reflections – research – reading
Election posters. There’s something fascinating about them. Unlike social media campaigns, they don’t depend on algorithms and echo chambers — they’re for absolutely anyone who happens to pass by. And ahead of any election in Germany, posters adorn every railing and ascend every lamppost (often stacked four or five high). For a few weeks, they … Continue reading the curious appeal of election posters
This is a ‘state of play’ blog focusing on my research. For part-time or independent researchers, getting into the right mindset and into the routine of writing can be tough. With so many competing demands on your time it's sometimes hard to feel you're part of the research community, or to even think about writing … Continue reading research update #1: election strategy and returning to the (grass)roots
This is the first in a series of blog posts on Germany’s approaching General Election (Bundestagswahl) and the implications for my research. Anyone who knows me personally and/or reads this blog will also know that the Left Party (Die Linke) is ‘my’ subject — so I’m starting things off with an overview of the party’s … Continue reading the left party: three key strengths — and an uphill task
(research notebook) The only downside of returning after three weeks’ complete break (and I'm honestly not complaining) is the mountain of work demanding your immediate attention. Which is why, after a truly brilliant time in Canada and with January rapidly slipping away, all I’ve managed to blog so far is this update and outlook. But there’s plenty … Continue reading reconnecting and looking ahead
(research notebook) Last week, frustrated by a stubbornly empty page and my equally blank mind, I opened up a new document, set my phone’s timer to five minutes and began to just write. I wrote non-stop about the first thing that came into my head, without pausing to think, without reviewing and without corrections, until the … Continue reading rip it up and start again — the power of ‘freewriting’
This is the second of two posts offering a theory-based interpretation of the current Labour leadership crisis. Part One set out the various faces of the party — the party in office/parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) and the grassroots membership and activists (party on the ground) — and how Jeremy Corbyn’s election as leader has upset … Continue reading the faces of labour’s leadership conflict (part two)
Still keeping up with the goings on in the Labour Party? Every day, there’s another twist and turn (of the knife). All of which leaves little time or energy for confronting the government or listening to the communities who have shunned Labour (or did Labour shun them first?). What explains the dramatic rift between the … Continue reading the faces of labour’s leadership conflict (part one)
(research notebook) Something I’ve often been quizzed on is my reason for writing about the Left Party. In fact, my Viva examination opened with this very question. By that point, I’d been buried in theory, literature and writing for so long that the initial inspiration seemed but a distant memory. So this post is about … Continue reading ‘why the left party?’ reflecting on the research journey
the green left hand 