Human Geography at Leicester is facing closure. Staff contracts are to end in June 2026; students are to be relocated to other universities, or taught out by a maximum of two (!) teaching-only staff. Other departments and subjects are facing closure, too. Please join the demo!

Compulsory team teaching on every module is perhaps the biggest ever threat to the quality of teaching in UK universities. It causes chaos on the ground for timetabling, ruins course coherence and turns lecturers into permanent supply teachers. It is pedagogically incoherent… 1/

Don’t forget to watch this much needed and long overdue series on the British Empire. Remarkably, it’s not based on the opinions of a travelling ‘personality’, but on what historians who’ve actually researched it say! www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Horrific, stupid news from @uniofnottingham.bsky.social — they are closing their music department. Apparently they all found out suddently in a meeting yesterday. It is one of the best music departments in the country — solidarity with my colleagues and their students www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

NEW SEMINAR! 'The Station Master’s Railway: Self-Representation & the Moral Life of Infrastructure' Nirali Joshi (Åbo Akademi University) 20 November 2025, 17.30 UK; hybrid Part of the @ihr.bsky.social Transport & Mobility History seminar series Free; book here: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/...

"changes would “encourage students to study a greater breadth of GCSE subjects inc the arts, humanities and languages alongside English, maths and science” Okay, govt spokesperson, but can we get the same commitment to such subject diversity for universities? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Analysis from @friends-earth.bsky.social provides new insight on environmental injustice in the UK: “… people of colour, those on low incomes and non-drivers are now disproportionately overrepresented in the 5% of neighbourhoods still exposed to the most extreme air pollution.”

So, what we have here is: 1. Cautious academic recommendations to de-Gove the curriculum; 2. Govt signalling it might do half of it; 3. While announcing MORE tests & benchmarks, and NO more funding... And nobody answers the question, what are GCSEs even for, when education to 18 is compulsory?

"changes would “encourage students to study a greater breadth of GCSE subjects inc the arts, humanities and languages alongside English, maths and science” Okay, govt spokesperson, but can we get the same commitment to such subject diversity for universities? www.theguardian.com/education/20...

Let's just take a moment to reflect on the self-sacrifice and hope this person embodies - not the evil, hateful monsters thirsting for violence.

Teenagers near us letting off fireworks: in a children's playground, near houses, lighting them up and then running away, not caring how they are aimed. It's your annual reminder that: FIREWORKS SHOULD NOT BE SOLD TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

When I had my last filling, the difference between a mercury and white fillings was £175. This suggests why the govt won't ban mercury - they would have to subsidise the sector more. I paid the higher price btw -the dentist told me about the risk. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Money is short and unlikely to start flowing soon. Academic professionals are exhausted and demoralised. The public is not that interested. @gsoh31.bsky.social, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History at Oxford Brookes, explores the decline in HE.

The government seems intent to take research away from most universities, unless it's applied research that can be spun to lead to economic growth, preferably before the next election, so that the government will appear to have delivered on their promises.

ICYMI last week, my reaction to the govt's Skills White Paper is that it's bitterly disappointing for universities. It will make a very bad situation worse. This is a Last Word really, because IMHO large parts of the sector have crossed a red line and can't be pulled back in their present form. 👇

Watch my talk for the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire on mass trespass in the 1890s, taken from chapter 2 of my new book youtu.be/nmy-bVWAGzw?... #Commons #MassTrespass

"We’ve made it about individuals, because the academic research system is very focused on the individual level, and that’s something we really need to break,” she said. Yes, break the focus on individuals. After all, the system is doing its best to break individuals altogether at this time. 1/3

Still time to book!

Anyone can become disabled. Anyone can lose their job. Anyone can become homeless. Anyone can go hungry. These are not moral failings. They can happen in an instant. Most people are far closer to living in poverty than they realize. We must fight for one another & for the most vulnerable.

My reaction to the Government's White Paper on Post-16 Education and Skills. As it pertains to universities, it's a total botch that somehow manages to both raise fees and hack everybody off. The worst of all worlds, a bit like the rest of Labour's offer. Do have a read if you're interested. 👇

Our final FREE @railway200.bsky.social at @astonuniversity.bsky.social event takes place on 18 Nov at 1730 at Conference Aston. Ft Maggies Simpson (@railfreightgroup.bsky.social), Matt Hadlington (Transport Focus), and Stephen Pauling (Jacobs). Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/railway-20...

Running your own server and web presence often is a core capability, and outsourcing it a very bad strategy indeed.

Our final FREE @railway200.bsky.social at @astonuniversity.bsky.social event takes place on 18 Nov at 1730 at Conference Aston. Ft Maggies Simpson (@railfreightgroup.bsky.social), Matt Hadlington (Transport Focus), and Stephen Pauling (Jacobs). Book here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/railway-20...

Congratulations to Beckenham & West Wickham MRC on an absolutely excellent model railway show today. Thoroughly enjoyable. Their next show is on 14 March, again at Forest Hill Boys School. #modelrailways #railwaymodelling

It looks like some lovely restoration work has happened at Clapton on the London Overground. And, I see that the wonderful @railwayheritage.bsky.social is involved. What a good job! I look forward to seeing it all open.

1/ A reflection: something that disadvantages non-STEM scholars in unis, especially those in the arts and hums, is that we are judged by STEM frameworks: 1) We don't publish as often. 2) We tend to publish alone or in pairs. 3) Our work doesn't usually require large funds, if any.

What HE managers fail to understand is that in the context of the Humanities, ‘employability’ isn’t teaching coding or carpentry, but skills around writing, presenting, reasoning, evaluation, analysis, research etc. In an 80% service economy, these are the skills that fundamentally matter.

1/ A reflection: something that disadvantages non-STEM scholars in unis, especially those in the arts and hums, is that we are judged by STEM frameworks: 1) We don't publish as often. 2) We tend to publish alone or in pairs. 3) Our work doesn't usually require large funds, if any.

The Spectator (owned by GBNews owner Paul Marshall - estimated wealth of £800 million) doesn’t like taxing wealth fairly. I wonder how they got to this editorial decision? Let’s tax wealth fairly, fund front line services & make hope normal again. join.greenparty.org.uk

It is with great sadness that I have heard about the death of Gerald Crompton. An insightful historian, a very kind individual, and source of useful advice when I was just staring out on my academic journey. I cannot recommend his work enough - go look it up.

Mental ill health is frequently caused or exacerbated by entrenched workplace cultures of overwork and bullying. Until all UK workplaces are forced to take their statutory workplace mental health & safety duties seriously, people with mental ill health will be unable to return to or remain in work.

Good morning from the Overground. I wish someone would make a model of these trains. And it doesn't have to be super detailed - I know a fair few children that would love it!

Kilsby Tunnel, 1839. Then, it was the longest rail tunnel, but after had cultural impact. Even in the 1880s, when longer tunnels had been built, it was still being compared to the pyramids. This highlights that infrastructure isn't just functional, people attach varied emotions and meaning to it.

This is a lie. There are many criticisms you might sensibly and truthfully make of the Sentencing Council and the Sentencing Guidelines. I’ve been making them for years. But this is an outright lie. Pure fabrication. A fraud on the public.

"The single most important behaviour, design or regulation for creating streets conducive to walking and cycling, was physical separation between the modes" We've got a new study out, learning from a broad mixture of street users, planners and designers www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

This is very disturbing. I can't say whether she will ever influence government, but even she doesn't, these disgusting statements increasingly normalise such ideas and open up to further discussion.

Kilsby Tunnel, 1839. Then, it was the longest rail tunnel, but after had cultural impact. Even in the 1880s, when longer tunnels had been built, it was still being compared to the pyramids. This highlights that infrastructure isn't just functional, people attach varied emotions and meaning to it.

I know some wonderful people who work at the Uni of Portsmouth, but I will always think this, in Walthamstow, is funny: "welcome to your local university". The issue: the absence of sea views and boats.

Dear academic publishers, when I ask to download a pdf, I do NOT, want a bloody pdf reader or viewer. Me going to the viewer just annoyingly delays the end result; me having a pdf on my hard drive. Cut it out.

Always nice to have the physical copy in your hands.

Our final free @railway200.bsky.social at @astonuniversity.bsky.social event takes place on 18 Nov at 1730 at Conference Aston. A panel of industry experts will discuss the challenges the railway industry faces, but the opportunities that lay ahead. Do join us www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/railway-20...

Our final free @railway200.bsky.social at @astonuniversity.bsky.social event takes place on 18 Nov at 1730 at Conference Aston. A panel of industry experts will discuss the challenges the railway industry faces, but the opportunities that lay ahead. Do join us www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/railway-20...

The Historic England Research Magazine issue on 200 years of Rail seems quite good - and a free resource. historicengland.org.uk/whats-new/re...

'University of Sussex leader Sasha Roseneil said she felt opposition to higher education was often grounded in an explicit rejection of the expansion of access that has taken place in recent decades.' 1/2

New from me: a *free* short version of my Political Quarterly piece on universities... The issue is settled now: the massified and accessible Higher Education system we have spent tens of billions building since the 1970s is coming to an end. (1/2) politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/where-n...

One of the (many!) highlights of this weekend’s #Railway200 events was Locomotion No.1 arriving at Darlington station, supervised by an appropriately-attired @davidhorne.bsky.social, and with signal T900 guarding the way ahead. Thanks to @railwayhistorian.bsky.social for the picture! #SignalOfTheDay

My last two photos from last night's wonderful #Railway200 event in Darlington. As always, I'm so very very glad to be reunited with my good friend @mrtimdunn.bsky.social It was so very special to be able to stand, for an second, in the Experiment replica.

A favourite shot of mine from last night's #Railway200 event at Darlington, ft @davidhorne.bsky.social.

Locomotion No.1 has arrived in #Darlington. What a fantastic event for #Railway200.

Privileged to join guests at Darlington station in the small hours of this morning, to welcome a replica of Stephenson's Locomotion No. 1 as it joined the Darlington-liveried @lner.co.uk Azuma train before recreating its journey to Stockton just as the original had 200 years previously to the day 🙌