‘The 1945 general election is over. Labour’s new Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, is on his way to the Palace…’

Could it have happened? Clement Attlee certainly thought so.

Read more in my first ever post on the 'Since Attlee & Churchill' Substack.👇🏻
open.substack.com/pub/sinceattle…

Pleased to contribute an article for this on the history of Labour as the Official Opposition.

I discuss the common challenges Labour always faces out of office, as well as the importance of using opposition to prepare for government.

I’m pleased to say that Richard Johnson has persuaded me to set up a Substack.

It‘s about the brilliant, the trivial, the inspiring, the fascinating and the odd from post-war British politics.

It’s called ‘Since Attlee & Churchill’ - and the first post is already up.

A thread.🧵

Excited to be giving the keynote lecture at this upcoming conference at l'Université Catholique de Lille.

My talk will be titled
'Colour-Blind Utopianism and Affirmative Action' ('L'utopisme de neutralité raciale et l'action positive')

Free registration:
sphinx.univ-catholille.fr/SurveyServer/s…

Looking forward to this. John Smith was a great servant of the Labour Party and was taken much too soon and suddenly.

But, in the interests of academic rigour and debate, I see my role in this to present the 'Gouldian analysis' of his leadership and time as Shadow Chancellor.

Spectacular podcast today with Richard Johnson all about history of The Labour Party in opposition
Including
✅ The 6 themes of Labour in opposition
✅ Resonance across Party history
✅ What we can learn for today

Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/we-…

Spotify: spotify.link/57SPJDIbVIb

Terrific audio recording of Jennie Lee reflecting on her time as Minister for the Arts in the 1964-70 Labour government. What a distinctive voice she had.

open.ac.uk/library/digita…

Ramsay MacDonald, Stanley Baldwin, and HH Asquith playing musical chairs (1924)

All three party leaders at the 1924 election had served as prime minister.

Drawings of vaccination by children in 1960s New York.

The first drawing is entitled, 'Nurse Giving Me Polio'.

I really enjoyed our time recording for the podcast with Richard Johnson today.
We explore his book 'Keeping the Red Flag Flying' which is a history of @uklabour in opposition.
🔴 Live this Friday on all podcast apps.

Great piece by Sanjit on ECHR's potential to constrain Parliament's ability to decide nationalisation compensation.

'one key motivator to create a ECHR for...Conservatives was their loathing of the...Labour government’s nationalisation programmes'

ukconstitutionallaw.org/2024/04/15/san…

Interestingly, it's younger Hispanics who are more strongly Trump in this Texas poll.

Under 45: Trump +7
45-64: Trump +6
Over 64: Biden +6

My School of Politics & IR at Queen Mary colleague Dr Sofia Collignon & I will be speaking at the 'Pint of Science' Festival about the US election.

The title of my talk is 'Are Ethnic Minorities Abandoning the Democrats?'.

Sofia's is 'Can a Scandal Shake the Ballot Box?'.

Register!
pintofscience.co.uk/event/stars-st…

📆Thursday 9 May📅

Next month, the Mile End Institute will be joined by Yvette Cooper, David Ward and Richard Johnson to mark the 30th anniversary of John Smith's death in May 1994.

More speakers will be announced shortly so secure your place⬇️

🔗 qmul.ac.uk/mei/events/mei…

This really is quite a chart