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Maria Sobolewska

@profsob.bsky.social
7.2K followers 1.4K following 706 posts

Professor of Political Science at Manchester University. British politics, race and ethnicity, representation.

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Reposted by Maria Sobolewska
Professor Daniele Albertazzi @dralbertazziuk.bsky.social · 35m
A managed model (i.e. Labour/Conservative conferences) protects the leadership and electoral appeal... but invites accusations of stitch-ups and can demobilise activists, who are often the party's main labour force.
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Professor Daniele Albertazzi @dralbertazziuk.bsky.social · 37m
The Greens' open model gives members real power and makes the party credible as a democratic, bottom-up organisation, but it exposes the leadership to this kind of risk. Internal rules have consequences!
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womensartbluesky.bsky.social @womensartbluesky.bsky.social · 10h
'Storm light' by UK contemporary printmaker Mikki Bowers #WomensArt
Print featuring a flock of birds in silhouette flying over a hedgerow in a purple sky
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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
A man builds an IED. He sets it off in a busy public street. Shrapnel flies about hitting cars, homes and a child's bedroom. It's a miracle nobody is injured. And Reform MP Sarah Pochin calls his imprisonment "disproportionate" and "two tier justice."
It does raise this point of two-tiered
justice..


Reform's Sarah Pochin believes the
sentence handed to the 64-year-old who
blew up a ULEZ camera was
disproportionate'.
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Ros Taylor @rostaylor.bsky.social · 7h
Published 1 July 2025.
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Royal Holloway @royalholloway.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Royal Holloway, King's College London and The University of Manchester have been awarded leadership of the British Election Study (BES) - the most authoritative survey of electoral behaviour in the UK. Read more: ow.ly/Kykq50ZTX0o PIR at Royal Holloway
White sign with bold black text and arrow pointing right indicating polling station location on a brick wall.
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Mark Copelovitch @mcopelov.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
👇🎯 Not a single elite journalist with an Ivy League degree is practicing this advice, & the lifetime income returns to college have not changed despite The Narrative™️ that cannot fail (it can only be failed). Fund the damn public universities, & stop telling people they shouldn’t pursue education.
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Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
Sorry to be a (Conservative) party pooper, but
centrewrite.brightblue.org.uk
The Keminaissance is a myth. The Tories are still like a weird uncle.
Badenoch’s increasing tendency towards being ‘extremely online’ has led the party to paint itself into an ‘anti-woke’ corner that, to the majority of Brits who do not spend much time online…
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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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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
What's the stupidest joke you most have to fight the urge to tell? Mine is not replying to questions about whether I have any allergies with 'we'll find out together, I guess'.
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Kathleen Weldon @kathleenweldon.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Reminder that women built polling. "Intelligent farm women" even. Whose attitudes, amazingly, differ from their husbands'.
Women find the Poll questions interesting and often differ in their answers from men in the family. Polk County, Iowa
Grainy B&W scan of photo of woman at a mailbox.Wallace-Homestead Poll

Since 1938, Farmers Have Participated in Poll That
Shows Farm Opinions

"We have been lucky enough to get a group of intelligent farm women to do the actual interviewing as a spare-time job."
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Matt Owen @mjowen174.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yeah, I think the best way to avoid botched executions is to stop executing people.
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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 01/10/2026
Honest, independent, probing journalism is an important part of functioning societies Senior editor, Cereese Qusba, and editor-in-chief, Sophia Dasser, are to be commended for their assiduous work exposing this distressing, shocking story #CornellDailySun #JusticeForJaneDoe #JailTheCornellRapists
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We could start celebrating BHM by dropping the narrative of ‘immigration has been bad for Britain’ and the new ‘best immigrants don’t stay long’ … Black British history is rooted in &linked to ongoing immigration and celebrating their legacy is celebrating the history and legacy of immigration
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maura quint @mauraquint.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Yes every woman has been harassed, many assaulted. But every woman has also experienced invisible loss from moments she avoided harassment. She felt a space becoming unsafe, so she left, while men stayed on. And in leaving, she lost: opportunities, experiences, learning, promotions, even simply fun.
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Rob Baron @rob-baron.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The full clip www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcGK...
youtube.com
BBC TV's That's Life - Nicholas Winton - 28/02/1988 and 03/07/1988
YouTube video by That's Life!
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Pontus Odmalm @podmalm.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Lesson here, folks 👇
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
This is a dreadful argument from Burnham. Empirically false - almost 6m people were granted settled status; about 4m are currently resident. More importantly panders to racism/xenophobia, and directly contradicts argument made in his speech about migrant contributions.
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
How should a national commission on electoral reform be designed? On Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced a national commission on electoral reform. @alanrenwick.bsky.social argues that such a body should have three key features, and emphasises the care that should be taken. Read it 👇️
blogs.ucl.ac.uk
How should a national commission on electoral reform be designed?
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister announced a national commission on electoral reform. In this article originally published in the Conversation UK, Alan Renwick explains that such a body should secure public involvement, not aim for a particular result and listen to the experts. He also emphasises that any change to the electoral system should be carried out with the greatest possible care.
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Here's the full story that the Tony Blair Institute doesn't want to answer questions about, on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com
Tony’s minor tantrum: how Blair’s institute responded to fresh “cash for access” questions
We asked TBI about allegations of £500,000 corporate memberships and a logo that vanished at Labour conference. They said they’re not talking to us anymore
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Given many UK universities' decision to jettison Arts and Humanities (and some Social Science) subjects, it's interesting to see that top-ranking global universities tend to rank highly in these areas. MIT (ranked 2nd globally here) is ranked 1st in both Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences.
timeshighereducation.com
World University Rankings 2027: results announced
Asian universities’ resumed upward trajectory takes them past mainland Europe for the first time, as reputational lustre protects US and UK for now
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Dr Stylite @columnist.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
I was writing the section of my paper on the Syrian-Greek philosopher Damascius’ quest to find what comes before thought and his eureka-like discovery of the idea of potentiality in his blank writing tablet, and I immediately thought of Andy Burnham’s speech and the last 10 years of UK politics…
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Alan Renwick @alanrenwick.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Immediate thoughts on Andy Burnham's announcement today of a national commission on electoral reform. Doing this process well will be really important. theconversation.com/if-he-wants-...
theconversation.com
If he wants to secure legitimacy for electoral reform, Andy Burnham must stick to these rules
Involving both the public and all parties in shaping reforms on how they vote will be crucial.
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
'The electoral system is the very heart of our democracy. Any decisions about it need to be taken with the greatest possible care.' Our Director, @alanrenwick.bsky.social, has written for @uk.theconversation.com about today's announcement of a National Commission on Electoral Reform. Read it 👇
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Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Weird you can whack a PM yet still be beholden to a random PDF. Committed to a document with a massive picture of Keir Starmer on the front of it
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Roman Sheremeta @rshereme.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Horrific video out of Kyiv shows scientists and researchers jumping out of windows after a russian strike on Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences.
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Oh dear. Ted Lasso and I have the same three favourite emojis 🤞🤷🏼‍♀️🙈 I need to branch out
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Rather explains why they failed in government. I’d definitely fail this as an undergraduate essay, though suspect it would sink an A level politics essay too
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
The piece that contains this… “Strategists like David Shor have developed a robust theory that explains how rising affluence reshaped American electoral politics towards precisely the “post-materialist” future long sketched out by the political scientist, Ronald Inglehart.”
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Zecharias Zelalem @zekuzelalem.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
UPDATE: As war rages on in Ethiopia, @netblocks.org has confirmed what it calls a "subnational internet disruption," in the country's north. Phone/internet is disrupted across the Tigray region. A very bad sign. Comms blackouts in our region are typically implemented when atrocities are planned.
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Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
But most people told they had 10-15 year path to settlement would lose their legal status by 2030-31. Mahmood's draft policy was remigration by stealth for about a million people - by accident? By design? Just exempting care workers would be a Burnham remigration by stealth plan for 250k people.
Few of those offered a hypothetical 15-year wait in principle will be able to stay long enough to qualify in practice. Those who do not earn the £50,000 salary needed to meet new visa renewal rules in 2030 would have to leave.

The vocal demand of the champi­ons of “remigration” on the political right is that what they call the “Bo­riswave” must be made to leave. Without significant changes, the gov­ernment’s own proposals are a recipe for mass remigration by stealth. How far that was by design or unwitting accident has never been quite clear.

Exempting care workers from the new settlement rules protects three-quarters of those who could have been forced out – but leaves 250,000 other workers at risk of losing their legal status.
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Hi might have come in too late to change the location tbf to him. I’m sure these things are organised long in advance
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James Breckwoldt @jamesbreckwoldt.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
This is a great article and I think accurately gets at the place the Lib Dems are in electorally. Highly recommended lunch time reading 👇
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Rachel Cunliffe @rmcunliffe.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Can anyone explain to me why this article doesn't mention anywhere that small boat crossings are down 42% from last year? That doesn't mean it's not an issue 781 people arrived in one day. But it seems like the sort of context a reputable news source might mention www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
No 'switch' to stop small boats, Lucy Powell tells BBC
Labour's deputy leader was speaking to BBC local radio ahead of the party's annual conference
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 24/09/2026
"Shabana Mahmood is the cabinet minister responsible for the UK’s policing and its national security – as well, of course, as managing the country’s borders…I include this reminder because Mahmood increasingly seems to be operating under the assumption that her job only concerns the latter."
thenewworld.co.uk
If Shabana Mahmood is tough, why is she so slow to crack down on Danny Tommo and the far right?
Weeks of what looks like blatant lawbreaking have finally resulted in an arrest. But the home secretary seems happy to look elsewhere
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
How about Prof Rob Ford from Manchester and Mayor Rob Ford from Toronto… that was wild before the latter died @robfordmancs.bsky.social
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EPOP @psaepop.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
We are delighted to announce that Paul Whiteley of @uniessexgov.bsky.social has been awarded the 2026 Sir David Butler Prize for his lifetime contribution to the study of elections, public opinion and parties. The prize was presented at #EPOP2026 last week.
Paul Whiteley announced as winner of 2026 Sir David Butler Prize
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Congrats 🙌
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Stuart Turnbull-Dugarte @turnbulldugarte.com · 23/09/2026
Today is Bisexual visibility day. Remember to take special care of all the Bisexual Kings in your life. They are far more susceptible to penalties on the dating market than Bisexual Queens.... Girls can kiss girls, but boys can't kiss boys. @ejprjournal.bsky.social doi.org/10.1017/S147...
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
As we know nostalgia for a “golden era” past drives support for Reform, so return to Dickensian England is entirely consistent with this
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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Think-tank linked to Reform Party suggests abolition of state pension to fund tax cuts for wealthy people www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Thinktank linked to Reform UK calls for abolition of state pension
‘Radical’ report likely to influence party’s platform also proposes abolishing inheritance and capital gains taxes
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Emma Yeomans @yeomans.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Worrying scenes in the Channel today, for all interested in asylum policy and maritime tactics. A small boat from Normandy spent more than 30 hours at sea. Those on board now on their 2nd rescue vessel as Border Force forced to play cat and mouse with far-right activists who have their own boat.
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sianushka.bsky.social @sianushka.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Asylum seeking people don’t have the freedom to work, they don’t even have the freedom to shop using cash or choose where to shop, in temp accommodation they don’t have the freedom to cook or choose their own food - honestly this headline is batshit
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Dan Neidle @danneidle.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Nick Candy and Holly Valance. Britain’s most expensive house. A £265m sale. Usual consequence: £32m of stamp duty. But five small flats were included in the sale. By an extraordinary happy accident, that cut the tax by £18.5m. The curious sale of Nick Candy’s mansion A 🧵:
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Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Thousands of university jobs lost too, and barely a peep either.
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Simon Weschle @simonweschle.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
"a different doctorate"
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Richard Corbett CBE @richardcorbett.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Just 4 months after the local elections, Reform UK (RefUK) have lost 158 of their local councillors: -55 resigned -42 went Independent -28 defected -24 were kicked out -5 lost their seats -2 disqualified -2 suspended. Appalling record - and a waste of taxpayers’ money!
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Emiliano Mellino @mellino.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The UK government is making upwards of £4.9bn in profit from visa fees, citizenship fees & the immigration health surcharge. Meanwhile, people are getting into thousands of pounds of debt or going without food just to afford to these immigration fees. www.thebureauinvestigates.com/stories/2026...
thebureauinvestigates.com
Government makes £5bn a year from immigration fees while applicants…
Home Office’s fees are up to 10 times the processing cost – and rising every year
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Maria Sobolewska @profsob.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This article is absolutely fascinating but not sure about the conclusion that SUVs are out of favour with this crowd. Certainly not where I live. Even the ultimate arsehole potential of Tesla doesn’t appeal enough I don’t think to replace a huge 4x4
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
What surprises me is that people who have left Britain for the sake of their own greed still feel entitled to express an opinion about the country.
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