Search

Begin New Search Political Geography Britain Publication Year within 25 Years

11. Factsheet: Tommy Robinson

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
Tommy Robinson is a British anti-Muslim and anti-immigration activist. A co-founder of the racist English Defense League, Robinson believes Islam is a “disease” and Muslims are invading Europe. He has been connected to trans-national anti-Muslim activists and organizations, including PEGIDA. Robinson has had numerous criminal convictions and is currently serving time in jail.
Topic:
Immigration, Islamophobia, Political Extremism, and Tommy Robinson
Political Geography:
Britain, United Kingdom, and Europe

12. Minorities report: the attitudes of Britain’s ethnic minority population

Author:
Zain Mohyuddin, James Kanagasooriam, and Sophie Stowers
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
UK in a Changing Europe, King's College London
Abstract:
Research suggests that ethnic minority voters often have political and social views at variance with those held by the population as a whole, and indeed by other ethnic groups. Yet we often lack the data to examine these attitudes and how they differ. This report aims to set that right. It attempts to look at the diversity of political opinion, social values and economic preferences not just between Britain’s white and non-white population, but between different ethnic and religious groups. The report looks not just at voting and elections, but more broadly at questions of identity, tolerance, and experiences of race and discrimination. It covers political views and values at both the 2019 and 2024 elections, questions of identity, being ‘British’, discrimination and prejudice, and economic preferences and social values. Report co-author James Kanagasooriam identifies 10 key takeaways: We are at an inflection point in terms of how ethnic minorities vote. We should not overstate how poorly the right performs, and how well the left does, amongst ethnic minority Britons. The demography of right and left is vastly different between white and non-white voters. There is a large degree of disagreement between ethnic minorities- to some degree larger than that between the white and non-white population- on the role of the state. There are a clutch of issues – immigration and multiculturalism – where ethnic minorities are much more positive than the rest of Britain. At future elections, Labour cannot rely on ethnic minority voters as a ‘bloc’ of support. There is evidence of some prejudice among certain ethnic minority voters toward other minority groups. The degree of importance placed amongst minority respondents on their personal religion is out of step with the growing secularism of white Britain. There is a wide difference between minority groups on their experience of racism and of representation. Ethnic minority and white Britons share common diagnoses about what is politically important, what they want out of a government, which cultural institutions are important, what British culture is, and what it means to be British.
Topic:
Public Opinion, Minorities, Elections, Ethnicity, Discrimination, and Voting
Political Geography:
Britain, United Kingdom, and Europe

13. Disinformation and Smearing in British Politics

Author:
Robert Saunders, Gill Bennett, Ciaran Martin, and Jean Seaton
Publication Date:
11-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
One hundred years ago this month, as voters prepared to go to the polls for the third time in two years, British politics was rocked by what would become the most famous ‘dirty trick’ in its long history: the ‘Zinoviev Letter’. The Letter, encouraging the British proletariat to revolutionary fervour, was apparently sent by Grigori Zinoviev, head of the Bolshevik propaganda organization, to the British Communist Party in September 1924. Its publication by the Daily Mail just before the General Election humiliated the first ever Labour government, headed by Ramsay MacDonald, when its political opponents used it to create a 'Red Scare' in the media. With growing concerns about the impact of AI-driven disinformation on elections around the world, the ‪@mileendinstitute4300‬ and the Centre for Eurasian, Russian and East European Studies marked the Letter's centenary by exploring how disinformation, ‘Fake News’ and smearing have affected, and continue to shape, British politics today. Dr‪. Robert Saunders was joined by Dr Gill Bennett (Chief Historian of the UK Foreign Office‬, 1995-2005), Professor Ciaran Martin (CEO of the National Cyber Security Centre, 2016-2020) and Professor Jean Seaton (Official Historian of the BBC).
Topic:
Politics, History, Elections, and Disinformation
Political Geography:
Britain and Europe

14. Sathnam Sanghera: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe

Author:
Sathnam Sanghera
Publication Date:
10-2024
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Sathnam Sanghera is an award-winning writer, broadcaster, novelist and Times columnist, who published a bestselling memoir in 2008 called The Boy with the Topknot. More recently, he has published two best-selling volumes on the legacies of the British Empire - Empireland: How Imperialism Has Shaped Modern Britain, and Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe. On Wednesday 9 October, the Mile End Institute welcomed Sathnam to ‪Queen Mary University of London‬ for the second in our series of distinguished lectures in honour of our patron, the historian and crossbench peer, Peter Hennessy. Sathnam was in conversation with Professor Jerry Brotton from the School of the Arts Queen Mary University of London about his latest book, Empireworld, the legacies of the British Empire, the teaching of imperial history, the role of pride and shame in our thinking about the past, and the role of empire in contemporary culture.
Topic:
Imperialism, History, and British Empire
Political Geography:
Britain and Europe

15. Governing in Hard Times: Urgent Questions for the Centre-Left

Author:
Colm Murphy and Farah Hussain
Publication Date:
10-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
Mile End Institute, Queen Mary University of London
Abstract:
Leading speakers from politics, policymaking, and academia provide Starmer and his team with not only questions that they must address ahead of next year’s likely election, but also some potential answers.
Topic:
Government, Public Policy, Labour Party, and Keir Starmer
Political Geography:
Britain, United Kingdom, and Europe

16. The West, Israel and Settler Colonization of Palestine with Professor Prof. Joseph Massad

Author:
Joseph Massad
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Video
Institution:
Center for Security, Race and Rights (CSRR), Rutgers University School of Law
Abstract:
In this pivotal lecture, Professor Massad will delve into the intricate history of Western colonial intervention in Palestine, exploring the events that shaped the region both before and after the establishment of Israel. This lecture offers a comprehensive understanding of Israel's ongoing conflict with the Palestinian people, framed within the broader historical context of Western racism and its role in supporting and enabling these tensions.
Topic:
History, Colonialism, Settler Colonialism, Racism, and Palestinians
Political Geography:
Britain, Middle East, Israel, Palestine, and United States of America

17. Where Does the Money Go? An Analysis of Revenues in the GB Power Sector During the Energy Crisis

Author:
Serguey Maximov, Paul Drummond, Phil McNally, and Michael Grubb
Publication Date:
05-2023
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Institute for New Economic Thinking (INET)
Abstract:
The gas crisis has fed through to a huge impact on wholesale electricity prices in Britain. We use hourly price and generation data to estimate the impact on associated revenues to different types of generators. Given the extent of forward contracting, we complement simple results based on the day-ahead prices (“Case 1”) with a more realistic case based on a representative, technology-specific assumptions on forward contracts (“Case 2”). We estimate that revenues to GB generators rose by almost £30bn, from about £20.5bn/yr (pre- Covid) to £49.5bn in 2022. About 70% of this accrued to gas generators (from about £6bn/yr to £19bn) and renewable generators with Renewable Obligation Certification (from £7.7bn to £15.5bn). There are various indications that the increase in revenues to gas plants significantly exceeded the rise in their input costs, and no reason to think the generating cost of these renewables significantly increased. Nuclear, and some other biomass and renewables also benefited. We find that the Electricity Generation Levy, introduced in Jan 2023, would have had limited impact on these numbers if it had existed in 2022 and is likely to have less impact in 2023. Finally, we discuss reasons and potential implications of the findings.
Topic:
Economics, Environment, Money, Energy Crisis, and Revenue
Political Geography:
Britain and Europe

18. Hindutva in Britain

Author:
Bridge Initiative Team
Publication Date:
11-2023
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
The Bridge Initiative, Georgetown University
Abstract:
In August and September 2022, the English city of Leicester provided the backdrop for the convergence of international and local dynamics as unrest erupted between the city’s Hindu and Muslim communities. The events that unfolded highlighted the existence of Hindutva/Hindu nationalism and Islamophobia in the United Kingdom, and how online voices (both locally and globally) used social media platforms to inflame tensions and spread mis/disinformation. Hindu nationalism from India collided with a deeply entrenched Islamophobia in one of the most diverse cities in Europe. It was quickly apparent in the days that followed the violence in Leicester – as the local authority, police, and community tried to grapple with the events that had occurred – that many were not aware of the international politics that had likely factored into these events. Initial responses attributed the violence to a cricket match between India and Pakistan, with even the City’s Mayor presenting this view, However, further investigations revealed underlying issues within the communities long before the cricket match. This unawareness and inexperience was compounded by the abundance of voices seeking to use this opportunity to amplify Islamophobia. British Muslims are already the targets of the highest proportion of religious hate crimes in the country, and this response by some appeared to take advantage of that environment to shift the narrative away from the dangers of Hindu nationalism. The impact of this has been heavy on a city like Leicester, as residents have expressed an atmosphere of distrust emerging amongst communities. The events in Leicester and the conversations around it introduced a relatively new term to local and national discourse: Hindutva. While this term may be new to many, as an ideology, it has been around for decades. Hindutva is distinct from Hinduism – it is a modern ethno-nationalist movement that seeks to establish Hindu hegemony in India and should not be confused simply with the religion of more than a billion people. This report will examine the historical and contemporary context that has cultivated the complex landscape in which Hindu nationalist influences have materialized in the UK. It will discuss the history and background of Hindutva. It will then examine how British voices who have long played a role in spreading Islamophobia have aligned themselves with Hindu nationalist narratives, which often employ anti-Muslim tropes. This report will also profile several organizations that function within the UK and have expressed or supported Hindu nationalist sentiment, which serves as evidence against those who argue against the presence of Hindutva ideology in the country. Lastly, it will assess how the existence of Hindutva is impacting the harmony and cohesion between South Asian communities in the UK, and in particular, in Leicester. As highlighted by Dr. Fatima Rajina, a sociologist at De Montfort University in Leicester: “You will not understand the events of Leicester if you do not pay attention to what’s been happening in India and how Hindutva has been playing out across the diaspora.” A century-old ideology developed by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar in 1922 is now shaping the politics of the world’s largest democracy, but also having a reverberating impact in countries like the UK and the United States. In the absence of any formal review of the Leicester unrest being completed as yet, this report will offer the opportunity to understand Hindu nationalism and its manifestations on the streets of Leicester.
Topic:
Islamophobia, Political Extremism, Hindutva, and Hindu Nationalism
Political Geography:
Britain and United Kingdom

19. Robert Maxwell’s Expectations Gap: Regulation and Reputation in the British Communications Industry, 1981-91

Author:
Charlie Harris
Publication Date:
02-2023
Content Type:
Case Study
Institution:
Oxford Centre for Global History
Abstract:
During Robert Maxwell’s turbulent lifetime, the world knew him as one of the most successful businessmen in Britain, presiding over a publishing and media empire in direct competition with that of Rupert Murdoch. In 1991, Robert Maxwell died – at which point the world discovered that he was, in fact, far beyond bankrupt. As banks called in their huge loans, accountants found that his empire boasted £2 billion in debt. When he drowned, various auditors and authorities were close to catching him in an enormous fraud. Maxwell had stolen around £460 million from his employees’ pension funds and committed extensive stock fraud in order to manipulate the share prices of his empire. Accusations of fraud and mismanagement dogged Maxwell’s career, but to little effect. Beginning with a single publishing house, he built a media empire. His rivalry with Rupert Murdoch – and perhaps his emotional state, which was notoriously volatile and competitive – drove him to expand at an unsustainable pace, which he supported with confidence trickery and enormous loans. His debts quickly outstripped his assets. Desperately scrambling to repay the loans, he turned to stock fraud and his employees’ pension funds. Still desperate for capital six months before his death, Maxwell floated his largest-ever venture – Mirror Group Newspapers – which successfully attracted £250 million in investment, despite the destitution of its parent company. Public autopsies concluded that the blame lay not just with Maxwell, but with advisers, regulators, and complicit financial institutions. Maxwell killed himself (though some still speculate he was murdered) shortly before a scheduled meeting that would have uncovered his fraud. Maxwell did not leave his family destitute, but they no longer had immediate access to the lifestyle to which they had become accustomed. His sons continued working in the City of London. His daughter, Ghislaine Maxwell, continued to circulate in high society. Her crimes are now better known than her father’s; she is famous for her work as Jeffrey Epstein’s right-hand woman, procuring victims (often under-age) for Epstein’s “prostitution ring” (something of a misnomer, as the term implies consent). Both scandals implicated some of the most powerful figures of their day, and in both cases, th
Topic:
Communications, History, Capitalism, Industry, and Robert Maxwell
Political Geography:
Britain and Europe

20. Britain, Germany, and the Rise of Competitive Virtue Signaling

Author:
Roderick Parkes
Publication Date:
01-2022
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
German Council on Foreign Relations (DGAP)
Abstract:
In 2016, British and German officials were clear: they wanted quickly to put Brexit behind them and cooperate on big ticket items like the international rule of law. Now, in 2022, the pair in fact seem to be competing more than they cooperate. Germany wants to shine in comparison with Britain, and the UK sees advantages for its own standing if Germany falls short. This “competitive virtue signaling” defines Germany and the UK’s post-Brexit rivalry, and – oddly – might lead to tighter relations.
Topic:
European Union, Brexit, Rivalry, Cooperation, and Competition
Political Geography:
Britain, Europe, and Germany