Pauline Stafford
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pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford
@pstafford.bsky.social
1.6K followers 340 following 390 posts

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

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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 Martin McKee, Will Jennings, Steve Peers , and 9 more

timbale.bsky.social
Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 15h
Read 'em and weep. (www.nber.org/system/files...)
This paper examines the impact of the UK's decision to leave the European Union (Brexit) in 2016. Using almost a decade of data since the referendum, we combine simulations based on macro data with estimates derived from micro data collected through our Decision Maker Panel survey. These estimates suggest that by 2025, Brexit had reduced UK GDP by 6% to 8%, with the impact accumulating gradually over time. We estimate that investment was reduced by between 12% and 18%, employment by 3% to 4% and productivity by 3% to 4%. These large negative impacts reflect a combination of elevated uncertainty, reduced demand, diverted management time, and increased misallocation of resources from a protracted Brexit process. Comparing these with contemporary forecasts – providing a rare macro example to complement the burgeoning microliterature of social science predictions – shows that these forecasts were accurate over a 5-year horizon, but they underestimated the impact over a decade.

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford

earliermiddleages.bsky.social
IHR Earlier Middle Ages Seminar @earliermiddleages.bsky.social · 20h
📣 Next week we are delighted to host a book launch for Local Priests in the Latin West, 900-1050, by Alice Hicklin, Steffen Patzold, @jbwaagmeester.bsky.social & @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social, who will be joined by John Arnold, Julia Barrow & Conrad Leyser. Weds 19 Nov, 5.30pm, King's. All welcome!
Book Launch: Local Priests in the Latin West, 900-1050
Earlier Middle Ages Seminar- Session 3
www.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Paul Nightingale, Pauline Stafford

fintwitter.bsky.social
FinTwitter @fintwitter.bsky.social · 23h
*UK GILTS PLUNGE AT OPEN, 10-YEAR YIELD CLIMBS 13 BPS TO 4.57%

Reposted by Simon Wren‐Lewis, Pauline Stafford

anandmenon.bsky.social
Anand Menon @anandmenon.bsky.social · 23h
One backbencher: the PM and CX “have been warning MPs..the gilt markets are watching us like hawks… And now..they’re dropping their biggest revenue-raising measure...in what will look like a panicked response to their briefing wars debacle. You can’t make this up.”' www.politico.eu/newsletter/l...
Labour’s tax bombshell
Presented by Lloyds Banking Group By ANDREW MCDONALD with BETHANY DAWSON PRESENTED BY Send tips here | Subscribe for free | Listen to Playbook and view in your browser Good Friday morning. This is …
www.politico.eu

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

adamlbrown.bsky.social
Adam Brown @adamlbrown.bsky.social · 1d
Parallel point is that all this leaking and kiteflying has built the budget up into an even more high stakes and emotionally and politically charged event. People are going to be angry no matter what at this point

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

drjennings.bsky.social
Will Jennings📉🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 1d
Goodwinism is an unpopular, extreme view.
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 1d
10% of white people think you have to be white to be English - but 84% of white people disagree with that. Two-thirds of ethnic minorities think Englishness is a civic, not ethnic identity, though 1/4 of minority groups join 1/10 of the majority group in seeing it as ethnically defined (YouGov)

Reposted by Ben H. Ansell, Pauline Stafford

tomashirstecon.bsky.social
Tomas Hirst @tomashirstecon.bsky.social · 1d
Why seek political office if you have a stonking majority and you use it to…endlessly fret about losing your majority rather than running a country? It’s no good. There is no theory for how to make things better. It’s not even well managed decline.

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

psurridge.bsky.social
Paula Surridge @psurridge.bsky.social · 1d
In an electorate that is fragmented across multiple dimensions and no longer anchored to political parties, every party aiming for a double figure vote share must bring together a coalition like this and they all have fault-lines within them.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
The real Reform voters have been revealed – it’s a slapdash coalition Farage will struggle to hold together | Aditya Chakrabortty
This is no single bloc marching under one ideology, or even a mass of ‘red-wall’ voters. What unites them is a desire for something different, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

whittledaway.bsky.social
Pádraic Fogarty @whittledaway.bsky.social · 1d
"every year, bottom trawling releases 370 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere"

www.euractiv.com/opinion/the-...
The hidden deforestation beneath the waves | Euractiv
Tackling the carbon emissions of bottom trawling is a fast and effective way to forestall climate change while protecting our precious marine ecosystems. But despite the minimal returns, governments across Europe keep subsidising the practice
www.euractiv.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 1d
'Matthew Goodwin, who is now a hard-right activist and prominent Reform supporter, has confirmed on X that he has been made the honorary president of the new Students4Reform organisation.'

Will "Prof" Matt Badlose be a student asset or an own goal for Reform? 2/3

Reposted by Michelle Everson, Pauline Stafford

mrjamesob.bsky.social
James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 1d
To knit together two stories: through intimidation, litigation & extortion, Trump is clearly trying to create a media ecosystem where nobody asks him about Epstein - or indeed anything discomfiting. It is appalling to see so many UK media individuals & institutions aiding & abetting his corruption.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Kris Inwood, Michelle Everson , and 3 more

mikkibrock.bsky.social
Mikki Brock @mikkibrock.bsky.social · 2d
Maybe it’s just the Humanities professor in me, but let it be noted that events of today (ahem) have demonstrated the value of being able to assess a large volume of qualitative data and do careful textual analysis with deep attention to context.

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford

torstenbell.bsky.social
Torsten Bell @torstenbell.bsky.social · 2d
Exciting news for the Welsh economy coming tomorrow

Reposted by James M. Bullock, Steve Peers, Anand Menon , and 2 more

privateeyenews.bsky.social
Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 2d
BBC Under Attack: Pot and Kettle Special

The new Private Eye is out now.
A photo of the front cover of issue 1662 of Private Eye magazine with the caption "on shelves now." The front cover reads “BBC Under Attack: Pot and Kettle Special” and shows Broadcasting House with speech bubbles coming from the building. The quotes include “Donald Trump says we broadcast fake news!”, “Nigel Farage says we’re totally biased!”, “Boris Johnson says we’re liars!”, “The Daily Mail says we’re peddling conspiracy theories!”, “Kemi Badenoch highlights poor leadership!”, “The Daily Telegraph says we’re editing for political purposes!”, and “Liz Truss says we’ve done huge damage to the country!”

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

mikegalsworthy.bsky.social
Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 2d
Back in 1997, there were just 11 booming male Bitterns left in the UK – almost extinct. Thanks to conservation by @rspb.bsky.social and @naturalengland.bsky.social 283 booming males were recorded in 2024.

Les Cater shares his story and stunning photos of these rare birds ⤵️
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

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

jakekanter.bsky.social
Jake Kanter @jakekanter.bsky.social · 3d
Genuinely cannot recall a culture secretary delivering such a full-throated and caveat-free endorsement of the BBC, which Lisa Nandy describes as a "light on the hill." deadline.com/2025/11/bbc-...
UK Culture Secretary Blasts Fellow Politicians For “Launching A Sustained Attack” On BBC
The BBC Donald Trump saga has led Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy to defend the BBC and criticise politicians for attacking it.
deadline.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford, James Connelly

newsagents.bsky.social
The News Agents @newsagents.bsky.social · 3d
“Fearless journalism is what terrifies politicians, and it must not be cowed."

The BBC must stand up to Trump's $1 billion lawsuit - or risk legitimising the president's false narrative of what really happened on January 6

www.thenewsagents.co.uk/article/if-t...
'If the BBC backs down to Trump, it doesn’t deserve to survive’ | The News Agents
What’s the next move for the BBC, after Donald Trump’s threat to sue the broadcaster for a billion dollars – and why what it decides will influence much more than its own future.
www.thenewsagents.co.uk

Reposted by Steve Peers, Andrew Scott, Margot C. Finn , and 1 more

chrisgrey.bsky.social
Chris Grey @chrisgrey.bsky.social · 3d
I'm not sure if others have noticed this, but interesting that one of the Prescott criticisms of the BBC is based on those of the 'History Reclaimed' group, which is also associated with the 'Restore Trust' group's attacks on & so far unsuccessful attempts to take control of the National Trust. 1/3

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 3d
‘Making Domesday contends that it was also a feat of intelligent government deployed by an aggressive and ambitious regime. As such it speaks to broader concerns with the colonial domination of conquered societies through the purposeful collection of systematic statistical information.’ /2

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 3d
An excellent summary of work and introduction to the most important study of Domesday book in a generation - or more. /1
ihr.bsky.social Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · 3d
New #OnHistory blog, IHR Fellow Chris Lewis writes about new publication, "Making Domesday: Intelligent Power in Conquered England" by Stephen Baxter, Julia Crick, and C. P. Lewis, and Domesday scholarship in the IHR.
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/dome...
Domesday at the IHR - On History
IHR Fellow, Chris Lewis, writes about new publication, 'Making Domesday'.
blog.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford

ihr.bsky.social
Institute of Historical Research @ihr.bsky.social · 3d
New #OnHistory blog, IHR Fellow Chris Lewis writes about new publication, "Making Domesday: Intelligent Power in Conquered England" by Stephen Baxter, Julia Crick, and C. P. Lewis, and Domesday scholarship in the IHR.
blog.history.ac.uk/2025/10/dome...
Domesday at the IHR - On History
IHR Fellow, Chris Lewis, writes about new publication, 'Making Domesday'.
blog.history.ac.uk

Reposted by Juan Cole, Greg Walker, Jennifer Evans , and 3 more

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3d
'people who are multilingual are half as likely to show signs of accelerated biological ageing than are those who speak just one language.'

Good thing that schools, universities and governments are so actively promoting modern languages then, isn't it? 1/2
Want a younger brain? Learn another language
A vast study suggests that being multilingual can slow down cognitive ageing.
www.nature.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

alanlester.bsky.social
Alan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 3d
It’s astonishing that a man who was director of communications for a political party & who helped set up a right wing propaganda TV channel should have ever been placed on the board of a supposedly impartial & independent broadcasting service.

www.theguardian.com/media/2025/n...
BBC board member with Tory links ‘led charge’ in systemic bias claims, say insiders
Sources say Robbie Gibb amplified criticisms of Trump, Gaza and trans rights coverage, and had ‘a lot of oxygen in the room’
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

georgeperetzkc.bsky.social
George Peretz KC @georgeperetzkc.bsky.social · 3d
There is, after all, the risk of a dangerous precedent here. The BBC will often offend foreign leaders - some worse than Trump. Sometimes it will make factual mistakes in reporting on them. Yield to Trump now, and who next?

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 3d
'“Following a summer of further racist disorder, it is little wonder a growing number of nursing staff report feeling unsafe, particularly when having to work on their own and often at night.' 2/2

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

writesbright.bsky.social
Sam Bright @writesbright.bsky.social · 4d
The Telegraph routinely spreads myths about a range of subjects - especially climate change.

It has been forced to publish over 100 corrections this year so far.

Yet it has the gall to lecture the BBC - and whip up a national panic - about journalistic standards
The Telegraph’s Record of Climate Falsehoods
The Telegraph, which has accused the BBC of bias and a lack of editorial rigour, has been forced to amend a swathe of climate inaccuracies. The BBC’s director-general and CEO resigned this weekend aft...
www.desmog.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

jayrosen.bsky.social
Jay Rosen @jayrosen.bsky.social · 4d
Between the news media in the UK and the US the biggest difference is the strength of the BBC at the center. Which makes it a target. As @brianstelter.bsky.social writes: "the BBC is positioned as an apolitical brand, yet operates in a politically poisonous atmosphere. www.cnn.com/2025/11/09/m...

Reposted by Will Jennings, Jonathan Hopkin, Bárbara De Cock , and 1 more

jburnmurdoch.ft.com
John Burn-Murdoch @jburnmurdoch.ft.com · 4d
Here’s the same data, but with trust broken down by political views (circles are trust among people on the left, +s the right).

It’s not just that the BBC is widely consumed — it also has solid trust on both left & right, whereas trust in the biggest US media brands is hugely polarised.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Ben H. Ansell, Stephan Lewandowsky , and 10 more

robertshrimsley.bsky.social
Robert Shrimsley @robertshrimsley.bsky.social · 4d
The fact that the BBC has made serious culpable errors does not negate the point that there is a real and concerted right-wing media campaign to destroy it. Both points can be true at the same time and the campaign would not end even if the errors did.

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 4d
Shout this as loud as possible over and over again. It should be the central, fundamental argument. (And see the whole of this excellent thread. No more tinkering. Grasp the nettle that many/most of us need to pay more, but also - on the grounds of fairness- tax wealth.)
colmpm.bsky.social Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 4d
They are needed because the ordinary tax payer also needs to pay more. Here, some old fashioned social-democratic arguments need to be made much more forcefully.