Simon Usherwood

Simon Usherwood

@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Researcher of UK-EU relations, euroscepticism and learning & teaching. Open University and formerly UK in a Changing Europe. Renowned for my bubbly personality, I imagine.

13.2K followers3.4K following3K posts

Simon Usherwood reposted

Charlotte Weatherill
@ckweatherill.bsky.social

CfP #BISA2027 ‘Thinking climate politics from the Pacific’. This is a panel of researchers who work in the UK & Europe, who think about climate from the Pacific. We recognise the problems of doing this but share a commitment to challenging the marginalisation of Pacific knowledge in our region.

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Currently finding notable that it's been much easier to talk about +/- of various options for future UK-EU relations than about how UK might possibly run a meaningful dialogue about how to decide between them

Simon Usherwood reposted

Jill Rutter
@jillongovt.bsky.social

PM seems to be moving even faster on reopening the door to EU membership - maybe as he wakes up to what the EU's Made in Europe programme could mean for the UK and his "reindustrialisation" project - My @instituteforgovernment.org.uk blog www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/comment/andy...

instituteforgovernment.org.ukAndy Burnham has opened the door to EU membership | Institute for GovernmentIt is far from clear that there is a path to a consensus on Europe.
View full thread
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

PS and since I was happy to have dug it out, you can read the COM opinion on Sweden, from 1992, which would be the closest equivalent You'll note there's nothing at all about € wobbles, which came after accession in 1995 aei.pitt.edu/1566/

aei.pitt.eduThe Challenge of Enlargement. Commission opinion on Sweden's application for membership. Document drawn up on the basis of SEC (92) 1582 final, 31 July 1992. Bulletin of the European Communities, Supp...
View full thread
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Given centrality of € to EU identity, are MS willing to leave doubt around UK commitment to core activity? Especially giving the UK's history of, well, leaving altogether. 11/

View full thread
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Leaving aside whether £ could ever usefully meet € convergence (and do go spend some time in the archives for extensive debate about this in the 1990s), the Commission would be obliged to note in its opinion on an accession application that the UK did not appear to meet Copenhagen 9/

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

The logical way out of this might be a Danish-style opt-out, but open Q of whether existing MS would accept that, given the precedent it would set for other applicants, and the expectation management for other UK demands 10/

View full thread
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

These include an obligation to adhere to the aims of political, economic and monetary union, which is understood to include a commitment to join the € once appropriate convergence criteria (Art.140 TFEU) have been met 7/

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

The issue is that while we have 3 MS who use the ERM-loophole to not meet convergence criteria, they all committed to Copenhagen at the time of accession The UK would potentially be coming in without that intention 8/

View full thread
View full thread

Simon Usherwood reposted

David Henig
@davidheniguk.bsky.social

Naomi has polling evidence, I have trade policy evidence that Made in Europe means the UK being further squeezed out of manufacturing supply chains, and that talking about Freedom of Movement is a response to that.

Naomi Smith@pimlicat.bsky.social

With all this talk about freedom of movement & lazy journos writing up it could hurt Red Wall MPs, I’m resharing my article from early Oct. Playing it safe on EU is riskiest thing Labour can do for those MPs. labourlist.org/2026/10/play...

labourlist.org'Playing it safe on Europe is the riskiest thing Labour can do' - LabourListThe bold approach is the safe one. The softly-softly option is the gamble, and on current numbers it's a losing one.

Simon Usherwood reposted

Steve Peers
@stevepeers.bsky.social

The numbers aren't capped as such under free movement, but people cannot move solely to claim benefits and serious criminals can be expelled or refused entry - so "unlimited" is misleading

Lightacandle@lightacandle.bsky.social

Laura Kuessenberg promoting her morning programme on BBC News attacks Andy Burnham's comments on renewing relationships with EU stating this will mean 'unlimited immigration going backwards and forwards.' How does she get away with that?

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Honoured to be name-checked in @davidheniguk.bsky.social's first Substack Even more honoured to be recognised for my services to glumness

David Henig@davidheniguk.bsky.social

I finally succumbed and set up a substack. I'm still working this out, but here's the first of what might become weekly therapy for the UK-EU relationship. rejoinrejoin.substack.com/p/go-big-or-...

rejoinrejoin.substack.comGo Big or (is there an alternative for the UK in terms of EU relations)?Andy Burnham’s 40-year European itch

Simon Usherwood reposted

Nicolai von Ondarza
@nvondarza.bsky.social

Since 2024, the EU has signed Security and Defence Partnerships with 12 states. What do they really deliver? Our new @swp-berlin.org study (in German) edited by @chriswirth.bsky.social and me looks at eight of them, plus Turkey and Ukraine:

Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP)@swp-berlin.org

Seit 2024 hat die EU mit zwölf Staaten Sicherheits- und Verteidigungspartnerschaften geschlossen. In der neuen SWP-Studie wird das Instrument im Hinblick auf ausgewählte Länder analysiert. Herausgegeben von @nvondarza.bsky.social und @chriswirth.bsky.social. www.swp-berlin.org/publikation/...

swp-berlin.orgDie neuen Sicherheits­partnerschaften der EUMöglichkeiten zur Wahrung von Europas Handlungsfähigkeit in einer imperialen Welt

Simon Usherwood reposted

Charlotte Lydia Riley
@lottelydia.bsky.social

University of Nottingham, right now, is cutting 560 jobs. Do we need to rebrand universities as very large, very clean, land-based oil rigs to get government support?

Leo Hickman@leohickman.carbonbrief.org

From the govt's press release: "The developer estimates that Jackdaw will create 27 new direct jobs and safeguard 273 existing jobs that would otherwise be lost." Odd that so much is made about this being good for jobs. Your nearest out-of-town supermarket likely generates more jobs.

Simon Usherwood reposted

Dr Naomi Scott
@drnaomiscott.bsky.social

Your regular reminder that the Teaching Excellence Framework does not in fact evaluate teaching quality, but uses a bunch of proxy metrics that have bugger all to do with teaching quality.

Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social

'Revised proposals for the new English quality system unveiled on 22 October will see those dubbed below par subjected to harsher sanctions than first planned, with enforced reductions on student recruitment being mooted.'

timeshighereducation.comStudent recruitment cuts at poor performers as TEF ‘given teeth’Providers awarded ‘requires improvement’ rating to have cohorts reduced by 10 per cent a year as new OfS chief executives get tough on poor-quality provision

Simon Usherwood reposted

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Some thoughts on why it might be realistic to expect any UK accession to the EU to take more than one Parliament to complete @ukandeu.bsky.social ukandeu.ac.uk/how-long-doe...

ukandeu.ac.ukHow long does it take to join the EU? Why the UK in 2026 isn’t Finland in 1992 - UK in a changing EuropeSimon Usherwood argues that, should the UK seek to rejoin the European Union, the ‘accession’ process from application to membership is likely...

Simon Usherwood reposted

David Henig
@davidheniguk.bsky.social

It all just keeps coming back to the simple idea that failed, that UK politics could treat the EU as a third-order issue. Some combination of imperial and little englander fantasy. Whether in or out, EU relations will always be a huge part of UK politics. www.politico.eu/article/mich...

politico.euBurnham needs public consent for his EU reset, says Brexit negotiator BarnierThe former European Commissioner and French prime minister says it would be “welcome back, but there are conditions attached” if UK prime minister pushes to rejoin the EU.
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Good reminder that, before talking about new areas of cooperation, the EU is doing to make sure that: A) existing agreements are functioning properly, and B) current negotiations are concluded to its satisfaction

Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Worth adding that even if UK just accepted everything EU required that would not necessarily make it much faster: concerns about long-term commitment and about re-balancing internal dynamics would remain

UK in a Changing Europe@ukandeu.bsky.social

"Any credible estimation of how long re-accession would take needs to... recognise that the chances of managing it within the life of a single parliament are very small indeed." ✍️ @simonusherwood.bsky.social argues that any UK re-accession to the EU will not be easy. ukandeu.ac.uk/how-long-doe...

ukandeu.ac.ukHow long does it take to join the EU? Why the UK in 2026 isn’t Finland in 1992 - UK in a changing EuropeSimon Usherwood argues that, should the UK seek to rejoin the European Union, the ‘accession’ process from application to membership is likely...
Simon Usherwood
@simonusherwood.bsky.social

Get asked of late if I'm happy my subject area in back in the public arena Not if I have to read stuff like this: a reasonable point about not idealistic the EU, presented in the least evidenced and most specious fashion