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Matthew Flinders

Founding Director of the Sir Bernard Crick Centre for the Public Understanding of Politics, University of Sheffield

Professor Flinders studied Modern European Studies at Loughborough University before coming to the University of Sheffield to complete his doctorate in public policy and governance. He was appointed to a permanent Lectureship in 2000 (Senior Lecturer 2003, Reader 2005, Professor 2009). He was Sub-Dean for Graduate Affairs during 2004-2005 and Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences 2005-2006. He was a Governor on the Board of Sheffield Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust between 2008-2011 and Deputy Head of the Department of Politics between 2008-2012. Professor Flinders is also on the Executive Committee of the Political Studies Association. In addition to his academic work, Professor Flinders is a writer and broadcaster and has made numerous contributions to national newspapers, including The Times and The Guardian, and in 2011 he wrote and presented a three-part series for BBC Radio 4 entitled ‘In Defence of Politics’.

His latest book, 'What Kind of Democracy is This?' is published by Policy Press, 2017.

Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board

Apr 25, 2024 06:12 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

To say that the Labour party is flying high in the polls is something of an understatement. But despite its consistent lead against the Tories, the opposition finds itself in a rather odd position: on the cusp of power but...

Liz Truss resigns as prime minister: the five causes of her downfall explained

Oct 21, 2022 06:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

As Liz Truss stepped away from the lectern outside No.10 Downing Street after resigning as leader of her party, it probably occurred to her that her time as prime minister will have been only as long as the leadership...

Coronavirus and the politics of crisis fatigue

Mar 26, 2020 16:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The new coronavirus pandemic is affecting our daily lives in many unexpected ways. We are particularly trying to understand why some people are not heeding official advice about social isolation. I believe this relates to...

How Boris Johnson's Conservatives swept to election victory in Labour heartlands

Dec 16, 2019 13:40 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

Welcome to a new whole new political world. The UK general election of 2019 has delivered a seismic shift in the balance of the countrys politics, the consequences of which are very hard, if not impossible to predict. But...

Brexit impasse: where have all the political leaders gone?

Jan 27, 2019 14:41 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Adrift, rudderless, confused, chaotic. A mess. How else can anyone honestly describe the state of British politics? The UK is, if truth be known, currently a nation that resembles little more than a vast community of...

Parliament may not have what it takes to fix its crumbling house

Jan 30, 2018 12:36 pm UTC| Insights & Views Real Estate Economy

Back in 2015, a detailed analysis of the Palace of Westminster concluded that the risk of catastrophic failure is increasing … a major failing of the existing service infrastructure is inevitable. As the subsequent...

Economy

Trump Defends Economic Record in North Carolina as Midterm Election Pressure Mounts

U.S. President Donald Trump traveled to the battleground state of North Carolina on Friday to defend his economic policies and reassure voters that the U.S. economy remains on solid footing, as concerns grow ahead of a...

EU Approves €90 Billion Ukraine Aid as Frozen Russian Asset Plan Stalls

Ukraine welcomed a major European Union decision on Friday to provide 90 billion in financial support over the next two years, a move Kyiv says will significantly strengthen its economic resilience amid the ongoing war...

Kevin Hassett Says Inflation Is Below Target, Backs Trump’s Call for Rate Cuts

White House economic advisor Kevin Hassett said President Donald Trump is correct in claiming inflation is low, despite official data, public sentiment, and many economists suggesting otherwise. Speaking on Fox Business,...

U.S. Stocks End Week Higher as Tech Rally Offsets Consumer Weakness

U.S. stocks closed higher on Friday, recovering from a volatile start to the week as gains in technology and AI-related shares outweighed sharp declines in consumer stocks such as Nike. Major indexes finished in positive...

EU Delays Mercosur Free Trade Agreement Signing Amid Ukraine War Funding Talks

The European Union has decided to delay the formal signing of its long-anticipated free trade agreement with the Mercosur bloc, as EU leaders convened in Brussels to prioritize discussions on funding Ukraines war effort....

Politics

U.S. Launches Large-Scale Airstrikes on ISIS Targets in Syria After Deadly Attack

The United States military carried out extensive airstrikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets across Syria on Friday, escalating its response after a deadly attack on American personnel, according to U.S. officials. The...

Putin Envoy Heads to Miami for High-Stakes Talks as U.S. Pushes Ukraine Peace Deal

Russian President Vladimir Putins special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is traveling to Miami for talks with U.S. President Donald Trumps envoy Steve Witkoff and Trumps son-in-law Jared Kushner, according to a Russian source cited...

Russian Missile Strike on Odesa Port Kills Seven, Disrupts Key Trade Routes

A Russian missile attack late on Friday struck critical port infrastructure near Ukraines Black Sea port city of Odesa, killing at least seven people and injuring 15 others, according to Ukrainian officials. The attack...

Trump Nominates Lt. Gen. Frank Donovan to Lead U.S. Southern Command Amid Rising Tensions in Latin America

U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated Lieutenant General Frank Donovan, the vice commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, to become the next head of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), the military body responsible...

Brazil Court Allows Bolsonaro Hospital Trip Amid Prison Sentence

Brazils Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has authorized former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily leave the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasília, where he is currently serving a 27-year prison...

Science

Jared Isaacman Confirmed as NASA Administrator, Becomes 15th Leader of U.S. Space Agency

The U.S. Senate has officially confirmed billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman as the new NASA administrator, making him the 15th leader in the agencys history. The confirmation, which took place on Wednesday, marks...

Senate Sets December 8 Vote on Trump’s NASA Nominee Jared Isaacman

The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee announced it will vote on December 8 on President Donald Trumps renewed nomination of private astronaut and tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. Isaacman, known for his...

NASA Cuts Boeing Starliner Missions as SpaceX Pulls Ahead

NASA has significantly scaled back Boeings Starliner program after years of technical issues and delays, announcing that the next Starliner mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will fly without astronauts. The...

Blue Origin’s New Glenn Achieves Breakthrough Success With First NASA Mission

Blue Origins massive New Glenn rocket marked a major milestone as it completed its first mission for paying customers, sending two NASA satellites toward Mars and successfully landing its reusable booster at sea. The...

Cogent Biosciences Soars 120% on Breakthrough Phase 3 Results for Bezuclastinib in GIST Treatment

Cogent Biosciences (NASDAQ: COGT) shares skyrocketed over 120% after the biotech company announced groundbreaking results from its Phase 3 PEAK trial evaluating bezuclastinib in combination with sunitinib for patients with...

Technology

U.S. Lawmakers Urge Pentagon to Blacklist More Chinese Tech Firms Over Military Ties

A group of nine Republican U.S. lawmakers has formally urged the Pentagon to expand its list of Chinese companies accused of supporting Chinas military, intensifying scrutiny of Beijing-linked technology firms amid rising...

Dina Powell McCormick Resigns From Meta Board After Eight Months, May Take Advisory Role

Dina Powell McCormick has resigned from Meta Platforms board of directors effective immediately, just eight months after joining the social media company, Meta confirmed on Friday. The unexpected departure comes at a time...

TikTok U.S. Deal Advances as ByteDance Signs Binding Joint Venture Agreement

TikTok has taken a major step toward securing its future in the United States after its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, announced it has signed binding agreements with three major investors to form a new joint venture...

Trump Administration Reviews Nvidia H200 Chip Sales to China, Marking Major Shift in U.S. AI Export Policy

The U.S. government under President Donald Trump has launched a formal review that could pave the way for the first-ever shipments of Nvidias H200 artificial intelligence chips to China, according to multiple sources...

Oracle Stock Surges After Hours on TikTok Deal Optimism and OpenAI Fundraising Buzz

Oracle Corporation (NYSE: ORCL) shares surged sharply in extended trading on Thursday, reflecting renewed investor optimism fueled by reports of a potential U.S. TikTok transaction and fresh fundraising discussions...