Vis-à-vis the latest Reform UK crap, it would be nice to see a Labour government with any kind of backbone and moral conviction. Instead, they offer a mealymouthed quasi-agreement with cruel (and ultimately violent) mass deportation fantasies of the far-right.

My department @ljmuhistory.bsky.social is hosting a series of talks this semester, including a launch event for my book that came out in April. Everyone's very much welcome to these events!

My forthcoming book on the #history of #authoritarianism and #dictatorships in modern #Germany now has a cover. Sadly, it seems to have a very timely relevance. It will be out on 22 January 2026 for the very affordable price (at least for an academic book) of £20.

Once again, I am reminded of Theodor Geiger's study of NSDAP voters and the electoral breakthrough of the party in 1930. "Panic in the Middle Class" makes exactly this point. Maybe it's finally time to work on an English translation... It's on my to-do list now. library.fes.de/arbeit/pdf/1...

I did the same. I haven't used it much anyway, but this is a good reminder to be careful with these platforms.

If you’re on academia dot edu, let me suggest that you strongly consider deleting your account.

I am very much looking forward to contributing to this event at the @wienerlibrary.bsky.social on 6 October. We'll be discussing an important and timely topic. More infos in the link below!

Liverpool to Manchester railway, world's first inter-city passenger service. opened on this day 1830. Tragedy struck when politician William Huskisson stepped down on to the parallel track and was hit by a locomotive. Taken to nearest place on the line, Eccles, but died later that day.

In Schröder we trust! Go Team #Germany... first Euro title in 30 years is up for grabs tonight.

Always reminds me of the anecdote about Adolf Hitler baking a cake for Max Schmeling's wife after he beat Joe Louis in Madison Square Garden. Apparently, Hitler was a decent baker and his Guglhupf was quite good.

I really love this story. Good on them!

Not a terrible idea at all. This is what youth centres and youth clubs used to offer...

That's very sad. As a historian, I found his writings on the history of democracy and civil liberties in Britain fascinating and instructive. What is more, he was a great speaker, debater, and interviewer. A huge loss for the academic community. RIP!

Also, why stop with universities? Why not apply the same logic to public services, schools, the NHS?

It means 1-2 universities would be meant to cater for a population 3+ million people. You wonder what this mean for unis in more remote parts of the UK, or indeed for massive conurbations like London, Birmingham, or indeed our region (Merseyside, Greater Manchester)?

Sounds entirely plausible that the government thinking goes that way. What it means in reality, though, is a massive forced shriking of higher eduction, 10,000s of jobs gone, and ultimately turning the surviving unis into the worst kind of mass instutions with minimal pastoral care for students.

How do they define "low-quality research", though? What is worthy of knowledge production, and what is not? More annoying than the lazy peddling to what they might perceive as "popular opinion" is just how wishy-washy all the phrasing is. We should expect better.

My forthcoming book on authoritarian politics in modern German history covers both of these themes in great depth. You can pre-order it now! (Sorry for the shameless self-promotion!) www.bloomsbury.com/uk/dictators...

Students of modern German history, will find this strikingly similar to the "Kingship Mechanism" around Emperor Wilhelm II's entourage, as John Röhl has described it. Likewise, Ian Kershaw and others have coined the notion of "working toward the Führer" to explain the dynamics of Hitler's rule.

For a successful barrister, Starmer showed a remarkable lack of nous for the Mandelsohn saga and what's always been likely to come to the surface. He should have sacked him before yesterday's PMQs.

Interesting election results in Norway. Seems like the centrist parties are being squeezed while the left-wing parties remain relatively stable. I wonder whether there are some general lessons to be learned.

I'd say we just need to change a few lyrics, but then we have a new chant. #Liverpool #LFC

Adoption of AI has brought few productivity gains so far, it seems...

This sounds like a very reasonable reform, which will hopefully have some positive effects. For comparison, in Germany, almost all prison sentences under 24 months are suspended on probation with more focus on redress for victims, unpaid community work for offenders, and rehabilitation activities.

Erster Saisonsieg der Regionalliga Nordost!💙🤍 https://f.mtr.cool/trrwfmgsxw #nulldreitv

Yeah, I always thought the "graduate regret" is a narrative pushed by certain people and newspaper columnists... it's a different question entirely whether we should charge students 10k per year... But at a fundamental level universities are almost always good for young people.

Couldn't resist Roughtrade's sale and got myself a few new #vinyls.😎🥳

Why did I just have to think of this cartoon from 1939 right now?

Ditto. How "elite" can institutions actually be when they lower their requirements to the same level as their post-92 counterparts just to fill places? Maybe it's time to bury the notion of "elite" universities altogether?

Gleicher Lohn für gleiche Arbeit. Zeitloser Klassiker der Arbeiterbewegung seit 200 Jahren und immernoch richtig und wichtig.

"Higher tariff" is entirely misleading here since most of these institutions have significantly lowered their admissions criteria to fill places. We should ask what this means for staff-student ratios etc. It's unsustainable and actually a rough deal for students. Bring back student number controls.

Highlights vom Spiel gegen SG Bornim!💙🤍 https://youtu.be/97c-TAeuo1M?feature=shared #landespokal

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These are truths I hold as self-evident: 1) Bratwurst was invented in medieval Thuringia. 2) It must be slightly longer than the average bread roll, but not too long. 3) It should be eaten wrapped in a crunchy bread roll. 4) It must be eaten with mustard (mittelscharf). Ketchup is just barbarism.

Russell Group colleagues - welcome to the real world! Almost all of my students have to work alongside their studies to make ends meet. We try to accommodate that by making sure timetabling is as efficient for them as possible, but still many have to prioritise taking shifts, etc.

One of our brilliant graduates this year, Aliyah Kerr, has turned her dissertation on anti-#apartheid #activism in #Liverpool into a Substack article. It's a brilliant read, and really showcases the quality of the research our students do for their dissertations. Give it a read!

JOB ALERT: amazing 4-year post in postwar British history and refugee studies at @uniofreading.bsky.social Humanities! A post perfectly suited for someone working on political and social histories of race and migration in late 20c. Deadline 5 September. jobs.reading.ac.uk/Job/JobDetai...

I feel like I definitely need to buy this shirt.

Babelsberg have new shirts... 😍

I've read James Retallack's book "German Social Democracy through British Eyes" and wrote a review about it...

Busy days ahead! Just received the proofs for my next book, which will be out in January 2026. It's written for a broad audience and covers a very timely topic. The best thing is that it will be released as an affordable paperback edition straightaway! #history #skystorians #book #germany

Make NHS dentistry, etc, widely and easily available and I would discuss it. But at the moment it's impossible to get registered as an NHS patient, and you are forced to go private if you don't want to pull out your own teeth with a plier.

Little addition to the #vinyl collection. Probably among the top 10 pop albums ever made imho.

Posting this again... #French speakers, what does "Vive le moucoutra" mean here. I really can't make any sense of it.

Fair play to Vattenfall...

I am putting together a playlist for class next year on "1968", and I came across this gem by Jacques Dutronc. My #French is decent enough to make sense of the lyrics, but I don't get the "Vive le Moucoutra" bit... Can anyone help me and explain what this means?

We have a great opportunity for a prospective #PhD student at our #History Department at @ljmuofficial.bsky.social. We have a fully-funded PhD #scholarship to work with my great colleague Prof. Nick White on the global connections of #Liverpool's Bluecoat School. All infos in the link below.

📘New issue out now! Special Issue on 'The Refugee Political in the Age of Imperial Crisis, Decolonization, and Cold War, 1930s–1950s', edited by Milinda Banerjee (@standrewshist.bsky.social) & Kerstin von Lingen (@univie.ac.at) 👉Read open access here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal... 🗃️ 20thc

Sadly, it's not quite sure anymore whether The Onion is satire or just a cry into the void for commonsense...

I spent most of the last few days going through the proofs of my new book (share.google/zjDj8zgp0xHW...). This bit from the manuscript reminded me just how much autocrats and dictators are usually just grafters and charlatans (current ones included).