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Mike Tillbrook

@miketillbrook.bsky.social
83 followers 183 following 2 posts

History, Politics, beer, red wine, Sunderland supporter, Durham CCC member. Exiled in Rutland.

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Reposted by Mike Tillbrook
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Good to see peer Gavin Barwell question this. [Barwell has lost the Tory whip, at least temporarily, but good to see conservatives speak about this]
Gavin Barwell: Would you care to explain why you used the term "Yookay" rather than "UK" 
@jackmrankin
? What's the distinction you were trying to make?
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The Georgian Lords @georgianlords.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
One of Buckinghamshire's most famous sons was the radical MP John Wilkes, who represented Aylesbury, where he was lord of the manor, from 1757 to 1764, when he was ejected from his seat. He thereafter reinvented himself as a London politician, becoming lord mayor and MP for Middlesex. #HistParl
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Historical Association @histassoc.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
School is out and the endless days of the summer holidays lie ahead! If you and your children are looking for something to do, we are hosting four free morning online sessions for you to join with an opportunity to listen to a children’s author. To sign up visit: www.history.org.uk/primary/news...
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Britain’s post-Brexit ungovernability. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog discussing last week’s elections, the Labour leadership crisis which has followed, and what both tell us about post-Brexit politics: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/05/brit...
Image of the opening paragraphs of the latest Brexit & Brexitism blog post.
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Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
@hcrichardson.bsky.social and @weeklyshowpodcast.bsky.social, welcome to the WITAOD movement!!!! #WITAOD www.lawfaremedia.org/article/the-...
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Bruegel @bruegel.org · 19/03/2026
❗ EU Council today ⚠️ Following growing calls to undermine the EU's #emissions trading system, @tagliapietra.bsky.social and @gzachmann.bsky.social argue that there are 5 reasons why any proposals to water down the ETS would harm economic #competitiveness. 🔗 www.bruegel.org/first-glance... #euco
bruegel.org
Five reasons why attacking the EU carbon market is economic self-sabotage
When discussing the EU emissions trading system, policymakers should remember five risks of undermining the system
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David Roberts @volts.wtf · 18/03/2026
This problem -- the RW takeover of media -- is like fucking Voldemort or something. He Who Cannot Be Named. People seem to think they'll burst into flame if they discuss it. It's baffling. I've accepted that I'm going to live & die without ever understanding why this is.
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Rob Ford @robfordmancs.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Gorton and Denton first thoughts - incredible result for the Greens who won the long battle to be the best placed anti-Reform candidate - helped by being the obvious anti-Labour candidate for disappointed progressives. As I noted in the Observer last month, a Revolt on the Left is growing
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 20/02/2026
Starmer’s real leadership crisis. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Fatuous media coverage aside, Starmer’s challenge is to make good on his claim that Britain isn’t the country of the Brexit years in the face of rising ethno-nationalism: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/02/star...
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Martin Stanley @ukcivilservant.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
An extraordinary few days in Whitehall has cumulated in an unprecedented attack on Antonia Romeo, said to be Keir Starmer's choice as next Cabinet Secretary. More detail here: ukcivilservant.substack.com/p/knives-out...
ukcivilservant.substack.com
Knives out for McSweeney, Wormald ... and Antonia Romeo?
I am not sure anyone can make total sense of what happened in Whitehall in recent days, but let me try to add some context and clarification - ending with yesterday’s attack on (future Cabinet Secreta...
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Making sense of the madness. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Analysis of the international and domestic implications of the ‘Greenland crisis’, including how the ‘Carney doctrine’ could offer a way forward for post-Brexit Britain: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2026/01/maki...
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Diane Coyle @dianecoyle1859.bsky.social · 07/01/2026
#sophiefromromania has the important task of inspecting every defunct Xmas tree to make sure it’s under 6 feet in height
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Is the tide turning? New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Renewed talk of a customs union may well come to nothing, but rapidly changing geo-politics mean the UK needs urgently to face up to the failure of the entire Brexit ‘strategy’: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
Stasis, sanctimony and the liberal paradox. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog with such Brexit news as there is, but mainly analysis of what 'responsible Farage' tells us about the tensions in Reform and what the BBC row tells us about Brexitism: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/11/stas...
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Simon Wren-Lewis @sjwrenlewis.bsky.social · 11/11/2025
New post: Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo... As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
In my last post about the prospect of Labour breaking its tax pledge, I did something I don’t often do, which is indulge in some ‘I told y...
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Chris Rivers @chrisrivers50.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Five distinct groups: •Disgusted Disruptors •Left-Behind Collectivists •Traditional Conservatives •Melancholy Middle •Civic Pragmatists
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Davenant 📸 @marcdavenant.bsky.social · 28/09/2025
This is Tony Blair once again doing his best to push a surveillance society on everyone. As he is the architect of this that’s reason enough to oppose it.
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 19/09/2025
There is another country. New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog discussing the thuggery, sanctimony and hypocrisy of the last fortnight, and how Starmer should lead in articulating an alternative version of patriotism to that of the far-right: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/09/ther...
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 27/07/2025
To all the weirdos marching around with clipboards, deciding who is and isn't English based on where their grandparents were living... THIS is England! ⬇️
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 04/04/2025
How Trump has reset the Brexit reset. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. The moral collapse of the US & the US's declaration of economic war both change the meaning of the Brexit reset, but they don't necessarily change it in the same way: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/04/how-...
Image of the start of the latest blog post.
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Luke Tryl @luketryl.bsky.social · 24/02/2025
5. Politics is still (mostly) local, seems unlikely Musk endorsement or Vance intervention helped AfD much but maybe helped Linke. Where Trump admin does appear to be shifting politics is away from the US - see Merz last night on need for European defence independence or boost for Canadian liberals
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 21/02/2025
NEW BLOG: How have voter ID requirements affected elections? @ralphscott.bsky.social & Edward Fieldhouse examine recent data to show what voter groups are without an accepted form of voter ID and how the new rules affected turnout at recent elections.
constitution-unit.com
How have voter ID requirements affected British elections?
The July general election was the first UK-wide vote since new voter ID rules were introduced by the Elections Act 2022. Ralph Scott and Edward Fieldhouse examine recent data to show what voter groups are without an accepted form of voter ID and how the new rules affected turnout. They argue that the list of permissible forms of ID should be expanded and that more needs to be done to educate electors about the rules.
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
ON THE BLOG: Should we be worried about the decline of parliamentary scrutiny? Ahead of a related Constitution Unit event next week, Meg Russell summarises her recent article in Public Law which crunches the numbers on parliamentary scrutiny over time.
constitution-unit.com
Should we be worried about the decline of parliamentary scrutiny?
Complaints about declining standards of government scrutiny by parliament have been commonplace in recent times – particularly during the troubled years of Brexit and Covid. But how can such claims be objectively assessed, and crucially, have scrutiny standards since recovered? Constitution Unit Director Meg Russell addressed these questions in a recently published journal article, summarised here. She concludes that there is significant cause for concern, and that standards actually worsened under Rishi Sunak, once the Brexit and Covid crises were over. To reverse the decline, both government and parliament need to act.
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15/01/2025
Why is Trump (or people in his circle) talking about building an American empire that includes (depending on the day) Greenland, Canada, Panama, Mexico? Here are five Trumpian logics explanations, all of which can function together, and probably do. snyder.substack.com/p/why-greenl...
snyder.substack.com
Why Greenland?
And Canada, Mexico, Panama...
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 09/12/2024
"Trumpomuskovia" is a word I introduced in an essay about some historical moments that might help us to understand the coming reality. The better we see the new regime, the more clearly we might also see its fractures and weaknesses. snyder.substack.com/p/why-trumpo...
snyder.substack.com
Why is America "Trumpomuskovia"?
A New Name for a New Regime
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 28/11/2024
It's astonishing in how many areas the last government's response to difficult problems was just to abandon governing: to stop processing asylum claims, stop setting realistic budgets, ignore critical warnings from the prison system, and ultimately scuttle the ship by bringing forward the election.
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Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 22/11/2024
Post-Brexit Britain’s Trump problem goes much deeper than trade tariffs. New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. The discussion of how the UK might respond to Trump's tariffs is already confused, and anyway misses the bigger challenge they betoken: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2024/11/post...
Screengrab of start of blog post
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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 14/11/2024
Time for a romp through the history of ECHR-scepticism in Britain. A 40-part thread…… /1
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Timothy Snyder @timothysnyder.bsky.social · 15/11/2024
Each of Trump's proposed appointments is a surprise. It is comforting to think that he is simply a vengeful old man, lashing out. This is unlikely. He and Musk and Putin have been talking for years. And the whole idea was that this time he had a plan. snyder.substack.com/p/decapitati...
snyder.substack.com
Decapitation Strike
Preserving America from Trump's Appointments
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