It is raining in Wales. Thank God normality has returned.

For the fist time in 20 years of making Freedom of Information Act requests, I have been accused of making a vexatious request. The Ministry of Defence thinks asking for a 36-year old report on lessons from the Gulf War is vexatious. The culture of knee-jerk secrecy is beyond a joke.

Planning for SHoW 2026 is well underway! We’re busy putting together what is promising to be an excellent programme & are looking forward to welcoming old and new faces to the University of Limerick in November!

📈EU defence spending reached €418 billion in 2025 – 20% more than the year before. The increase reflects EU countries’ efforts to strengthen Europe’s defence capabilities. See more below via the European Defence Agency. New data drop here: eda.europa.eu/publications...

We have to find new things to say about British defence. “There is a gap between resources and commitments!” So what? There almost always has been, and the evidence suggests politicians simply don’t care.

Even if the U.K. government funded defence at 3.5% of GDP - which it can’t and won’t - leadership in European security has already been lost to Germany, Ukraine and Poland. Time to accept the reality.

We have the following 3 calls for research funding for RHS Fellows & Members: bit.ly/4wwSMGu > 'Open Research Grants', for mid & later career historians > 'Early Career Fellowship Grants', for postdocs > Martin Lynn Scholarship', for PhD research in African history Closing 4 September #Skystorians

Dear All, Everything is going superly.

EThOS platform restored! 'Following restoration work, all metadata records previously available on EThOS have now been restored, along with an additional 14,000 records added since the service was taken offline' - more to come https://www.bl.uk/stories/news/ethos-records-restored

President Trump: Would you go to Moscow? President Zelenskyy: It's difficult. There are a lot of Ukrainian drones there. It's dangerous.

A handful of universities are determined to destroy all the others. It's that simple. That would end the Burnham regionalism agenda before it'd even got going. Unfortunately, no-one even seems to know this and our governance structures are so pitifully weak there's not even anyone to tell.

It's exhausting.

In terms of numbers, the UK’s once vaunted status as the top defence spender in Europe has gone. By 2030, Germany plans to spend €188 billion – 3.7 per cent of GDP – twice the UK's £79 billion defence budget.

U.K. government policy is to deliberately shrink the university sector. Let’s see how that plays out for them in the general election.

Reupping thoughts on Starmer’s Party and its failures to think about British defence policy. Will Burnham’s Party be any different ? www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

To solve the Defence Investment Plan shortfall, the U.K. should invest in HMRC. Or perhaps sell the two pointless aircraft carriers?

For today’s British defence policy the differences to the 1930s matter more than the similarities. The U.K. is a nuclear power; Germany and Poland are rearming on a large scale. Ukraine is turning the tide of the war. There is no threat justification for a massive U.K. expansion in land forces.

I know I'm a cracked record on this topic, but I still find it frustrating that the DIP (and the subsequent debate) is all about inputs. Having read it, I can't find anything that says what, once all the new kit etc is in place, we expect the armed forces will be able to deliver in terms of... 1/4

All this talk of reorganising Whitehall reminds me of comment of head of corporate restructuring at one of big consultancies…core of his business came from new CEOs who did not know what to do ….when in doubt reorganise the corporate furniture ….

⏳ There’s only a few weeks left to submit your proposal for #SHoW2026 in Limerick 🇮🇪 Haven’t submitted yet? There’s still time! We can’t wait to see the exciting work being done across the histories of war, conflict, and violence. Questions about the CFP? DM us!

This story makes Ray Winston’s experiences in “Scum” seem upbeat by comparison.

Britain desperately needs more expertise on diverse parts of the globe. Meanwhile the BBC actively destroys such understanding. Appalling mismanagement.

Collections week is drawing to a close We’ve been very busy sorting through the plans of W Clarke, Masons, of Llandaff. Here are some of the lovely drawings that feature in the collection.

Reminder: deadline approaching (3 July!) for submitting panel & paper proposals for the #SHoW2026 conference. Come join us in Limerick on 26-27 November 2026! The call can be found below and on our website: www.show.org.uk.

Bluesky overrun by British teenagers at night because it's the one place the Labour government will never check.

University Professors in the Neoliberal Academic Ecosystem m.youtube.com/watch?v=PGO4... Crossposted with @openvibe.social

It is quite strange to listen to political coverage currently, even from mainstream sources, and remember that net migration has quartered since its peak, and is likely to fall to Cameron's tens of thousands target next year and this has made no difference to the discourse.

X is being used to incite violence and is a threat to public order. Why doesn’t the U.K. government just shut it down? Do something!!!

A lame response by Starmer to Healey’s resignation. No attempt to challenge him on the detail. Labour MPs: what are you waiting for?

Healey will be replaced as Defence Secretary by someone unable to stand up to the Treasury. At this rate, the UK should give up leadership dreams in NATO and membership of the UN Security Council. Germany, Poland and Ukraine are overtaking the UK as the leading European military powers.

John Healey has acted honourably in defence of British national security. Difficult to see how Keir Starmer can remain PM amidst such fundamental failures.

If your main concern is not upsetting a single South African billionaire rather than the safety and security of the country you're supposed to lead, then you're unfit for the job. Shameful weakness

🚨ONE MORE WEEK till our book launch for Military Humanitarianism!🚨 @briandrohan.bsky.social 5.30pm — 17th June — Bristol We’ll be joined by fantastic speakers to celebrate, @asobocinska.bsky.social, Grace Huxford and @bennetthuw.bsky.social 🙌 Register here: www.eventbrite.com/e/military-h...

No, BBC News (at 6), innocent families were not “forced from their homes” in Belfast by “masked protestors”. They were attacked by racist thugs. Sort out your language, please.

The state of higher education in the UK, in a photo

The disconnect between UK policymakers ambitions for Ukraine – or the Strait of Homuz – and the resources available suggests a level of self-deception about the UK's capabilities.

Delighted to have made it to IWM North in Salford today. Have wanted to visit for ages!

The Labour government hates universities and is out to destroy them. But don’t worry everything will be fine because, er, …AI?

If you can’t come to the book launch on 17 July, you can still find a copy of the book at the link below! @historyworkshop.org.uk @milwelfhist.bsky.social @occupationstudies.bsky.social @warstudieskcl.bsky.social @mybisa.bsky.social @bisawarstudies.bsky.social @sochistorywar.bsky.social

'The amount of money the government directly spends on teaching at universities is about to be cut for the second year in a row, Universities UK (UUK) has warned.' Shrinking the knowledge economy to grow the economy, anyone? 1/2

We have a rare and exciting opportunity to join our team as Director of Churchill Archives Centre at Churchill College. Application deadline is 9am on 29th June 2026. Please share this with people you think would be interested.

The societies which are mobilising fastest are those on Russia’s borders. The idea that these measures are necessary in the U.K. is laughable.

An important new article on British defence policy which, unusually, is both conceptually and empirically original:

'According to the Swiss university, rankings often focus on measurable output, creating an incentive to increase the number of publications rather than prioritise the quality of content.' Kudos to Zurich. The Sorbonne decided to withdraw from the THE World Rankings in 2025, and is still standing.

I wrote our cover story this week, a valedictory essay on the changes in war & warfare over my eight years as defence editor. It’s a reflection on the growth & limits of battlefield transparency, the lessons from different wars & the utility of force today www.economist.com/interactive/...

A little over a month until our book launch in the centre of Bristol for our edited volume, Military Humanitarianism: Histories and Practices on 17th June @ 5.30pm. Join @briandrohan.bsky.social and me to celebrate the publication and all its contributors! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/military-h...