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Karl Pike

@karlpike.bsky.social
1.1K followers 395 following 77 posts

Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at Queen Mary University of London. Book: Getting Over New Labour.

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Reposted by Karl Pike
Nick Garland @npjgarland.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Really excited to be relaunching Progressive Review, @ippr.org's journal of politics, ideas and public policy, with a new editorial team + advisory board:
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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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Peter Allen @peterallen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Last month, my most recent book ‘How to Think About Politics’ was released in Portuguese with the title ‘Política na vida real’ (trans. Thais Entriel). It is extremely weird but also very cool to see it on sale, a first for me: www.travessa.pt/Artigo/Detal...
A photograph of the book ‘política na vida real’ by Peter Allen.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Very good piece on some of the fiscal and temporal dilemmas Labour - and so Andy Burnham - still face.
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Nick Garland @npjgarland.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
Pleased to be publishing Karl’s essay. One of the v valuable things he does here is show that it’s just nonsense to see liberalism as somehow incompatible with many of the aspects of social democracy - community, belonging, solidarity - which post-liberals have tried to co-opt.
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John Springford @johnspringford.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
@benzaranko.bsky.social on immigration and wages in Norway: winners and losers, net *rise* in native wages. observer.co.uk/news/nationa...
observer.co.uk
Remember: immigrants create jobs as well as take them
A narrow focus on the jobs immigrants move into ignores the fact that by spending money, they create new jobs elsewhere
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
I have written a short essay for the IPPR called A Liberalism of Public Things: 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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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
New research from @mbarnfield.bsky.social here on support for Andy Burnham’s policy priorities, and views on timing - the politics of patience. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
newstatesman.com
Is Andy Burnham already doomed?
New polling suggests the Prime Minister understands what voters want – but has limited time to deliver it
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Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/fRxUuSv @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
buff.ly
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Nick Garland @npjgarland.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
🧵 Progressives need to think much more ambitiously about citizenship: it can't only be a debate about the "who" - the boundaries of citizenship. Our new @ippr.org report today makes the case for a new politics of "democratic citizenship": www.ippr.org/articles/the...
ippr.org
The democratic citizen: Renewing citizenship and the public domain | IPPR
Often, this descends into little more than an argument about eligibility for welfare benefits. This is a disaster for progressives, who find themselves fig
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 29/06/2026
10 years ago, the air outside Aldgate School didn’t meet legal limits. Children were breathing polluted air every day. I made it my mission to change that. Here’s the difference our bold policies have made ⬇️
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Daniel Gover @danielgover.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Very informative from @karlpike.bsky.social on whether or not there should be a leadership contest.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
There may be some debate about whether a contest would be a “good thing” - for policymaking, for a leader, for Labour etc.
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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Karl on the idea that a contest for the next leadership would be good for 'stress testing' ideas. I fear that he may be right.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
There may be some debate about whether a contest would be a “good thing” - for policymaking, for a leader, for Labour etc.
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Philip Cowley @philipjcowley.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Latest piece for the @financialtimes.com, on who gets to vote for a new Labour Prime Minister www.ft.com/content/d2d9...
ft.com
The strange case of who chooses the next Labour prime minister
Around three-quarters of those who can vote in any contest on who succeeds Starmer are not Labour Party members
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Great article here from @yuanfenyang.bsky.social
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Daniel Gover @danielgover.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Grateful for the chance to discuss private members' bills (usage, reform, etc) today at the @instituteforgovernment.org.uk - alongside @kimleadbeatermp.bsky.social, @paulbrand.bsky.social, @drhannahwhite.bsky.social & Luke Norbury. Recording here: 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.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Discussed ongoing research with @mbarnfield.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the BBC’s Moral Maze yesterday evening - about what the ‘short term’ and the ‘long term’ mean in politics and policymaking. www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
bbc.co.uk
Moral Maze - Who is morally responsible for Britain's political short-termism? - BBC Sounds
Live debate examining the moral issues behind one of the week's news stories.
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Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/r8Nq38r @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
buff.ly
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Matthew Barnfield @mbarnfield.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
A write-up of the key findings and points made in this thread on my Substack: open.substack.com/pub/drmatthe... The way I see it, the argument that the public’s irrational impatience makes it ungovernable can’t be defended rigorously because it simply hasn’t been put to the test.
open.substack.com
Testing the public's patience
Even if the electorate is short-termist, it's hard to argue irrational public impatience is to blame for the prime minister's woes
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
The most damning resignation letter yet, I think:
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Stella Creasy MP @stellacreasy.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
Going to be a lot of talk about who in the coming days. True labour values compel us to ask what and why first. This is my piece for @newstatesman1913.bsky.social on how we can again show our values lead our vision of the country Britain can be with Labour. www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...
newstatesman.com
By being true to itself, Labour can win again
At the moment the government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
An unhappy Labour Party very uncertain about what to do next - has been the case for a while now, and remains the case.
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The Conversation UK @uk.theconversation.com · 08/05/2026
What do the results mean for Labour – and is it the end of two-party politics in the UK?
tcnv.link
Elections 2026: Experts react to the Reform surge and Labour losses
What do the results mean for Labour – and is it the end of two-party politics in the UK?
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Matthew Barnfield @mbarnfield.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
My thoughts on the poll showing the Greens have overtaken Labour following the Gorton and Denton by-election, whether this could be a "bandwagon effect", and what that means, for The Conversation: theconversation.com/how-to-under...
doi.org
How to understand the post-Gorton and Denton national poll that puts the Greens ahead of Labour
It’s not the byelection win that matters but the scale of the swing to Zack Polanski’s party.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 23/02/2026
A blog on my centrism paper for @ecprtheloop.bsky.social theloop.ecpr.eu/centrism-as-...
theloop.ecpr.eu
Centrism as a structure for political action
A distinct centrism which goes ‘beyond’ left and right remains elusive, argues Karl Pike. Centrists act as a managers of an ideological context shaped by existing ideologies of left and right, moderat...
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Reposted by Karl Pike
Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/rdRQJBU @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
buff.ly
What Is Centrism? - Karl Pike, 2026
Centrism, an ambiguous political term, requires greater analytical scrutiny. After summarising conceptualisations of centrism – and of a centre in politics – th...
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Good discussion piece from @philipjcowley.bsky.social on the issue of by-elections after defections. www.ft.com/content/5d7d...
ft.com
How to deal with defecting MPs
Voters should be able to force parliamentarians who change parties to face the electorate
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Political Studies @polstudies.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
Focusing on centrism as a purported set of ideas – a centre beyond left and right – @karlpike.bsky.social offers a new theory of centrism as a structure for political action: a politics which oscillates between left and right. Read OPEN ACCESS: buff.ly/rdRQJBU @polstudiesassoc.bsky.social #polisky
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 26/01/2026
I have a new article just published in Political Studies: What is Centrism? Open access here: doi.org/10.1177/0032...
doi.org
What Is Centrism? - Karl Pike, 2026
Centrism, an ambiguous political term, requires greater analytical scrutiny. After summarising conceptualisations of centrism – and of a centre in politics – th...
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
He's right - terrific stuff. 'You cannot “live within the lie” of mutual benefit through integration when integration becomes the source of your subordination.'
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
“Let a carrot be a carrot.” www.ft.com/content/cbe1...
ft.com
St John’s founders are stepping back. What comes next for the trailblazing nose-to-tail restaurant?
Fergus Henderson and Trevor Gulliver are retiring from day-to-day operations after 31 years
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
We are seeing increased illiberalism, and anti-liberalism, in our politics. The Labour party has a responsibility, as a government and as a centre-left political tradition, to counter this illiberalism, which takes different forms. fabians.org.uk/hearts-and-m...
fabians.org.uk
Hearts and minds | Fabian Society
Fabian Society
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
The consequences of Labour’s manifesto tax pledge continue to be significant. Real shame there wasn’t enough debate about it, particularly within the party. That it was a key pledge, though, is impossible to ignore: journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1...
A pledge from Labour’s most senior politicians, including the Prime Minister - a pledge repeated since taking office - cannot be easily broken. The political consequences could be dire.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
But those choices were made, and there will surely be consequences to breaking such a clear commitment - including in terms of trust. Debate about tax and spend is much needed - it was in 2024, it is now - but the context is very relevant.
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Jessica Elgot @jessicaelgot.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
What an absolute hero Samir Zitouni is - doubtless he saved lives that day www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Train hero who saved passengers during attack named
The rail worker credited with saving multiple lives is named as Samir Zitouni.
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Stijn van Kessel @stijntvankessel.bsky.social · 30/10/2025
One observation re. the Dutch election is the enduring strength of the far right (I am not fully subscribing to the 'shift back to the centre' narrative). I should be on ABC Australia News channel at around 11 CET to talk about this and to show my plants (again). www.youtube.com/live/vOTiJkg...
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Think the budget discussion, specifically about tax rates and the big three, could use a little more acknowledgment of the costs of breaking a clear manifesto pledge, as I wrote here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
Have written for the Conversation on Labour’s deputy leadership contest. Of course, one big thing has not changed: Labour’s difficulty governing, stemming from Starmer’s ideologically confusing leadership. theconversation.com/lucy-powell-...
theconversation.com
Lucy Powell becomes Labour’s deputy leader – what that means for the party and Keir Starmer
Powell beat Keir Starmer’s preferred candidate, Bridget Phillipson, in a ballot of members.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
We are seeing increased illiberalism, and anti-liberalism, in our politics. The Labour party has a responsibility, as a government and as a centre-left political tradition, to counter this illiberalism, which takes different forms. fabians.org.uk/hearts-and-m...
fabians.org.uk
Hearts and minds | Fabian Society
Fabian Society
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Fabian Society @thefabians.bsky.social · 21/10/2025
“Having a coherent ideology is an underappreciated way of avoiding or managing a busy, unpredictable political environment.” A renewed confidence in its liberal social democratic roots can help Labour shape the narrative, writes @karlpike.bsky.social ⬇️ fabians.org.uk/hearts-and-m...
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Matthew Barnfield @mbarnfield.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Great to speak to @greenmirandahere.bsky.social for today's FT Inside Politics about the latest finding from our politics of (im)patience project, w/ @karlpike.bsky.social and @philipjcowley.bsky.social. www.ft.com/content/e984...
ft.com
Labour sheds support from impatient Britons
Research shows party losing voters who want results now, with women more likely to prioritise short-term gains
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 20/10/2025
Some coverage from the FT today of our ongoing project on the politics of patience, and the Labour govt: www.ft.com/content/e984...
ft.com
Labour sheds support from impatient Britons
Research shows party losing voters who want results now, with women more likely to prioritise short-term gains
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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 15/10/2025
In one crisp para — & the 2 charts he highlights — @chrisgiles.ft.com bursts a huge number of “welfare” myths www.ft.com/content/ee67...
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 09/10/2025
"In more positive news for the Lib Dems,..research carried out by [the party members project] after the 2024 election showed that the @libdems.org.uk were the most active of all the memberships of the political parties."
bbc.co.uk
Liberal Democrat membership has halved in 5 years, figures show
Analysis of available figures shows the number of party members has fallen by 49% since August 2020.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
Reform in local govt, latest: www.ft.com/content/277c...
ft.com
Reform likely to raise Kent council tax after cost-cutting drive falters
Nigel Farage’s party promised to revive local authority finances by slashing wasteful spending
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
My contribution to this issue calls for Labour to counter the growing illiberalism in British politics.
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Karl Pike @karlpike.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
Another fab read from Phil which mentions one of the best books written about Labour: Henry Drucker’s Doctrine and Ethos in the Labour Party.
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