Have we become a post-literate society? And what does this mean for the labour movement? In my substack I bounce off Rose Horowitch’s wonderful Atlantic article “The End of Reading is Here” to consider the place of reading and writing in labour publics (link below)

I reviewed Cory Doctorow's "Enshittification" on my substack. In some ways the ubiquity of the term has come to obscure the specific meaning that gives it its power, well worth reading. The review: substack.com/home/post/p-...

Andy Burnham is back in Westminster - but it will take more than a change in leader for British Labour to change its trajectory and tackle the systemic issues post-austerity and post-Brexit Britain faces. I wrote about the meaning of Andy on substack: byrnel.substack.com/p/its-andy

It’s Andy!

So the ‘King of the North’ will be coming to Westminster (again) after all.

byrnel.substack.com

75 years ago women workers in the Newcastle steel works went on strike for equal pay and the right to work in the industry. This was an extraordinary action of immense courage and determination. Yet it is widely forgotten today. To correct this I have written on the strike (link in next post)

170 years ago today Stonemasons in Melbourne won the 8 hour day - often presented as a one day strike, this was the culmination of a significant struggle. The Stonemasons were demanding more than a reduction in working hours. They were demanding that their fundamental humanity be recognised.

ABC staff across the country walked off the job at 11am today for 24 hours for secure jobs, fair pay and the future of quality public broadcasting all Australians rely on. Share this post to show your support. #QualityNewsQualityJobs

2. No Power Greater, by @liamj47.bsky.social . An introduction to what's possible, and to the concept of standing for things and fighting for them. www.mup.com.au/books/no-pow...

No Power Greater, Liam Byrne

Unions are making a comeback. Labour disputes around the world have hit the headlines as unions take action to challenge inequality. But while media coverage has increased, understanding of unions has not. In this lively history of Australian unionism Liam Byrne seeks to illuminate what unionism means, exploring why successive generations of working people organised unions and nurtured them f...

mup.com.au

Tell me we are in an #AI bubble without saying we are in an AI bubble.

A review of Sean Scalmer's new book "A Fair Day's Work" on my history substack (originally published on Australian Policy and History). Scalmer's book is a substantial contribution to the study of campaigns over working time with lessons and implications for today (link to article in comments)

How have workers shaped technological change through collective action? In the latest post on my substack I look at the Tailoresses Strike of 1882 as an example of worker agency amid industrial and technological transformation (link in the comments).

This Christmas, why not give your friends, comrades, and loved ones the greatest gift of all: union history! Share the gift of historical knowledge why you still can with the book Prof. Frank Bongiorno called "easily the best single-volume Australian general union history we have seen." #skystorians

If only there was a way to deliver quality universal health coverage without waiting for the false promise of a superintelligent robot "army".

One day, not too long from now, future historians are going to look back on the day when people decided to give Elon Musk a trillion dollars and wonder just what the hell was wrong with us. #AI #tech #histsci

Absolutely floored by this review of my book "No Power Greater" by Frank Bongiorno. Frank is one of the finest historians this country has produced, and someone whose work I respect deeply. And the book is, of course, available at all good book stores (and possibly some bad ones)

📚Our last Book+Author event for the year is coming up on October 30! Liam Byrne will be in conversation with Professor Sean Scalmer about his book 'No Power Greater: A history of union action in Australia' at the intimate Bard's Apothecary in the Melbourne CBD. ➡️ Book now: tinyurl.com/4zas4ws4

A thoughtful and generous review of my book, "No Power Greater", by John Howe. Lovely to read the critical reflections of such a renowned expert in labour law on the work - and always appreciate appeals for a sequel!

Australian Policy and History@auspolicyhistory.bsky.social · 10mo ago

What is a union? Who do they include and exclude? Are unions relevant in the C21st? All these questions and more are explored in No Power Greater: A History of Union Action in Australia by @liamj47.bsky.social, reviewed on APH by Prof John Howe Read the review here: aph.org.au/2025/10/book...

Have we reached peak #AI inanity? "Pope Leo XIV said a proposal to create an AI-version of him so people could have a virtual audience with the pope pretty much horrified him."

I am not usually excited about podcasts but I love the concept of this one (helps that I am currently obsessed with revolutions, particularly the French one). Ep 1 was great!

Liam Byrne@liamliamliam1234.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Meet the Revolutionaries and Ratbags who shaped the world as we know it! Was hugely fun to co-host this new history podcast with Francis Leach looking at some of history's great rebels and revolutionaries, and to discuss what this history means for us today

Meet the Revolutionaries and Ratbags who shaped the world as we know it! Was hugely fun to co-host this new history podcast with Francis Leach looking at some of history's great rebels and revolutionaries, and to discuss what this history means for us today

Who has done most to undermine the social license of #AI? Large corporations (enabled by tech bro multinationals btw) who saw the new technology as a way to displace workers, undermine established working conditions, and cut down on wages. @firesky.tv #EconSky #histtech

An interesting piece on #AI and the history of tech adoption. It has frustrated me greatly recently to hear a farrago of tech boosters lecturing the rest of us that "history shows" tech will inevitably improve our quality of life, if we just let it run its course.

Sometimes it takes an act of extraordinary courage to expose and bring down those who rule through fear and intimidation. I hope @nteunion.bsky.social member Liz Allen's brave and harrowing testimony today is the start of such a process - at ANU and other universities. www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08...

Julie Bishop accused of bullying by ANU staff member, senate inquiry hears

Former member of the Australian National University council Liz Allen has used a Senate inquiry investigating university governance to allege Chancellor Julie Bishop harassed, bullied, and threatened ...

abc.net.au

Solidarity to Macquarie University friends, colleagues and students rallying against job cuts that damage staff and student wellbeing and the fabric of the university. 12.00 in the central courtyard. Get along if you can!

Strong rally by @nteunion.bsky.social members and students at Macquarie Uni against corporatised uni management’s brutal proposed job cuts. ✊✊✊💜💜💜

A lovely review of my book on union history, "No Power Greater", in The Age/Sydney Morning Herald today, I look forward to writing the sequel as requested, in about 50 or so years.

"Byrne is absolutely going to have to write the next volume." - my book on union history, "No Power Greater" received this lovely review in The Age/SMH today. I am looking forward to writing the sequel ... in about 40 years time. www.theage.com.au/culture/book...

How a bloke with a stutter changed the way we talk about wages

I feared this book might be as boring as all get out. Silly me.

theage.com.au

Why doesn't #AI have a social licence?

Oh few, that's a relief, no need to worry about the effects of #AI because Sam Altman's own deep and comprehensive knowledge of economic and industrial history assures him that in two generations the "magic of capitalism" means that everything will be just fine. Thanks Sam!

Exciting news! Apparently demand for my new book, "No Power Greater" has been high enough that the publisher has had to print more copies. Thanks to everyone who has supported the book so far, and if you haven't gotten your copy yet, it is available in good bookstores and online!

Lovely to chat union history and my new book, "No Power Greater", with @louissdevine.bsky.social on his Ideas Matter pod

Louis Devine@louissdevine.bsky.social · last yr.

Are you interested in: • the early formation of working-class parties • the meaning and history of unionism • how labour responded to the neoliberalism of the 1980s? Then my interview with Liam Byrne is for you! @liamj47.bsky.social #auspol open.spotify.com/episode/19bd...