George McKay
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georgemckay.bsky.social
George McKay
@georgemckay.bsky.social

Prof Media Studies. Writes about popular music, festival, disability, jazz, peace, protest, gardening, + most recently Oxford Handbook of...Punk Rock. Charcot Marie Tooth. Plays music: double bass, bands (jazz, folk)

Art 63%
Computer science 11%

What’s this? Some actual good news for British universitie? Let‘s hope so!
www.theguardian.com/world/2025/d...
UK to rejoin EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme
Exclusive: British students will be able to participate in EU-wide scheme from January 2027, sources say
www.theguardian.com

Didn’t know that. And now I have been down a Saturday morning rabbit-hole about Johnson, Pope & disability. enlightanddis.wordpress.com/spectacles-o...
Johnson’s LIFE OF POPE
The mid-eighteenth century was a time where perspectives of disability were in transition. Remnants of the ancient symbolic model of disability, which attributed disabilities to divine punishment f…
enlightanddis.wordpress.com

RIP Stanley Baxter. I saw him as a wee boy at King’s Theatre Glasgow in the 1960s. Probably the first time I ever went to the theatre #parliamo youtube.com/shorts/tk2QZ...
‘Parliamo Glasgow’: Stanley Baxter’s most loved sketch from 1989
YouTube video by STV News
youtube.com

Reposted by George McKay

2/2 In medieval English church art, St Lucy is often shown holding her disgorged eyes either in a bowl or on a book, as here at Eye in Suffolk, appropriately enough, where she also holds the disgorging knife. She's the patron saint of the blind.

Eye: www.suffolkchurches.co.uk/eye.htm

‘clear joy in C major’. Gonna try to wake up like that tmrw morning

Reposted by George McKay

This International Day of Disabled People, we’re reminded that disability justice is deeply connected to every other fight for equity.

Our struggles connect us. Our solidarity is our strength! 💥
#IDDP
If it were steel works we would have a government bailout plan, yet losing thousands of jobs at unis is met with a shrug. & unlike steelworks universities were profitable when they had foreign students.
You are killing the golden goose… one of our best exports…

HOW IS THIS HELPING GROWTH?!
Every sympathy for University of Essex (and pressures facing them) but this is very bad news for Southend.

giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... Essex university to cut 400 jobs as overseas student numbers plummet
Essex university to cut 400 jobs as overseas student numbers plummet
Roles to be lost are part of wave of redundancy programmes across UK’s higher education sector
giftarticle.ft.com
It's official: 400 redundancies and a campus closure. At-risk staff will get a letter next week. Absolutely no serious consideration of any of the union's counterproposals.

Please share widely.

Reposted by George McKay

Enjoy the @together2012cic.bsky.social Disability Film Festival and view 60 films from 13 countries in 12 programmes over 2 days plus 2 live Zoom-based discussions with international filmmakers.

When - 06-07 December
Where - Online
Cost - Free

disabilityarts.online/events/toget...

@alcs.co.uk hi do you advise ALCS members to join the class action against Anthropic in US? 2 of my books are on the list & I’ve been contacted by the Bartz vs Anthropic team about joining. Any advice appreciated!

Yes. Magic. Norfolk magic.

Reposted by George McKay

We’re recruiting for a Project Coordinator to support the delivery of our three-year project ‘Cripping Culture: A Journey into Disability Arts Heritage’.

Closing - 08 Dec
Location - Hybrid (Remote + Brighton & Hove)
££ - £32K FTE

disabilityarts.online/opportunity-...
Hey authors! Check to see if Anthropic stole your book to train their slop generator on. You’re entitled to $1500 per stolen Work.

Look up your work, and if you’re in the database, file a claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com/lookup/
Submit a Claim
secure.anthropiccopyrightsettlement.com

7-9 pm at the very fine York Tavern, Norwich. ‘Old jazz, new jazz, green jazz, blue jazz’. In the Golden Triangle!

Reposted by George McKay

Back in 1997, there were just 11 booming male Bitterns left in the UK – almost extinct. Thanks to conservation by @RSPB and @NaturalEngland, there are now 283 booming males in 2024.
eastangliabylines.co.uk/environment/...
Hidden wonders: my fascinating encounters with the Bittern
Elusive and majestic, the Bittern’s booming call echoes across Minsmere’s reeds – a symbol of hope and conservation success
eastangliabylines.co.uk

Looks like it yes, from when I worked @salforduni.bsky.social

WE don’t fkn want him!

Reposted by George McKay

It’s that time of year again. A darker take on The Good Life, perfect for Halloween or just another grim night in Blighty. Less pumpkin spice, more existential dread.

Watch it while you still can, it disappears at midnight on Sunday.

👀 youtube.com/watch?v=aaynJpIuaCY
Sleaford Mods Ft. Gwendoline Christie & Big Special - The Good Life (Dark Version)
YouTube video by Sleaford Mods
youtube.com

Reposted by George McKay

Attention Norfolk folk.

If the kids come round Trick or Treating tonight, and you don't want to open the door, just shout 'Prince Andrew Lives here now' through the letterbox to them and problem solved.
I wrote about the stupid white paper.

In summary, with these people in the driver's seat and apparently unbothered by consequences, we're so cooked.
Somewhere in the Department for Education, a phone is ringing
On October 20th at a bit after 5pm, the UK government introduced its Education and Skills white paper to Parliament, to absolutely no…
hitchcockian.medium.com
After submitting a FOIA request UKRI, I obtained success rates by three grant call scheme and I can only say that I am disheartened by the results:

- AHRC Responsive Mode 2025: 2%
- ESRC New Investigator Grant 2025: 1%
- ESRC Research Grant Round 2025: 1%

Some of my brilliant colleagues @uniofeastanglia.bsky.social have organised the NQIFF 2025 film festival in Norwich. It's all free! Info and programme here: www.nqiff.com #queerfilm #filmfestival

New blog abt Winnie Atwell, on the occasion of the new blue plaque marking her achievements. georgemckay.org/winifred-atw...

RIP Tony Harrison, who blew my mind when I read his work as a student in Hull. I took my mum (working class) to see him read @norwichartscentre.bsky.social in 1984 we were both v moved. I took my copy for him to sign & made notes on what he read. I still say “Ay ay stutterer Demosthenes” sometimes

Always loved that Danny Thompson (RIP) played with free drummer John Stevens in a band too. One of those more surprising folk / jazz crossovers. Here’s a foto I found of Thompson from 1978, in Norwich! (That’s a cello not a bass tho)

Tonight