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Imagine if you took all the profits off gas/oil cos, AI cos, and other massively polluting, but profitable, industries worldwide and put them into: Decarbonising everything Investing in sustainable transport Building reservoirs Planting trees We could solve this. Yet, politicians choose not to

Of course the UK governments don't know where research is! They know almost nothing about it! No-one is in charge, no-one has a plan, no-one is steering: that's one of our main problems.

Research Professional News@resprofnews.bsky.social · 10h ago

Government ‘doesn’t know where research capability lies’. Contractions in the university sector need to be understood, former government science adviser says. www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...

Stunning display of motornormativity here from the BBC. No, they are not "closing down streets" - if they were doing that they would be shut off from everyone. Rather, they are changing who is using the space. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play

In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.

bbc.co.uk

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.

'A wholesale review of university funding and organisation has been announced by the Welsh Government. The review comes as institutions in Wales grapple with a combined operating deficit of £97m+ even after years of cuts and job losses.'

Major review of universities in Wales announced after years of cuts

The Welsh Government will look at university funding and organisation as bosses face a black hole of almost £100m

walesonline.co.uk

Our latest collaboration is public! From today, visitors to the Isle of Wight Steam Railway can pick up our leaflet, exploring some of the Island's past railway staff! They'll discover carriage cleaner Elsie Knapp, Yarmouth station master Robert White & more! #HeritageRailway #RailwayHistory

Stunning display of motornormativity here from the BBC. No, they are not "closing down streets" - if they were doing that they would be shut off from everyone. Rather, they are changing who is using the space. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Leeds: The city closing down streets so children can play

In Leeds, streets are being temporarily closed to traffic so kids have more space to safely play - an initiative proving beneficial to both children and adults.

bbc.co.uk

What I haven't seen mentioned in connection to this story about one of the busiest commuter services, is that the LNR train is significantly cheaper than the Avanti ones. hence why it is busy. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

What I haven't seen mentioned in connection to this story about one of the busiest commuter services, is that the LNR train is significantly cheaper than the Avanti ones. hence why it is busy. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...

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)

Lowest number of graduate job openings since 2020. This is a core labour market problem that universities cannot fix, but routinely get the blame for.

UK graduate job openings fall to lowest level since pandemic

Indeed’s findings point to challenge facing Andy Burnham to boost youth unemployment and cut welfare bill

ft.com

Of course, this sort of thing isn't new... From Southwark and Bermondsey Recorder, 26 December 1919.

ianVisits@ianvisits.co.uk · 2d ago

Evasion is a problem, but the underlying motivations aren't uniform, being driven both economic and social factors. There are people who -are unable to pay -take calculated risks -are proud to dodge -evade by mistake -feel they shouldn't have to pay for poor quality

ianVisits@ianvisits.co.uk · 2d ago

Evasion is a problem, but the underlying motivations aren't uniform, being driven both economic and social factors. There are people who -are unable to pay -take calculated risks -are proud to dodge -evade by mistake -feel they shouldn't have to pay for poor quality

ianVisits@ianvisits.co.uk · 2d ago

Of course, this sort of thing isn't new... From Southwark and Bermondsey Recorder, 26 December 1919.

ianVisits@ianvisits.co.uk · 2d ago

The difference--

Okay, what on earth is this? I'm thinking it's some kind of moth.

Not only that but *the entire Humanities offering at Hertfordshire has gone and is being taught out*

Cordelia Beattie@cordeliabeattie.bsky.social · 3d ago

I see some people are reading this post as being about Exeter but it’s referring to the University of Hertfordshire. And that’s Owen’s point. Less coverage about the axe falling there but it’s equally sad.

If you're arriving at uni this autumn, or maybe dropping your kids, remember that there could be a ghostly phalanx of absent redundant staff, lost modules and degraded degrees making it a very unhappy place. It may *look* the same, but it won't *be* the same. www.ft.com/content/e5b0...

Several UK universities nearly ran out of cash last year, says report

Almost a quarter of higher education institutions were left with less than 70 days of cash to cover costs

ft.com

So a whole lot of my talented Humanities colleagues are now unemployed as of today. A lot of understandable concern over Exeter. But for over two decades my Hums colleagues were in the top quartile for their research contribution to society. History top 10. Now gone with only a national whisper.

The truth is that the UK govt missed its last chances to underpin universities and support regional societies and economies in the post-Covid recovery period and then the 2025 White Paper. Those opportunities won't come again. www.ft.com/content/e14d...

Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says

LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic students’ fees, limits on international students and rise in employers’ national insurance

ft.com

Thank you #Toronto, and #Canada, it has been an absolute pleasure. Here I stand in front Canadian National locomotive no 6213 at @torailwaymuseum.bsky.social. It was built in 1942 at the Montreal Locomotive Works and was in service until 1959.

Why has the latest heatwave broken the West of England (Main)line? Here's me explaining the problem and how to fix it on BBC R4's WATO, with added interpretive dance: youtu.be/rjnl9iHnFK0?...

The Heatwave Is Wreaking Havoc On This Railway Line

YouTube video by Gareth Dennis

youtu.be

A deeply destructive and inexpert management consultancy class has emerged whose sole purpose is to shrink Anglosphere universities and to undermine their future - all the better to secure more work. 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

🚨THIS SATURDAY! 🚨 1 August 2026 Come along and find out more about the men & women who kept Didcot & the Great Western Railway moving before 1939. Tours at 11.30 and 14.00 - meet at the Enquiry Office, near the engine shed. Free once you're on site! 👇

OldRailwayAccidents@rwldproject.bsky.social · last mo.

🚨IT'S BACK!🚨 Following last year's success, join us on a FREE walking tour exploring Didcot Railway Centre's historic staff, via their accidents. Meet at the engine shed on Sunday 5 July, 11.00 or 14.00. Hear about fitter Frank Coxon, carriage cleaner Mabel Elliot, driver Ernest Edmonds & more!

A great thread on the problematic redesign of the British Newspaper Archive. It was done without any attention to what researchers need. Importantly, this can be considered the BNA frustrating access to historical sources. They didn't do this intentionally, but that's what has happened.

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵@threadinburgh.scot · last wk.

There's been a user interface update on the British Newspaper Archive. Let it just be said, I'm not happy 😡 They've gone into the trap of moving well-established menus around and adding extra clicks in simple steps in the name of a slicker appearance, totally breaking muscle memory of regular users

I am politely asking web designers, in the thrice-accursed name of Nyarlathotep the Crawling Chaos, to stop taking stuff that is easy to use and replacing it with shinier stuff that's not. Thank you in advance. If you don't comply then I shall descend upon you in the darkness and consume your soul.

Andy Arthur💃🏰⚓🦌 Threadinburgh 🧵@threadinburgh.scot · last wk.

There's been a user interface update on the British Newspaper Archive. Let it just be said, I'm not happy 😡 They've gone into the trap of moving well-established menus around and adding extra clicks in simple steps in the name of a slicker appearance, totally breaking muscle memory of regular users

This is just it. It was utterly straightforward to click through to the scope and range you needed. Now, it's mindboggling. Yes, we get to grips with the new system, but the old system worked and made for efficient research. Did the BNA actually talk to researchers before making the changes?

Richard Sims@simsre.bsky.social · 6d ago

The loss of the open filter panel on the left. It was easy to narrow down searches. A series of clicks to get to the date or area range. Now you do have not the choice you had before but it takes longer to enter

After many years of waiting, and one failed attempt 9 years ago, I am finally visiting @torailwaymuseum.bsky.social