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Tim Bale

Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London

Tim Bale graduated from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge. After teaching English in Spain, he did a Masters Degree at Northwestern University in the USA. Following a few years spent working for the NHS, he returned to do a PhD at the Department of Politics at Sheffield University, where he then lectured for a year. After Sheffield, he taught politics at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand until 2003 and then at Sussex University until 2012. For four years he was the co-editor of the European Journal of Political Research's annual Political Data Yearbook. In 2008 he won the Political Studies Association's Bernard Crick Prize for Outstanding Teaching. He was the co-founder of the PSA's specialist group on Conservatives and Conservatism. He also provides an Internet Guide to European Politics to accompany his book, European Politics: a Comparative Introduction, the third edition of which is now out. Tim's media work includes writing for the Financial Times and the Guardian, and he has appeared on various BBC radio and television programmes. In 2011 he received the Political Studies Association's W.J.M. Mackenzie prize for his book The Conservative Party from Thatcher to Cameron. His latest book is The Conservatives since 1945: the Drivers of Party Change. He occasionally tweets @ProfTimBale.

Six books (and one play) to read to understand British politics today

Dec 26, 2023 23:14 pm UTC| Politics

With a general election on the horizon in 2024, this holiday season is a good time to curl up with a book that explains the state of British politics and society today. We asked politics experts for their...

Global Geopolitics Series

G7 summit: what to expect from Boris Johnson as Joe Biden visits the UK

Jun 07, 2021 23:42 pm UTC| Politics

Joe Bidens first trip to the UK as US President this week is bound to produce hundreds of hot takes on the state of the so-called special relationship, most looking for signs either of its continuing strength or its more...

Conservative conference: a party surprisingly united on Brexit, just divided from the rest of the world

Oct 04, 2018 16:00 pm UTC| Insights & Views Politics

In his big speech to the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham on Monday, Brexit secretry Dominic Raab urged fellow Tories to come together. Im not sure he needed to bother. Here in Birmingham the issues already one...

Snap election a win-win for Teresa May: she'll crush Labour and make Brexit a little easier

Apr 19, 2017 02:55 am UTC| Insights & Views Economy Politics

So Theresa May, it turns out, is only human. After months of denying she was going to do it, the British prime minister decided to call an early general election first and foremost because she knows shes going to...

Economy

European Stocks Steady as U.S.-Iran War, Euro Zone Data Keep Investors Cautious

European stocks were largely flat on Friday and remained on track for a modest weekly decline as investors monitored the U.S.-Iran war, rising oil prices and upcoming euro zone economic data. The STOXX 600 edged 0.05%...

KOSPI Eyes Best Weekly Gain Since June as Samsung, SK Hynix Rally

South Koreas KOSPI was heading for its strongest weekly performance since early June on Friday, fueled by a powerful rebound in technology and semiconductor stocks as optimism around artificial intelligence demand returned...

France Inflation Rises 2.4% in July as Consumer Prices Increase

Frances consumer prices increased in July 2026, with both monthly and annual inflation measures showing upward movement, according to final data released Friday by the French National Institute of Statistics and Economic...

China Automakers Accelerate Global Expansion as Domestic Car Sales Slump

Chinas automakers are rapidly expanding overseas as falling domestic car sales and excess manufacturing capacity push companies such as BYD, Geely and Chery to seek growth beyond the worlds largest auto market. Chinese car...

Asian Currencies Edge Higher as Soft US Inflation Weighs on Dollar

Asian currencies edged higher on Friday as the U.S. dollar weakened following softer-than-expected inflation data, which reduced expectations for a near-term Federal Reserve interest-rate hike. Gains across regional...

Politics

Jared Kushner May Visit Israel for Gaza Talks Next Week

U.S. President Donald Trumps envoy and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, could travel to Israel next week for talks aimed at advancing the administrations Gaza peace plan, according to a source familiar with the matter. Axios...

Albanese Says AUKUS ‘Full Steam Ahead’ After Trump Call

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the AUKUS defence pact remains full steam ahead following a lengthy phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, as Canberra also pushes Washington for a complete exemption...

Trump Orders Major Overhaul of US Navy Shipbuilding

President Donald Trump has signed a National Security Presidential Memorandum directing sweeping changes to U.S. Navy shipbuilding and ship repair programs as part of an effort to rebuild the countrys maritime industrial...

Israel Warned US of Alleged Iran Plot to Assassinate Trump

Israel repeatedly warned the United States over the past year that Iran may have been planning to assassinate President Donald Trump, although U.S. intelligence agencies were unable to independently verify several of the...

Putin Visits Disputed Kuril Island, Sparking Strong Protest From Japan

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the disputed island of Iturup on Thursday, triggering a sharp diplomatic protest from Japan amid longstanding tensions over the Kuril Islands. Known as Iturup in Russia and Etorofu...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Develops China-Specific AI Model With Alibaba as Apple Intelligence Launch Nears

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) has reportedly developed a large language model specifically for China in collaboration with Alibaba (HK: 9988), signaling a significant shift in the iPhone makers artificial intelligence strategy...

Goldman Sachs Eyes Investors for Nvidia’s $500 Billion AI Financing Plan

Goldman Sachs is reportedly in discussions with potential investors to participate in Nvidias ambitious $500 billion AI infrastructure financing initiative, as institutional demand for artificial intelligence investments...

LG, Nvidia Expand AI Partnership With Humanoid Robots, AI Factories

LG Corp and Nvidia have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to deepen their strategic partnership across robotics, AI factories and next-generation mobility, LG announced Friday. The agreement will combine LGs...

SMIC Shares Rally as Q2 Profit Surges 262% on Strong Chip Demand

Shares of Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) surged on Friday after the Chinese semiconductor foundry delivered strong second-quarter earnings, supported by higher chip demand, improved pricing and...

Anthropic Eyes $6B Decart AI Acquisition Ahead of Mega IPO

Anthropic is reportedly in talks to acquire Nvidia-backed AI startup Decart AI as the Claude developer looks to expand its computing capabilities and address growing demand ahead of a potential public listing. Bloomberg...