I was on @bbc5live last week with @MattChorley discussing why I think the role of political editor is unnecessary. My argument: 🔹 Politics affects people through policy. Policy editors should therefore lead the news. 🔹 Political journalism is often speculation and gossip. The public deserves facts and evidence. 🔹 Successful organisations are united externally, but enable the sharing and debating of ideas as freely as possible. Political journalism often thwarts this in government. I don’t understand why ministerial disagreements are aired in public. 🔹If there are allegations of misconduct of politicians, officials or regulators, policy editors are more than capable of covering it when the person involved relates to their brief. 🎧 Listen to the whole interview here: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0032s…

Struck by the criticism on this by *some* journalists. They rightly think they should criticise powerful people, and indeed do, suggesting changes to the way they do things. But when it comes to me suggesting changes to the way they operate, some of them have been defensive and dismissive. I’ve been scoffed at several times by some of them that I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Hi Tim, Harry, I know very well how it works. That’s why I’m suggesting changing it. If you’re going to criticise or mock me, at least have the courage to do it to me directly.

What are the distinctive principles and policies the European centre-right should adopt? Following the launch of @WeAreBrightBlue’s report this week, we’ll be exploring this in greater detail in 2027 with the official launch of Bright Blue Europe. I’ll be the Non-Executive Chair and the new think tank will be directed by @BGStaniszewski and Lukas Wick 👀 Further details: eubrightblue.org

Why are journalists discussing this; what is the public interest in it? We need policy journalism not political journalism, which is often just gossip. That means: - Scrapping media special advisers - Scrapping political editors and correspondents Departmental press teams should be responsible for communicating departmental policy. Policy editors and correspondents can cover any misconduct of particular politicians who are in their policy area.

Finally, the @WeAreBrightBlue and @KASonline report recommends new principles, policies and tactics for the European centre-right to adopt to strengthen participation. 📘 Read the full report here: brightblue.org.uk/portfolio/…

Second, the @WeAreBrightBlue report recommends new principles, policies and tactics for European centre-right parties to adopt to bolster prosperity. 🗞️ Read the press release here: brightblue.org.uk/populist-p…

The @WeAreBrightBlue and @KASonline report proposes dinstinctive principles, policies and tactics for European centre-right parties to employ to differentiate from the centre-left and the populist-right. The report recommends 3 new priorities, 15 new principles, 27 new policies and 12 new tactics for European centre-right parties to adopt. First, on the priority of supporting people

The @WeAreBrightBlue and @KASonline report identifies the four main policy and tactical approaches of populist parties across Europe: 🎯 Undermining existing elites and institutions. 🎯 Defending the ‘authentic’ people’s economic and cultural interests. 🎯 Using alternatives to and attacking the mainstream media. 🎯 Charismatic and controversial leadership. I explained the structure of the report in the launch event yesterday: brightblue.org.uk/populist-p…

YESTERDAY @WeAreBrightBlue and @KASonline published a new report, authored by @BGStaniszewski and @wjprescott The report develops a new definition of European populism and a new European populism index, helping us to better understand European populist parties and voters. Using the eleventh round of the European Social Survey and the 2024 Chapel Hill Expert Survey, the report examined over 11,000 voters across sixteen European countries to identify the most common attitudes and characteristics of European right- and left-wing populist voters: ⚫️ Low institutional trust: whether that be institutions such as a national parliament, the European Parliament or the UN ⚫️ Less likely than the average person to think that people generally can be trusted or try to be helpful ⚫️ Once you control for all other variables, are more, not less, likely to trust politicians than the average person. ⚫️ Those who change their allegiance from centre-right to populist-right parties are more likely to: be interested in politics; be unwilling to trust domestic and international institutions; have lower levels of education; lack emotional attachment to Europe; be unhappy; lack socialisation; have no religion; and, most of all, be male. 📚 Read it here: brightblue.org.uk/portfolio/…