Jesus Christ. Anyone, at any point, raised what *universities actually do*?? Why do we have this lot in charge, who can't even think about what it is the institutions they're 'leading' are for in the first place. In fact, why are they meeting with Starmer's *economic* advisor?

Netanyahu orders Israeli army to seize ‘70% of Gaza Strip’, violating ceasefire deal

Relieved to see more coverage of the grip Nous is getting on #UKHE. Thanks @privateeyenews.bsky.social! A million pound @cardiffucu.bsky.social alone. That’s a lot of money for the very same PowerPoint…

If I speak… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

'ministers & university senior management teams have to recognise that it is in everyone’s interests to replace the individualistic practice of lopping off random branches of the tree whenever a wind blows...' Squadrons of Pigs www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

I love this set of questionaire answers as the first two options for both arguably belong to a different region of Europe than the one listed and the third option for both are argued by some to not be part of Europe at all.

Absolutely ridiculous.

If anyone else was wondering if this was Murray’s fault, I have reviewed the footage and can confirm it was NOT; Molly and Daddy pointed to the wrong Jargalant #RATW #RaceAcrossTheWorld

This is why we need art historians. “AI-generated faces” are not faces; they are images!!!

With disgust I learned Olga Tokarczuk uses AI to help with writing her latest novel - article in Polish, my translation of relevant bit in posts below mycompanypolska.pl/artykul/olga...

Incredible operation to save invaluable heritage materials. It really says something about the nature of Israel's war against the Palestinians that an organisation founded to support refugee welfare also has to undertake such efforts to preserve the records of their existence.

Too many young people are pushed towards seeking knowledge, skills, curiosity, learning, living, bettering, says UK government adviser

Actually, SHAPE subjects cross-subsidise STEM subjects in most comprehensive UK universities annually through differential central charge or 'contribution' models. It's another reason we're all in the current HE crisis together, whether our own particular discipline is 'at risk' at present or not.

I wasn’t watching but in a way I wish Israel had won and we could just do away with the whole charade.

It's interesting how it is always the left wing's fault that fascists rise to power, as opposed to the centre's. This is, of course, despite the fact that the centre are the ones in power who have declared that racism is 'reasonable', transphobia is acceptable, and the disabled don't need money.

Renowned feminist artist and film-maker Valie Export dies aged 85

Academic departments deserve to be saved, supported, resourced, allowed to grow even if they're not "best in the country," "first in the REF," "top-ranked," "at a Russell Group uni," or whatever other austerity-brained nonsense senior managers have been using to flimflam you out of solidarity

The Uses and Abuses of the Anti-Colonial in Global Reactionary Politics, by Gorkem Altinors, Priya Chacko, Miri Davidson, Aliaksei Kazharski, Sivamohan Valluvan, Chenchen Zhang – 30 April 2026 leftrenewal.org/articles-en/...

This is the ad I got above this essay.

The other day I saw an influencer quote the section of The Bell Jar about having a bath as inspiration behind the wellness brand she had founded, and it took all of my self restraint not to post “you do know she killed herself?” underneath.

I see Keir Starmer is banging the drum for British steel. No word, however, about higher education. Steel contributes around £9.8 billion to the UK economy a year (including downstream impact), while universities add well over £100 billion...

Was Judith Butler right or was Judith Butler right

The Green Party GAIN a majority on Lewisham Council! 🥳 28 seats needed for a majority and counting hasn't even finished yet. Huge congratulations to the entire team - we're replacing Labour! 💚 Join.greenparty.org.uk

This is the strangest and most heartwarming story of the Venice Biennale … as a nesting gull is being protected in front of the Polish pavilion. It’s the first known instance of such a prominent nest at the Giardini site.

Why not have the robot meet your wife and co-founder for you, too, then!

Sharing, without comment, British newspapers’ depictions of the only Jewish person currently leading a UK political party . Times. Mail. Telegraph. Sun.

This is grotesque on multiple levels.

‘Go inside, he will kill you’: Israeli militants step up West Bank school attacks

Oh look, yet another paper about art by people who haven’t even taken an introductory course in art history (because if they had, they would know why their thesis is ludicrous).

In totally unsurprising news, Richard Dawkins is developing AI psychosis. Paywall bypass: archive.is/6RdK9

Ryan Ruby's incandescent and no-truth-spared review of the reissue of Edward Said's Representations of the Intellectual: "Toward the end of his life, Edward Said liked to call himself the last Jewish intellectual. It is an excellent and, I’m tempted to say, quintessentially Jewish joke."

Ridiculous

My sincere gratitude to the University of Sussex for having the courage to stand up to the OfS. The judgement is of real significance to all university workers in the UK. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

'Perhaps most damaging for the regulator meant to oversee freedom of speech, the accusation of bias in the process was also upheld. Mrs Justice Lieven said the OfS had "closed its mind" to anything that would lead to not finding failure to uphold freedom of speech and therefore fine the university.

The Office for Students needs shutting down. This judgement makes clearer than ever that it's simply a partisan organisation used by the right, including government ministers, to suppress academic freedom and freedom of expression of left-wing staff and students. www.theguardian.com/education/20...

I’ve been hearing so much anger and disappointment from frontline workers about the BBC investigation into fraudulent asylum claims. One of the most damning responses has come from one of the experts they interviewed, solicitor Ana Gonzalez. It’s really worth reading her response in full:

Responding to RPN FOI requests 'to all 24 members of the Russell Group and 10 members of the ResearchPlus mission group of universities....[of 25] institutions that responded, just under 11,600 academics were hired in 2023, compared with just over 9,400 in 2025—a reduction of nearly 19 per cent. 1/3

In what follows, I will resolve the contradiction I made up

Absolute dereliction of duty by an MP: a major employer and driving force of local and national economy is not their ‘industrial focus’. Apparently the educating and training of doctors, nurses, teachers, lawyers, scientists, engineers, researchers…IS. NOT. THEIR. INUDSTRIAL. FOCUS.

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

'The south-east London university, known for its teaching of the creative arts, has announced plans to cut a further £22 million from its budget, the third major restructure since 2019.' Student numbers have dropped by more than 25% in the past 5 years. Great work external consultants! 1/2

Israeli soldiers using sexual assault to force Palestinians out of West Bank, report says

Europe’s last coal – a photo essay

strange these op-eds about women being too angry have all come out the last few days when during the same time there's also been a massive investigation published on an online rape academy with millions of viewers a month and none of them have bothered to even cover it, even as news

Palantir put out the most cartoonishly evil statement possible. They’re so arrogant and self-confident they don’t seem to believe their fascistic plans can be opposed. We must get rid of Palantir altogether. twitter-thread.com/t/2045574398...

What’s really depressing about this is the assumption that everyone’s life aspiration is (or should be) to be an entrepreneur

£5500!