Unbelievable to think that we've invested tens of billions in university expansion since the 1980s, and now we're chucking loads of it in a skip. What sort of a country blows through taxpayer money like that? Waste everywhere. 🤷‍♂️😡

This will be the experience of say a third or a bit more of all History academics over the next two to three years. It's sad, an appalling waste, and infuriating. 😡👇

In Lincoln Social & Political Sciences, we face 4 job losses (on top of 2 leaving by voluntary severance, and several who left earlier without replacement). What mgmt proposes would cut staff who teach on growing programmes, & move us from 8 profs at the start of the year to 4🙃

TOMORROW: I'm on a really great panel talking about community history in Oxford and Oxfordshire. Meet at the Oxford History Faculty at 4.30pm, then next door at the Wesley Memorial Church for discussions at 5.30. You can book here: communityhistory.web.ox.ac.uk/event/making-h…

💥Important detail amid all this chat about how the UK will fund its growing list of spending commitments...

Today the UK sold the 30-year benchmark gilt at the highest yield for a sale via syndication since records began in 2005.

ie. this is expensive debt to issue!

Very good advice as the academic redundancies drive begins to accelerate. Basically: check you've got all your paperwork and stress test your finances as much as you can. 👇

A superb two days in a writing retreat with my colleagues from In All Our Footsteps! Wonderful stuff.

Have now seen the govt briefing on how this is “fully funded”. It’s a joke.
Asserts defence spending of 2.3% of GDP was the baseline ie so only need to find .14% GDP extra by 28/29. In real world even delivering that baseline will require even deeper cuts to other department.

NEW ANALYSIS

⛰️🔥Fossil fuels fell to a record-low 2.4% share of British electricity, for 1hr, earlier this month
📉Until 2022, it'd never been below 5%
📊Record 75 half hrs below 5% in 2024ytd
🎯Grid manager NGESO says its on track for 0% next yr

1/

carbonbrief.org/analysis-fossi…

We're hiring at RHUL English: a 3-year fixed-term full-time post to teach Children's Literature, and other things. The job is teaching-focused, based at Egham. Join us! jobs.royalholloway.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx?r…

Government deserves real credit for the defence boost & they could’ve spent the money elsewhere. But this sort of needless chicanery in presentation is what erodes public and expert trust in every such announcement.

Total and utter load of rubbish. Either fake figures or budgetary incontinence. 72,000 civil servants sacked will pay for 2.5% defence spending? Never heard such a load of rubbish. Disgraceful.

As redundancies accelerate I UK HE, a reminder that a post is made redundant, not a person. Any choice made on personal characteristics (eg sickness is the last year) is highly problematic. Won't stop this happening, but keep evidence.

Interested in the history of New Labour? This online seminar with Glen O'Hara is happening 12pm tomorrow! All welcome. DM me for the zoom link.

Of course we have to spend more on defence. But if you're blowing £23bn a year by end of next Parliament that's half the transport or law and order budget gone. If you're cutting taxes like NI as well (having already cut by 4 points) you're on the Trussian path again.

Apparently a 0.5% GDP uplift in defence spending is “fully funded” even though there is precisely zero increase in overall spending plans (which already didn’t remotely add up). This is deeply, and depressingly, unserious stuff.

If we go on like this, lying to ourselves about tax and spend, by the end of the next Parliament the early 2020s will feel like a golden age for public services and transport.

NARRATOR: it isn't costed, except by gutting the police, the courts and the roads budget.

Important context here: in REF21 History was the highest placed of 22 UoAs at Lincoln in terms of overall GPA and outputs; one of only 4 UoAs in the institution to get 100% 3* and 4* for environment; only Social Policy and Allied Health came higher in national subject rankings.

Currently listening to m'learned colleague Clare Hickman talking about multispecies encounters around TB sanitoria... fascinating, thoughtful and humane.