Pauline Stafford
LightNews LightNews
banner
pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford
@pstafford.bsky.social
1.6K followers 350 following 440 posts

Historian of early Middle Ages, Grandmother, Leftwing, Labour, Leeds, British, European. Emerita Prof University of Liverpool

Videos

Pauline Stafford is Professor Emerita of Early Medieval History at Liverpool University and a visiting professor at Leeds University in England. Dr. Stafford is a former vice-president of the Royal Historical Society. .. more

History 50%
Philosophy 24%
Posts Replies Media Videos

Reposted by Molly Scott Cato, Pauline Stafford

rorycj.bsky.social
Rory Cellan-Jones @rorycj.bsky.social · 1d
Mustafa Suleyman talking a good game about ethical use of AI on @bbcradio 4 Today but will nobody mention the elephant in the room? His boss Satya Nadella is busy cosying up to Trump who is squashing any attempt at AI regulation www.google.com/url?q=https:...
Trump signs order blocking states from enforcing own AI rules - BBC News
California's governor Gavin Newsom issued a strongly-worded statement in response to the executive order.
www.google.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

gzornetta.bsky.social
Giulia Zornetta @gzornetta.bsky.social · 1d
"Quando un’istituzione costruisce il proprio lavoro su questi mattoni, la dipendenza non è più solo tecnica, ma contrattuale e politica: aumenti di prezzo, cambi di policy o blocchi unilaterali si trasformano in rischio sistemico"

www.editorialedomani.it/economia/ora...
Ora le Big tech Usa fanno paura. I governi europei cercano alternative per ridurne la dipendenza
Non solo i colossi come Google, Amazon e Microsoft dominano la nostra vita sul web: ormai controllano le infrastrutture critiche che fanno funzionare aziende, ospedali, amministrazioni pubbliche. Un r...
www.editorialedomani.it

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eddwilson.bsky.social
Ed Wilson @eddwilson.bsky.social · 1d
Dear Bill Gates,

Could you suggest how a British government - say - could tax an AI company based elsewhere, so that British citizens can stay alive and ask their AI support systems how to manage their leisure time?

#R4Today

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

timbale.bsky.social
Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 1d
This has to be a candidate for the platonic populist radical right news story - not a (hot) button left unpressed.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
Reposting for Holy Innocents day.
pstafford.bsky.social Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · Aug 16
3 weeks in France. Among much else, saw these scenes of massacre of the innocents on Le Mans cathedral portal. Not an uncommon artistic theme- a type of martyrs - but these struck me as especially tender representations. If I remember correctly babies are small adults at Abbaye aux Dames Saintes.
Massacre of innocents with mother and baby and man in armour. Massacre of innocents with mother and baby and man in armour threatening them. Massacre of innocents with mothers and three babies threatened by man in armour. Massacre of Innocents , mother and children plus man in armour.

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

demiliopics2.bsky.social
James D'Emilio @demiliopics2.bsky.social · 1d
Dec. 28 marks the Massacre of the Innocents, a timely lesson in vain, paranoid power and cruelty. It has inspired powerful art, but you may not want it on your feed. So, here's a stylized image from Bonanno of Pisa's bronze doors for Pisa Cathedral, c1180. The one word title mentions only Herod.
At the left, Herod sits cross-legged under a canopy. He has a tall hat and long beard, and gives a gesture of command. To the right, a man stands with upraised sword and dead infants and body parts at his feet. At extreme right, a woman with long braided hair holds a standing infant at her feet by the hair of his head. Next for the sword?

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

andy-s-64.bsky.social
Andy_European RLS 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 @andy-s-64.bsky.social · 2d
Be better by not backing the policies that drive the poverty the rich use ‘charity’ as an excuse to ignore.

In simple terms: stop shilling for centrist conservative politicians who perpetuate wealth inequality and a widening gap between obscenely wealth and poor.

It’s really not that difficult.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 2d
Where and how decisions about development of Leeds tram and so
much else made. Good thread.
tomforth.co.uk Tom Forth @tomforth.co.uk · 6d
NISTA, National Infrastructure and Strategic Transformation Authority. Very London. Report comes out in the New Year because they hope we've lost interest since then. It's de facto a subsidiary of the Treasury in London.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 2d
Weberian patrimonialism. Excellent read +programme for attacks to ‘connect corruption not with generalities like the rule of law but with kitchen-table issues. Higher prices? Crony capitalism! Cuts to popular programs? Payoffs for Trump’s fat-cat clients! Tax cuts? A greedy raid on Social Security!’
jayrosen.bsky.social Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 2d
"One Word Describes Trump" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

I missed this on its first trip around, then saw it on the "most popular with readers" list for 2025. Recommended, despite the cheesy headline.

Especially valuable if you have ever compared him to a mob boss.

[Gift link]
One Word Describes Trump
A century ago, a German sociologist explained precisely how the president thinks about the world.
www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford, Simon Lester

brendelbored.bsky.social
Brendel @brendelbored.bsky.social · 2d
Sinatra has gone woke
Civil rights activism From the 1940s Sinatra refused to perform for segregated audiences. In Las Vegas he forced the Sands to serve Nat King Cole in the dining room and, with Sammy Davis Jr., ended Jim Crow policies in Nevada hotels and casinos by 1961. 9! He headlined Carnegie Hall for Martin Luther King Jr. in 1961, led Rat Pack boycotts, donated heavily to SCLC and voter registration, and was praised by Vice President Humphrey after the Watts riots for teaching tolerance."] Orson Welles witnessed Sinatra physically threaten a restaurant owner who refused service to a Black musician.

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, Brendan Nyhan, Pauline Stafford

jayrosen.bsky.social
Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 2d
Via Richard Tofel‬: "What it’s like getting comments these days from the regime in Washington."

"Comments" in this context means giving the people involved in a news story the chance to respond before publication.

link.propublica.net/view/5f0a0ac...

Here's a case I found particularly creepy:

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Steve Peers, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 9 more

robertscotthorton.bsky.social
Scott Horton @robertscotthorton.bsky.social · 2d
Best Twitter riposte of the day

Reposted by David Peetz, Christian E. Weller, Pauline Stafford , and 1 more

jayrosen.bsky.social
Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 2d
"One Word Describes Trump" www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...

I missed this on its first trip around, then saw it on the "most popular with readers" list for 2025. Recommended, despite the cheesy headline.

Especially valuable if you have ever compared him to a mob boss.

[Gift link]
One Word Describes Trump
A century ago, a German sociologist explained precisely how the president thinks about the world.
www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

paulcconnell.bsky.social
Paul Connell @paulcconnell.bsky.social · 2d
Anyone done a cumulative cost of how much the UK has spent on the work done for Leeds not to have a Tram in the years between 1980 and 2025.

My back of an envelope call is about £1Bn ……. And that doesn’t include the opportunity costs and lost economic benefits

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

tomforth.co.uk
Tom Forth @tomforth.co.uk · 6d
NISTA, National Infrastructure and Strategic Transformation Authority. Very London. Report comes out in the New Year because they hope we've lost interest since then. It's de facto a subsidiary of the Treasury in London.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 8d
A story for 21st-century Christmas - though it’s not the gifts of wise men to babies which are causing the problems.

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

pseudo-isidore.bsky.social
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 8d
www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...
Why the world is running out of frankincense
The precious, fragrant resin is the scent of the festive season and rising in popularity in the wellness industry – but its natural source is being decimated.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Lesley A. Hall, Alan Lester, Pauline Stafford , and 1 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9d
Looking for a New Year's resolution that is good for your mind and (relatively) easy to keep? Check out the Institute of Historical Research seminars for January 2026. Fourteen seminars in week 1 alone. Free, broad-ranging, open to the public and usually available both in person and online.
Events
Stay up to date with the upcoming events organised or hosted by the Institute of Historical Research
www.history.ac.uk

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 9d
Can’t get access to the full study, but abstract and extended intro look very interesting. Would be interested to see whether gender was factored in at all.
alerigolon.bsky.social Alessandro Rigolon @alerigolon.bsky.social · 9d
Really interesting research showing that while ultra-specialization in a single discipline might lead to better results early in one’s career, multi-discipline training and practice pays off big time in the long run. This applies to a range of professions from scientists to athletes and more
Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance
Scientists have long debated the origins of exceptional human achievements. This literature review summarizes recent evidence from multiple domains on the acquisition of world-class performance. We re...
www.science.org

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 9d
Perhaps it would be worth some government effort to protect the subject and the wide geographical availability of History degrees?
benpageresearch.bsky.social Ben @benpageresearch.bsky.social · 9d
We all know very few trust politicians or estate agents - but did you know the vast majority of us DO trust artists (73%) and historians to tell the truth (79%)? #art #history
Chart on trust in professions in uk in 2025

Reposted by Will Jennings, Pauline Stafford

benpageresearch.bsky.social
Ben @benpageresearch.bsky.social · 9d
We all know very few trust politicians or estate agents - but did you know the vast majority of us DO trust artists (73%) and historians to tell the truth (79%)? #art #history
Chart on trust in professions in uk in 2025

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

jowolff.bsky.social
Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 9d
One of the standard tropes in the history of political thought is the great advance moving in from ‘the rule of man’ to the ‘the rule of law.’ The US has adopted a grim hybrid in which presidential dictatorship is enhanced by outrageously expansive interpretations of law to terrorise opponents.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 9d
Transparency, eh?
meidastouch.com MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 10d
The White House has been caught.

The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.

In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.

Reposted by Brigitte Nerlich, Gavin A. Schmidt, Jonathan A. Foley , and 5 more

durrell.bsky.social
Durrell @durrell.bsky.social · 9d
Pantone just updated their Color Of The Year

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Nicola J. Cooper, Melissa Terras , and 5 more

alerigolon.bsky.social
Alessandro Rigolon @alerigolon.bsky.social · 9d
Really interesting research showing that while ultra-specialization in a single discipline might lead to better results early in one’s career, multi-discipline training and practice pays off big time in the long run. This applies to a range of professions from scientists to athletes and more
Recent discoveries on the acquisition of the highest levels of human performance
Scientists have long debated the origins of exceptional human achievements. This literature review summarizes recent evidence from multiple domains on the acquisition of world-class performance. We re...
www.science.org

Reposted by Andrew Jacobs, Pauline Stafford, Julia Hillner

laurysarti.bsky.social
Laury Sarti @laurysarti.bsky.social · 9d
Soon to appear, Eric Fournier and Maijastina Kahlos (eds.), Women and Gender in the Post-Roman Kingdoms, see www.brepols.net/products/IS-... and www.academia.edu/145456266/Wo... (incl. my paper on "Secular Women in the Lombard Kingdom“).

Reposted by Tom Stoppard, Pauline Stafford, Anthony Burke

devawo.bsky.social
Deva Woodly @devawo.bsky.social · 9d
I am not sorry. This is simply true. Academics should be able to write fluently and express themselves clearly and academics should do their own work. It’s literally our job. It’s what we trained until 22nd grade to do. This is a simple observation that should require no explanation or defense.
nkalamb.bsky.social Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 10d
I’m sorry, but it is disgraceful to be an academic who uses this technology to conduct research. It should be prohibited in all of our scholarly institutions, including universities and journals.

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Richard F. Catalano, Patrick A. Jansen , and 20 more

meidastouch.com
MeidasTouch @meidastouch.com · 10d
The White House has been caught.

The administration inserted a photo of Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross into the Epstein files and falsely implied it showed them with victims.

In reality, it’s a publicly available fundraiser photo featuring Jackson and Ross’s own children.

Reposted by Brigitte Nerlich, Elizabeth Stokoe, Pauline Stafford

nisreenalwan.bsky.social
Prof Nisreen Alwan @nisreenalwan.bsky.social · 10d
2025 has been a speed competition in normalising racism. And as Toni Morrison said, the serious function of racism is distraction. So 2025 has topped the charts in distraction from the real work to achieve societal progress.
Wishing you a less distracted 2026.

northeastbylines.co.uk/news/politic...
The normalisation of far-right rhetoric on immigration
People who have escaped the unimaginable horror of torture are increasingly being targeted by far-right violence in the UK
northeastbylines.co.uk

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 10d
A good piece, but it doesn't tackle the problem of ensuring that good entry-level employment opportunities with prospects for progression are created for young adults at the same time.