Annual profit before tax last year £671.4m, clearly not enough... www.theguardian.com/business/202...

I have a quick question: Koen Lamberts has been vice-chancellor of Sheffield since 2018. Has he taken any responsibility for gutting entire, internationally renowned departments? The fact that he is still in place tells you everything you need to know about the UKHE sector.

East Asian Studies is being gutted at Sheffield - all staff at risk with 8.6 FTE proposed to go (a third of us). Biggest cuts in Chinese and Japanese Studies. We’ll be taking a few days to process. Solidarity to Materials and Chemistry colleagues who are also dealing with similarly bad news.

Uni urged to reconsider 'destructive' job cuts ahead of strike action www.nottinghampost.com/news/notting...

Reform UK's candidate for Makerfield, Rober Kenyon, has "mothballed" his Facebook account in the past few days and deleted all of his friends. This because of his friends was Gary Raikes, leader of the New British Union, the self-styled successor organisation to Moseley's British Union of Fascists.

'The decision to close it was taken despite the faculty continuing to plan high-profile campus events, including the booking this month of US civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw.' 1/2

Felt wonderful to stand in solidarity with our colleagues down the road. Inspiring to see the wins they've had and the fights they've fought! This is all of our fight and we're fighting together!

Glad to see the proceedings of the conference on Languages and Identities in Early Medieval Western Europe published open access; and very grateful to the Navarre regional government for sponsoring both the event and the publication: www.siem-estella.es/uploads/file...

This cause is close to my heart - genuinely, the amazing Salisbury Collection of Welsh history, language and literature was a major boon in completing my PhD: having this on open shelves was worth semi regular trips from Southampton, I’m forever in the library’s debt.

Well, that was not a good week www.theguardian.com/education/20...

A cause for national shame. This is the Rainbow Map for LGBTI+ rights across Europe. Until 2015, the UK was top. We've now collapsed down the rankings - and are the worst in Western Europe. We're now near Albania.

'In its financial accounts, Nottingham revealed that its deficit grew from £17 million in 2024 to £85.3m in 2025, largely as the result of a markdown in the value of some of the institution’s properties.' Well, that's one way of putting it.

Link here: www.nottingham.ac.uk/english/even...

'In a counterproposal to the university’s cost-saving plans...the UCU branch at Nottingham said that job losses on the scale suggested...could set the research-intensive, Russell Group institution on an “irreversible transition” towards becoming a teaching-led university.' 1/3

Starmer's 'full confidence" is hilarious. He really is useless politically.

Good. Can’t get the transphobic weasel out of office quick enough in my view.

Looks like governance failure, misuse of funds & breach of fiduciary duties at Nottingham University "University’s administration sent letters to 2700 staff, notifying them their role was at risk of redundancy" This is 30% of entire headcount 😲 www.theguardian.com/education/20...

So the £85million+ spent (aka 'wasted') on a completely failed new city campus has dropped off this news altogether. This disaster was defended repeatedly in Senate by the VC who is now 'excited' by the opportunities presented by ending the careers of 100s of staff. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Every single member of the History Department at Uni of Nottingham is at risk of redundancy. Every single one of us.

Universities provide immense social and economic benefits for their cities and the UK. They provide soft power globally and support social mobility locally. Baffling that Labour are destroying this important sector through their intransigence.

Terrible outcome of years of mismanagement without any accountability. Devastating for so many people and bad news for the city too.

Needless to say the cuts to the Arts faculty are the greatest: 44% of our staff to go.

This post has sparked v interesting thread which underlined how little the bulk of the population probably understand local govt and its relationship to central. Wonder how many of those who stood for ‘insurgent’ parties last Thursday understand the situation.

#milesformermaids update: did my first five miles with the family and dog today, around Clumber Park. 20 miles to go! www.justgiving.com/fundraising/...

For once...could the soft left learn the correct lessons from their repeated failures?! Be. Left. Wing. -Like actually represent working class and humanist values. -Stop pandering to the right. They will not vote for you. -It's not 'mad' or 'radical' to speak out against genocide. I'm so tired!

This is interesting, especially for early medievalists. Thanks to Charles West for circulating.

Thank you Rabbi for your kind words! 🙏🏽

This is absolutely shocking. What’s happening to the UK’s arts and humanities sector is just criminal. Thinking of all our colleagues there. It feels unimaginable, but it really could be any of us.

More Jews are marching on pro-Palestinian marches pro rata than any other community. Stop calling opposition to genocide hatred. Listen to the esteemed Rabbi Herschel Gluck, president of the Shomrin in North East London.

Short piece I wrote about Edward Lear in Liguria and Nottinghamshire published today. www.artculturetourism.co.uk/post/edward-...

No, they are not. And instead of faffing about pretending that they are, we need a proper policy or failing that comprehensive review that encompasses HEI finances, teaching, research (including innovation) and civic functions.

Huge congratulations to the LGBTQ+ activists who have campaigned tirelessly against this British imperial law. Homophobia is one of the British Empire's most enduring legacies.

'Official figures from the current prison programme show that it costs about £500,000 per bed to build such "closed" facilities - and that is broadly the design standard used for immigration removal centres too.' 1/2

Very sorry to see that the last undergrad archaeology class at Uni #Sheffield was taught yesterday. The wanton destruction happening now in academia on both sides of the Atlantic will be widely seen as the violence it is one day. #SaveSheffield #SaveSheffieldArchaeology

As a British Jew, @zackpolanski.bsky.social absolutely speaks for me. Trevor Philips' characterisation of 'most Jewish people' versus Polanski is outrageous and offensive.

"In response to Sir Keir's interview with Today, Green Party leader Zack Polanski said the prime minister was "using the pain and fear of Jewish people to threaten further authoritarian restrictions on peaceful protest". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A retweet by Zack Polanski is now the main story across every single media outlet. Two days ago, it was revealed that Nigel Farage failed to disclose a £5 million gift from a crypto-billionaire. It gets nowhere near the media attention, for straightforward political reasons.

Short piece I wrote about Edward Lear in Liguria and Nottinghamshire published today. www.artculturetourism.co.uk/post/edward-...

Long in the making, but so pleased this is finally out & open access, thanks to @unibonn.bsky.social Thanks to everyone who made it happen, especially those mentioned in the acknowledgements and captions. A ladies’ man: Julian Augustus as son, husband, and emperor* academic.oup.com/bics/article...

'Protecting what matters': a new government policy paper identifies history as central to social cohesion. At the same time, history teaching and research, in our schools and universities, is at risk as never before. To ensure cohesion, we must protect what matters: bit.ly/3QyZQCO #skystorians

A Companion to Rome, c. 400 - c. 1050 will be presented at the Sapienza Centre for the Study of the Mediterranean and Near East in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages on 14 May, 12 noon. Huge thanks to the Centre and to Andrea Augenti and Rita Lizzi. If you're in Rome do come along, or join online.

Officially released TODAY!!!

It's also unnecessary as unions have presented viable alternative financial plans during the last few years, which have been repeatedly ignored, in which these proposed job losses do not need to happen. Needless to say, the axe falls disproportionately on the Arts and Humanities.

University of Nottingham cutting 600 academic jobs, raising student:staff ratios to make up for staff losses. Devastated over what this will look like for all of us and our students. www.nottinghampost.com/news/notting...

A beautiful obituary for the great historian Averil Cameron by @tigerlilyrocks.bsky.social

This bergenia has flowered for the first time since I've lived in this house. I moved in six years ago!