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Karl Johnson

@karlpjohnson.bsky.social

Shetlander in Edinburgh, Sociology lecturer, Gaada advisory board, comic & sci-fi fan, parent and dog butler. Wrote The Loki Variations📗 https://saraband.net/sb-title/the-loki-variations/ He/Him. Views are mine and Morag's🐶

186 Posts197 Follower371 Folgt
Roseanne Watt@roseannewatt.bsky.social · 5d ago

Fave Shaetlan expressions ee noo: Hadd dee sheeks (“shut your mouth” lit “hold your cheeks” and I enjoy the ambiguity of cheeks there) Da deevil o hell couldna o fried him (a dear old friend said this of a piece of mackerel he was struggling to brown in the pan) Mixy up (“squash/diluting juice”)

Grumpy Philosopher@stevecooke.org · 7d ago

One table has moved on to how much extra work reorganisations have created, & how moving people into open plan spaces means they can no longer work on campus or meet students easily. Increasing workloads while also making familiar tasks more onerous & crushing morale is the theme. Familiar.

Grumpy Philosopher@stevecooke.org · 7d ago

Doing some work in one of our university cafes prior to a meeting. All I can hear is people around me talking about the shabby way they've been treated in the latest cost-cutting measures, misery about redundancies & departmental closures, & discussion of retirement. Things are grim.

Lauren Fraser@walkyouhome.bsky.social · last wk.

Love to be skimming a 'Beginner's Guide to Generative AI' ebook in our (prepackaged) collection to find it absolutely riddled with unfinished and/or grammatically incoherent sentences. Yet to find a sentence with any actual depth of meaning...

Dr Phoenix CS Andrews@thatdocphoenix.com · last wk.

Do try to remember that the EHRC guidance only affects service providers and not employment, so if you work somewhere where there are toilets or changing rooms for employees that aren’t open to the public then your employers are wrong if they try to stop you from using facilities for your gender

Graeme Beale@midfyffe.bsky.social · last wk.

Scottish Government is #hiring #social #researchers. B2 is our entry level grade, for masters or PhD with an interest in applied social research. 2x 4yr posts initially, but with a reserve list. Apply by 20/08/2026 Pls share to folks! fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

Social Researcher

Want to help shape Scotland’s Census, informing the decisions that improve public services and capture the story of Scotland for generations to come?

fa-evxn-saasfaukgovprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com

Hannah Graham@drhannahgraham.bsky.social · 2w ago

Job vacancy: Research Fellow, University of Stirling 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Part-time (0.5FTE), fixed-term post in School of Law, Politics and Social Sciences, with ‘Evaluating the impact of casework for the whole Armed Forces community in a changing world’ study. #Sociology #SocialPolicy www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSL164/r...

Research Fellow at University of Stirling

Looking for a new job opportunity in academia? Check out this job opening for a Research Fellow on jobs.ac.uk!

jobs.ac.uk

Karl Johnson@karlpjohnson.bsky.social · 2w ago

"As funding shortfalls lead to staff cuts & strike action, morale is low & goodwill exhausted. [...] But not everyone on campus is suffering. The salaries of university bosses are rising while management consultants are in high demand." democracyforsale.substack.com/p/inside-bri...

Inside Britain's university crisis

As teaching staff face job loss, their bosses have netted pay rises and bought advice from a “vampiric” management consultancy, writes Prof. John Heathershaw of the University of Exeter

democracyforsale.substack.com

Charlotte Weatherill@ckweatherill.bsky.social · 2w ago

Full of despair today. Massive lay offs in social sciences and humanities across the country, Burnham puts out a video saying 'AI can write an essay', and my university is busy integrating co-pilot into all staff and student computers. We are being told we're defunct and there's no resistance.

elia ayoub@ayoub.bsky.social · 4w ago

Jesus. 35 UK universities quietly- without debate - joined the Ministry of Defence’s “Battlefield Alliance” which seeks to “reorientate academia towards Defence and National Security” They’re destroying the social sciences and humanities while militarising the institutions

• Durham University • Newcastle University • Northumbria University • Lancaster University • University of Cumbria • University of Lancashire • University of Liverpool • University of Manchester • University of Huddersfield • University of Sheffield • University of York • Loughborough University • University of Lincoln • University of Nottingham • Aston University • University of Birmingham • University of Warwick • King's College London • Kingston University • Queen Mary University of London • University College London • University of Oxford • University of Portsmouth • University of Surrey • University of Bath • University of Bristol • University of Exeter • University of Plymouth • University of Edinburgh • University of Glasgow • University of Strathclyde • Cardiff University • Swansea University • Queens University Belfast • Cranfield UniversityFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 14 July 2026 UK Universities Betray Public Trust by Joining MoD's 'Battlefield Advantage' Alliance Without Debate A coalition of campaign groups has accused UK universities of quietly integrating themselves into Britain's defence infrastructure after 35 institutions signed up to the Ministry of Defence's Defence Universities Alliance (DUA). The Ministry of Defence says the alliance aims to "reorientate academia towards Defence and National Security", strengthen links between universities and the defence sector, and translate research into "battlefield advantage". Campaigners say the move represents a significant shift in the role of higher education and has taken place without meaningful public debate. Among the founding members are the University of Oxford, University College London, King's College London, the University of Manchester, the University of Edinburgh, Cardiff University and Queen's University Belfast. "We are witnessing the formal incorporation of Britain's universities into the defence ecosystem," said Jinsella Kennaway, Founder and Executive Director of Demilitarise Education. "The Ministry of Defence is explicit about its intentions. Universities exist to advance knowledge and foster critical inquiry, not to become pipelines for military research and defence recruitment. Students and staff deserve to know who agreed to this and why." Campaigners are calling on all 35 universities to publish the governance documents and board minutes relating to their decision to join the alliance, and to explain whether staff and students were consulted. Many UK universities already maintain relationships with major defence companies, including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Leonardo, Thales, Lockheed Martin and QinetiQ. Critics argue that the DUA formalises and accelerates the integration of academia, industry and the state. The coalition warns that, at a time of rising defence spending, universities risk becoming increasingly aligned with governme…
Marcus 🏳️‍🌈🇧🇧@marcusjdl.bsky.social · last mo.

The UK media looks like the media they’d create for a dystopian satirical film set in the future where the media has been captured by three billionaire right wing bigots and reproduce their views to distract from their wage suppression and wealth extraction which is causing the planet to burn. Oh.

UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

Our fantastic pickets this morning and afternoon 💗✊🏻💗 The number of students and parents thanking staff on the pickets for their dedicated hard work as lecturers and support staff AND for fighting against the cuts made us a bit teary. Thank you for all your support #StopTheCuts

A picket line outside Usher Hall with pink UCU flags and placards saying NO COMPULSORY REDUNDANCIES and STOP THE CUTSA picket line outside Usher Hall with a pipe band behind us
UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

We're being treated to a pipe band on the picket line this morning! Out of sashes but plenty of stickers left. Loving the student solidarity: "What do you mean? That's wild - this is what QMU is all about - the support is better than anywhere else" #StopTheCuts

A picket line with union members holding pink flags and placards
UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

Back on the picket line this morning to #StopTheCuts, 9-11 and 1-3 outside Usher Hall, see you there! Managed to reclaim most of the sashes from our amazing students and our armbands will be replenished! ✊🏻

UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

"Staff at QMU told The Times there was a high level of anxiety among employees amid a drive to cut the wage bill by £2 million. They said they were being asked to deliver the same quality service with fewer employees."

UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

We're celebrating students' success on the first day of graduation ceremonies and calling for QMU management to stop the cuts and changes to working conditions that will damage the student experience, staff wellbeing and quality of the university #StopTheCuts #UCU

A picket line outside the Usher Hall in Edinburgh, populated by absolute legends with sashes, placards and flags for the UCU strike against the cuts at QMU
UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

Would be nice if our leaders would challenge this situation in any way, rather than enthusiastically line up to put us through an experimental mini-merger by sharing with ENU and SRUC as many professional services and academic programmes as they can manage 😶

Hetan Shah@hetanshah.bsky.social · last mo.

‘We urge the Government to prioritise this issue. Should this situation continue unchecked, the damage to the health of higher education, research and innovation will be profound and have long-lasting consequences.’ www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/news/stateme...

UCU QMU@ucuqmu.bsky.social · last mo.

Morning folks, it's our first strike day against compulsory redundancies and reduction in research and scholarship time. Members, check your email for picket details, see you there ✊🏻

Karl Johnson@karlpjohnson.bsky.social · last mo.

"Shetland Islands Council spent its full £256,000 allocation from the fund’s first four years on general expenses rather nature recovery projects" reports @danielshailer.bsky.social

The Ferret@theferret.scot · last mo.

The Scottish Government gave local authorities £20m to tackle a "nature emergency". But we found that around £4m of that sum was spent on fixing cars and office equipment, among other non-environmental spending. Our latest: https://www.theferret.scot/environmental-funding-misspent-councils/

Shetland News@shetnews.co.uk · last mo.

Shetland’s long serving archivist Brian Smith said he feels “enthusiastic” about being awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Edinburgh. Described as the “embodiment of the scholar-archivist”, Smith has been awarded the Degree of Doctor honoris causa shet.news/d8sol

‘Scholar-archivist’ Brian Smith recognised for 50 years of service

Edinburgh University awards honorary degree in recognition of pioneering role in establishing Shetland’s archives ‘A true scholar, with a wide...

shet.news

Gav Maclean@gavmaclean.bsky.social · last mo.

It's always been when it happens to the elite universities then it's an actual problem. My professional body put out an open letter opposing cuts in one institution all while the post-92 provision of our subject was decimated.