Dr Mark Dunford
@drmarkd.bsky.social
Lapsed academic, researcher, writer, consultant and Digital Storyteller;Twitter migrant. Evertonian. 🇪🇺🌈
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
This comes out today, & the writing of it has been almost as fascinating as co-creating the shows it deals with - work that emerged from and added to community. Ta to the people @intellectbooks.bsky.social and London Bubble who saw me through - plus all the creators who made and performed the work.
November 24, 2025 at 11:46 AM
This comes out today, & the writing of it has been almost as fascinating as co-creating the shows it deals with - work that emerged from and added to community. Ta to the people @intellectbooks.bsky.social and London Bubble who saw me through - plus all the creators who made and performed the work.
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
Powerful words from @alexnurse.bsky.social - who simply doesn’t want to be killed while commuting to and from work
'I don't want to be an obituary in the ECHO, we need change'
Dad-of-two writes powerful letter after facing near-death experiences on the roads of Liverpool
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk
November 16, 2025 at 7:37 AM
Powerful words from @alexnurse.bsky.social - who simply doesn’t want to be killed while commuting to and from work
Never met Rachel Cooke but I loved her writing. A wonderful eclectic range of interests that often overlapped with mine. She had an exiled northern voice, witty and erudite. I’ll miss her work and this lovely tribute from @timadamswrites.bsky.social explains why.
November 16, 2025 at 7:47 AM
Never met Rachel Cooke but I loved her writing. A wonderful eclectic range of interests that often overlapped with mine. She had an exiled northern voice, witty and erudite. I’ll miss her work and this lovely tribute from @timadamswrites.bsky.social explains why.
Our Island Stories by @corinnefowler.bsky.social is a really powerful read. More than a historical exploration of rural Britain, it shows how colonialism haunts our present and interrogates the psychological impact of things too easily taken for granted. Like a good walk - it is best taken slowly.
November 9, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Our Island Stories by @corinnefowler.bsky.social is a really powerful read. More than a historical exploration of rural Britain, it shows how colonialism haunts our present and interrogates the psychological impact of things too easily taken for granted. Like a good walk - it is best taken slowly.
Listening to the reliably wonderful @gidcoe.bsky.social on 6 music and realised I’d been listening to his musical choices since his time on GLR breakfast show - many moons ago. Still playing great material.
October 26, 2025 at 2:40 PM
Listening to the reliably wonderful @gidcoe.bsky.social on 6 music and realised I’d been listening to his musical choices since his time on GLR breakfast show - many moons ago. Still playing great material.
Every word of this.
Michelle Mone is the polar opposite of the values that should govern public life.
She should repay what she owes immediately & get her sorry, dishonourable form as far away from the House of Lords as possible.
She, & all those other govt grifters who tried to monetise a pandemic, sicken me. Ends/
She should repay what she owes immediately & get her sorry, dishonourable form as far away from the House of Lords as possible.
She, & all those other govt grifters who tried to monetise a pandemic, sicken me. Ends/
October 1, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Every word of this.
The Government seems to lack the courage needed to pursue its convictions and this is primarily a leadership issue. Appearing rudderless and behaving in this way invites speculation into a policy void and leaves them open to the continuity Sunk charge.
It just straightforwardly *insane* how much political chatter in the United Kingdom is about the next general election, an event that is a long way in the future, and how basically none of it is about 'uh, this policy agenda doesn't look adequate to the scale of the inherited problem'.
September 24, 2025 at 7:01 AM
The Government seems to lack the courage needed to pursue its convictions and this is primarily a leadership issue. Appearing rudderless and behaving in this way invites speculation into a policy void and leaves them open to the continuity Sunk charge.
The BBC and by extension the UK should follow in the footsteps of Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and our neighbours in Ireland and boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned from the competition. Please sign the petition 38d.gs/nd3w
Sign the petition: tell the BBC to boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned
This is big: Spain's state broadcasters have said they'll boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned. We need the BBC to do the same to up the pressure on the competition's bosses. Sign the petition n...
38d.gs
September 19, 2025 at 1:11 PM
The BBC and by extension the UK should follow in the footsteps of Spain, Slovenia, the Netherlands and our neighbours in Ireland and boycott Eurovision unless Israel is banned from the competition. Please sign the petition 38d.gs/nd3w
Latest changes to Duolingo are yet another set that make it much poorer. Just not sure how much longer I can be bothered with it. #duolingo
September 13, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Latest changes to Duolingo are yet another set that make it much poorer. Just not sure how much longer I can be bothered with it. #duolingo
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
Until the government is willing have an honest discussion about the negative impact of Brexit - Britain’s growth, productivity & living standards will continue to be weighed down by the structural handicap it has inflicted on the country & economy
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
No prospect of UK rejoining EU in my lifetime, says Starmer’s reset negotiator
Comments by Nick Thomas-Symonds underline view in top government circles despite thaw in relations with Brussels
www.theguardian.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Until the government is willing have an honest discussion about the negative impact of Brexit - Britain’s growth, productivity & living standards will continue to be weighed down by the structural handicap it has inflicted on the country & economy
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
‼️ Please Sign This ‼️
🚨 Boris Johnson’s secret deals, shady lobbying & cash grabs exposed. Millions in private gigs and still taking £115K of OUR money while under investigation. Suspend his ex-PM allowance now. 38d.gs/yvgb?utm_cam...
🚨 Boris Johnson’s secret deals, shady lobbying & cash grabs exposed. Millions in private gigs and still taking £115K of OUR money while under investigation. Suspend his ex-PM allowance now. 38d.gs/yvgb?utm_cam...
Suspend Boris Johnson's taxpayer allowance
I’ve just signed the petition to suspend Boris Johnson’s £115k ex-PM allowance until they’ve finished investigating his dodgy deals. Leaks show he was using his old office for private business, meetin...
38d.gs
September 11, 2025 at 5:33 PM
‼️ Please Sign This ‼️
🚨 Boris Johnson’s secret deals, shady lobbying & cash grabs exposed. Millions in private gigs and still taking £115K of OUR money while under investigation. Suspend his ex-PM allowance now. 38d.gs/yvgb?utm_cam...
🚨 Boris Johnson’s secret deals, shady lobbying & cash grabs exposed. Millions in private gigs and still taking £115K of OUR money while under investigation. Suspend his ex-PM allowance now. 38d.gs/yvgb?utm_cam...
Great to see @zoejardiniere.bsky.social repeating a series of sensible points on the disgraceful treatment of asylum seekers. As she says, the language around illegal migration needs to be tackled and - above all - people need to have the right to work
This whole summer only one story has dominated our entire politics & it comes down to literally 30,000 people in hotels. Ridiculous.
The government needs to get a GRIP it’s pathetic.
The government needs to get a GRIP it’s pathetic.
August 30, 2025 at 1:21 PM
Great to see @zoejardiniere.bsky.social repeating a series of sensible points on the disgraceful treatment of asylum seekers. As she says, the language around illegal migration needs to be tackled and - above all - people need to have the right to work
Fantastic to hear @zoejardiniere.bsky.social talk so eloquently and passionately on @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social about the need to treat asylum seekers and migrants with the dignity and respect all vulnerable people require, including the right to earn a living through work.
August 19, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Fantastic to hear @zoejardiniere.bsky.social talk so eloquently and passionately on @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social about the need to treat asylum seekers and migrants with the dignity and respect all vulnerable people require, including the right to earn a living through work.
A few days in Norfolk preceded by @petshopboys.co.uk at Sandringham - we have seen too many gigs to remember them all, but this one was jaw droppingly good, stunning and immediately located in top few over past 40+ years. Pop art at it’s finest.
August 17, 2025 at 8:59 PM
A few days in Norfolk preceded by @petshopboys.co.uk at Sandringham - we have seen too many gigs to remember them all, but this one was jaw droppingly good, stunning and immediately located in top few over past 40+ years. Pop art at it’s finest.
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
‘I believe that damaging and destroying weapons of war is one way of waging peace: I can only conclude that for the British government, the waging of peace is terrorism.’
Huw Lemmey on the proscription of Palestine Action:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Huw Lemmey on the proscription of Palestine Action:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Huw Lemmey · Short Cuts: Who’s afraid of Palestine Action?
I believe there is a moral case for disarming the machinery of war that is killing innocent civilians in Gaza with the...
www.lrb.co.uk
July 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
‘I believe that damaging and destroying weapons of war is one way of waging peace: I can only conclude that for the British government, the waging of peace is terrorism.’
Huw Lemmey on the proscription of Palestine Action:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Huw Lemmey on the proscription of Palestine Action:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
When I was little, the U.S. military came to our home at gunpoint and took me and my family away. We were imprisoned for years in barbed wire camps simply because we were Japanese American. I have spent my life telling that story, hoping it would never be repeated.
July 21, 2025 at 5:20 PM
When I was little, the U.S. military came to our home at gunpoint and took me and my family away. We were imprisoned for years in barbed wire camps simply because we were Japanese American. I have spent my life telling that story, hoping it would never be repeated.
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
Please sign below to demand an end to our broken electoral system and for the government to adopt Proportional Representation in our elections — so that every vote counts equally at every election.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...
📢 No More First Past the Post Elections!
The 2025 Local Election results confirm what so many of us already know: the current voting system is broken.
With 5 parties polling strongly, First Past the Post is delivering chaos and turning elec...
actionnetwork.org
July 20, 2025 at 2:29 PM
Please sign below to demand an end to our broken electoral system and for the government to adopt Proportional Representation in our elections — so that every vote counts equally at every election.
actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...
actionnetwork.org/petitions/20...
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
This article on UK unis is a total mess which sounds radical, but then washes its hands of the whole debacle. But it's right about: (1) hyper-competition without planning or controls is driving *both* inefficiencies and cuts; (2) the whole thing has to change. (1/2)
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
Britain’s bankrupt universities are hunting for cheaper models
They have failed to focus on efficiency for the mass market
www.economist.com
July 20, 2025 at 2:42 PM
This article on UK unis is a total mess which sounds radical, but then washes its hands of the whole debacle. But it's right about: (1) hyper-competition without planning or controls is driving *both* inefficiencies and cuts; (2) the whole thing has to change. (1/2)
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
www.economist.com/britain/2025...
@lamornaash.bsky.social enjoyed your contact column in @newstatesman.com - busy working my way though backlog caused by late running postal deliveries so this may seem somewhat out of sync. So important to recognise, to celebrate the chance encounters that shape the best in everyday living.
July 16, 2025 at 8:02 AM
@lamornaash.bsky.social enjoyed your contact column in @newstatesman.com - busy working my way though backlog caused by late running postal deliveries so this may seem somewhat out of sync. So important to recognise, to celebrate the chance encounters that shape the best in everyday living.
Live Aid at 40 is a compelling watch. Shows an inspirational naive energy that makes a difference, barges it’s way onto a political stage and then grapples with forces that the largely working class catholic boys who started the ball rolling had never dreamt of at the outset. A fascinating journey.
July 13, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Live Aid at 40 is a compelling watch. Shows an inspirational naive energy that makes a difference, barges it’s way onto a political stage and then grapples with forces that the largely working class catholic boys who started the ball rolling had never dreamt of at the outset. A fascinating journey.
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.
July 9, 2025 at 12:39 PM
I’m no expert but I would’ve got a person to do it.
Reposted by Dr Mark Dunford
Britain *is* broken.
Brexit broke Britain.
And Nigel Farage is benefitting from the wreckage.
This was always my greatest fear with Brexit - that it would bring about stagnant conditions that favour extreme populism.
Much like drug addiction causes crashes that make the drug more seductive.
Brexit broke Britain.
And Nigel Farage is benefitting from the wreckage.
This was always my greatest fear with Brexit - that it would bring about stagnant conditions that favour extreme populism.
Much like drug addiction causes crashes that make the drug more seductive.
2016: Nigel Farage, "The worst case scenario, economically, is better than where we are today"
2025: Nigel Farage, "This is broken Britain, nothing works"
2025: Nigel Farage, "This is broken Britain, nothing works"
July 6, 2025 at 7:51 PM
Britain *is* broken.
Brexit broke Britain.
And Nigel Farage is benefitting from the wreckage.
This was always my greatest fear with Brexit - that it would bring about stagnant conditions that favour extreme populism.
Much like drug addiction causes crashes that make the drug more seductive.
Brexit broke Britain.
And Nigel Farage is benefitting from the wreckage.
This was always my greatest fear with Brexit - that it would bring about stagnant conditions that favour extreme populism.
Much like drug addiction causes crashes that make the drug more seductive.
Very perceptive and well informed piece amongst the huge amount published this week to mark the government’s first birthday. Well worth reading if you want to understand disappointment and the dangers facing the government as it starts to move freely in a space where there is no one else to blame.
“It is a perverse formula that appears almost uniquely constituted to generate chaos: muddled messaging, disseminated by a detached and distant Downing Street, reflects a self-reinforcing recipe for political dysfunction.”
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
www.politics.co.uk/week-in-revi...
One year of Keir: why Starmer now faces a reckoning - Politics.co.uk
Keir Starmer has approached the first anniversary of him becoming prime minister in a ruminative, rueful mood. Across a series of long-form interviews, he has seized on the opportunity to appraise his...
www.politics.co.uk
July 5, 2025 at 7:48 PM
Very perceptive and well informed piece amongst the huge amount published this week to mark the government’s first birthday. Well worth reading if you want to understand disappointment and the dangers facing the government as it starts to move freely in a space where there is no one else to blame.