www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... Terrifying. The answer - I believe- is that we have politicians that favour short-termism . They’re only interested in their careers because many of our current politicians believe in nothing. (Obv Zack, Ed Davey and Ed Miliband are exempt from this criticism).

Please repost! Fully funded four-year PhD studentship opportunity on sleep deprivation and neurovascular dysfunction on the BBSRC Yorkshire Bioscience Doctoral Training Partnership, including annual stipend, research costs and home tuition fees tinyurl.com/ms7v2pcx

This is a longer musing on what Michael Gove and Nick Gibb got very wrong on education. Because they’d never taught anyone, and wouldn’t listen to the people who had.

Yet again, laws that allow utilities, education, health &care and other public services to be handed over to private companies are the core issue. These ‘trusts’ (ha!) are then run on the basis of maximum cash to CEOs and directors, and the most basic possible services they can offer to the users.

Reform UK energy plans crumble under scrutiny Reform UK Ltd rails against net zero, but the evidence shows green jobs and growth are already powering the UK economy By Brian McHugh @yorkshirebylines.co.uk @brianmchugh.bsky.social

Which means he’s going to sue the British people because that’s who pay for the BBC - nice. I wonder what QEII would have thought about that? Perhaps we should charge him for the parades etc that no one wanted when he was over here, even it up a bit.

Which means he’s going to sue the British people because that’s who pay for the BBC - nice. I wonder what QEII would have thought about that? Perhaps we should charge him for the parades etc that no one wanted when he was over here, even it up a bit.

Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”

@mrjamesob.bsky.social @jamesrball.com @news.sky.com @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social @itvpeston.bsky.social @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social @westenglandbylines.co.uk @reformexposed.bsky.social We should check on the impact Reform councils are having are UK LEA. We know Farage emulates 🇺🇸 @drpam.bsky.social

So there’s one aspect of the BBC story that has received zero attention: Robbie Gibb’s potential financial conflict of interests. According to @arusbridger.bsky.social, he was just the bagman for the purchase of the Jewish Chronicle. 1/ www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/media/...

A connected issue us the way they manage to weedge their particular hobby horse into any discussion no matter how irrelevant. I keep having to resist the temptation to reply "not everything is about you"

Recently, BlueSky seems to be getting far too much like Xitter; people posting confused, angry replies without properly reading a post, and/or a linked-to article. Please everyone, let’s try not to do this - or we will just end up with yet another social media hellscape.

In case you missed it: *of course* the guy who wrote the BBC memo was a paid lobbyist.

Meanwhile, in the Losers Corner:

🚨BREAKING: Oversight Dems have received new emails from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate that raise serious questions about Donald Trump and his knowledge of Epstein’s horrific crimes. Read them for yourself. It’s time to end this cover-up and RELEASE THE FILES.

Yet again, laws that allow utilities, education, health &care and other public services to be handed over to private companies are the core issue. These ‘trusts’ (ha!) are then run on the basis of maximum cash to CEOs and directors, and the most basic possible services they can offer to the users.

"This entire saga has a smell hanging over it. The people of Teesside, Hartlepool and Darlington are no fools. That smell will not go away until there is a full, transparent and independent inquiry."

Gove? Collins nailed him years ago.

This is a longer musing on what Michael Gove and Nick Gibb got very wrong on education. Because they’d never taught anyone, and wouldn’t listen to the people who had.

Remembrance: 75 years of the ECHR The European Convention on Human Rights celebrates its 75th birthday this month – like all elders, it has a lifetime of wisdom to share By Dr Pam Jarvis @yorkshirebylines.co.uk @drpam.bsky.social

What’s the point? Schools know their pupils and their social or medical issues There’s some weird belief that AI is some mindless panacea. Committee meeting of my Climbing Club used Zoom to produce verbatim transcript, AI then produced summary minutes & action points. Now that’s what I call good AI

FFS..... AI is useful when it's used correctly for the force of good. Labour are just causing too much damage by using and abusing it.

Say this in a Marks and Spencer Advert Voice. “These aren’t just individual attendance targets, these are individual AI generated attendance targets…” AI being used to sell ideas now because it sounds futuristic.

Can you imagine arguing this with an AI on the phone or website? ‘I am sorry, I do not understand f-ing robot a-hole, please repeat your message.’ #EduSky

Recently, BlueSky seems to be getting far too much like Xitter; people posting confused, angry replies without properly reading a post, and/or a linked-to article. Please everyone, let’s try not to do this - or we will just end up with yet another social media hellscape.

He had a series of obsessions: Long division using pen and paper. Visiting a school in Cumbria he asked a child how he would work out complex long division. Pupil in Yr6 showing him around school described process perfectly. Gibb was pissed off, child had disproved his prejudice, no thanks/ praise.

Also academic snob. Chichester Uni’s Education Campus based in Bognor in his own constituency. He never visited, engaged, showed an interest even after came out of Ofsted with a Grade 1. PGs came from range of Unis. He thought if not Oxbridge or Russell Grp couldn’t possibly be any good.

He seconded a number of Schoolteacher Fellows to work for DfE. These conformed to a stereotype: southern, public (boys) school, Oxford, Teach First. One returned to teaching, others to favoured posts in Right Wing Think Tanks where their 3/4 yrs classroom experience qualified them as ed experts

If anyone wants to know what Gibb was actually ‘like’, this Twitter exchange is a great cameo. Writing the alt text for the screenshot was fun, too! #EduSky

‘How I destroyed England’s state education system 2010 to 2024’ by Nick Gibb. Ummm… think I’ll give it a miss. But the article is a great read #EduSky. @joehanley.bsky.social @yorkshirebylines.co.uk

I should have been clearer. When I say the business model isn't working, I mean two things ... 1. It's not working for democracy. 2. Journalists are required to be ever more sensational in their headlines and comments in order to get readers to jump over the paywall.

Remembrance: 75 years of the ECHR The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) celebrates its 75th birthday this month – like all elders, it has a lifetime of wisdom to share By Dr Pam Jarvis @drpam.bsky.social

Great episode from the @newsagents.bsky.social especially education people who can see what Robbie Gibb was doing at the BBC while his brother Nick was on a similar mission at the DFE. #EduSky

The ECHR was drafted after WWII in an attempt to protect Europe from totalitarian states, such as those that had caused its near-destruction between 1935 and 1945. It predates the European Union and is separate from it. So as it passes its 75th year, why do some politicians want to abandon it?

This is a genuinely intolerable reality…

The reaction to the Panorama edit has been nothing short of hysterical. Yes the BBC has some impartiality problems. But its biggest isn't the one you think. New piece from me. open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...

Yes, totally agree @eddavey.libdems.org.uk

Dodgy donors for a dodgy party. www.thecanary.co/uk/news/2025...

*Everyone* needs to stop spinning. Especially the BBC who forged a worldwide reputation for reliability when they took their mission statement (inform, educate and entertain) rather more seriously than they do now. &when western democracies elected serious statesmen rather than reality media stars.

*Everyone* needs to stop spinning. Especially the BBC who forged a worldwide reputation for reliability when they took their mission statement (inform, educate and entertain) rather more seriously than they do now. &when western democracies elected serious statesmen rather than reality media stars.

A big win for people more outraged by a silly edit at the BBC than by a man impeached by Congress for literally inciting an insurrection being back in the White House. Pathetic.

UPDATE: Donald Trump is so hellbent on denying people SNAP that he went all the way to the Supreme Court to block benefits. Now Trump is trying to bully states into TAKING BACK payments they already made to families. It’s chaos for the sake of cruelty.

Telling that Labour were comfortable with the capture of the BBC and other institutions.

"The question is whether the BBC will carry on down this road of appeasement – and what challenges are in its way to changing course." Since they recently drew up plans to "win the trust" of Reform voters, I guess that question's been comprehensively answered.

Johnson’s crony directors and client journalists should have been cleaned out of the BBC within the first year. Very disappointing that they weren’t. @bylinetimes.bsky.social

We need Mr Gove in a Court of Law facing corruption, gross negligence and conspiracy-to-defraud charges, at the least. (I'd add a drugs test too).

The fundamental fault line is that utilities, education, health &care services in England have been handed over to private companies who run them on the basis of maximum cash to the directors and the most basic service possible they can offer to the users.

❤️❤️❤️ Canada, I was in Toronto last year, and the vibe hasn’t changed since I was 17… it’s always been great!