University management spent £80 million on new building that wasn't needed (presently for sale at £14 million) and now decide 600 staff should go to 'save' £50 million. This is the math currently shaping future of UK HE. Staff paying the price for mismanagement. Govt looking the other way

OR JUST WRITE THE THING YOURSELF FOR FUCK'S SAKE IT WILL TAKE LESS TIME THAN WHATEVER THE FUCK THIS IS mashable.com/article/sinc...

The UK govt underestimated the carbon emissions of AI data centres. Not by a bit. By a factor of 100. Giving tax breaks for billionaires to generate with an insane, economy-destroying bubble for their word-guessing plagiarism engine will burn the planet.

Another interesting factor is which parties named their candidate(s). SNP Greens Communists Equality Notably did not: Labour LibDem Reform (presumably tbc depending on which ones are arrested before 7 May)

Had a lovely time at the University of Aberdeen Excellence Awards last night. Powerful to see so many @ucuaberdeen.bsky.social members recognised for their hard work while we remain on strike to protect our jobs, our students, and the future of our university 💕✊🏻

With so much awful news, here is something to brighten your day:

I may as well reshare it myself 😇

Today was taxing. People were a nightmare but I did not kill anyone. While this is in some way commendable, I can't help feel that I've stocked up problems for later by not acting.

"Joining a dating service" Pathetic, really, the levels of petty authoritarianism people will reach for. And the larger tragedy is that they will jump on the bandwagon of a greater authoritarianism, and still think they're the goodies.

Pope Leo has lost the Protestants, I repeat Pope Leo has lost the Protestants, this is unpreced— <wait my producer is just whispering something in my ear> Apparently this is precedented

Zhang Shan won the gold medal for the mixed skeet shooting event in the 1992 Olympics. The International Shooting Union *immediately* banned women from competing against men.

Notable that the 4 countries he expresses concern about the human rights of trans people are Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovak Republic and the UK.

This is Fitz and June. Fitz just got here and thinks this place is pretty great. June was here first and thinks it's time to return Fitz. 13/10 for both (TT: muester)

As I have already said elsewhere today, destroy the OfS. It does nothing beneficial for universities, students, education, or society

I'm not going to provide details, so don't ask. Nevertheless: No, it is not OK to have one hallucinated cite. No, you can't delete that and expect me to take the rest of your work seriously. No, absolutely not. It should never ever happen.

Must do better: 'fighting the march of Stem' is SUCH an unhelpful way to frame this. It's both/and, not either/or. We want and need to understand quarks and bell hooks and to have access to (and a willingness to take up) vaccines as well as foreign languages.

Staff at Southampton Solent are taking 5 days of strike action because they’re being forced to fight for pensions they were already promised. This is what happens when management makes mistakes and workers are handed the bill. We stand with every member on the picket line.

Round up of election bumf: SNP: info; policies; both votes Greens: info; policies; window sign Communists: TERFery Ed&E.Lothian People: local party for local people LibDems: both votes; ACH wearing a jumper = not a danger 1/3

A brilliant department of amazing people destroyed, lives upended, careers destroyed, research teams wrecked. All because the government doesn't care and university leadership doesn't value anything beyond income & expenditure. What is the point of a society that doesn't value the arts & humanities?

Amazing work by all at @uonucu.bsky.social 🔥

This was hard to keep concise as so much is going on! As anticas co-chair I will draw your attention to: 1. The National anticas survey that all branches need to action. 2. Free membership if you become temporarily unemployed! Super important. #UCU #UKHE

Your fortnightly update on what we have been up to and general #UCU news.

If a college education did nothing but prevent you from ever acting like you were 100% sure about something ever again, & made you feel like you always needed to learn more & question your assumptions, it would be the best education money could buy, & worth the government providing it free to all.

The 'unprecedented crisis' in higher education funding in Scotland is being spurred on by the UK Government's pandering to 'far-right anti-immigration rhetoric', a top trade union leader has claimed

The Office for Students was only ever the "I want to be wildly offensive and not face any consequences for my bigotry" office (cf: Toby Young being handpicked to lead it) but, dear god, @bphillipsonmp.bsky.social, you don't have better things to do? Multiple universities on the verge of collapse.

This. Reminder that shes not just a bigot with bad opinions She actively funds hate groups taking regular trans people to court for doing their jobs, signal boosts lies about individual trans people to her millions of followers and lobbies courts and government to attack us

Your #Vote really does matter, now more than ever. Today is the last day to www.gov.uk/register-to-... for the upcoming #elections, it is really quick and easy to do online, make sure your voice is heard, we all need to do what we can for a better future for everyone!

I did this a couple of years ago and it was great! Helped me get my @historytoday.com article published and move forward with a trade book (temp delayed by monograph writing). Recommended! Deadline is TODAY!

that’s only 25p per Kevin McKenna article about how Nicola Sturgeon did too many genders and that’s why whatever bad thing that’s in the news happened

OpenAI: We’re burning money like the Joker. A miracle needs to happen for us to turn a profit Microsoft: Please please use our AI systems, we’re teetering on the edge here Anthropic: I wonder what’ll kill us first: lawsuits, regulations or model collapse Media and universities: AI is here to stay

😢 A thoroughly depressing article 🔽 but one that highlights, yet again, how the dung beetles of #Reform feed on poverty and despair to manipulate people into stamping down on immigrants rather than punching up at the rich who truly cause their misery... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Deliberately targeting both Jewish researchers and Trans+ people, Hitler kicked off his book burning at the Hirschfeld Institute of Sexual Research - destroying vital medical papers and deeply personal histories, including those of Dora, who had undergone some of the earliest affirming surgeries

A VCR never sold my private info to a nazi

The AI rollout is an incredible test case for the power of capital to overrule everything in its way. An overwhelmingly stupid, obscenely polluting, and wildly dangerous set of technologies are being brute-forced into every part of our lives because money says so.

We're urging everyone who is eligible to register to vote before the deadline at 11:59pm on Monday 20 April 🗳️ You can also apply to vote by post or proxy instead of going to a polling place📮

#CFP for #earlymodern folks! @hannah-historian.bsky.social and I are putting together a special edition of the Journal of Epistolary Studies on "Letters as Paratexts in the Early Modern World"!

Took a day out of my trip back home to drop in on our sibling union the NTEU for a chat. As employers in the UK and Australia share policies, personnel and overpaid consultants, trade unions too need to be talking across borders and systems so we can better defend workers and public education.

This is important. You don't have to earn sleep or sustenance.

Lovely email from my publisher yesterday to tell me that an absolute history hero of mine is going to write an endorsement for my book, and sent a lovely note with his agreement. 🎉

🚨 1 in 4 staff at Goldsmiths to be axed. All while senior management get eye-watering pay rises and £16m is spent on consultants and lawyers. This is the reality of Higher Education in the UK. Our members have voted for industrial action, support them. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1447...

🎤 ‘Migration does not weaken the NHS, migration is the reason it survives’ Health conference commits the union to strengthen its support, protection and advocacy for migrant workers in the health service. #uhealth26 unsn.uk/3QcClPJ

Anas Sarwar has been accused of being in 'cahoots' with Nigel Farage after it was claimed by Malcolm Offord that he approached Reform UK's Scotland leader to 'work' with Labour to beat the SNP in the upcoming elections

We need historians because evidence doesn’t explain itself. Context does not simply exist. It is built through research, interpretation, and critical analysis. What stories have you uncovered in the historical record? #TalkAboutHumanities 🗃️

People talking about JD being excommunicated have clearly forgotten about canon 1373: "A person who publicly incites his or her subjects to hatred or animosity against the Apostolic See ... or who provokes the subjects to disobedience against them, is to be punished by interdict ..."

AI is profoundly unpopular. A recent NBC News poll found that among 18-34 year-olds, AI's net favorability rating is -44. *Negative 44*. Those are basically serial killer numbers. It's not much better among women 18-49. (Men over 50 and upper class are the only ones who like AI, and just barely.)

Not In Our Name's letter is at over 99,000 signatures; with less than 1000 signatures to go until 100,000! Let's give them a good push over the 100k mark! Sign here: notinourname.org.uk

The RSA is participating in a social media campaign with @acls1919.bsky.social this week, and we invite you to join in! The message is simple & proactive: we need more humanities and social sciences scholars and research! #earlymodern #RenTwitter #TalkAboutHumanities

Nigel Farage runs away from a man who calls him a millionaire scrounger.

Out today!

it's sort of interesting how the word 'parochial' is used in UK political discourse because, you know, how do i put this, i never see it applied to things that are /actually obviously parochial/, like anti-immigration activism or brexit