Migration remains one of the most contentious political issues, shaping debates on borders, identity, and economies, including in the UK. Earlier in February this year, the Labour government announced that those arriving irregularly to the UK, even if they are legitimate refugees, will be barred from ever becoming British citizens. Joining the show to discuss the politics behind this announcement, what it aims to achieve, whether it will work, and what alternative approaches Labour could have pursued is Dr. Omar Hammoud-Gallego, an Assistant Professor of Public Policy in the School of Government and International Affairs here at Durham University, where he teaches in the new MSc Public Policy starting this coming academic year.

To learn more about Omar and his research on migration, visit his website: https://www.omarhgallego.com/

Related Literature:

- Gathmann, C., & Garbers, J. 2023. Citizenship and integration. Labour Economics, 82, 102343. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.labeco.2023.102343

- Hammoud Gallego, O. 2025. Labour’s latest immigration policy is counterproductive. LSE Blog, online at https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandpolicy/labours-latest-immigration-policy-is-counterproductive/ [Last accessed: 7th March 2025].

- Krause W, Cohen D, Abou-Chadi T. Does accommodation work? Mainstream party strategies and the success of radical right parties. Political Science Research and Methods. 2023;11(1):172-179. doi:10.1017/psrm.2022.8 Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

40 years ago on Monday, 3rd March 1985, the 1984-1985 UK’s miners’ strike ended. The coal miners' strike aimed to prevent the closure of pits that the conservative government deemed “uneconomic”. Many observers regard the miners’ strike as “the most bitter industrial dispute in British history” and with 26 million person-days of work lost, it was the largest by impact since the 1926 General Strike. Joining me, to look back at this major industrial dispute and why it still matters today is Dr. Lewis Mates, an Associate Professor in Political Theory in the School of Government and International Affairs at Durham University.

To learn more about Lewis' research visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/lewis-mates/

Resources mentioned in this episode:

- Sherwood (2022) BBC One Series, for more information on the show see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherwood_(2022_TV_series). To view the series see https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/p0c724lz/sherwood (only available in the UK).

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/

Germany is heading to the polls this coming Sunday (23rd February 2025) after the traffic light coalition between the Social Democrats (red), the Liberal Party (yellow), and the Greens (green) collapsed in November last year. In this episode, Dr. Moritz Osnabrügge outlines the main topics of the election campaign, how the campaign compared to 2021, what the latest polls predict, and what potential government coalitions may emerge.

To learn more about Dr. Moritz Osnabrügge's research, visit his website at https://www.durham.ac.uk/staff/moritz-osnabruegge/

Polling and election modeling:

- Reuters (2025): The Latest Polls Ahead of the German Snap Election. Online at: https://www.reuters.com/graphics/GERMANY-ELECTION/POLLS/akveedlravr/ [Last accessed 20th February 2025].

- Zweitstimme.org (2025). Die Wissenschaftliche Vorhersage der Bundestagswahl. Online at: https://zweitstimme.org/ [Last accessed: 20th February 2025].

Music: The Good News by SHANTI from https://tunetank.com/track/263-the-good-news/