I’ve earned a free coffee. I live for days like this.

“The groups also argued that removing the videos would threaten their First Amendment rights, while depriving the public of important new documentation of DOGE.” 🎁 www.nytimes.com/2026/03/13/n...

Oof.

If you can't get to the University of Warwick on 1 May, booking for online attendance at our next lecture is also now available: bit.ly/3P5pqOZ 'The Haunting at the Rectory: Ghost Stories and Women’s Lives in Early Modern England' with Professor Sasha Handley (Manchester). All welcome #Skystorians

On the one hand, a furious fight for 'narrative control'. On the other hand, a relentless campaign against the kinds of higher education that allow the public to interrogate it. And in between the two, a horrific human story. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

Join us next Thursday to hear from Dr Rochelle Rowe: “The 'West African Village': romancing Scottishness at the National Exhibition of 1911” 📍 N304, Third Floor, IHR, Senate House (and online) 📆 Thursday 19th March, 2026 ⏰ 17:30 🔗 www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

🔔 Next Thursday 19 March: Dr Rochelle Rowe (Edinburgh) will be speaking @ihrblackbritish.bsky.social seminar on ‘The ‘West African Village’: Romancing Scottishness at the National Exhibition of 1911.’ In person and online. Book now and join us if you can! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

🔔 Next Thursday 19 March: Dr Rochelle Rowe (Edinburgh) will be speaking @ihrblackbritish.bsky.social seminar on ‘The ‘West African Village’: Romancing Scottishness at the National Exhibition of 1911.’ In person and online. Book now and join us if you can! www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

'If generative AI is shaped by power, politics and principle, then education cannot treat it as neutral infrastructure. It is not simply a tool that reflects human bias. It is a technology aligned to particular visions of the future.' 3/3

Important new Guardian study: "UK museums hold more than 263,000 items of human remains from around the world, including whole skeletons, preserved bodies, such as Egyptian mummies, skulls, bones, skin, teeth, nails, scalps and hair." www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

Quietly, calmly and forensically, BBC just dismantled the Trump communications shitshow on Iran. No hyperbole, just laying out an unprecedented military, diplomatic and reputational shambles. Worth a watch. (🎥 BBC News/BBC Verify)

they double bombed an elementary school for girls

Many working in universities have been ringing this alarm bell for a long time now, but it keeps falling on deaf ears in Government. Glad there is more bell ringing, this won’t go away.

'Speaking at the British Academy Shape conference, Adam Tickell...argued that a rethink on how universities are funded was required because “we have a system where more state money goes in, students are more indebted and universities are on the brink of failure”.' 1/3

"Foreign-born Citizens" are actually just called citizens. "Foreign-born voters" are just called voters "non-citizen voters" (yes, this is a thing here in 🇬🇧) are just voters.

Keir Starmer abandoned immigrants to court Reform voters. He failed Keir Starmer abandoned his constituents to court Reform voters. He failed Keir Starmer abandoned basic decency to court Reform voters. He failed I could keep going.

Labour is stubborn in defeat because it knows this: we face the belated end of the political 20th century | John Harris

Just naked racism from Farage and the Mail. Only British and commonwealth citizens are allowed to vote. It's not 'stealing' to legally take part in your own country's elections

It does feel like Starmer and Mahmoud have seen Labour rejected by its own *actual* core vote (instead of its imagined one) in its heartland and decided that the answer is just to reject those core voters right back. Suicidal politics.

The richest man owns X. The second and third richest men control Google. The fourth richest man owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. The fifth richest man owns The Washington Post. And now the sixth richest could soon take over both Paramount and Warner Bros. See the problem here?

This is a companion piece to Catherine's longer article, which was recently published Open Access in Issue 100 of History Workshop Journal.

How might the wrongs of slavery be properly acknowledged, and redressed in Britain? What could each of us do? Catherine Hall considers both historical and contemporary questions of race and repair.

OBS / Lincoln College research associate position! We invite early career / grad scholars to apply to our new 2-week research associate position @lincoln.ox.ac.uk. Any interesting projects that will benefit from 2 weeks at Lincoln -- £500, accommodation and meals. Deadline 27th March

Would love to see the U.K. address Peter Thiel’s connections to Epstein next, and cancel Wes Streeting’s NHS Palantir contract.

Don’t go to the US – not with Trump in charge’: the UK tourist with a valid visa detained by ICE for six weeks www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

'In a further sign of the impact of the financial crisis gripping the sector, new data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (Hesa) show that 244,755 academic staff were working in the UK in 2024-25.' Previous year number was 246,930. Professors & senior academics increased; others fell. 1/3

If we could end the next decade without a monarchy and back in Europe, that would be pretty great.

Researching photographic collections at Birmingham Archives today… as a big fan of Tina Campt’s work, I’m excited to pay attention to the sonic register of the collections.

A great visit to Sheffield with the RHS team yesterday, there are so many brilliant academic historians, history teachers and GLAM sector historians doing wonderful work in this city. Grateful for the warm welcome, and thanks for the rich discussions!

this update/correction from @willdalrymple.bsky.social on the question of removing the term Palestine from British Museum gallery texts definitely raises more questions than it answers

Me on Underground = Elaine on Subway.

‘Accurate journalism is the strongest weapon in the war of information. The World Service must not be allowed to stumble into decline’

Winter Olympics men’s hockey with NHL players just hits different, it’s fast, the passing game is precise, and the hits stick. Absolutely glued to this tournament. #TeamCanada 🇨🇦

'Young people are quickly becoming so dependent on A.I. that they are losing the ability to think for themselves. And rather than rallying resistance, academic administrators are aiding and abetting a hostile takeover of higher education.' Cheery news from Columbia University's Dean of AI. 1/3

The fact Wes Streeting was warned by his own officials that the toxicity of Palantir made the contract less likely to succeed raises, yet again, the question why Government granted it the contract in the first place?

The university funding crisis finally starting to make it into newspaper editorials www.ft.com/content/82f5...

Another one for Sheffield-area historians: @royalhistsoc.org is hosting a lecture with Sheffield Hallam’s History Department next week 18 Feb on ‘History and Well-being’ with David Stack. Registration is free, wine reception to follow: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/history-an...

If you’re planning to be in Sheffield in April, @ihr.bsky.social @royalhistsoc.org and @nationalarchives.gov.uk.web.brid.gy are hosting the annual History & Archives in Practice conference, registration now open! www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/professional...

Our great thanks to Professor Vinita Damodaran who yesterday gave the 2026 RHS / German Historical Institute 'Global History Lecture' bit.ly/3Zux2ws A recording of Vinita's lecture, ‘Decolonising the Natural History Collections of Empire’, will be available soon #Skystorians @ghilondon.bsky.social

One not to miss!

O frabjous day! I hope he enjoys his future career in blogging, or whatever www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

The boos have been edited out of American broadcasts, per The Guardian.

This is an immensely significant document that continues to get virtually no attention in US media—but lots abroad. In Jul 2015, Epstein arranged a meeting between a known highest-level Russian intel operative, Sergey Belyakov and Peter Thiel,

Looks better this way. (down with monarchy and silly hats, etc.)

Late posting pictures from the wonderful celebration of the 100th issue of @historyworkshop.org.uk Saturday, with @julialaite.bsky.social introducing the blockbuster issue & the incomparable Anna Davin reflecting on radical friendship. Has been a joy to be part of this community for a decade now.

Legend.

An absolute hero. Rest in peace Catherine O’Hara.

This. 👇

'Half of English students have noticed an impact from cost-cutting measures at their university, with most saying it was leading to a worse experience than expected.' Meanwhile, NSS and TEF results proposed as yet another mechanism for disciplining English universities. Thanks OfS! 1/2