Tomorrow is the start of my latest lecture series for
@WeareExplore. My lectures address questions about the development of the British empire in its early phase. Tomorrow's lecture looks at the development of the United Kingdom.
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Dr Nick Cott
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Dr Nick Cott
@cott_nick
Associate Lecturer in History @OpenUniversity & @univofstandrews; Former Opposition Leader in Newcastle; Honorary Alderman; Chair of Northumberland LibDems.
Northumberland, UK Katılım Mart 2011
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Nigel Farage wants every police officer in the UK to carry a gun.
Don't let him turn Britain into his version of Trump's America.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
The Lib Dem group in the Lords is devastated this evening following the death of our own Jim Wallace.
Jim was a towering figure in Scottish and UK politics and will be deeply missed by all of us who were lucky enough to know him and work with him.
Salutes, Jim. Rest well.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Nigel Farage here falsely saying that asylum seekers jump the housing queue in front of veterans.
In fact veterans have a special scheme that gets them close to the top of the list.
Asylum seekers are legally banned from joining the list.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
A straight out lie from Danny Krueger MP at Reform's event today.
He said that asylum seekers go straight to the top of the council housing list.
In fact they are *banned by law* from accessing council housing.
Further details on Shelter's website here: england.shelter.org.uk/professional_r…
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Reform: The Conservatives broke the country
Also Reform: Welcome to another failed Conservative minister who broke the country
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
No doubt Zahawi a big name for Reform & helps with momentum. But his resignation was on what the public see as a clear ‘one rule for them’ type scandal they hate - so a risk this, more than previous switches, could blunt Reform’s appeal as ‘different to usual political class’.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
The Liberal Democrats held 82% of seats they defended in Council By-Elections in 2025 #ByElectionsWrapped
1) LDM (82%)
2) GRN (67%)
3) RFM (60%)
4) CON (32%)
5) LAB (28%)
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Seats & Votes won in Council By-Elections in 2025:
🔶 LDM: 106 (+21), 20.2%
➡️ RFM: 104 (+94), 24.2%
🌳 CON: 45 (-24), 18.2%
🌹 LAB: 36 (-89), 16.3%
🌍 GRN: 24 (+6), 9.9%
⚫ Oth: 39 (-8), 11.3%
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
I really don’t understand all this sabre rattling rhetoric, with some junior UK defence minister claiming the UK is “rapidly developing” plans to prepare the entire country for the possible outbreak of war, because “the shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door.”
If the government really believed that why on earth has it funded only a 0.2% rise in military spending as a share of GDP?
Its ridiculous.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
This is something historians will write about in a chapter called the March to War in Europe.
The UK government promised a national conversation on defence and security … and instead we’ve had silence and cuts.
It’s a total dereliction of duty.
Swiss Federal Government@SwissGov
In light of the deteriorating security situation, the Swiss government is realigning Switzerland's security policy. It has launched a consultation procedure and instructed the relevant departments to start taking measures. news.admin.ch/en/newnsb/BLkW… @vbs_ddps
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The world has a feel of the 1930s about it. If we don't learn the lessons from history we are in a real danger. In Britain and in Europe we need wake up to deal with what is staring in the face.
Alex Wickham@alexwickham
NEW: Bloomberg Saturday read — There is a huge disconnect between the conversation in Westminster and the European security crisis dominating the attention of its leaders. — NATO’s chief this week warned of another world war. A UK defence minister said the “shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door”. Keir Starmer said the continent faces a “critical” moment. — But many Labour MPs aren’t discussing the breakdown of the transatlantic alliance or the prospect of a new global conflict. Instead they’re talking about who should replace Starmer and when. — There is frustration (and disbelief) in the senior ranks of government at those in Labour who are talking about changing leader at such a dangerous international moment. — A senior civil servant, who served in the chaotic Tory period of five prime ministers in 14 years, says the recent tendency in British politics to shuffle through leaders is making it far harder for the state to function properly. They said Ukrainian officials had often despaired at the repeated changes in Britain since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. — On Monday Starmer will head to Berlin for the latest round of Ukraine talks, which will be attended by Steve Witkoff, as Trump puts intense pressure on Kyiv to agree a deal. Far more interesting for some Labour MPs though are questions of whether Wes Streeting or Angela Rayner would be the front-runner in a leadership contest, if they could form a joint ticket, and if they can mount a coup before Andy Burnham makes it to Westminster. It’s a pretty stark difference in priorities. — Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz might sympathise with Starmer’s struggles managing domestic politics and international events. They too both have difficulties at home as they try to lead on European security. — Of course Starmer’s government has huge problems it has to fix and his critics say he has only himself to blame for the doubts over his position. Bleak polls, two nightmare budgets, flat-lining economic growth and perceived policy failings from immigration to house-building, not to mention an NHS crisis now as well. There are big questions too about the Labour government’s plan for defence spending. — No10 know Starmer has to show he is focused on domestic issues that matter to voters, namely cost of living, immigration and public services. In recent days, amid calls with Trump and meetings with European leaders to try to prevent a disaster in Ukraine, he has travelled the country selling his policies, made announcements on child poverty and rail fares and launched Substack and TikTok accounts to try to cut through Westminster noise. They’re trying to improve his engagement with MPs, which would probably go a long way to shoring up his position. — At PMQs this week a Tory MP mocked Starmer for spending so much time abroad. The PM dismissed the question as “nonsense” and “ridiculous” and defended the importance of handling the Ukraine crisis. The problem is many in Labour seem to have more sympathy with that Tory question than their own leader’s answer. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
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It's the penultimate Lecturer today for @WeareExplore on my series concerning the political life of Ramsay MacDonald. Today we'll look at how MacDonald in failing to solve unemployment decided to form a multi-party government and forsake the Labour Party.
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Thanks to those who were able to come to my @WeareExplore lecture which discussed Ramsay MacDonald and the McVite's biscuits scandal. On Friday we'll be going on to look at MacDonald and the Second Labour government.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
On my way to start a new course with @WeareExplore. This series of 5 lectures will explore Ramsay MacDonald's political life and will mark the last of three series' looking at politicians who went on be Prime Ministers of the National Government 1931-40.
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Dr Nick Cott retweetledi
Robbie Gibb was appointed to the BBC Board by Boris Johnson, was an editorial advisor for GB News, and worked as Theresa May's Director of Comms.
He is not impartial or neutral. The government should remove him from the Board immediately to protect the BBC's independence.
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