In a world where so many people are absolutely awful, live your life so you earn an obituary like this one.

Toby Hadoke@tobyhadoke.bsky.social · 9h ago

Jimmy Cricket Guardian obituary by me: www.theguardian.com/culture/2026...

Some signs of wear, working order, aftermarket seat. #TractorCommentary

Universities cannot make money teaching home undergrads or doing funded research. Indeed, those run at a large loss. Only teaching international students make sense in any way. The logical endpoint is taking only international students, reducing research and moving many ops out of the UK altogether.

does anyone know of any work that’s been done on career trajectories of (UK humanities) academics who have been made redundant? eg information about how many go into school teaching, early retirement, independent research? appreciate this is complex, sensitive and much data is too recent

This is *such* a revealing line about Kemi's world view and contempt for those who do the day to day work of keeping our society functioning

Do you have a Ten Minute Talk idea to share with us? We're always looking for new stories of local history research! Find out more: www.balh.org.uk/news-promote... #WeAreLocalHistory #LocalHistoryForAll

This is, to be clear, entirely in the hands of the Yeovil Conservative Association. I don’t really believe the party leader has done her homework on this - which would be typical - and it doesn’t seem that the Yeovil Tories have, either (and that’s all too believable).

Pete Fraser@petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 19h ago

Badenoch tripling down in defending a Nazi on the Today programme. I genuinely think she should be forced to step down over this. It’s fully, fully revolting.

Here a compilation of stupid things library consultants have said to me in solidarity with library pals at Lambeth Libraries where genius consultants has decided that a qualified head of library service post isn't really essential.

As thousands of research academics are made redundant the whole system of free/cheap peer review will collapse.

Great discussion at the 'crisis in UK history' meeting hosted by @ihr.bsky.social, @royalhistsoc.org, @histassoc.bsky.social and History UK. Horror stories of closures and redundancies, balanced by new resources. Check out for ex. the new Independent Historians Network independenthistorians.org

Independent Historians Network

The place for independent and freelance historians to connect

independenthistorians.org

One last plug for this piece on the National Counties Championship and how it is a great alternative to the lack of red ball cricket at this time of the summer: yahooovercowcorner.wordpress.com/2026/07/30/alternative-part-two/

Alternative Part Two

The north Barcelona district of Sant Andreu would seem an odd place to begin a blog post about cricket. But there is resonance with the sport and the area of one of Europe’s most visited destinatio…

yahooovercowcorner.wordpress.com

I recall we had a period of time where the response of Starmer and Cooper to concerns about these groups was ‘I like flags’

Oxford Clarion@oxfordclarion.bsky.social · yesterday

Leaders of flag-raising group Raise the Colours Oxfordshire placed trackers on highway workers’ cars to find out their home addresses, the High Court has heard. RTC then attempted to intimidate the highway staff into no longer removing flags by repeating their addresses to them.

Meet Tigernos, one of Britain’s earliest named sailors! ⚓️ A Briton and Roman fleet veteran, his story is recorded on the bronze Lanchester Diploma issued by Antoninus Pius in AD 150. It grants him honourable discharge from the Classis Germanica and Roman citizenship. #EpigraphyTuesday #Archaeology

The borders of the U.K. have been in place since 1922.

Pascal Jacquemain@jacquep.bsky.social · yesterday

Rosindell is mad as a box of frogfaces.

A fair amount of overseas disputes (or at least mentioning trade etc overseas). Just search REQ 2 for the country of interest. Here's the search for Spain (and Spanish), including something no-one expects, the Spanish Inquisition (REQ 2/140/9) discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_o...

Daniel F Gosling@thegozfather.bsky.social · 5d ago

Some very REQciting news. My Court of Requests pleadings (REQ 2/16-424) project is now complete. Over 28,000 items dating from c.1547-c.1625 (Edw VI to Jas I) now searchable online. Happy researching everyone 🙂 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C...

The reason he didn’t actually go to prison, I suspect, is that prisons are full and sentencing guidelines discourage prison sentences More broadly, many laws are routinely flouted without consequence This is on the 2010 austerity programme - the state’s capacity to act has been gutted

Jon Owen@anotherjon.bsky.social · 2d ago

"I'm getting fed up with getting pulled by you guys, so this one will result in a complaint," says the driver with 59 points on his licence. 59 points, and still driving, and he didn't go to prison. The system is broken. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Legally, you can argue to avoid a driving ban if it would cause you exceptional hardship. Magistrates also tend not to like individuals who take the piss. Arguing that not being able to drive your car personally will stop you writing is taking the piss. /1

NG@ng1978.bsky.social · 2d ago

Here’s the article in full. She seems to be saying that she can’t have a driver (which I’m sure she could afford) as she would be “distracted by questions”. I’m sure they can accommodate a person’s need for silence.

Its quite hard to know what, exactly, will actually lose someone their licence if 59 points, driving while disqualified and no insurance doesn't. Its not juat dangerous - its clear contempt for the law. We should treat car crime like any other crime

Jon Owen@anotherjon.bsky.social · 2d ago

"I'm getting fed up with getting pulled by you guys, so this one will result in a complaint," says the driver with 59 points on his licence. 59 points, and still driving, and he didn't go to prison. The system is broken. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Interesting reflection on the US streetcar operators (it doesn't entirely read across to the UK, but there are some elements which are good parallels, and some common players, especially on the equipment side).

Jake Berman@lostsubways.com · 3d ago

this is not true. there was no conspiracy. it didn't matter whether the streetcars were publicly owned (seattle, detroit) or private (los angeles, atlanta). a thread (because i wrote a whole-ass book on this): 1/?

"I'm getting fed up with getting pulled by you guys, so this one will result in a complaint," says the driver with 59 points on his licence. 59 points, and still driving, and he didn't go to prison. The system is broken. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

His Wikipedia page has more references to the court pages of the Western Gazette than the the CVs of some of my contemporaries at school. I’m not saying that they would make better councillors than this chap, but I’m not ruling it out.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2d ago

Former neo-Nazi activist selected as Tory candidate for Somerset council election

"a ban would end her writing career." And yet she didn't learn a thing from getting 9 points.

Unofficial BBCNews (UK) Bot@bbcnews-uk-rss.bsky.social · 2d ago

Author Lynda La Plante banned from driving for six months

theconversation.com/new-museum-f...

New museum find shows nature can’t stop inventing seahorses

No one has ever seen one of these fish alive. But they are most likely still swimming in a part of the sea we hardly ever visit.

theconversation.com

So… they’re working

Really appreciated a piece that lays out the multiple horrors of UK HE in humane detail.

Peter Geoghegan@petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 3d ago

Behind the bewildering transformation of British universities, are management consultants being paid millions Really proud to have this vital piece on our unis are being gutted from the inside by @jheathershaw.bsky.social on Democracy for Sale. Do read democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...

You can now quickly identify single female plaintiffs in Court of Requests cases by searching REQ 2 for the code "SFP". Over 2,500 hits. discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/results/r?_s...

Daniel F Gosling@thegozfather.bsky.social · 5d ago

Some very REQciting news. My Court of Requests pleadings (REQ 2/16-424) project is now complete. Over 28,000 items dating from c.1547-c.1625 (Edw VI to Jas I) now searchable online. Happy researching everyone 🙂 discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/browse/r/h/C...

At a difficult time in UKHE, good news needs celebrating whenever possible. So many congratulations to @tomhulme.bsky.social on his well-deserved promotion to full Professor as of yesterday!! 🎊👏🏻 pure.qub.ac.uk/en/persons/t...

Tom Hulme

pure.qub.ac.uk

Sorry but unless you, as a media outlet, have managed to get someone from the Navy (probably a former sailor because those currently serving maybe disbarred from commenting) to explain that this is extremely unlikely to happen for legal reasons, then, arguably, you haven't really done your job.

Politics latest: Reform wants to use Navy to stop small boats after Burnham vows to be 'relentless' in tackling crossings

Reform UK says a Nigel Farage-led government would send the Royal Navy into the Channel to intercept all migrant boats - and is accused by Labour of "reheating" old proposals. Follow the latest.

news.sky.com

A couple of quick thoughts on the extra overseas player in the WHundred. It's clearly made a significant difference in how much action domestic players are getting, last season overseas players faced 43% of balls, and delivered 37.5%, this season it's up to 56% and 46%. I don't think there's a 🧵1/3

Few people understand that the UK university system is in crisis, but even fewer realise that many of the people losing their jobs are amongst the best in their fields

Glen O'Hara@gsoh31.bsky.social · 4d ago

So it's farewell to the History subject area at the University of Hertfordshire, not the first nor the last to go. One of the best departments in the country, just extinguished like a snap of the fingers. Think of the waste. (1/2)