Inspired by Tom Forth I was thinking about what genuine achievements the last 14 years of Conservative governments have chalked up.

Here are my top 10.

1. Gove's education reforms.

2. Brexit.

3. Gay marriage.

Just over two years ago, I published an article with the Politics Journal on why the issue of immigration in Britain was contributing to the rise of populism.

Spoiler: it is not as simple as 'more immigration = more populism'.

These are the key points:
journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.11…

An important paper introduces a new concept, fertility realizability: 'the ratio of total fertility to average desired fertility.'
In poor countries, people often have more children than desired but developed countries have the opposite problem, fewer kids than desired. 🧵

If you are looking for a video to send to the head of your child's school, on why the school MUST go phone-free by September if it cares about mental health, social development, or learning, this is my best lecture making the case:

'The New Statesman identifies 3 ideas that define Starmerism: the common good; progressive realism; and securonomics' I recall (cringing) my past enthusiasm for these word salads that pass themselves off as serious thinking. Who is against the common good, or realism or security?

If you want a more liberal open humane immigration system you have to make up your game and be a bit more self-critical. Otherwise you will likely fail to prevail.
blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpol…

📺 LIVE: The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

With Professor Jonathan Haidt

In Conversation with David Goodhart 👇 twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

All-star dialogue tomorrow at Policy Exchange: Jonathan Haidt in conversation with David Goodhart.

They'll be discussing Haidt's latest best-selling book, The Anxious Generation.

Register to attend below.

policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-anx…

We discussed 'Is democracy dying?' with a brilliant panel of David Goodhart Nabila Ramdani ⭐️⭐️ نبيلة رمضاني & Helen Thompson POLIS. It's one of the Cambridge University vice-chancellor's dialogues on the big issues of our time, and part of our commitment to free speech.

Photos by Natalie Glasberg.

With some prompting from David Goodhart, in 2009, I wrote an essay with Frank Field arguing for compulsory citizen service. David Lammy even appeared in the intro, below. Anyway, Field was a genuine big ideas politicians, with a strong moral core. RIP.

Civitas is holding a panel discussion this evening, where David Goodhart, Miriam Cates, Stephanie, Christine Farquharson, and chair @AlysDenby will be trying to get to the bottom of this question: what is childcare policy for?

Details in the tweet below:
twitter.com/Civitas_UK/sta…

Sign up if you haven’t done so yet!

Join me & my co-panellists David Goodhart & Helen Thompson POLIS to discuss:

Is the election of populists an expression of #democracy or a breakdown of democracy? How resilient are our democratic institutions in the face of unprecedented challenges?

INVESTIGATION

We shine a light on the “Global Disinformation Index,” an international, government-funded “ratings agency” that is trying to defund @UnHerd on spurious grounds.

The Disinformation Industry is out of control.

👇👇👇

unherd.com/2024/04/inside…

I laughed aloud reading that sentence in FT about “beefed up govt comms” being the answer to Starmer/Labour having no clear narrative. ⁦John McTernan⁩, the author, is a smart Labour veteran and I’m all for pragmatism and realism but has our politics really become so small?

Back to basics: what is childcare policy for?

Civitas is delighted to host a panel discussion and Q&A by David Goodhart, Miriam Cates, @AlysDenby, Stephanie H. Murray and Christine Farquharson
on how the government can best support families with children in the early years.

🗳️ 2024 is the year of elections, but is democracy dying?

Don’t miss the next event in our Vice-Chancellor’s Dialogues series, featuring David Goodhart Nabila Ramdani ⭐️⭐️ نبيلة رمضاني Helen Thompson POLIS

📅 24 April
📍Selwyn College
🧑Staff, students, alumni & the public welcome
eventbrite.co.uk/e/is-democracy…

Immigration data set to become a battlefield in the way that unemployment data was in the 1980s, especially if Labour propose taking students out of the headline net migration figure

In the Times today I look at why government departments have stopped publishing the data we need to have a better debate on migration. I'm backing Robert Jenrick amendments to start fixing this.
thetimes.co.uk/article/ebb5d1…

Promisingly hard-headed, UK citizen first, approach to immigration from Labour Together. Hope it is influential on Labour in govt.

policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-anx…

Jonathan Haidt
David Goodhart
Iain Mansfield