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André Brett

@drdrehistorian.bsky.social

4K followers 720 following 6.7K posts

Historians wanna talk like they got something to say | NZ and Australian history, politics, trains, music, sport, higher ed | he/him | "Australian-adjacent person": Melburnian Kiwi in Perth

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · Nov 12

It seems an opportune time to do an intro thread, since I'm included in some quite different starter packs. My bio note about "NZ and Australian history, politics, trains, music, sport, higher ed" covers the topics I post about the most, and I do *not* stick consistently to any one of them 1/18

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 1m

Pollies so bought by the gambling industry that they kicked out of their sports club the guy who was a top professional athlete

It's funny, in a "laughing at" sort of way

Guardian Australia @australia.theguardian.com · 6h

Former Wallabies star David Pocock booted from parliamentary sports club

Exclusive: Senator accused of bringing social club into disrepute after raising concerns about its association with betting lobby Independent ACT senator David Pocock – a former Wallabies captain – been banned from attending parliament house’s social sports club after raising concern about its sponsorship by the gambling industry. The former rugby star was on Thursday night told he was no longer welcome at Australian Parliament Sports Club events, and accused of politicising the organisation. He has been removed from group chats discussing its events. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 6m

Oh that's another good'un

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2h

Every time I see the word my brain wants to read it as slang for genitalia

Bevil 🔜 MFF! @thebevil.bsky.social · 9h

Shout-out to one of my coworkers who thought "labubu" was slang for lobotomy

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 3h

"the difference in the quality of course discussion where 70 percent of the students have done 50 percent of the readings and one in which 20 percent have done 10 percent of the readings is obvious in the same way that a cold Coke tastes different than lukewarm spit"

dear GOD this is so true

BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 14h

I think Paul, of blessed posting memory, is entirely right here, and I say this *even though* the young people I know remain highly literate and engaged, because I think his sample is way more representative than mine.

musgrave.substack.com/p/a-post-lit...

A Post-Literate Society is a Too-Literal Society

Directness is a virtue and subtlety is lost

musgrave.substack.com

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 6h

Yeah at my school I was in J1 and J2 (never “junior”, only J). This was on the Kāpiti Coast in the early 90s

My mum had “primmer” in the Hutt Valley in the mid 60s

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 6h

I struggle to recall hearing anyone in Aus/NZ use the “PRIMM-er” pronunciation, except for some older Kiwis referring to the first years of school, which I knew as J1 and J2, from a year naming structure phased out about 25 years ago

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 7h

Congratulations to the sub who wrote this headline, the Graun should give them a raise

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 7h

You won’t believe what degrading practice the pope just condemned

Communication must be freed from clickbait and misguided thinking, head of Catholic church tells journalists The pope has condemned clickbait as a “degrading” part of journalism, at a private audience with global newswires. Australian media representatives were among those to hear directly from Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Thursday with about 150 members of newswire alliance Minds International. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by André Brett

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 18h

I am deeply sceptical of their methodology. But I also think they should rebrand as FuckAboutAndFindOutNow.

Election Maps UK @electionmaps.uk · 18h

Westminster Voting Intention:

RFM: 32% (-3)
LAB: 17% (-2)
CON: 17% (+3)
GRN: 15% (+4)
LDM: 12% (=)
SNP: 3% (=)

Via @findoutnow.bsky.social, 8 Oct.
Changes w/ 1 Oct.

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 17h

I felt I cracked the code in polsci exams (as set in late 00s) to get 85+, because I namedropped readings and could bullshit about them in a structured way

What I perhaps had not realised is that my general nerdiness in reading all the time underpinned said capacity to write with structure and arg

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 18h

Lesson learnt: pour another glass and never log off

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 18h

My book Can't Get There from Here is literally from a late-night Twitter discussion a few glasses of red into the evening, which led me to type an intro for a journal article

I woke the next morning expecting it to be drivel. Instead I looked at it and thought "that's a decent intro... for a book"

Conrad Hackett @conradhackett.bsky.social · 2d

Has anything great happened in your life because of social media?

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 18h

I guess I'm still thinking of that sort of thing as accent variation rather than, say, how you pronounce Jervois Quay in Wellington

(I enjoy tourists assuming "zher-vwah", though the local "jer-voice" is also technically wrong: it's named for a guy who pronounced his last name "jar-viss")

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 18h

Woonona, Bulli, Unanderra, and Dapto too!

(also apparently I routinely got Thirroul wrong the whole time I lived there, even though I'm convinced I was saying it the local way—one friend said "no you swallow the last syllable too much, Kiwi-ly")

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 18h

Hard to say what the funniest part of this is (for certain values of "funny"), but for me it's a toss-up between:
a) bloke with brolly has genuinely advocated for incest
b) the woman has been removed from the live copy, both in the banner pic and three paras about her at the end, but readable here:

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Reposted by André Brett

Ash @queerash.bsky.social · 23h

are *your* children following this TERRIFYING online trend? Look out for the signs:

* LOL: love our landlords
* BTW: beat the workers
* LMAO: let maggie advance on
* BRB: beautiful righteous boris

Dr Mark | 北马克 |🍉🇦🇺🇲🇾🇹🇭 @ajaanmark.bsky.social · 1d

Are they hoping to start a Young Tory cosplay trend on TikTok
www.thetimes.com/article/8c9a...

Meet the young Tories dreaming of a bright blue future

The Conservatives know they have a problem with Gen Z voters. At the party conference, The Times met a new breed of activists who are embracing the challenge

www.thetimes.com

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 21h

Big fan of forming an army for the salvation of the Hutt

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah I must admit I’m struggling to think of examples that are neither place names nor simple accent variation

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 1d

Yeah I was going to say Jervois too, and it’s a funny one because the man for whom it is named pronounced his last name “Jar-viss” but it has been many decades since any Wellingtonian cared

Suspect Majoribanks will go phonetic locally with time too (much to scowls from my dad who once lived on it)

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

I was surprised to not hate it when I was last there. The Esplanade is rather nice!

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Been too long since I’ve done it myself—back in the days when it was still the Overlander!

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

🫡🫡🫡

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Move over Australian Motoring Enthusiasts Party and "accidental senator" Ricky Muir

Peter McGladdery @petermcgladdery.bsky.social · 2d

'"Motorists" is a strange name for a political party (6 seats in Czech parliament)' I thought. 'Must be a wonky translation'

Nope. And each section in the wiki gets worse.

Snippet from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorists_for_Themselves

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Not even a band of cloud rolling in could stop the supermoon shining on a Perth train heading to bed (the depot)

A very bright moon shining through cloud with the lights of a train streaking across the image

André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

I should set up my Serious Camera but I am simply too lazy to get good at night photography

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André Brett @drdrehistorian.bsky.social · 2d

Holy shit go look at the moon

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