Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Graham Smith @graham-oh.bsky.social · 8d

There are more people in Newcastle waiting for Greggs to open of a morning than weird UKIP managed to get on Saturday's sad shambles.

A bedraggled group of inadequate fascists wander through Newcastle with crosses and banners. Before being met by thousands of ordinary citizens who said they were not welcome.

Reposted by Graham Smith

Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 9d

What has Yvette Cooper’s proscription of Palestine Action done to this country?

Beyond absurd. It’s extreme authoritarianism. These police should be arresting rapists & crooks, not neglecting those duties to spend time arresting citizens standing against genocide.

It undermines police and the law.

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Wendy Ugolini @wugolini.bsky.social · Jul 30

My book, 'Wales in England 1914-1945. A Social, Cultural, & Military History', is currently available at a more affordable price (✨️58% off✨️). How ideas of Wales and Welshness influenced two generations of English soldiers & writers:
www.amazon.co.uk/Wales-Englan...

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · Jul 10

Scottish NSS results: 'Overall satisfaction in Scotland for 2025 was 80.7%, up from 78.1% in 2024. Satisfaction levels began to decline in 2020, when the overall rate in Scotland was 85%.'

University satisfaction rising but still trails pre-Covid level

Data from the National Student Survey suggests that Scottish universities are continuing to recover from a falloff in satisfaction in 2020.

www.heraldscotland.com

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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · Jul 10

Interesting bit of research from @ersatzben.bsky.social suggesting QR funding is really critical for supporting interdisciplinary research
johnsonb.substack.com/p/what-actua...

What Actually Counts as Interdisciplinary Research?

A data-driven look at which funders support knowledge integration

johnsonb.substack.com

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rs21 Edinburgh @rs21edinburgh.bsky.social · Jun 20

Edinburgh University want to impose £140m in cuts as part of their "more students, fewer staff" policy. Edinburgh staff and students say "an end to unethical university governance"

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Durham UCU @ducu.bsky.social · Jun 9

Come help our friends in the (slightly further) North!

UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · Jun 9

Join us on this Wednesday 11 June for a big demonstration in Newcastle! @ucu.org.uk @ducu.bsky.social @ucunorthumbria.bsky.social

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Liz Morrish @lizmorrish.bsky.social · Jun 1

Newcastle University goes from 'Raising the Bar' to a doom loop of redundancies, course closures and failure. It's hard to see any future for UK HE except as a narrowly-focussed credentialling arm of the tech sector.

UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · May 26

As the university's management escalates by pressing ahead with up to 38 compulsory redundancies, after losing over 260 of our colleagues through voluntary severance, our membership’s clear message remains: STOP this. Members are upset angry and aghast by the behaviour of university management.

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Martin McGrath @martinmcgrath.bsky.social · May 26

The question is: Why (unless you're a schill for one of the big AI corps) you would advocate a UK industrial policy that slits the throat of its cultural industries (where it has an established global advantage) in favour of the AI sector where completion is intense and gains speculative (at best)

Bruno J. Navarro @brunojnavarro.bsky.social · May 26

“I just don’t know how you go around, asking everyone first. I just don’t see how that would work,” Clegg said. “And by the way if you did it in Britain and no one else did it, you would basically kill the AI industry in this country overnight.”

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

www.theverge.com

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Gareth Millward @millieqed.bsky.social · May 26

I'll be going through the process of making this open access, but for those who do have permissions through their libraries - this came out today.

Some thoughts on the history of disability benefits and where UBI sits in that lineage. 🗃️

bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

bristoluniversitypressdigital.com

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Migration Museum @migrationmuseum.org · May 14

Are you working in museum collections, digital storytelling, or projects featuring migration history? Join us for the first event in the Migration Network series, focused on how digital tools are being used to document and share migration stories through collections work.

A panel of five diverse speakers sit on a small stage in front of an audience at the Migration Museum. One speaker on the far right is holding a microphone and speaking, gesturing with his hand. The other panelists are listening attentively. The background features historical black-and-white photographs and a blue wall with the words "MIGRATION MUSEUM" in white text. The audience is seated facing the panel.

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Kay Crosby @kaycrosby.bsky.social · May 7

Trade Unions 4 Trans Rights event this morning @newcastleucu.bsky.social

External shot of a crowd being addressed by a speaker

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Grant Buttars @gbuttars.bsky.social · May 1

I stand by this. Solidarity with fellow workers is the first principle of trade unionism. An injury to one is an injury to all. reclaimucu.wordpress.com/2025/04/30/s...

Statement on NEC Meeting of 2 May 2025

On Friday, members of Unite UCU will be taking the final day of an unprecedented six weeks of industrial action. It is also the penultimate NEC meeting before Congress. One of the core principles o…

reclaimucu.wordpress.com

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UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · Apr 7

Een vote amongst staff shows trust in the current leadership is incredible low.

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Grant Buttars @gbuttars.bsky.social · Apr 7

Fight for every job! @ucuedinburgh.bsky.social www.ucuedinburgh.org.uk

University of Edinburgh staff balloted on strike action over £140 million budget cuts

Staff at the University of Edinburgh are being balloted on industrial action in a dispute over the university’s plans to slash £140 million from…

www.heraldscotland.com

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Durham UCU @ducu.bsky.social · Apr 1

The results are IN for our industrial action ballot! On a 64.0% turnout (our highest ever confirmed %age), 72.2% of voters said they were prepared to strike, with 81.2% prepared to engage in action short of strike.

So what's next? Well. The employer knows where to find us. Time for a chat, perhaps?

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Graham Smith @graham-oh.bsky.social · Mar 24

Crossed the picket line that you couldn't visit then.

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Cardiff UCU @cardiffucu.bsky.social · Mar 24

“This is an insult to the 1400 academic staff still at risk of redundancy."

nation.cymru/news/vice-ch...

Vice Chancellor wants to avoid Senedd scrutiny on massive cuts programme

Martin Shipton Former Education Minister Leighton Andrews has accused Cardiff University’s Vice Chancellor of seeking to delay an appearance before the Senedd’s Education Committee until after final d...

nation.cymru

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UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · Mar 23

Monday morning we continue to show our management we don’t accept their approach. Why would we trust them to get us out of this when they are the ones who got us in this? Join your pickets 8 to 11 am. Check your email or section WhatsApp for section days.

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Karl Jacoby @karl-jacoby.bsky.social · Mar 20

Letter signed by members of the Columbia History Department urging resistance to the Trump Administration's efforts to dictate university policy.

"Should this control be realized, here or elsewhere, it would make any real historical scholarship, teaching, and intellectual community impossible."

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UEA UCU says join a union @uea-ucu.bsky.social · Mar 17

📣REMINDER FOR UEA UCU MEMBERS!
📣Our industrial action will begin with a day of strike action on Wednesday 26th March.
📣We will commence continuous action short of a strike (ASOS) from this date.
📣Further details to follow. #SaveUEA #UKHE

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Voice of Witness (VOW) @voiceofwitness.org · Mar 12

📢 Exciting news: Voice of Witness is looking for dedicated individuals to join our Board of Directors and contribute to our impact.

Interested in supporting community-based storytelling, oral history, and education for justice?

#Nonprofit #NonprofitBoard #BoardofDirectors #NonprofitLeadership

Graphic shares an open call for new board of director members

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UCU Newcastle University @newcastleucu.bsky.social · Mar 11

MASSIVE Solidarity

Dundee UCU @ducuuo.bsky.social · Mar 11

Today, Shane O’Neill, our interim Principal announced the University of Dundee needs to cut 632 jobs to be financially sustainable.

Also there are 237 vacancies (in part due to the recruitment freeze since Nov).

That’s 870 colleagues from 3200. OVER A QUARTER!

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Dundee University to cut 632 jobs to plug £35m deficit

The University and College Union condemned the

www.bbc.co.uk

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Rob Hawkes @robbhawkes.bsky.social · Mar 10

moneyontheleft.org/2025/01/16/u...

UK Universities in Crisis? Time to Transform Higher Ed Finance

by Rob Hawkes and Scott Ferguson Universities in the UK are in crisis. Job cuts in the sector are reaching ‘cataclysmic’ levels, with an estimated 10,000 already lost and many more at risk. Just da…

moneyontheleft.org

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Graham Smith @graham-oh.bsky.social · Mar 7

Can you work out the relationship between branch and national leadership? Because my branch has leadership can.

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