Lev Vygotsky , patron saint of Scandinavian education systems .

A coworker took this from her apartment. I haven't seen a crowd this size before. Maybe the first Women's March? But it was much much warmer that day. ICE OUT OF MINNESOTA!

gladstonehellen.co.uk/blogs/news/t... Wrote this for Charlie Gladstone and the Hawarden folk earlier this year. Why we wear what we wear. Will be of interest to all #MDANT people and I suspect @collettwriter.bsky.social

By overriding clear evidence of recently-increased Chinese espionage and transnational repression in the UK in its intended decision to approve the new Chinese ‘mega embassy’ in London, our government is shirking its first and foremost responsibility, to defend and protect the country. Just say no.

Para el arzobispo de Tarragona, el nuevo disco de Rosalía es un “canto a la luz que los jóvenes necesitan encontrar y la religión les puede ayudar”. La Conferencia Episcopal Española premia a ‘Lux’ de Rosalía y ‘Los domingos’ de Ruiz de Azúa

This is a really important point from @robfordmancs.bsky.social. Local government should be a source of and focus for local pride. It should be doing bold, visible stuff that enhances and reflects community. Instead, currently, it is almost literally reduced to ambulance work.

1/ I was pleased to attend the launch in Lambeth Archives of this interesting exhibition on "Building ‘Homes for Tomorrow’: Lambeth’s Council Housing of 1965 to 1980". It will be described fully in a guest post by its curator Christiane Felber on Tuesday. www.ianvisits.co.uk/calendar/bui...

Weoley Castle is a centre of the current flag-waving craze. My new Substack post explores the estate's longer history and radical past politics: municipaldreams.substack.com/p/the-weoley...

Between the wars, Conservative-controlled Birmingham built over 51,000 new council homes – more than any other local authority in the country outside London. My new post on Substack tells the story: municipaldreams.substack.com/p/birmingham...

My new blogpost is on social housing in interwar Germany and the shift from the Garden City to 'New Building' - 'Social Housing in Cologne, 1913-1933: Light, Air and Trees … and Modernism' municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/08/05/s...

New on Substack, my post on the origins and design of Balfron Tower in Poplar designed by Ernő Goldfinger for the London County Council, completed in 1968. Now sadly privatised; more on that in next week's follow-up. municipaldreams.substack.com/p/balfron-to...

1/ My concluding post on the history of council housing in Rochdale looks at the Lower Falinge Estate, stigmatised as 'England’s benefits capital', and the sadly notorious Freehold Estate. What went wrong and where are we now? municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/07/22/a...

🚨 New blog post: 'A History of Council Housing in Rochdale: Part II, from 1945 to 1966' looks at the town's new 'neighbourhood unit' created in the 1950s and two innovative but troubled projects of the 1960s: municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/07/15/a...

'A wanton and inexcusable waste of life'. My new blog post examines the impact of slum housing in Rochdale and the council housebuilding programme that brought about reform: municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/07/08/a...

🚨 New blog post: A History of Council Housing in Rochdale: Part I, from the Industrial Revolution to the Second World War ... municipaldreams.wordpress.com/2025/07/08/a...

Public services are highly re-distributive to lower-income households. Households in the lowest income quintile receive an average of £15,900 per year in in-kind benefits. Read more ➡️ buff.ly/58qMKUI

Here's the article. It's from May 2022.

Chaos reigns: “At present, every hacker in the world knows there are a small number of people new to federal service who hold the keys to access all US government payments, contracts, civil servant personal info, and more” www.theatlantic.com/politics/arc...

One of the many benefits of moving to this platform is being shown far more content from @davidallengreen.bsky.social, whose peerless insight reminds me why I first joined social media.

Dystopia has arrived: populist politics plus surveillance technology plus climate emergency. “And now you have some of the richest and most powerful people in the world who became so through the collection of data. They’re now in power with someone who said, ‘I’m going to be a dictator’.” (Kapadia)

Excl: Government will move to scrap district councils in its devolution white paper on Monday, sparking the biggest local government reorganisation in 50 years on.ft.com/3VBH0ui

These statistics are crucial to a proper understanding of the current housing debate and the case for social housing - the state is spending *more than ever* on housing but it's spending it on benefits not bricks and mortar.

A remarkable stat: Heidi Alexander’s appointment as Transport Secretary means the cabinet is now 100% state-educated for the first time in history.

VÍDEO | El emotivo homenaje de Mestalla a las víctimas de la dana en Valencia tinyurl.com/ymcyem35

I think welsh rugby could learn a lot from the long term approach adopted by welsh football ( reaches for hard hat ). The difference in mood and performance is so clear and stark

Today’s @Times sports pages. 2 pages for rugby, 3 on England football team ( not playing today) 1 page on WSL, 2 on Italian football , 2 on boxing , page each on tennis and golf , 2 pages on horses. Only mention of tonight’s Turkey v Wales game fixtures small print @willhaycardiff.bsky.social

Important