Tom White
@tom--white.bsky.social
Further education worker; writer; UCU member & caseworker
He/Him
BAD DUST: A HISTORY OF THE ASBESTOS DISASTER -- 9/9/25 https://bit.ly/4drpSPO
He/Him
BAD DUST: A HISTORY OF THE ASBESTOS DISASTER -- 9/9/25 https://bit.ly/4drpSPO
Reposted by Tom White
I can't claim it will be a particularly cheerful read, but pls consider buying a copy of Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster this Xmas.
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
December 13, 2025 at 11:55 AM
I can't claim it will be a particularly cheerful read, but pls consider buying a copy of Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster this Xmas.
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
I can't claim it will be a particularly cheerful read, but pls consider buying a copy of Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster this Xmas.
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
December 13, 2025 at 11:55 AM
I can't claim it will be a particularly cheerful read, but pls consider buying a copy of Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster this Xmas.
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
The book is a history of a once indomitable industry, and of the movement that rose up to oppose it. www.hive.co.uk/Product/Tom-...
Reposted by Tom White
‘For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant. It connected the declining city of Hull with the empty expanses of North Lincolnshire: nowhere with nowhere.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 10, 2025 at 10:15 AM
‘For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant. It connected the declining city of Hull with the empty expanses of North Lincolnshire: nowhere with nowhere.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 7, 2025 at 12:15 PM
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
‘If the bridge was an electoral bribe, it was one that the people of Humberside would end up paying themselves, in the form of toll charges that increased every year for decades.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 5, 2025 at 9:30 AM
‘If the bridge was an electoral bribe, it was one that the people of Humberside would end up paying themselves, in the form of toll charges that increased every year for decades.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the Humber Bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 5:54 PM
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the Humber Bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
‘For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant. It connected the declining city of Hull with the empty expanses of North Lincolnshire: nowhere with nowhere.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 2, 2025 at 4:30 PM
‘For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant. It connected the declining city of Hull with the empty expanses of North Lincolnshire: nowhere with nowhere.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
‘If the bridge was an electoral bribe, it was one that the people of Humberside would end up paying themselves, in the form of toll charges that increased every year for decades.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
‘If the bridge was an electoral bribe, it was one that the people of Humberside would end up paying themselves, in the form of toll charges that increased every year for decades.’
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
@tom--white.bsky.social on how the Humber Bridge was built.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
This is terrific - by-election politics (the worst form of electoral politics), regional development, big political personalities ⤵️
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the Humber Bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 5:43 PM
This is terrific - by-election politics (the worst form of electoral politics), regional development, big political personalities ⤵️
Reposted by Tom White
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the Humber Bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 27, 2025 at 9:51 AM
‘Rather than an important component in a long-term regional plan, it was now clear that the Humber Bridge was the only component in that plan. For much of the 1980s, it was seen by critics as a white elephant.’
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White on how the Humber Bridge was built:
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Tom White
Central to the 2010s Legitimate Concerns discourse that paved the way for our current pre-fascist moment was the refusal to acknowledge that these "concerns" were based on demonstrable fictions, filtered through socially constructed prejudices. I.e. they were not, in fact, "legitimate".
"A new poll suggests nearly half of Britons think there are more migrants in the UK illegally than legally, but in reality just 7% arrive through irregular channels"
Charlie Angela on how sensationalist reporting in the right wing press is fuelling falsehoods and misconceptions
Charlie Angela on how sensationalist reporting in the right wing press is fuelling falsehoods and misconceptions
November 27, 2025 at 7:08 AM
Central to the 2010s Legitimate Concerns discourse that paved the way for our current pre-fascist moment was the refusal to acknowledge that these "concerns" were based on demonstrable fictions, filtered through socially constructed prejudices. I.e. they were not, in fact, "legitimate".
Reposted by Tom White
To think some seriously believe this will appease the far right rather than embolden them to demand more
Even if it did, it would have been at the cost of implementing its politics, mainstreaming its discourse and emboldening racists
Congratulations to everyone who fuelled the immigration panic
Even if it did, it would have been at the cost of implementing its politics, mainstreaming its discourse and emboldening racists
Congratulations to everyone who fuelled the immigration panic
November 27, 2025 at 1:04 PM
To think some seriously believe this will appease the far right rather than embolden them to demand more
Even if it did, it would have been at the cost of implementing its politics, mainstreaming its discourse and emboldening racists
Congratulations to everyone who fuelled the immigration panic
Even if it did, it would have been at the cost of implementing its politics, mainstreaming its discourse and emboldening racists
Congratulations to everyone who fuelled the immigration panic
Reposted by Tom White
Why did the "red-bearded radical" Richard Gott contest the 1966 Hull North byelection? And what does it have to do with the Humber Bridge?
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Why did the "red-bearded radical" Richard Gott contest the 1966 Hull North byelection? And what does it have to do with the Humber Bridge?
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Why did the "red-bearded radical" Richard Gott contest the 1966 Hull North byelection? And what does it have to do with the Humber Bridge?
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Tom White · Short Cuts: A Bridge across the Humber
In 1966, as election day approached, Labour dispatched MPs and ministers to Hull, including Tony Benn, Tony Crosland,...
www.lrb.co.uk
November 26, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Why did the "red-bearded radical" Richard Gott contest the 1966 Hull North byelection? And what does it have to do with the Humber Bridge?
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Find out in the new @lrb.co.uk!
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Last week I spoke with Miranda Melcher from the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster.
You can listen via Apple Podcasts or the NBN website:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
#asbestos
You can listen via Apple Podcasts or the NBN website:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
#asbestos
Tom White,
Podcast Episode · New Books Network · 23/11/2025 · 40m
podcasts.apple.com
November 24, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Last week I spoke with Miranda Melcher from the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social about Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster.
You can listen via Apple Podcasts or the NBN website:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
#asbestos
You can listen via Apple Podcasts or the NBN website:
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/t...
#asbestos
Thanks to the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social & Miranda Melcher for the chance to talk about Bad Dust! #asbestos
newbooksnetwork.com/bad-dust
newbooksnetwork.com/bad-dust
Tom White, "Bad Dust: A History of the Asbestos Disaster" (Repeater, 2025) - New Books Network
newbooksnetwork.com
November 23, 2025 at 9:54 AM
Thanks to the @newbooksnetwork.bsky.social & Miranda Melcher for the chance to talk about Bad Dust! #asbestos
newbooksnetwork.com/bad-dust
newbooksnetwork.com/bad-dust
Reposted by Tom White
It’s still killing people, and the government has yet to act: Britain’s hidden asbestos epidemic | Tom White
It’s still killing people, and the government has yet to act: Britain’s hidden asbestos epidemic | Tom White
Asbestos was banned in 1999, but as materials left in our buildings deteriorate, thousands of lives are being lost every year, says writer and education worker Tom White
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:35 AM
It’s still killing people, and the government has yet to act: Britain’s hidden asbestos epidemic | Tom White
I wrote something for today's @theguardian.com on Britain's hidden epidemic: #asbestos
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
It’s still killing people, and the government has yet to act: Britain’s hidden asbestos epidemic | Tom White
Asbestos was banned in 1999, but as materials left in our buildings deteriorate, thousands of lives are being lost every year, says writer and education worker Tom White
www.theguardian.com
October 20, 2025 at 9:16 AM
I wrote something for today's @theguardian.com on Britain's hidden epidemic: #asbestos
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Tom White
In respect of PA at least, I'm convinced that a big factor is an urge to reclaim some kind of moral high ground. These are people who are convinced they are The Good Guys, and the experience of being widely seen to be complicit in genocide will be profoundly disorientating for many of them.
How has the government got itself into the position of standing up for Israeli football hooligans, while criminalising peaceful supporters of Palestine Action?
October 17, 2025 at 5:08 PM
In respect of PA at least, I'm convinced that a big factor is an urge to reclaim some kind of moral high ground. These are people who are convinced they are The Good Guys, and the experience of being widely seen to be complicit in genocide will be profoundly disorientating for many of them.
Reposted by Tom White
From last week, my piece for @tribunemagazine.bsky.social on asbestos, the overlooked disaster at the heart of the British state:
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
Asbestos: The Neoliberal Poison
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of occupational deaths in Britain today. Why did successive neoliberal governments fail to address the problem — and how can we challenge their toxic legacy...
tribunemag.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
From last week, my piece for @tribunemagazine.bsky.social on asbestos, the overlooked disaster at the heart of the British state:
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
I really think there's an argument to be made that over the last 25 yrs, the development of both rugby codes has outstripped the capabilities of the human body: bones, joints, muscles, but brains most of all
Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody reveals MND diagnosis
Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody reveals MND diagnosis
Former rugby World Cup winner, 47, tells BBC he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease
The former England rugby union captain and 2003 World Cup winner, Lewis Moody, has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease, he has told the BBC.
The 47-year-old told the BBC of his diagnosis on Monday, two weeks after being given the news. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
October 6, 2025 at 4:19 PM
I really think there's an argument to be made that over the last 25 yrs, the development of both rugby codes has outstripped the capabilities of the human body: bones, joints, muscles, but brains most of all
Reposted by Tom White
Documents obtained by Confront reveal serious issues with how the University of Oxford has managed the thousands of asbestos-containing materials in its buildings. Full story:
confrontpower.org/university-o... @ucu.org.uk
confrontpower.org/university-o... @ucu.org.uk
Serious asbestos management failings at Oxford University, documents reveal | Confront Power
The University of Oxford was ordered to release documents on its asbestos management, which showed the university was in breach of regulations designed to protect people from potentially fatal asbesto...
confrontpower.org
September 29, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Documents obtained by Confront reveal serious issues with how the University of Oxford has managed the thousands of asbestos-containing materials in its buildings. Full story:
confrontpower.org/university-o... @ucu.org.uk
confrontpower.org/university-o... @ucu.org.uk
From last week, my piece for @tribunemagazine.bsky.social on asbestos, the overlooked disaster at the heart of the British state:
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
Asbestos: The Neoliberal Poison
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of occupational deaths in Britain today. Why did successive neoliberal governments fail to address the problem — and how can we challenge their toxic legacy...
tribunemag.co.uk
October 5, 2025 at 1:54 PM
From last week, my piece for @tribunemagazine.bsky.social on asbestos, the overlooked disaster at the heart of the British state:
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
tribunemag.co.uk/2025/10/asbe...
Reposted by Tom White
I wrote something for
@tribunemagazine
on the asbestos disaster and the best place to start a coordinated removal programme: schools
#asbestos #education
@tribunemagazine
on the asbestos disaster and the best place to start a coordinated removal programme: schools
#asbestos #education
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of occupational deaths in Britain today. Why did successive neoliberal governments fail to address the problem — and how can we challenge their toxic legacy?
Asbestos: The Neoliberal Poison
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of occupational deaths in Britain today. Why did successive neoliberal governments fail to address the problem — and how can we challenge their toxic legacy...
tribunemag.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 9:17 AM
I wrote something for
@tribunemagazine
on the asbestos disaster and the best place to start a coordinated removal programme: schools
#asbestos #education
@tribunemagazine
on the asbestos disaster and the best place to start a coordinated removal programme: schools
#asbestos #education
Reposted by Tom White
A 2019 Department for Education survey found that 81 percent of schools still have asbestos ‘present on their estate’. Read Tom White on the neoliberal poison.
Asbestos: The Neoliberal Poison
Asbestos exposure remains the leading cause of occupational deaths in Britain today. Why did successive neoliberal governments fail to address the problem — and how can we challenge their toxic…
tribunemag.co.uk
October 1, 2025 at 11:00 AM
A 2019 Department for Education survey found that 81 percent of schools still have asbestos ‘present on their estate’. Read Tom White on the neoliberal poison.