British politics – Eastminster: a global politics & policy blog

The UK needs an electoral data revolution to boost turnout and democracy

February 7, 2023February 20, 2023 by Editor

Editor

Toby S. James Professor of Politics and Public Policy, University of East Anglia Paul Bernal Professor in Information Technology Law, University of East Anglia Approximately 18.5 million people did not exercise their right to vote at the 2019 general election – nearly six times the population of Wales. The vast…

Global Britain? Another non-sequitur in the collapsing Brexit Project

February 6, 2023February 6, 2023 by Admin

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Global influence is driven more by actions than by words. Simply declaring the UK open for business, while simultaneously cutting the country off from one of the world’s major trading blocs has severely undermined Britain’s soft power. Britain has always liked to think it has a special place in the…

Anti-monarchy protesters arrested – an expert on what the law says

September 14, 2022February 6, 2023 by Editor

Editor

David Mead Professor of UK Human Rights Law, University of East Anglia For many, the week following the death of the Queen has been a time of mourning. It has also been one of tension around the question of free speech and protest. There have been several instances of police arresting or…

Four major challenges facing Britain’s education system after the pandemic

July 19, 2022February 6, 2023 by Editor

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Helena Gillespie Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Student Inclusion and Professor of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, University of East Anglia The UK goverment’s Department for Education has some new ministers in charge following the political turmoil surrounding Boris Johnson’s resignation. After resigning only two days into the job…

Denis Thatcher’s guest list: a surprising study in politics and popular culture

July 25, 2018 by Editor

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Margaret Thatcher’s archives have proved to be a surprising source of insight into the relationship between politics and popular culture, argues John Street. Last year saw the release of the No. 10 briefing that she received for her interview with the pop magazine Smash Hits. ‘You may not enjoy the…

Catching the wave: How can democracy re-capture the youth vote?

July 4, 2018 by Editor

Editor

Electoral participation remains low amongst young people. In this blog, Beth Davies draws from focus groups with young people to reveal what can be done to get the youth vote out. The Oxford Dictionary’s 2017 word of the year was ‘youthquake’, a term previously coined for the 1960s’ British flair…

What British Muslims think about the term ‘British values’

October 30, 2017November 14, 2017 by Admin

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Researchers at UEA investigate what 'British values' means to Muslims living in the region. [caption id="attachment_3451" align="aligncenter" width="926"] Views on British values, from British Muslims. Alif. Lam. Mim. by M.Malik[/caption] Channel 4’s recent programme My Week as a Muslim, in which a non-Muslim woman lived with a Pakistani family for…

British Values, Islam, East Anglia: Some findings and an invitation

October 16, 2017November 14, 2017 by Admin

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Watch a trailer for, and find out about, UEA’s AHRC-funded project on British [Muslim] Values. Over the last year or so, Eylem Atakav, Lee Marsden and I have been working on an AHRC-funded project titled: British [Muslim] Values: Conflict or Convergence. The aim of the project is to explore (i)…

Jeremy Corbyn’s route to Number 10: a few hurdles that need clearing

September 25, 2017February 15, 2018 by Editor

Editor

As the Labour Party Conference takes place this week, Toby James considers whether Jeremy Cobyn is heading for Number 10. Jeremy Corbyn entered the 2016 Labour party conference freshly re-elected as leader. The jubilant support for him at the leadership election was met in equal share with bemusement in other…

Minority report – Single party minority governments are pretty common and reasonably durable

June 20, 2017June 21, 2017 by Admin

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A government without a majority in the legislature is exceptionally rare, right? Dr. Chris Hanretty myth busts this assumption as the UK heads towards one. Following the general election earlier this month, it looks as though the UK will get a single party minority government formed by the Conservative party…