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Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · Aug 28

While the mainstream discussions are depressingly about *how* best to remove and stop immigrants, it’s a revolutionary act nowadays to say that immigration is actually a positive thing and an essential component of a thriving country, so please join me in doing so!

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Anja Heilmann @anjaheilmann.bsky.social · Aug 22

www.theguardian.com/global-devel...

Corporal punishment carries ‘multiple risks’ to children’s health, says WHO

An estimated 1.2bn children are subject to this ‘harmful practice’ each year, affecting physical and mental wellbeing, report finds

www.theguardian.com

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Anja Heilmann @anjaheilmann.bsky.social · Aug 22

www.nspcc.org.uk/about-us/new...

Most parents believe physical punishment of children crosses the line

We’re calling on the government to change the law to end physical punishment once and for all

www.nspcc.org.uk

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The Lancet @thelancet.com · Jun 9

What's next for @who.int without US engagement?

In a new podcast episode, Lancet editors reflect on developments at #WHA78, including the pandemic agreement and shifting dynamics in global health leadership.

Listen now 👉 tinyurl.com/7xrhu3rm #LancetVoice

The World Health Assembly, adolescent health, and the pace of innovation - The Lancet Voice

Richard, Jessamy, and Gavin reflect on developments at the 78th World Health Assembly, including the passage of the pandemic agreement and shifting dynamics in global health leadership. What's next fo...

tinyurl.com

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End Corporal Punishment @endcorppun.bsky.social · Jun 9

Today Lords will debate an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing Bill to end physical punishment in England.

We encourage peers to support this crucial amendment to give every child full protection in law from assault.

It’s time to #EndPhysicalPunishment.

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Anja Heilmann @anjaheilmann.bsky.social · May 17

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

My island of strangers: a poem | Michael Rosen

The prime minister warns that immigration could turn Britain into an ‘island of strangers’. Author and poet Michael Rosen responds

www.theguardian.com

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Anja Heilmann @anjaheilmann.bsky.social · May 12

Bravo Tanja and thank you for writing this.

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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · May 12

My letter to the Prime Minister. #immigration

Slightly amended so I can fit this here:

I am writing to you as an immigrant who chose to make the UK my home. As someone who is now also a British citizen. And as a German-born historian who understands where the complete normalisation of the far right can end. I write to say: For shame!

I first came to the UK in the 1990s for a visit with my grandmother. Objectively, much was backwards here. No mixer taps in the bathroom; awful ‘bread’; and strings had to be pulled to switch on lights. But however I felt about this, my own string had been pulled: I loved this Cool Britannia. It was quite possibly then that I decided that the UK was to be my home. When I arrived to settle here permanently, I made a choice: to contribute my skills, my knowledge—all I have to offer—to this country rather than another one.

I am deeply disgusted by your comment today that immigration has done ‘incalculable damage’ to the country.

This is the language of the far right. It is insulting, hateful & will fuel xenophobia. And it is just wrong.

Migration is a normal part of the human existence. None of us would be where we are without it. Open your fridge and you will see migration. Immigrants help make the UK tick every single day, whether we clean toilets in our hospitals or provide care for the elderly; whether we empty our bins or carry out cancer research. We are mothers, sons-in-law, aunts and uncles, friends, neighbours and colleagues.

I ask you not tell me that you do not mean me. I know that you do not—at least not primarily—mean a white woman from Europe who has a PhD. But who do you mean? And, much more importantly, who do you think those racists who were engaged in riots on our streets last summer think you mean?

Anti-immigration narratives have defined UK policymaking for the best part of two decades. And fundamentally so. They were the key driver in delivering Brexit, for example, and, as such, have directly limited the rights and opportunities of British citizens.

This obsessive focus on immigration as the ‘problem’—that is the real problem. And it is consistently delivering poor outcomes for the UK. Instead of tackling this, you are choosing to consolidate it, sowing divisions along the way.

You may point me to polling and tell me that this is what voters want. Do they? I am not surprised at all that over 50% of voters might say they want to see immigration reduced if that is the question they are being asked. What we need to know is what they would answer to the question: “Would you like to see immigration reduced? What this would mean for you and your local community is XYZ.” That is not how surveys can ask questions, but governments absolutely can choose to make policy using such a more informed position.

Prime Minister, you continue to talk a lot about making the tough choices. But let’s be clear: setting immigrants up as the ‘other’, as a scapegoat—describing us as a threat ‘pulling the country apart’, a ‘squalid chapter’, a risk that might make the UK an ‘island of strangers’—these are not tough choices at all. These are the easy choices. They are the choices that populists make who have no solutions to the real problems a country faces.

What I would like to know, Prime Minister, is what you will do when your policies lead to the implosion of the UK’s Higher Education sector. What you will tell communities when they can no longer provide any care for the elderly.

The policies you announced today will not solve anything at all. They will have exclusively negative impacts. For those immediately affected; for our communities; and for our economy.

Being pro-immigration—it is progressive, yes, but the much more crucial point is that it is also the most pro-UK policy approach that any politician in the country can pursue. And you are choosing to do the opposite. This, Prime Minister, is the real damage—and it will be very calculable indeed.

Tanja Bueltmann

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The BMJ @bmj.com · Mar 21

"The bill is the first child centred draft legislation in over a decade, and this opportunity must not be lost."

Amend the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to protect children from assault, @drandrewrowland.bsky.social
www.bmj.com/content/388/...

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UCL Dental Public Health @ucl-dph.bsky.social · Mar 23

👏 Huge congratulations to our brilliant Yanela Aravena Rivas @yanelaaravena.bsky.social who this week passed her PhD with no corrections! 🎓🥳🎉

Her thesis examined the impact of the Chilean governance system on sugar consumption in the country, and her examiners were extremely impressed by her work.

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ISPCAN @ispcan.bsky.social · Mar 19

40 countries make first-ever joint statement on corporal punishment to the Human Rights Council.👏
🔗 endcorporalpunishment.org/first-hrc-jo...
#endcorporalpunishment
#riseuptoendchildabuse

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Jess Asato MP @jessasatomp.bsky.social · Mar 18

The evidence is clear: physical punishment doesn't work, and is instead linked to poorer mental health, substance misuse, antisocial behaviour, and slower cognitive development.

It isn't punishment - it's abuse.

@rcpch.bsky.social @nspcc.bsky.social @barnardos.org.uk @childrenscomm.bsky.social

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Anja Heilmann @anjaheilmann.bsky.social · Mar 18

@nuffieldfoundation.org

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Equalise: ESRC Centre for Lifecourse Health Equity @equalise.bsky.social · Mar 18

The threat of violence to children should no longer be given legal cover. The time for change is now! childofourtimeblog.org.uk/2025/03/phys... @anjaheilmann.bsky.social @yvonne-kelly.bsky.social @nspcc.bsky.social @uclnews.bsky.social @ucl-dph.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk @jessasatomp.bsky.social

Physical punishment harms children’s wellbeing – the time to act is now

Physical punishment is the most common form of violence against children and a major concern from both children’s rights and public health perspectives. The United Nations Committee on the Ri…

childofourtimeblog.org.uk

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Jess Asato MP @jessasatomp.bsky.social · Mar 6

Alongside @EllieChowns.bsky.social I have tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing Bill which would introduce equal protection from assault for children. As Prof Andrew Rowland says: "Now is the time for this Victorian-era punishment to go." www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Doctors back total ban on smacking children in England

Smacking is legal in some cases in England and Northern Ireland, but is banned in Scotland and Wales.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Ellie Chowns MP @elliechowns.bsky.social · Mar 3

“Our amendment is simple: children should have the same legal protections from assault as adults.”

Proud to work with Jess Asato MP on a joint op-ed advocating for the abolition of the 'reasonable punishment' defence.

Read our full piece here: www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...

End the legal loophole for physically punishing children

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a vital piece of legislation that will help ensure all children get the best start in life, driving th...

www.politicshome.com

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Jess Asato MP @jessasatomp.bsky.social · Mar 3

Physical punishment is outdated and harmful.

It's time we change the law to get rid of the 'reasonable punishment' defence of assault and battery on children.

@elliechowns.bsky.social and I for @thehousemag.bsky.social 👇

www.politicshome.com/thehouse/art...

End the legal loophole for physically punishing children

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Bill is a vital piece of legislation that will help ensure all children get the best start in life, driving th...

www.politicshome.com

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Annette Dittert @annettedittert.bsky.social · Feb 28

I have never seen anything as disgusting as that. Genuinely no words.

Chris Baraniuk @chrisbaraniuk.com · Feb 28

BBC News now has the footage on their live page - you can rewind slightly to the beginning of the broadcast from the Oval Office if need be.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c6...

Trump accuses Zelensky of 'gambling with World War Three' in tense White House meeting - follow live

The US president calls his Ukrainian counterpart

www.bbc.co.uk

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Musa Okwonga @okwonga.bsky.social · Feb 28

I will never forget the photo of Zelenskyy’s face after he saw Russia’s war crimes in Bucha in 2022. He seemed to age years in an afternoon. Watching him constantly cross the world asking for aid that should have been thrown at him is one of the deepest shames of our age.

Zelenskyy’s face after he saw Russia’s war crimes in Bucha in 2022. The agony in his face…he looks overwhelmed with disbelief at the sheer cruelty.

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Barnardo's @barnardos.org.uk · Feb 27

Scotland & Wales have acted—England must not fall behind. We urge MPs to back the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill amendment to #EndPhysicalPunishment. (2/3)

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Barnardo's @barnardos.org.uk · Feb 27

MPs, experts & advocates met to push for a vital change: ending the legal defence that allows parents to use physical punishment on their children, also known as the “reasonable chastisement” defence, to ensure children in England have the same protection from assault. (1/3)

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Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · Feb 23

I know we all love a dose of hopium, especially now. But the take, which I see all across here, that the far right was defeated in Germany tonight because 80% of Germans voted for other parties is very misleading and unhelpful. Understanding this really matters. 🧵

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Prof Julia Steinberger 🌹🌱🌍 #ClimateAction #Fightfascism @jksteinberger.bsky.social · Feb 23

As promised, here are the slides I shared with students to convince them to NOT use chatGPT and other artificial stupidity.

TL;DR? AI is evil, unsustainable and stupid, and I'd much rather they use their own brains, make their own mistakes, and actually learn something. 🪄

NO CHATGPT Or other artificial stupidity: motivation
First, clarity on distinguishing AIs:
Non-generative: grammar aid, translation, dictionary, text-to-audio (e.g. Natural Reader): no problem
As long as you use the appropriate tools (least intensive in data and server energy use).
Why? Because you provide the content. Your brain is doing the most important work
Generative: ChatGPT & Co.
You only supply the prompt, the AI supplies the content.
Why is this delegation of work problematic?
3 domains: ethical, environmental, intellectual engagement.

(Caveat: generative is probably ok for computer programming, where it can be useful and save time. Not relevant to this class.)

1) AI and ethics
Mass theft of all and everything
«learning» on books, articles, blogs, social media, images, music, cultural production, without permission of authors/creators, and leading to their mass joblessness. Profits are not reditributed to originators.
Permanent destruction of the mental health of underpaid precarious tech workers in the Global South (Kenya, Philippines …):
«correction» to avoid production of violent and pedophile contents etc, tech workers are obliged to watch and correct super violent contents for days on end, leading to extreme psychological suffering and trauma, from which recovery is doubtful. No or little compensation (certainly not at the level of the suffering inflicted).
In short, an industry built on theft of real human creation and sacrifice of real human health, profiting a few megafortunes.

2) AI and (un)sustainability

Massive consumption of electricity, water, server capacity for generative AI.
Outcome: keep fossil fuel companies in business, using up new renewable capacity, without any satisfaction of basic human needs.
Massive misappropriation of the finance necessary for climate and ecological action (renewable generation, efficiency and retrofit for buildings, public transit, infrastructures for cycling etc) towards AI industry.
Overall: undermine climate action, reinforce fossil industry, waste resources necessary for human development.

3) AI and intellectual engagement

First, what learning is (or should be) about:
The goal should not (only) be the reproduction of «correct» knowledge,
But mainly personal engagement and experience of thinking about topics of interest. Personal engagement = using one’s own brain.
The most important activity for learning and intellectual engagement is the experience of making one’s own mistakes, by trial and error, corrections based on new ideas, starting over again. Learning to recognise nuances, knowledge gaps, better explanations
This kind of learning is possible only through using your own brain, not AI.
Also, Ais are not «intelligent». At all.
They simply reproduce pre-existing patterns. They «bullshit», invent false references, false facts, false data, simply because those sound plausible. VERY DANGEROUS.
If you learn how to NOT use AI, and how to research facts and data on your own, this will serve you and your communities for the rest of your life.

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thecoreprogramme.bsky.social @thecoreprogramme.bsky.social · Feb 13

The third newsletter for the CORE Programme is now out and can be accessed here - sway.cloud.microsoft/7F8Ov1FnXEdz...

Newsletter

CORE is a four-year research programme funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to address the neglect of oral diseases in four middle-income countries: Colombia, Kenya

sway.cloud.microsoft

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The BMJ @bmj.com · Jan 21

In a major blow to global health, the US administration has announced plans to withdraw from the World Health Organization @who.int.

@kentbuse.bsky.social and colleagues propose urgent actions for the international community to mitigate the damage
www.bmj.com/content/388/...

Donald Trump stands at a podium with JD Vance behind

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