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George McKay

@georgemckay.bsky.social

350 followers 250 following 60 posts

Prof Media Studies. Writes about popular music, festival, disability, jazz, peace, protest, gardening, + most recently Oxford Handbook of...Punk Rock. Charcot Marie Tooth. Plays music: double bass, bands (jazz, folk)

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Art 63%

Computer science 11%

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 2d

Some of my brilliant colleagues @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social have organised the NQIFF 2025 film festival in Norwich. It's all free! Info and programme here: www.nqiff.com #queerfilm #filmfestival

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 8d

New blog abt Winnie Atwell, on the occasion of the new blue plaque marking her achievements. georgemckay.org/winifred-atw...

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 13d

RIP Tony Harrison, who blew my mind when I read his work as a student in Hull. I took my mum (working class) to see him read @norwichartscentre.bsky.social in 1984 we were both v moved. I took my copy for him to sign & made notes on what he read. I still say “Ay ay stutterer Demosthenes” sometimes

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 15d

Always loved that Danny Thompson (RIP) played with free drummer John Stevens in a band too. One of those more surprising folk / jazz crossovers. Here’s a foto I found of Thompson from 1978, in Norwich! (That’s a cello not a bass tho)

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 15d

www.theguardian.com/music/2025/s...

From Kate Bush to Pentangle to T-Rex, the late Danny Thompson’s musical brilliance knew no bounds

The bassist, who has died aged 86, was an extraordinary and wildly versatile presence in British music, bringing his personality into everything he played

www.theguardian.com

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 22d

Tonight

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 23d

www.theguardian.com/books/2025/s...

Carol Ann Duffy writes ‘bombsite’ poem about Trump’s UK state visit

Exclusive: Former poet laureate has reader contrasting pomp and ceremony of banquet with ruins left by war

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Dorothy Bishop , and 25 more Joanna Bryson, Anna O. Law, Dorothy Bishop, David M. Schultz, Philip N. Cohen, Martin Paul Eve, Judith N. Shklar, Ingo Rohlfing, George McKay, Melanie C. Green, Andrew Jacobs, Christine Kooi, Rob Boddice, Suzanne de Cheveigné, Julia M. Wright, Aoife O’Donoghue, Jonathan Webber, Erin O’Donnell, Brian Weatherson, Stuart White, Nelson Flores, Marcus Credé, Urška Demšar, Thessa Jensen, Kirstin Drenkhahn, Mary McAuliffe, Annette Yoshiko Reed, David Spurrett

Dr. Nick Posegay @nposegay.bsky.social · 23d

I'm sorry, worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable permission to my voice and likeness? For what now? In any manner for any purpose???

This is in academia/.edu's new ToS, which you're prompted to agree to on login. Anyway I'll be jumping ship. You can find my stuff at hcommons.org.

By creating an Account with Academia.edu, you grant us a worldwide, irrevocable, non-exclusive, transferable license, permission, and consent for Academia.edu to use your Member Content and your personal information (including, but not limited to, your name, voice, signature, photograph, likeness, city, institutional affiliations, citations, mentions, publications, and areas of interest) in any manner, including for the purpose of advertising, selling, or soliciting the use or purchase of Academia.edu's Services.

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · 25d

Great point and suggestion

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · Aug 31

Always a pleasure to see some music at the Bim when in Amsterdam with my Rhythm Changes conference pals

George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · Aug 27

Love bass talk of all kinds

Reposted by George McKay, Julie Cupples

Henry Tapper @henrytapper.bsky.social · Aug 23

Surely not, but… astonishingly: yes.

Can USS DB pension benefits decrease by paying more?

Surely not, but… astonishingly: yes. This is because when USS scheme members cease service on any day other than 31 March, USS applies an unusual and little-known mechanism of revaluation. Instead …

henrytapper.com

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Reposted by George McKay

Music Venue Trust @musicvenuetrust.bsky.social · Aug 18

MPs have launched a fan-led review of live music - with an online survey, which you will find via: committees.parliament.uk/committee/37...

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Reposted by George McKay

Sleaford Mods @sleafordmods.bsky.social · Mar 14

UK GRIM live on KEXP from The Triple Door. Recorded 19th April 2023. Still here, still GRIM.

Witness the fitness and check out the full performance: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE0k...

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Reposted by George McKay

Charlotte Walker @charlrwalker.bsky.social · Mar 19

The reality of claiming PIP: a 🧵

1) To claim PIP you have to describe in excruciating detail all the ways you cannot function. This means that you are forced to think in very detailed terms exactly how disabled you are, which often has a devastating effect on the mental health of the applicant 1/?

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Reposted by George McKay

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Jun 25

Bradford Uni looking to cut Engineering, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Public Health, Biomedical Sciences and Forensics (among others). Not as if we need those is it. Britain - the stupid country. 🇬🇧 www.ucu.org.uk/article/1406...

University of Bradford staff to down tools for 10 days over £16m cuts programme

Staff at the University of Bradford will begin ten days of strike action next week over plans to make £16m of cuts, slash hundreds of jobs and close multiple courses.

www.ucu.org.uk

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Reposted by George McKay

Orkney Library & Archive @orkneylibrary.bsky.social · Jul 25

From the deserts of Sudan
to the gardens of Japan.
From Milan to Yucatan,
or the wilds of Borneo
to the vineyards of Bordeaux.

Hit me with your library card. Hit me. Hit me.

A display of travel books for the deserts of Sudan, Japan, Yucatan, Milan, Bordeaux and Borneo

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · Jul 24

Love the names

Reposted by George McKay

Disability Arts Online @disabilityarts.bsky.social · Jul 24

The Old Vic seeks an Education & Community Intern. Funded by John Lyon's Charity Inclusive Internship fund to support young people with learning disabilities into the creative workforce

Closing - 29 Jul
Location - London
££ - £8.6K

disabilityarts.online/opportunity-...

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · Jul 22

With Tangential Trio at the Rumsey Wells in Norwich on Thursday evening just in case you are in the area & fancy some ‘old jazz, new jazz, green jazz, blue jazz’ …

Reposted by George McKay

UEA UCU says join a union @uea-ucu.bsky.social · Jul 22

Plans to cut mental health courses at the University of East Anglia have been criticised as “short-sighted” and a “dereliction of civic responsibility”.

More on the proposed Clinical Psychology course closures at UEA via @timeshighered.bsky.social - www.timeshighereducation.com/news/closure...

Closure of UEA mental health courses ‘deeply concerning’

University says NHS and apprenticeship changes make programmes ‘no longer viable’ but union calls move a ‘dereliction of civic responsibility’

www.timeshighereducation.com

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Reposted by Tim M. Blackburn, Elizabeth Stokoe, Eric Herring , and 7 more Tim M. Blackburn, Elizabeth Stokoe, Eric Herring, Andrew L. Jackson, Carolyne Larrington, Rebecca Williams, George McKay, Pauline Stafford, James Cameron, Catherine Spooner

Shiv Ramdas Mens Rice Activist @nameshiv.bsky.social · Jul 22

The UK did have one standout product that was considered globally valuable- universities- and unilaterally decided to stop providing the product because it was more important to be xenophobic than successful

Andrew Sissons @acjsissons.bsky.social · Jul 21

The UK’s economic problems are quite deep-rooted. The best summary I can offer is “we don’t make enough valuable, productive stuff and sell it to the world any more”.
Things like planning and energy no doubt play a role in that - but I don’t think they’re enough to fix it on their own

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Reposted by George McKay

Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jul 22

'The report estimates that while 8,900 people are being, or have recently been, affected by compulsory redundancies across the sector’s 165 institutions, a further 11,500 people have been affected by “back-door” redundancies, such as voluntary severance'. zenodo.org/records/1563... 3/3

Universities Degraded: Staff Experiences & Employer Practices of Redundancies in UK Higher Education

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Conducted between August and October 2024 and publicised mainly by members of the University and College Union (UCU), the ‘Survey for UCU Members on HE Redundancies’ invited response...

zenodo.org

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Reposted by George McKay

marcwillerskc.bsky.social @marcwillerskc.bsky.social · Jul 21

Good to see the government is drawing up the terms of reference for the Battle of Orgreave public inquiry - but this wasn’t an isolated event. Let’s not forget the grossly excessive police violence used against Travellers at the Battle of the Beanfield in 1985 www.gypsy-traveller.org/news/40-year...

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Reposted by George McKay

Simon Knott @simoninsuffolk.bsky.social · Jul 17

Jane Mathison Haining, a Church of Scotland missionary worker who was killed in Auschwitz #OTD 17 July 1944. Her story deserves to be better known, I think.

www.yadvashem.org/righteous/st...

Photo: Yad Vashem

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Reposted by George McKay

Disability Rights UK @disrightsuk.bsky.social · Jul 9

We are right outside Parliament, alongside WinVisible and other Disabled campaigners, having our voices heard as the debate goes on in the chamber.

Who opposes this bill?
➡️Disabled people
➡️The general public
➡️The United Nations

It's time to #BinUCBill

Four Disabled protestors outside Parliament. They have placards that read:
Stop all benefits cuts and sanctions, Winvisible
Charities don't collaborate with cuts, Winvisible
Benefit cuts are killing us!
Remembered: Elaine Morrall Single Mum of 4 killed by UC sanction, November 2017
Winvisible

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Reposted by George McKay, Gráinne McKeever

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Jul 7

New redundancies in Higher Education at:
*Anglia Ruskin
*Birmingham City
*Bristol
*De Montfort
*Derby
*Goldsmiths (yet again)
*Greenwich
*Hertfordshire
*Lancaster
*Leicester
Every single day in HE is like this. Nothing will be done.

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Reposted by George McKay

Bantshire University @bantshireuni.bsky.social · Jul 3

“My tears were actually tears of joy at our stable financial position”, claims Director of Finance during hastily arranged all-staff webinar, flanked by VC and DVC.

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George McKay @georgemckay.bsky.social · Jun 25

Peace Studies staff too. Am thinking we could do with more of those right now

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Jun 25

University of Bradford staff to down tools for 10 days over £16m cuts programme

Staff at the University of Bradford will begin ten days of strike action next week over plans to make £16m of cuts, slash hundreds of jobs and close multiple courses.

www.ucu.org.uk

Reposted by Justin H. Kirkland, George McKay, Kate Bradley

Glen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · Jun 25

What we're doing in the uni sector is shutting off routes for kids with Bs and Cs to do key (and prestigious) subjects, and closing down the ability of young people to go to the local uni just when it becomes ruinous expensive to go way. Will have incalculable consequences for social mobility.

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