Sol Gamsu
@solgamsu.bsky.social
Sociologist/sociologue/soziologe of education (elites, geographies, social mobility, dreaming/fighting for another education). Union rep UCU: organising in various capacities. Working/living in Durham/Newcastle mostly. https://linksta.cc/@Sol%20Gamsu
And I imagine the university will still demand loyalty from these 'employees'. Sunderland U has sold its soul.
Margot Finn@eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 6d agoAnother one bites the dust. All new Sunderland casual tutors employed from 1 August will be ineligible for TPS, and employed by the University's wholly-owned subsidiary. UCU estimates this will save SU £36,000 this year while it will see savings going forward due to lower TPS costs of £3M p.a.
Bordeaux, France, has now recorded more days above 40°C in 2026 alone than during the entire 105-year period from 1920 (when observations began) to 2025. This is deeply shocking.
This is really interesting, a petty bourgeois rebellion against Reform (whereas they're ususally a core part of its base, certainly its candidates). We should be supporting this and trying to help it spread. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...
Reform council chief threatens to report café boss who fed kids for free to cops
EXCLUSIVE: Barry Ashley, who runs the Grumpy Cook café in Hastings, and Labour MP Helena Dollimore have been told by East Sussex County Council chief Andy Woolley that he plans to contact police after...
mirror.co.uk
Burnham's mission to eliminate street homelessness is off to a flying start. As for his attitude to the environment, I don't think he's even aware that there is one.
Our members working in collections access at V&A have voted unanimously for strike action because they don't have time for toilet breaks or to drink water. All V&A members have separately also voted to strike over pay and conditions. Read more in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...
Staff at newest V&A site in London vote overwhelmingly for strike action
V&A Storehouse dispute centres on toilet and hydration breaks as employees across V&A in London also vote to strike in wider action
theguardian.com
It took 50 years but the murderer of Victor Jara has been convicted. This should be a wake up call to members of the IDF and Israeli leaders. Your day is coming too. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/j...
Pinochet-era soldier jailed for killing folk singer Víctor Jara 53 years ago
Nelson Haase Mazzei was sentenced for murdering Jara in 2023, but fled from authorities in Chile
theguardian.com
And as @kardyology.bsky.social observed, it's ok to pay more tax "to fix social care and the NHS as long as the private equity parasites that have infected both are eradicated" and not "to line the pockets of shareholders of companies that have been invited to enshitify essential public services."
Paul Hebden@paulhebden.bsky.social · last wk.Fucking tell that to my mate in Pudsey who has had to sell the house his brickie father built to pay mums £80,000 a year care costs to a company based in a fucking tax haven. Charles Moore's family will doubtless have millions left to pay for this care. Most working class families have a house.
Reading articles on the amounts HE has spent in APCs over the last 5-10 years, and slowly watching my blood pressure rise. Millions upon millions, on something WE CAN ABSOLUTELY DO OURSELVES FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST - what universities couldn't do with that kind of money now... 😠 And breathe...
29-07-1911 BOLIVIA: union organiser Petronila Infantes, known as Doña Peta, was born in La Paz, Bolivia. Becoming a cook at a young age, at 24 she helped found the Culinary Union, which was part of the anarchist Women Workers’ Federation.
Staff and students have been demanding that Durham University stop banking with Barclays since the 1960s.
Prof Bill McGuire@profbillmcguire.bsky.social · last wk.Barclays - always ready to screw the planet The scum of the Earth
Every commentator saying too many kids go to university has to tell their own kid to not do a degree
Reminder - the record heatwaves, record fires, record floods are all happening in the 'safe' degrees of climate change. We are on track to double where we are now. There is no time to waste. #ActOnClimate #climate #energy #renewables
“This incident is believed to be the largest recorded nurdle spill in Northern Europe and the UK.” @northwildlife.bsky.social
Nurdle nightmare for the region’s coastline | Northumberland Wildlife Trust
Northumberland Wildlife Trust is deeply concerned by the recent nurdle spill affecting the North Sea coastline and marine environment.
nwt.org.uk
Alison Stenning@alisonstenning.bsky.social · last wk.Sharing again for more reach - A spillage of approx one billion (25 tonnes) of nurdles (plastic pellets) following a collision at the Port of Tyne is washing up on beaches from Northumberland to Sunderland, with North & South Tyneside hardest hit. Huge volunteer effort underway. Press release ⬇️
What is the actual national strategy for opposing cuts/redundancies outlined here? "a rounded UCU approach" Reject the pay offer but vote no to IA over pay to "send a clear[?] message to UCEA that this is unacceptable" Instead focus on "amplifying local redundancy disputes" No strategy at all.
UCU Commons@ucucommons.org · last wk.Newsletter #23! Including: - Our candidate for the NEC casual vacancy election - Our donation to Durham Miners' Gala - UCU's WMSC signing the @nionwomen.bsky.social open letter - Commentary on HE pay offer, Burnham's education plans, OfS vs Sussex, the sector-wide crisis #UCU #UKHE
John Woodcock resigned from Labour in 2018 to end an investigation against him into sexual harrassment, that involved his alleged victim resigning her job. But what do women's rights actually matter to JK Rowling when he's on her side when it comes to proscribing uppity trans people, eh? 1/
There's a funny contradiction between the North-East as a provincial and distant region from the wealth of London and it's role in providing Labour's political elites. Sidney Webb, Ellen Wilkinson, Ramsay Macdonald & later Blair et al all used (exploited?) Labour's strong vote here to get seats.
👋 Meet the Board: Melissa Benn Award-winning writer, journalist & education campaigner. A lifelong advocate for comprehensive education and social equality, bringing decades of expertise in education, feminism and public policy to our work. 📚 Read why Melissa is part of our board 👇 3/9 #Forum
👋 Welcome to our new Bluesky account. We're a journal for promoting 3-19 comprehensive education. We provide topical and informed analysis of education issues and policy. We stand for the universal provision of a fully comprehensive education system. Subscribe to access our journal 👇 1/9 #Forum
👋 Meet the Board: Dr @solgamsu.bsky.social Sociologist and education researcher at @durham.ac.uk exploring educational inequality, social class and access to higher education. 📚 Read why Sol is part of our board below 👇 5/9 #Forum
Its worth noting that there are many more examples of verbatim copying of passages in the original blog, of that kind that should be corrected imo. But the blog was written by Nathan coffnass who has a well known ideological agenda, which has nothing to do with academic standards.
The right wing press is attacking Jason Arday, afaik britain's only Black autistic professor, for plagiarism in his PhD. There is evidence of copying passages which should be corrected; but I think this is very common, its just that nobody notices or complains if you're white. Solidarity with Jason.
"Rather than take a yearlong sabbatical in Tuscany to write the next great novel, you call in sick two days in a row, hoping that’s enough time to get a few thousand words written. Instead, you end up writing a lengthy Instagram post on millennial malaise. It gets four likes."
Affordable Midlife Crisis Options for Millennials
“Rather than leaving your spouse for a younger version, you find an older, more financially stable one with excellent health insurance. At the dinner parties...
buff.ly
The Guardian covered the initial spill last week, but nothing since on the excruciatingly slow response from the companies involved, the delays to even start the clean-up, and the massive volunteer action from our coastal communities.
One billion plastic pellets spilled into River Tyne after two ships collide
Up to 25 tonnes of nurdles, the raw material for plastic manufacturing, have spread further than initially feared
theguardian.com
Damaged containers cleared of nurdles, but meanwhile a billion of them are washing up the Tyne, onto our beaches and into the sea. This is perhaps one of the biggest plastic pollution events in the UK. And yet there’s almost no national coverage.
Damaged containers cleaned of nurdles, Port of Tyne says
The Port of Tyne says the containers which spilled nurdles into the sea have been vacuumed.
bbc.co.uk
I love how the press lads can just decree that last six years of roaring, relentless bullshit from Starmer et al was just a practice run, reset the board and then declare that there’s a new “revitalised” government. It’s like a children’s game: we’re back to 0-0 now, let’s go
Those of you were saddened that Research Professional is closing down should be excited to hear @williamcb.bsky.social is setting up an alternative - let’s sign up and support! I hope this gives a potential home to good journos from RF williamcullernebown.substack.com/p/coming-soo...
Coming soon: a new publication on research, higher education and industrial strategy from the guy who brought you the old one (me)
Research Professional News, which I founded, is being closed on 31 December. My new, independent publication will start up on 1 January
williamcullernebown.substack.com
