines the compounded threat that post-truth populism poses to the foundations of deliberative democracy. While most scholarship treats populism and post-truth politics as separate phenom... 000
Reposted by Ian O'FlynnPerspectives on Politics @poppublicsphere.bsky.social · 11/09/2026¡¡VOLUME 24, ISSUE 3 IS NOW OUT!! shorturl.at/HJoDx shorturl.at/q86ih Incl. work by @geniakostka.bsky.social, @liselhintz.bsky.social, @draege.bsky.social, @edwardgoldring.bsky.social, @evgenyroshchin.bsky.social, @brunoleipold.com, @delibnet.bsky.social, @jonathanpjwhite.bsky.social,... 178
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Latest PonP: O'Flynn and Russell on "Veto Rights in Power-Sharing Democracies: A Justificatory Test." www.cambridge.org/core/journal...cambridge.orgVeto Rights in Power-Sharing Democracies: A Justificatory Test | Perspectives on Politics | Cambridge CoreVeto Rights in Power-Sharing Democracies: A Justificatory Test - Volume 24 Issue 3 011
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I must admit to being sceptical. Of course, political parties must pay attention to the public at large, and citizen forums might be one way in which they do that. But ultimately there is a major disjunction between deliberation and partisanship. There are hints here, but not many. 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I sometimes mention ideas for papers that I think deliberative democrats should/could pursue. I don't know if there's been any work on the relationship between public deliberation and political donations, but this great piece suggests there ought to be. democracyforsale.substack.com/p/reforms-un...democracyforsale.substack.comReform’s undercover donations pave road to state captureBy making rule-breaking a selling point, Reform is signalling it's open for influence trading, says anti-corruption expert Liz David-Barrett. 000
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Fair point. No mention either of the failures of public deliberation. Democracy is at bottom a decision procedure. In itself, it can't deliver the good times. But in its deliberative form, it can help us to better understand the choices before us, however unappetising those choices may be. 021
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 07/09/2026AfD says 'democracy demands' parties work with them after state election win. Proof if proof were needed: this lot either doesn't understand or doesn't care about the rule of law. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukGermany's AfD calls for parties to work with it after Saxony-Anhalt winThe far-right party is trying to form a government in the state after falling three seats short of a majority. 110
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Job opportunity (good pay, great looking project): employment.ku.dk/faculty/?sho...employment.ku.dkPostdoc in Democratic Innovations and Moralizing Politic 001
Ian O'Flynn @delibnet.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Of course, offering a positive, democratic narrative isn't enough. It must also be something that actually appeals to people at large and is, moreover, feasible. Viewed in this light, contemporary deliberative democracy is arguably in a sorry state. 011
