I continue to believe that this is the best voting technology ever devised

How Not to Kill a Politician

Weird also available here or wherever you get your podcasts. open.spotify.com/episode/7uWb...

In which case this show is very much fit you

How Not to Kill a Politician

I was on a @bbc radio special on political violence today.

I discussed the role of identity, threat, and leadership, and we can defuse violence and intergroup conflict.

You can listen to the full interview here with @aligoldsworthy.bsky.social
open.spotify.com/episode/7uWb...

As you will hear: violence begets violence. Even in developed democracies like the US and UK.

I hope you’ll listen. And, even more, that it is useful.

George Abaraonye, who was elected president of the Oxford Union. George is candid about his regret in celebrating the death of Charlie Kirk, reflecting on what drove that behavior and how others responded with death threats to him.

• Julie Ann Williams, a close friend of Melissa Hartmann (the Democratic leader murdered on her doorstep). She discusses the raw, emotional aftermath of that tragedy.

I’m joined by Leor Zmigrod, Jay van Bavel, Angel Gomez, and Bill Swann to dig into the latest research on why our brains flip this switch—and what we can ask of ourselves to prevent it.

I am especially grateful to two contributors for their searing honesty:

If other people think you hold passionate opinions about politics, this odds are, this episode is for and about you.

It’s awkward. I know.

Would you have felt the same if it was someone from your own political "tribe"?

In the latest episode of Currently on BBC Radio 4, we explore an uncomfortable reality: how people who consider themselves peaceful and democratic can end up justifying violence in polarized times.

Currently - How Not to Kill a Politician - BBC Sounds What causes political violence, and what can we do to prevent it?

What went through your mind when you heard there had been an assassination attempt on President Trump?

Was it pure horror? Or did a different thought flicker, even privately, through your head?

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Thanks!

Currently - How Not to Kill a Politician - BBC Sounds What causes political violence, and what can we do to prevent it?

“We didn’t always see eye to eye but we always saw each other”

Powerful listen from @aligoldsworthy.bsky.social on how we respond to the rising tide of political violence

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

It’s years too late, but at least Ed Davey is learning fr... The Lib Dem leader has finally taken action against a peer who was at the centre of 2013 inquiry involving complaints by four women

I'm not posting here as regularly as I should, but away from the headlines about Keir Starmer's fate, here's a smaller story about the Westminster Epstein fallout you may have missed. This isn't just a Mandelson scandal - it's about women's bodies and how we treat them
observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

Abstract of "Reading Orwell in Moscow"

Russians are reading more books about living in dictatorships like Nazi Germany, since the invasion of Ukraine.

History is a safe way to dissent.

H/T @aligoldsworthy.bsky.social

And then she changed it. And changed the law. Congratulations Zelda and the team at Can’t Buy My Silence

Starmer, Cooper and King Charles mark 20th anniversary of 7/7 attacks PM says ‘those who tried to divide us failed’ while monarch says victims and stories of courage should be remembered

Today is the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on London on 7th July 2005, a terrible day on which 52 people were killed by four bombs on three tube trains and a bus. The King and Prime Minister Keir Starmer will lead national commemorations today

www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025....

Waiting for Bluesky to develop push notifications to keep an eye on the interesting stuff here…

“Last weekend, the world’s richest man closed down the world’s largest humanitarian effort, and no one ever voted for him.”
I felt it needed saying.

It’s in proportion to my ability to mum and help. (I.e very little) x

Played a very small part in making this happen. @robblackie.bsky.social is the best.

Nigel Farage has been a threat to every recent UK prime minister. But this is something new Reform has surged in the polls, panicking both Labour and the Conservatives. It’s a trap, and the risks are high

My bit for tomorrow’s Observer on Farage’s rise, Tory existential crisis and the wobbling Labour Jenga tower www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Oddly emily talks (movingly) about how this loyalty comes from a Labour cllr helped her family when she was young and how she is paying it back.

Unintentionally this leads to such unhealthy dynamics. Party over principle. Excusing the inexcusable etc

But this interview also shows a toxicity at its heart. Emily talks about being loyal to Labour in all circumstances. Really, are there no circumstances under which you’d walk away?

A party isn’t a child. You don’t have to show it unconditional love. If you do, they can - and do- abuse it.

This is a fascinating interview. I recall being at an Islington count in 2006 when people (not Labour) who’d worked hard for years lost their seats and jobs. It’s politics it happens.

Emily stood their whooping over people losing their seats. Maybe she regrets that now

The account to follow for what’s going on in Korea

I want to write about something very stupid that happened to me yesterday. I don’t want to do it in a self-serving way but I do think it illustrates a good point. As the pardon news broke I was asked a question about it and I didn’t have a clear answer so I just said I had to think about it.

Very much enjoy and learn from this substack. Recommended 👇👇

Ex Cambridge MP Julian Huppert's mum used assisted dying laws The former MP says she was able to die with dignity and say

My mother was an amazing woman.

She died in August in Australia from breast cancer, via Voluntary Assisted Dying.

It was what she wanted; a chance to die on her own terms, with dignity, when she chose.

Anyone who wants such a good death should be allowed one here

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...