Books & publications
Collapse of the Conservatives
Volatile Voters, Broken Britain and a Punishment Election
In May 2021, the Conservative Party held an 18-point lead in the polls. Just three years later, the Conservatives suffered their worst-ever election defeat. An angry public, frustrated that nothing worked anymore, took whatever stick was available to beat the government in a punishment election.
Why and how did public opinion shift so radically against the Conservatives in three short years?
Badgeland
Memoir of a Labour Party Young Socialist in 1980s Britain
“Steve Rayson recalls with warmth, insight and wry humour a time when for many of us everything seemed possible.” Lord Paul Boateng"
Funny, charming, well observed and a joy to read.”
What do you do as a young socialist when your dad’s mates in the working men’s club buy their council houses, drive Austin Metros (a British car to beat the world), purchase privatised shares, holiday in Spain, read
The Sun, and vote Tory?
Read more about
Badgeland.
The Fall of the Red Wall
Why did thousands of lifelong Labour voters in the party’s heartland seats abandon the party in the 2019 General Election?
Simple explanations like ‘Brexit’ and ‘Corbyn’ dramatically underestimate the importance of longer term trends, and the changing public narrative in these communities. This is the story of one of the most remarkable shifts in British politics.
Read more about my best-selling book.
Democratising Bridge or Elite Medium?
My award winning academic dissertation is available as a free PDF.
The research investigates the pattern of political podcast adoption including the characteristics of the audience, their motivations, uses and gratifications.
The findings indicate that political podcasts, despite having potentially democratising characteristics, are primarily leveraged by advantaged social groups, motivated by a desire to further increase their cognitive social capital.
Protest & Revise
A short article on the student protest and library sit-in of 1983, published by the University of Bath. I wrote this as part of my memoir project.
How Labour can win the ‘Red Wall’
My article for Left Foot Forward about the power of political narratives and the importance of creating a concise narrative, not a slogan. A story of the past, the present and a desirable future.