Each week I share with students on my intelligence module, Vigilant State, an artwork relating to that week’s topic. This week we were discussing intelligence analysis and I selected ‘Road to Baghdad’ (1996) by Elwyn Lynn from the AustralianWar Memorial art collection #ArtofSpying

Continuing to collect artworks relating to intelligence. Struck by these from Australian War Memorial ‘Two types: Imperial and Colonial Intelligence Officer’ (1901) by Norman Hardy & untitled portrait of a member of the Australian Intelligence Corps, Afghanistan (2013) by Campbell Myers #ArtofSpying

Sad to hear of the death of former Lincoln MP, Dick Taverne. Labour MP for Lincoln from 1962 to 1972, after stepping down as a Labour MP won two elections (1973 and February 1974) standing as an independent Democratic Labour MP. Liberal Democrat peer since 1996. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

What a great day’s teaching - comparing “INTS” in my intelligence module and students’ Private Members’ Bill ballot in Parliamentary Studies.

I’m again sharing artworks with students on my intelligence module Vigilant State. I now have more paintings than topics but this week we’re discussing intelligence collection and I’ll find space for Burton Silverman’s portrait of “Emil Goldfus” aka Soviet illegal Rudolf Abel. #ArtofSpying

Intelligence & Security Committee press notice. The ISC will be looking at the intelligence underpinning the Chinese spying prosecution but makes clear “the CPS does not fall within the remit of the ISC, and the Committee will not therefore be considering the actions of the CPS.”

Midway between writing chapters for two books one on social policy under Starmer’s Labour government, the second on the Conservatives under Truss and Sunak. My head is starting to spin, wishing I’d tackled them in chronological order.

University of Warwick are looking for a Professor of Intelligence Studies www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DOZ241/p...

It’s good to see some of our students, current and former, in today’s Daily Telegraph enjoying themselves at the Conservative Party conference. The great woke indoctrination at U.K. universities is going well 😂😂

It's too early to know and investigations will quite properly follow into what was and was not known about the Manchester attacker. It is the first seminar of my intelligence module tomorrow and I'll be starting with this from @bricksilk.bsky.social following a previous attack in Manchester

For anyone who's published a book. (Source: www.alcs.co.uk/news/the-lat...)

"There have likely been 10,000 or more university redundancies in the academic year 2024-25..."

🔎 Times are changing — and so are we. The King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence is now on Instagram. Follow for insights on intelligence, security, and global affairs, plus highlights from our research, events, and teaching. 👉 instagram.com/kcsi.uk

In one of his less well known roles, Menzies Campbell was a member of the Intelligence and Security Committee from 2008-2015, a period which saw significant reform of the committee. Here he is in 2011 advocating more power for the ISC in the annual House of Commons ISC debate.

The Annual Welcome Week Lecture of School of Social & Political Sciences, Uni of Lincoln, this year is delivered by Dr Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social. His subject is Bridging Two Cultures: what’s scientific about the social sciences?

Just dropped through my letterbox - a great special edition of @intnatsecjournal.bsky.social on women in intelligence

Reposting my blogpost from November 2024 - What does the British public think about another Trump Presidency? whorunsbritain.blogs.lincoln.ac.uk/2024/11/08/w...

The Speaker’s statement about the CPS decision to withdraw charges against two individuals under the Official Secrets Act in relation to Chinese espionage in Parliament. He’s not happy. hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2025...

Always a special day, graduation with a great bunch of colleagues from Social and Political Sciences at Lincoln.

The government has published its response to the Intelligence and Security Committee’s report on Iran www.gov.uk/government/p...

Doing some tidying up in the office. Came across this CIA flyer on diversity and inclusion which I picked up at a CIA careers stand in the US a few years ago. I guess they don’t hand these out anymore. 😕

In Bruges

A few days in Bruges, took a short ride out to the small town of Sluis just across the Dutch border. Sluis was liberated by Canadian forces on 1 November 1944 but at a terrible cost, the town’s moving war memorial lists the names and ages of those who died in the bombardment of the town.

Continuing my summer reading on early modern intelligence with Postal Intelligence by @rmidura.bsky.social

More holiday reading, I’ve been looking forward to reading this for a while - Intelligence and espionage in the English Republic 1600 - 60 by Alan Marshall, with some great cover art - The Hired Assassins by Jean Louis Ernest Meissonier, from the Wallace Collection #ArtofSpying

The Sunday Telegraph’s report on Stella Rimington’s appointment as D-G of MI5 in December 1991.

"We are united in our opposition to the attempts of Iranian intelligence services to kill, kidnap, and harass people in Europe and North America in clear violation of our sovereignty". www.gov.uk/government/n...

In the Scottish Borders, some holiday reading.

😳

The Intelligence and Security Committee will be conducting an inquiry into the Afghan data breach

Worth checking out the whole special edition of Parliamentary Affairs on the #votesat16 debate in the UK, co-edited by @jontonge.bsky.social, Thomas Loughran and Andy Mycock: academic.oup.com/pa/issue/74/3

Financing universities – is there a way out of the maze? blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

Discussing votes at 16 with my children (all over 18) reveals a diverse range of views. Remarkable degree of consensus however on removing the vote from older people. 🤔

New blogpost: The Afghan super-injunction case: Some constitutional implications publiclawforeveryone.com/2025/07/17/t...

My employer is using the ugly compound word 'rightsizing' to describe the closing of building and the compression of office and teaching space. I had a look in the OED just so we're clear about what that means...

Lots of bad solutions proposed for UK universities in the press: Limit research to Oxford and Cambridge, curb VC pay, teach more “efficiently” etc But 1. Fees have flatlined meaning they don’t cover the costs of 2. the massive loans that VCs took out for buildings when unis were privatized. 1/

Of course: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Afghan leak intelligence was hidden from MPs - from today’s @thetimes.com

Intelligence and Security Committee issued an important clarification to former Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace’s comments on yesterday’s @BBCr4today regarding the committee’s powers. Confusion about ISC status & powers is not uncommon. #superinjunction isc.independent.gov.uk

My report "Lessons for Prevent" will be published on Wednesday, probably late morning. My terms of reference ask me to look at the Prevent histories of the killers of Sir David Amess and the Southport girls, and draw any conclusions for the future of Prevent. www.gov.uk/government/p...

Yesterday the Intelligence and Security Committee met with the Prime Minister for the first time since 2014. There is still work to do but this is an important step in putting relations between the ISC and the government back on an even keel.

The Intelligence and Security Committee report on Iran was completed before Trump’s re-election but the experience of the previous Trump administration hangs heavily over this report.

The Intelligence and Security Committee report on Iran has been published. Another ISC inquiry conducted a long time ago. There are academic journals that publish more quickly. isc.independent.gov.uk

This depressing story seems to indicate a need for cultural change within MI5. IPCO (which was itself misled) will no doubt comment in the report ordered by the Court. Two points made in the judgment show why this is indeed quite serious: /1

I’ve probably worked more University of Lincoln open days than most. This one is different and sadly, not in a good way. With loyal colleagues @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social

Great turnout for @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social strike today. Great to see so many staff defending jobs, programmes and the quality of education at the University of Lincoln.

Thanks @ucu.org.uk we had a great turnout ✊🏽✊🏻✊🏿✊

Strike day at University of Lincoln today - an important lesson for management, students don’t come to university to sit in empty buildings, staff are a university’s greatest asset not a drain on resources. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...