Who else to turn to for our Christmas Special than our old pal Rob Ford (University of Manchester). We first talk about the state of the Brexit negotiations and the prospects of a trade deal before year's end (3:38). Then, at the request of a listener, we discuss a recent article on political cleavages that Rob wrote together with Will Jennings (29:00). Finally, we revisit the fourth season of the Crown and its depiction of the Thatcher era (52:00). You can find Rob's article with Will Jennings here (open access): https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-polisci-052217-104957 Music: Dexter Britain (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0), www.dexterbritain.com