We're blown away by the level of interest so far and looking forward to a great couple of days exploring accessibility and/in archives and collections!

Remember guys, @pcsunion.bsky.social staff at the BL are on strike for the next two weeks. Please don't cross the picket line to go to reading rooms, attend exhibitions or anything else. They've endured so much on low pay since the cyberattack in 2023 and the least we can do is have their backs now.

The School of English PGR Symposium is taking place on 11th November, featuring over 10 papers from SoE PGRs! Sign up here to come along forms.office.com/e/75eFxbbbiY

Spread the word! A new postgraduate and early career researcher seminar series at @universityofleeds.bsky.social! For those studying the Late Antique, Medieval, and Early Modern periods. We look forward to reading your proposals! #medievalsky #earlymodern #lateantique

Worth mentioning, there's nothing illegal about seeking asylum. Indeed the need for those doing so to use irregular routes is recognised in law, provided they present themselves, as they have to, to seek asylum to the relevant authorities. This is a grotesquely misleading comment by the Home Office.

"We absolutely need to stop the boats,” Polanski said, “but let’s stop the boats by offering safe and legal routes to asylum and not having people clinging on to dinghies for dear life.* www.newstatesman.com/politics/gre...

Could we please stop pretending that the flags being hung from streetlamps or painted on roundabouts are innocent expressions of patriotic pride? This is the far right marking out its territory. It uses these flags to intimidate its traditional victims and opponents. 🧵1/3

Yvette Cooper looked at current British asylum policies and thought, what we need is for *more* children to die in the English Channel

Extending the "move on period" came at the end of lengthy campaigning, and reams of evidence showing how 28 days led to homelessness, and more pressure on local authorities. This is a counterproductive, retrograde, move by Labour designed to chase Reform. Despicable! www.bbc.com/news/article...

Where government has failed - Taylor Swift might succeed: knocking migration stories off the front pages...

The Polari Prize issued a statement saying it believes its longlistees can hold “different positions on substantive issues.” This is like long listing a racist with authors of color then telling everyone it’s a mere “different position on a substantive issue”. Trans people are a fact. Not an “issue”

It's indefensible, says man who repeatedly defended it.

We can do better than the relentless misery this guy promises; do not let him or his people persuade you this is the best it can be.

oh absolutely fuck these moral fucking cowards

Today, after 14 years, I’m resigning from the Labour Party. Jeremy Corbyn and I will co-lead the founding of a new party, with other Independent MPs, campaigners and activists across the country. Join us. The time is now. Sign up here to stay updated: actionnetwork.org/forms/join-t...

Frankly I would believe Starmer regretted paraphrasing Enoch Powell somewhat more if he wasn't pushing ahead with the some of the most anti-immigration, anti-asylum, policies in decades. His "regret" doesn't make a difference when his actions are the same. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Today’s morning panel focused on the impact of the Hostile Environment on/in community spaces. With stunning papers by Sophie Fennelly, Peach Hoyle, and Subhadip Mukherjee.

GM 🖤 Please take care of yourself

“Each nasty reactionary comment by Reform followed by the reward of an electoral gain feels as if it eats away at a diverse and decent society, pulling back hard-won tolerance whilst validating the worst prejudices.” My col. on the local election aftermath. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

You’re telling me that right wing voters that Labour was trying to appeal to voted for a right wing party anyway and left wing voters decided not to vote for Labour because they’re too right wing now? Who could have possibly predicted this.

if you are a cis person it costs you nothing to just say today that you see & hear your trans sisters & brothers & others over in the UK today -- and around the world, too, knowing that rulings like today's ripple out in ugly ways.

“I don’t know how you do it! I could never be chronically ill!” We didn’t get a choice. No one asked our permission. Disability just happens. It can happen to you too. We cope because we have no choice. We can’t trade our bodies in for new ones. We can’t “try harder” our way out of it.

I am beyond furious at the cuts that will be made to welfare support, including PIP and UC. It’s punching down, it’s condescending, it’s spiteful, and it’s cruel.

Ooh maybe it’s not all in their heads but a clearly documented post viral outcome …

my preorders for this week’s new releases have arrived and I can’t help but feel like it’s 2014 all over again

Seeing lots and lots of hatred towards people with disabilities - ableism and fascism are intertwined. People aren’t lazy because they can’t work, they’re SICK. And one day you will be too. So if you’re not moved by compassion to treat disabled people humanely, do it out of self preservation.

If you're indulging the 'real disabilities' vs 'over-diagnosed' narrative, you're carrying the can for eugenicists who don't believe that disabled people deserve life. It's exactly the same tactic used vs LGBT people: 'I respect gay people, but there are some who shove it down your throat' etc.

And about 1.2 million people will have their PIP cut — which means a lot more people will know friends and family who are affected. That’s a lot of constituents, even if they didn’t think it were morally wrong to start with.

Labour’s reported disability benefit cuts are not just about budgeting but a belief: paid work is a virtue (and people who don’t perform it deserve a worse life than everyone else). My col. in tomorrow’s paper. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Comrades! Now the audiobook's finally out, I have five codes for free audible copies of *Empire of Normality: Neurodiversity and Capitalism*. If you want one just like and share/quote this post. After 48 hours I'll pick five sharers at random to send the codes to.

No is Not a Lonely Utterance has some details! www.penguin.co.uk/books/470363.... If you're in the UK, it would be amazing if you could pre-order the book as it will help make it more visible & give it a longer life. This is really important because of how the mainstream media works here. Thank you!

#1000SmallThings for a more inclusive HE, disability ally edition: Check/use the accessible entrance when you go in to a building. Is it broken? Locked? Blocked by a display board? Complain to the appropriate person. Rinse and repeat.

I read Gender Theory at the end of 2024 and I still keep finding myself thinking about it over a month later. What a raw and nuanced exploration chronic pain, illness, and diagnosis