Just spotted that the openly racist candidate for Tommy Robinson's "Advance UK" was beaten by the Monster Raving Looney Party.

Scoop: Lebrecht gone from R3

Doctor to patient: I’m afraid it’s bad news - you’ve got Tom Jones syndrome. Patient: Oh no! Is it common? Doctor: Well, it’s not unusual.

It is with great sadness that we are sharing the news that the UCL Faculties of Social & Historical Sciences and Arts & Humanities have decided to close the IAS. We will close our doors forever on 31 July 2026. Follow the link to leave thoughts, comments, memories 💗 www.ucl.ac.uk/institute-of...

UK: Prince Andrew arrested. South Korea: Former President Yoon sentenced for life. Brazil: Former President Bolsonaro serving a 27-year sentence. USA: President Trump demands $10 billion payout from taxpayers.

I bet he's sweating now

Wishing György Kurtág a very happy hundredth birthday. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwXW...

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c7...

Coming home today, I found a Coldplay ticket nailed to the front door! "I'll have that!", I thought - you can never have too many nails.

Here’s an example of a local newsroom actually informing the public about AI (the role of journalism) versus the blatant AI boosterism we’re seeing many other newsrooms engage in to the detriment of the entire profession

The definitive Wuthering Heights adaptation: Cliff Richard is Heathcliff www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4pM...

So, the boss of REF2029 has just quit...

Threatening to cut funding to someone because they disagree is a *real* threat to academic freedom of the kind frequently seen under fascist and authoritarian regimes. This is also confected bullshit. There is no obligation whatsoever for a society or institution to invite a speaker.

It’s the only option. This is one of the 3 no-cost, short-term things the sector could do to stabilise itself - I wrote them up last year, but there’s still time! tacity.co.uk/2025/03/26/t...

My outside bet has always been that REF 2029 never happens. At a time of massive financial instability (including redundancies) around HE it simply seems like an obscene waste of money.

Even beyond the quality argument, these people aren't even 'writers', they're just assholes hitting what they think is the FREE MONEY button. Which sometimes works, so they keep doing it. If they gave even one solitary shit about art or even storytelling they would know better. They just don't care.

The authors "estimate that by 2025, the Brexit process had reduced UK GDP per capita by 6 to 8 percent, investment by 12 to 18 percent, employment by 3 to 4 percent, and productivity by 3 to 4 percent. These effects grew gradually over time." www.nber.org/202602/diges... What a total disaster... 🇪🇺🇬🇧

Double-headed eagles, white parrots and “defecating squirrels”: my experiences reporting from Russia. Our film ‘Our Man In Moscow’ for BBC Panorama is available on the iPlayer and will be shown on BBC One at 8pm tonight (Mon Feb 2). www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

I hate this. I hate that scholars and teachers are supposed to be digital fraud experts. I hate that this part of their job description is becoming larger and larger. I hate the widening distrust. I hate a culture that aggressively devalues the curiosity and humility required for ongoing learning.

On this basis we would stop paying for free school meals for children and free bus passes for pensioners. I don’t use it/don’t benefit is literally the direct opposite reason why we have taxation to fund pubic goods. Education is a public good. Fund it!

Marking update: I had to correct someone's German spelling in a titled work, leaving a single-word comment of 'Die'. I decided to rephrase the comment.

'the UK creative industries — which contributed £125 billion to the economy in 2024 and supported 2.4 million jobs — are being destroyed by an AI sector that... contributed just £11 billion in the same year and supported only 85,000 jobs." www.thetimes.com/culture/film...

For today, 27 January www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2Xg... 'No monument stands over Babi Yar [...] Nothing in me shall ever forget. Let the 'Internationale' thunder forth When we have buried, finally and forever, The final antisemite on this earth'.

"On Holocaust Memorial Day we need more history, not just more memory" bit.ly/4t6wPx6 Dr Andy Pearce, Director of @uclholocaust.bsky.social, writes today on the RHS blog. #Skystorians

The Conservative Party has defected to Reform.

“We’ve invented a magic computer. It uses all of the earth’s resources, we’ve spent trillions on it and it’s the sole growth area of the US economy.” “What does it do?” “We were hoping you could tell us.”

And yet universities are facing financial doom. What a great system.

In Trump's telling, the US are the equivalent of the Nazis

NEW: NEW: Standards commissioner finds Nigel Farage committed seventeen breaches of MPs code of conduct. He failed to declare £333,000 in outside interests (more than 3x MPs annual salary)…

ABSOLUTELY OUTRAGEOUS. #UKHE is setting a terrible example of enabling horrendous employers' practices which destroy #WorkersRights. That #EmploymentRightsBill cannot come soon enough. Sending much solidarity @sheffielducu.bsky.social, and DO DONATE TO THEIR HARDSHIP FUND

This is horrific. Docking all pay for refusing to reschedule teaching due to strike action (for which pay has already been docked).

Beyond appalling from the University of Sheffield, who are willfully ignoring staff's right to take industrial action and double deducting because they refuse to reschedule teaching which they already haven't been paid for. Solidarity with @sheffielducu.bsky.social Please donate if you can.

Trump mistaking Denmark for Norway (as well as justifying major diplomatic decisions based on how his feelings have been hurt relating to a prize). Unhinged.

It's about as real as his FIFA peace prize.

Streaming did not save the music industry from illegal downloads. If anything, it's far worse, as artists still don't get paid but consumers have paid for something (even if only a small amount). What's your monthly spend on buying+listening to music now compared to 15 or 20 years ago?

💥New: UK academia’s presence on X is reaching a tipping point ✍️ @andytattersall.bsky.social #X #AcademicSocialMedia #AcademicSky

And here we are: the entire transatlantic alliance is now talking about Greenland, instead of talking about ending the war in Ukraine.

Genuinely very excited to receive my copy of this in the post today! During my PhD (2012-2016) I would have been so nerdily thrilled to have another book on Weinberg (and in English, to boot!) and I still have that twinge of excitement now. I'm honoured to be included among so many great authors.

Ukip have submitted a new logo and slogan to the Electoral Commission, swapping the £ pound sterling symbol for a cross, that looks very much like it is modelled on the Iron Cross used by Prussia & Germany 1871-1918 and Hitler's Nazi regime from 1933-45

Congratulations to @owencoggins.bsky.social for a great BFE keynote talk, 'Distortion, Ambiguity and Ideology in Underground Black Metal', at the 2026 BFE/RMA Research Students Conference at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. @royalmusical.bsky.social @royalbirmcons.bsky.social

Kamala Harris at her closing campaign rally: "Donald Trump intends to use the United States Military against American citizens who simply disagree with him."

Battersea Park Half Marathon done, very pleased with time of 1:48:47! First race of the year, and a significant milestone of recovery from injury last year.

I'm very sorry to hear news of Jonathan Powell's passing at the age of 56. He was a titan of piano performance and a fierce intellect. Powell made many excellent recordings of music by Russian modernists, and his Sorabji performances (and recordings) were legendary. He will be missed.

It's not every night that you open a gig for Nick Cave! A truly wonderful concert, intimate and moving. And the beautiful surroundings of St. Bart's made it even more special. One to remember for a long time to come.

The joint conference of the RMA, SMI, and EADH (Queen's University Belfast, 29 Aug-1 Sept 2026) is extending its proposals deadline to noon (BST) on Friday 2 January 2026, as it has come to our attention that one key adjacent support network has not had a chance to disseminate news of the call.

🚨 NEWS!🚨 For everyone attending the Research Students’ Conference next month, due to an extended Christmas shutdown at BCU (our associated university), the last day of booking is Thursday 18th December.

Priceless