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Reposted by Matt Houlbrook

Joel Morris @gralefrit.bsky.social · 1h

I like the idea that rich people never do anything for the money, because they already have enough. That’ll explain them never employing tax avoidance schemes, and all the redistributive wealth policies they lobby for.

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John McCafferty @jdmccafferty.bsky.social · 11h

The pillar at Seven Dials, #London
elevation of a Doric pillar on a pedestal, with pinnacle at the top surrounded by sundials

Drawn by Edward Pierce II
1693-1694

(British Museum)

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Dr Phoenix CS Andrews @thatdocphoenix.com · 38m

She fucked everything up and we’re still dealing with the consequences, pal

The Guardian @theguardian.com · 19h

Thatcher was born 100 years ago and her reign feels a lifetime away. Why is her effect on the country still so huge? | Martin Kettle

Today’s politicians need to learn that she is not the answer to contemporary problems, says Guardian columnist Martin Kettle

www.theguardian.com

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 55m

Tickled by the idea that ’there’s something sacred about a Sunday market.’

Londonopia @londonopia.bsky.social · 1h

Best Sunday Markets in London by Area

There’s something sacred about a Sunday market. Maybe it’s the whiff of sourdough mingling with vintage corduroy. Maybe it’s the chance to drop £18 on a punnet of heritage tomatoes and pretend it’s self-care. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because London does them…

Best Sunday Markets in London by Area

There’s something sacred about a Sunday market. Maybe it’s the whiff of sourdough mingling with vintage corduroy. Maybe it’s the chance to drop £18 on a punnet of heritage tomatoes and pretend it’s self-care. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s because London does them better than anywhere else — sprawling, chaotic, delicious, and occasionally scented like artisanal soap and mild despair.

londonopia.co.uk

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Siobhán McElduff @siobhanmcelduff.bsky.social · 3h

The person who wrote this is chief culture editor for the Economist, and I have so many questions about what he does in that job and how he got it.

The Wall Street Journal @wsj.com · 10h

Compared to Dylan and Springsteen, country-music legend Johnny Cash can seem deeply uncool. It took time for me to appreciate his profound, plainspoken strength, writes Jon Fasman.

Essay | Can We Finally Give Johnny Cash His Due?

Compared to Dylan and Springsteen, the country-music legend can seem deeply uncool. It took time for me to appreciate his profound, plainspoken strength.

on.wsj.com

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Malcolm Wilson (they/them) @malcolmwilson01.bsky.social · 1h

Fucking scary as hell.

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Prem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 1h

UK Universities cut 12,000 jobs, more on the way.

40% of Unis in financial crisis.

Major exporter destroyed by successive govts

Obstacles for foreign students.
Low fees in England, lack of govt funding.
£267bn student debt.
Home student numbers down.

How will the UK compete with other nations?

Thousands more university jobs cut as financial crisis deepens

University workers will vote on national strike action this month over a 1.4% pay offer made in the summer.

www.bbc.co.uk

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Natalia Cecire @ncecire.bsky.social · 1h

Every time an institution merges units it says it's to "foster interdisciplinarity"

Laprofmme @laprofmme.bsky.social · 6h

Have you ever seen such a perfect example of vacuous consultant-speak?

Roberts and Dean wrote. "The new school will grow and amplify the impact of research and scholarship, foster interdisciplinary collaboration and expand opportunities to respond to the challenges of our time."

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Tom Clark @tom-clark.bsky.social · 10h

BBC & HMG deciding Gaza’s (for how long?) peace is all due to the unique style of Trump

Really?

Any US President could surely have pressed this on a war-weary Israel. Potentially earlier

In 1956 Eisenhower said a firm “stop” & Israel stopped www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/me...

Message to Prime Minister Ben-Gurion Urging Withdrawal of Israeli Forces in Egypt. | The American Presidency Project

www.presidency.ucsb.edu

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 18h

This really is interesting. We talk a bit about the close relationship between Men's Liberation and feminism in 1980s Britain - and how that progressive impulse dissipated - in Men and Masculinities in Modern Britain.

See (open access) www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...

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Averill Earls @aearls.bsky.social · 5h

I have been Amazon free for almost a full year. No Audible, no Prime Video, no Prime Day buying.

For my audiobooks - essential to my daily commute - I switched to libro.fm. 10/10 recommend. If you use my referral code, I get a free book! libro.fm/referral?rf_...

Buy audiobooks & support local bookstores

Libro.fm makes it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through local bookstores.

libro.fm

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Ben Eltham @beneltham.bsky.social · 3h

I see America is now at the “dissident professors fleeing the regime” stage

Mark Bray @mark-bray.bsky.social · 7h

Our plane to Spain is in the air!

🙌🙌

Thank you so much to the countless people supporting us in every way and in particular all of the Rutgers students and faculty who have supported us every step of the way.

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RutgersAAUP-AFT @ruaaup-aft.bsky.social · 1d

This week, our colleague Dr. Mark Bray came under attack by Turning Point USA’s Rutgers chapter for his public scholarship. Rutgers AAUP-AFT and the Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union condemn this campaign and stand in solidarity with our colleagues. Read our full statement here: https://loom.ly/BDXasRY

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Jolyon Maugham KC @goodlawproject.org · 14h

Any comment Wes Streeting? Or will you call the coroner a liar as well?

Sophie Molly @sophiemolly.co.uk · 19h

www.thepinknews.com/2025/10/09/n...

17-year-old trans girl's suicide over NHS wait times was preventable says coroner

A 17-year-old trans girl's death by suicide over NHS wait times could have been prevented with swift intervention, a coroner has ruled.

www.thepinknews.com

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Davey @historicaloracle.bsky.social · 13h

David Simon gets it

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 1d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 18h

That relationship is a formative influence on the emergence of the history of masculinity in Britain. It's something that both John Tosh and Mike Roper reflect on in their contributions to the volume - focusing on the intellectual and political genealogy of their volume Manful Assertions.

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 18h

This really is interesting. We talk a bit about the close relationship between Men's Liberation and feminism in 1980s Britain - and how that progressive impulse dissipated - in Men and Masculinities in Modern Britain.

See (open access) www.manchesterhive.com/display/9781...

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Kings Heath United Against Racism @khuar.bsky.social · 19h

Handsworth is not divided, it’s Birmingham.

Our diversity isn’t a weakness, it’s our greatest strength. From Caribbean cafés to South Asian grocers and Eastern European shops, Handsworth represents the true face of Britain: proud, resilient, and beautifully diverse.
- Birmingham Race Impact Group

BRIG

Birmingham will not be divided

The recent remarks by Robert Jenrick about 'seeing no white faces' in Handsworth are deeply irresponsible and reveal ore about his own worldview than about our city.

Once again, we are dragged back into tired debates about "integration", "Britishness" and who belongs, as if being non-white somehow makes you less British.

Handsworth has always been one of Birmingham's most diverse and multicultural communities, a place where people of every colour, faith and background live, work and trade side by side. To claim otherwise is not only inaccurate, but also designed to provoke division and resentment.

If Mr Jenrick had looked a little closer, he would have seen the vibrant Eastern European shops, the Caribbean cafes, the South Asian grocers and the faith spaces that make the Soho Road one of the most culturally rich streets in Britain.
Perhaps his "90-minute integration study", armed with a Dulux colour chart, missed that reality.

The truth is this: Handsworth is not a slum, It is one of Birmingham's treasures; a community that has stood tall through decades of struggle and change. Rather than being maligned, it should be celebrated and placed firmly on the city's cultural and tourism map.

BRIG

Monday night's Pioneers Exhibition, launched by Birmingham Race Impact Group (BRIG) and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, reminded us of the generations who have faced down racism and defended our communities - people who have worked tirelessly to build the inclusive, resilient Birmingham we know today.

Their stories, captured on the Beyond Racism website show the real face of this city: proud, diverse and enduring.

Jagwant Johal, BRIG Founding Member said, "Birmingham has always been a city of welcome and resistance, a place where difference is not feared but celebrated. Handsworth, like so many of our neighbourhoods, is living proof that integration is not about exclusion. It's about mutual respect, shared struggle and collective belonging."

Handsworth and Birmingham will not tolerate attempts to sow division. We stand united as Brummies, as neighbours, and as people who know that our diversity is our greatest strength.

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Bishopsgate Institute @bishopsgateinst.bsky.social · 19h

What a lovely way to connect with the past through personal stories. Our own collections also hold rich archives that celebrate diverse voices and histories, we love seeing others just like it.

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University of Exeter Special Collections @exeterunispeccoll.bsky.social · 21h

Did you know our archives contain thousands of letters, just waiting to be read? 💌

Why not get started now by visiting our online PenPals exhibit, which explores correspondence between South-West writers!

➡️ specialcollectionsarchive.exeter.ac.uk/exhibits/sho...

#WorldPostDay #PostDay #Archives

Cropped image from an exhibition board relating to Charles Causley. It shows a black and white photograph of Causley as a young man sitting at a writing desk, with a siamese cat sitting on top of the desk. The photograph has been fashioned into a stamp. Above the photograph is typed: 'EUL MS 50a/PERS/2/2/2/10 Photographer: R.L. Knight Ltd'. And below the photograph is typed 'Causley at his writing desk with pet cat'.

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Shirin Hirsch @shirinhirsch.bsky.social · 19h

Last few tickets for this, next Friday!

Shirin Hirsch @shirinhirsch.bsky.social · 10d

This should be a great lecture @phm.org.uk to mark the 80th anniversary of the Fifth Pan African Congress with the wonderful Gary Younge. Tickets going fast here phm.org.uk/events_new/w...

What Peace? Whose Freedom? with Gary Younge - People's History Museum

phm.org.uk

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 18h

OMFG you're right!

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Sarah Parker @profsarahparker.bsky.social · 20h

So excited that my article 'Michael Field’s “Caenis Caeneus”: Transmasculine Poetics at the Fin de Siècle', co-written with the fantastic @frankiedytor.bsky.social, is out in the world!
& in great company with @preraphsrule.bsky.social @kristinmahoney.bsky.social @nathankhensley.bsky.social & more!

Michael Field’s “Caenis Caeneus”: Transmasculine Poetics at the Fin de Siècle | Victorian Literature and Culture | Cambridge Core

Michael Field’s “Caenis Caeneus”: Transmasculine Poetics at the Fin de Siècle - Volume 53 Issue 2

www.cambridge.org

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Matt Houlbrook @tricksterprince.bsky.social · 1d

Someone *coughs* should write a book about where our obsession with self-help came from...

www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...

#theself-improvevers

Look out for number one! Selfish self-help books are booming – but will they improve your life?

If you yearn for an Ayn Randian existence of absolute self-reliance, there are plenty of bestsellers that can help. They may not make you happier though

www.theguardian.com

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Jess O'Thomson @jessothomson.co.uk · 22h

It cannot be made clearer.

If you continue to support the Harry Potter franchise in any way, you are directly funding the removal of trans people's human rights in the UK.

JK Rowling pledges to keep up fight against SNP trans policies

Author vows to bankroll campaigners after Scottish government fails to pay group's legal fees in Supreme Court equality case

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