In a traditional Japanese garden, found objects provide a focus for contemplation.

James Meek@jamesmeek.bsky.social · 12h ago

Back in the 70s in Scotland an actual German ex-Nazi was wheeled into our RE class to lecture us about the perils of Naziism and within a few minutes he was shouting angrily at us for not keeping quiet and paying his story the proper respect

As an aside, in my co-authored piece on HMT, I tended to look at the political masters for blame. This report by Diane et al shifts me somewhat Treasury ‘orthodoxy’ | Institute for Government share.google/hoJxsqWC3cc4...

Treasury ‘orthodoxy’ | Institute for Government

The Treasury wields too much influence across government and dominates strategic thinking at the centre.

share.google

16 months ago, when Rupert Lowe was generally treated as a a fantasist, I wrote this essay explaining how a three-cornered fight to lead the right was emerging. Now, with Badenoch struggling and Restore crippling Reform in Manchester, I am re-upping: williamcullernebown.substack.com/p/influencer...

Influencer politics and the crisis in Reform

A new kind of technologically-enhanced activist will seal the fate of Nigel Farage, and perhaps the UK

williamcullernebown.substack.com

Sunder Katwala (sundersays)@sundersays.bsky.social · 3d ago

Rupert Lowe pitches a deal from Restore to Farage's Reform. His conditions are full adoption of Restore's policies on mass deportations" including "millions must go" slogan on legal migrants + his policies on Islam + a referendum on death penalty + the ditching of Rupert Jenrick & Suella Braverman

Honestly fraud team, have you met London? Our mobile signal disappears all the time.

Is bloc politics actually defined by an epistemological cleavage?

Like, this is what Starmer and McSweeney thought they were doing

they have a history of false balance on scientific issues; ksj.mit.edu/tracker-arch...

Morality aside, maybe Britain can do something about ever worse heatwaves - with geo engineering aria.org.uk/opportunity-...

Exploring Climate Cooling

Backed by £56.8m, this programme will explore whether approaches designed to delay, or avert, climate tipping points could be feasible, scalable, and safe.

aria.org.uk

Robert Saunders@robertsaunders.bsky.social · 7d ago

Absolutely shameful piece. Even if a "Mediterranean" future were desirable - and a third of a million people are currently fleeing an inferno - what about those parts of the world being made uninhabitable? Where do their people go? Heath doesn't want them here. www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/2026...

“the FTSE is almost an anti-tech index”

“Without additional funds, the risk is that [scientific and other research funding] is diverted to support more immediate economic goals. With university research already being squeezed by the loss of income from overseas students, that could be calamitous.” #HigherEducation #Research #UKRI

William Cullerne Bown@williamcb.bsky.social · last wk.

Johnny Reynolds and the Department of Economic Affairs In his first speech to staff, Johnny Reynolds compared his new department to the one George Brown was given by Harold Wilson. What is the import of that? william.cullernebown.uk/johnny-reyno...

File under "Really quite disturbing" If the preliminary data for the past few weeks are confirmed, we are now very close to a new world record, and seeing an alarming rate of change climatereanalyzer.org/clim/sst_dai...

You want to know the worst thing about academia? It’s right here in the replies and quotes.

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · last wk.

Hey 🧪! I was just reminiscing with a friend about the time a very senior academic called a mid-career guy's work "completely meaningless" at a meeting and now I want to hear your best (public, academic) disses

I'm honestly a bit shocked by this thread, because my experiences with snide comments at conferences & the like, doesn't even begin to compare to this apparently common culture of casual cruelty. Am I just a sheltered, naive babe or is that like an anglophone academia or different fields thing?

Artologica aka Michele Banks @artologica.net · last wk.

Hey 🧪! I was just reminiscing with a friend about the time a very senior academic called a mid-career guy's work "completely meaningless" at a meeting and now I want to hear your best (public, academic) disses

Yes but no. It's also because they don't know how the AI story will end and its worth squandering billions just to be double double sure your monopolistic ecosystem isn't undermined by someone else with the new juice.

Ed Zitron@edzitron.com · 4w ago

The AI bubble - and generative AI - only exists because Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Amazon have run out of hypergrowth ideas like Search and Microsoft Office, committing trillions of dollars to a dead end technology to avoid facing reality. www.wheresyoured.at/let-ai-burn/

Johnny Reynolds and the Department of Economic Affairs In his first speech to staff, Johnny Reynolds compared his new department to the one George Brown was given by Harold Wilson. What is the import of that? william.cullernebown.uk/johnny-reyno...

Hard to imagine that the 2030 World Cup which is in Spain, Portugal and Morocco ( 4 years ahead ) with Europe burning already, can be held in June/ July . Temperatures are already as high as Qatar in 2022…..

Time to take football away from FIFA. #COYS

Fifa accused of ‘selling the soul of football’ over $20bn World Cup commercial rights sale plan

Fifa has announced plans to sell a share of its commercial operations to private investors, a deal that would include the media and sponsorship rights of the World Cup

theguardian.com

Burnham and the problem of politics by social media by @stephenkb.bsky.social To deal with this problem, I would make all party leaders at a general election submit to a *week long* interview at the start of the campaign.

Burnham and the problem of politics by social media

The old tightly regulated party broadcast model is dead — for better and for worse

giftarticle.ft.com

Surely NATO 0.5?

Great news. Kind of need an updated pic now where your eyes snap open!

Excellent meta news for all research professionals

William Cullerne Bown@williamcb.bsky.social · 2w ago

I am starting a new newspaper, sort of like the old newspaper, but better. Tell your friends

I think the Manchester way, for at least 15 years, has been to receive each biennial new incarnation of a central government industrial strategy, sigh deeply, and then get on with the job of finding something useful in it that will support their own much more consistently applied economic approach

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

I am starting a new newspaper, sort of like the old newspaper, but better. Tell your friends

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

open.substack.com

The House of Lords Constitution Committee is starting a wide-ranging inquiry into strengthening our constitutional safeguards - as proposed by (Lord) Peter Hennessy. Look East, look West, and see the urgency. Written evidence requested by 28th of September. committees.parliament.uk/committee/17...

The UK’s constitutional safeguards inquiry launched by Lords Constitution Committee - Committees - UK Parliament

The House of Lords Constitution Committee has today published a call for evidence for its inquiry into the UK’s constitutional safeguards. It is inviting interested individuals and organisations...

committees.parliament.uk

I am starting a new newspaper, sort of like the old newspaper, but better. Tell your friends

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

open.substack.com

Given the news that someone chose to drive a car into the crowd at Berlin's Pride festival last night, the message in this photo has become deeply poignant for me. The sign says "Make LOVE great again" - with LOVE spelt out in sparkly gold and silver #Pride #Berlin #CSD

William Cullerne Bown@williamcb.bsky.social · 2w ago

Berlin Pride absolutely mental but also wonderful. This caught my eye.

Berlin Pride absolutely mental but also wonderful. This caught my eye.

This really makes a big difference to the UK and Burnham if the Dems get the White House back in 2028.

Toby Buckle@polphilpod.bsky.social · 2w ago

i don't think anyone's really caught up with the fact that the dems are now more progressive than just about any comparable party/block anywhere