Peter Allen

Football’s converging moral panics hold up a mirror to our fractured world | Jonathan Liew From grappling at corners to VAR, the endless list of complaints reflects a wider sense of dislocation from ‘the product’ A terrible boredom stalks the land. Across the nation’s television studios and podcast armchairs, wearied men grizzle accursedly with forked tongues into branded microphones: entombed by a game they despise and yet are paid so generously to discuss. Out there in the wild digital beyond, the sickness festers still deeper. The game has gone, they type into a little white box. This is not the football I once loved, click send. The beautiful game is broken, pleads the Telegraph. They think it’s all over, and perhaps it always was. Arne Slot is no longer enjoying himself, and presumably a good proportion of the Liverpool fans at Molineux on Tuesday night know exactly how he feels. John Terry is no longer enjoying himself. Yaya Touré is “disappointed”. Ruud Gullit is so disgusted he has decided to stop watching. Chris Sutton thinks Arsenal will be the ugliest winners in Premier League history. Mark Goldbridge is bored out of his mind, albeit nowhere near as bored as you would presumably need to be to watch a Mark Goldbridge livestream. Continue reading...

Football’s converging moral panics hold up a mirror to our fractured world | Jonathan Liew

Entry to the hallowed garden of National Treasures beckons.

25 years of iPod brain Molly Mary O'Brien on the legacy of the iPod.

“The iPod marketing associated the product capability (1,000 songs in your pocket) with the obvious extension of that capability: those 1,000 songs should represent your broadest, most excellent taste.” (Via Longreads.)

dirt.fyi/article/2026...

How to understand the post-Gorton and Denton national poll that puts the Greens ahead of Labour It’s not the byelection win that matters but the scale of the swing to Zack Polanski’s party.

My thoughts on the poll showing the Greens have overtaken Labour following the Gorton and Denton by-election, whether this could be a "bandwagon effect", and what that means, for The Conversation: theconversation.com/how-to-under...

Late deciders, higher turnout: what the Gorton and Denton byelection taught us about voters High numbers of undecideds may partially explain the late swing to the Greens.

New piece from w/ @hannahbunting.bsky.social & @jess-smith.bsky.social on the Gorton & Denton byelection, and what it might tell us about British politics.

We cover turnout, late-deciding voters, gender gaps & the continuing fragmentation of the party system 🧵

theconversation.com/late-decider...

Is "deliverism" dead? Lawrence gave his first take on Iran at the weekend and will return to it later this week.

What is "deliverism"? Is it dead? And what would its death mean for progressive politics?

This essay (kindly published by @samfr.bsky.social) is my attempt to trace five years of trans-Atlantic debates, to set out what I see as the stakes, and to analyse where these arguments have now gotten to:

Superb. Love it.

Is the Smiths/Jones “buy a paper, water bottle is free” offer still a thing? That must’ve shifted a lot of copies of The Telegraph, etc.

It’s a bit “mange-tout, Rodney”

Congratulations, Marta!

The most influential British politician of my lifetime, IMO.

Exciting opportunity to join a fantastic team, and also work alongside me!

I’m aware I’m simply becoming ancient, etc, but I find the music in the brewpub way too loud these days.

We’re hiring a Policy Engagement Manager!

We’re seeking a Policy Engagement Manager to strengthen and enhance engagement with #PublicPolicy across the University of Bath’s research portfolio.

🔗 www.bath.ac.uk/jobs/Vacancy...

#PolicyJobs #HigherEducation #ResearchImpact #JobVacancy

Sharif don’t like it
Rock the…

Keen to attend and also paging @ralphscott.bsky.social. Will DM.

Check out the latest edition of my @financialtimes.com newsletter (1/2)

Britain's penchant for self-destruction:
as.ft.com/r/a17bbe0e-b...

With insights from @peterallen.bsky.social, Tina Fordham and Kallum Pickering

Fears of Dry January might be exaggerated We heard and observed a few things that led us to believe January was pretty busy for UK pubs, despite expectations to the contrary.

BLOG POST: “One publican told us that not only had January been hectic but that they were now struggling to source cask ale because so many breweries they usually deal with had... reduced the amount they brewed in anticipation of a slump that didn't come.”

boakandbailey.com/2026/02/fear...

Yes, not least because it is now certain he will go in the next 10 months so the majority of daily political chat will be about who succeeds him and very little else.

Have had my bet on for a while at 15/1.

Reform has been warned that defecting Tories will damage its brand – and the first evidence is in Conservative voters have become more positive about Reform since the defections – but some Reform voters have been turned off.

My thoughts on what is (and isn't) at risk for Reform in becoming "Tory Party 2.0", given recent polling, the dynamics of bloc politics, and the party's popularity with 2024 non-voters: theconversation.com/reform-has-b...

Yet this is a government with three years left to run and an enormous Commons majority. For all the problems, there is an enormous opportunity there for someone with the political nous to take it and use it.

Interested in the intersection between policymaking, especially in the UK, and academic research? Come work with us! The @mileendinstitute.bsky.social at @qmulsse.bsky.social is advertising for a new Policy Partnerships Officer. Details and application here:

qmul-jobs.tal.net/vx/mobile-0/...

In a thousand years, people will assume "George Osborne" was some sort of mythic person, honourary role, or qualification that was considered for, or made you elligible for, every senior job in early 21st century Britain.

Tina Brown | Substack Author, journalist, editor

Brown included it in her own Substack yesterday substack.com/@tinabrown

It’s a trip.

Right place, right time: Luck, geography, and politics On 12th May 2020, Mass Observation collected c5,000 diaries from people across the UK. Many of these diaries mention luck and many of these luck stori…

New paper on luck, geography, and politics

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

How to deal with defecting MPs Voters should be able to force parliamentarians who change parties to face the electorate

Thoughts in the FT on why I don't like the idea of an automatic by election if an MP changes party - but understand why some people do, along with a possible compromise...

How to deal with defecting MPs - giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

News, nuggets and longreads 31 January 2026: Flowers for the Judge Every Saturday we round up the best writing about beer from the past week. This time, we’ve got Bavaria, Egerland and Guildford. First, what might be good news, via Jeff Alworth: family-owned German b...

GOOD MORNING! Here's this week's edition of news, nuggets and longreads, with thoughts on publicans with personality, among other things. 🍻🍺

boakandbailey.com/2026/01/news...

I was walking in the West Village in 2011 and saw him dressed in workout gear and shadow boxing with some friends on the pavement. One of the most unlikely things I’ve ever seen.