John E. Richardson
@discodiscourse.bsky.social
University of Liverpool. I tend to write about discourse, argumentation & racism. Editor of Critical Discourse Studies. I still 🌊 goodbye at the end of zoom calls.
Website >>
https://johnerichardson.wixsite.com/home
ORCID: 0000-0003-1251-8184
Website >>
https://johnerichardson.wixsite.com/home
ORCID: 0000-0003-1251-8184
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Hello. Former Index On Censorship staffer here. To be very clear, having your request to speak at a society of which you are not a member does not count, in any sense whatsoever, as censorship. nation.cymru/news/uproar-...
Uproar as Reform policy chief threatens to defund Welsh university
Martin Shipton Reform UK’s head of policy Zia Yusuf launched a culture war in Wales by threatening to withhold funding from Bangor University after its student debating society refused to host two lea...
nation.cymru
February 10, 2026 at 5:45 PM
Hello. Former Index On Censorship staffer here. To be very clear, having your request to speak at a society of which you are not a member does not count, in any sense whatsoever, as censorship. nation.cymru/news/uproar-...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
🚨 WATCH: Jewish activists heckle Nigel Farage during the launch of Reform UK's Jewish alliance
"My grandmother fled Germany, you would deport her!"
"My grandmother fled Germany, you would deport her!"
February 10, 2026 at 6:23 PM
🚨 WATCH: Jewish activists heckle Nigel Farage during the launch of Reform UK's Jewish alliance
"My grandmother fled Germany, you would deport her!"
"My grandmother fled Germany, you would deport her!"
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Hey Afghanistan when will you allow women to play cricket?? We blackballed South Africa while they were under apartheid, so I don’t know why we let Afghanistan play 🏏 #T20WC
February 11, 2026 at 6:12 AM
Hey Afghanistan when will you allow women to play cricket?? We blackballed South Africa while they were under apartheid, so I don’t know why we let Afghanistan play 🏏 #T20WC
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Trump as Caligula
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/o...
"He built opulent villas and hosted lavish parties, thereby bankrupting Rome. He reversed all the actions of his predecessor Tiberius, while continuing to blame him for anything that went wrong. He declared war on the English Channel..."
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/o...
"He built opulent villas and hosted lavish parties, thereby bankrupting Rome. He reversed all the actions of his predecessor Tiberius, while continuing to blame him for anything that went wrong. He declared war on the English Channel..."
America’s Mad Emperor
Jeffrey Frankel sees disturbing parallels between Donald Trump's unhinged behavior and that of ancient Rome's Caligula.
www.project-syndicate.org
February 9, 2026 at 12:34 PM
Trump as Caligula
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/o...
"He built opulent villas and hosted lavish parties, thereby bankrupting Rome. He reversed all the actions of his predecessor Tiberius, while continuing to blame him for anything that went wrong. He declared war on the English Channel..."
www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/o...
"He built opulent villas and hosted lavish parties, thereby bankrupting Rome. He reversed all the actions of his predecessor Tiberius, while continuing to blame him for anything that went wrong. He declared war on the English Channel..."
Reposted by John E. Richardson
I have told a few MPs this. I genuinely feel a lot of adults hate the existence and needs of young people. Then they act surprised/bewildered that these kids are anxious/depressed.
Kids can't hang out in parks. They can't hang out at the mall. They don't have 3rd spaces because no one wants kids around and then we are surprised when they rely on SM for connection.
If you take that away, what do they have left?
If you take that away, what do they have left?
www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
The impacts of locking under 16 yos from their social media networks are now beginning to bite for those young people who relied on them for social connection
February 8, 2026 at 9:37 AM
I have told a few MPs this. I genuinely feel a lot of adults hate the existence and needs of young people. Then they act surprised/bewildered that these kids are anxious/depressed.
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
February 8, 2026 at 7:44 AM
Hate-filled fake videos about London are everywhere. We've obtained a recording of a TikToker confessing to secretly filming Londoners in their homes for clicks.
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
He says it's not political. He just wants to make money from far-right anger.
Read what he says: www.londoncentric.media/p/london-tik...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Please stop using substack
“The global publishing platform Substack is generating revenue from newsletters that promote virulent Nazi ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism, a Guardian investigation has found…” www.theguardian.com/media/2026/f...
Revealed: How Substack makes money from hosting Nazi newsletters
Exclusive: Site takes a cut of subscriptions to content that promotes far-right ideology, white supremacy and antisemitism
www.theguardian.com
February 7, 2026 at 5:13 PM
Please stop using substack
Reposted by John E. Richardson
New on FT website:
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Starmer faces questions over visit to Palantir office alongside Mandelson
Former ambassador was also shareholder in lobbying group that counted US tech firm as a client
www.ft.com
February 7, 2026 at 8:20 AM
New on FT website:
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Downing Street has refused to say whether Sir Keir Starmer knew Palantir was a client of Peter Mandelson’s lobbying firm when they both visited the company in Washington last February — ahead of it winning a £240mn UK government contract.
www.ft.com/content/5bba...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Its not a new sentiment but: Fuck Matt Goodwin.
I have family members who'd dearly like to have kids, but can't due to medical stuff. Friends who have spent years trying but it hadnt happened. Multiple miscarriages.
Fuck Goodwin and everyone who supports him.
I have family members who'd dearly like to have kids, but can't due to medical stuff. Friends who have spent years trying but it hadnt happened. Multiple miscarriages.
Fuck Goodwin and everyone who supports him.
So as I struggled with miscarriage after miscarriage before having my 🌈 baby, Reform would seriously think I should pay more tax during that agony.
This policy isn’t just a slippery slope to a handmaids tale dystopian future - it’s a deliberate step towards it
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
This policy isn’t just a slippery slope to a handmaids tale dystopian future - it’s a deliberate step towards it
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...
Reform by-election candidate suggested people who don’t have kids should pay more tax
Exclusive: The Reform politician’s suggestion would ‘punish millions of women and strip them of their basic dignity to choose’, Labour’s deputy leader has warned
www.independent.co.uk
February 7, 2026 at 9:32 AM
Its not a new sentiment but: Fuck Matt Goodwin.
I have family members who'd dearly like to have kids, but can't due to medical stuff. Friends who have spent years trying but it hadnt happened. Multiple miscarriages.
Fuck Goodwin and everyone who supports him.
I have family members who'd dearly like to have kids, but can't due to medical stuff. Friends who have spent years trying but it hadnt happened. Multiple miscarriages.
Fuck Goodwin and everyone who supports him.
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Devastatingly sad.
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
'When it opened, the campus housed a GP surgery and a new dental clinic offering free treatment to local people. This was followed later by the forum – a library and art gallery shared by the university and local people.' 1/2
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 8:06 AM
Devastatingly sad.
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Every Labour MP should be forced to read this. In fact, every MP, who rushed back to Parliament to vote to save one steel mill, whilst hastening the collapse of dozens of universities - and harming the students, staff, communities and economies universities sustain and support
Reposted by John E. Richardson
It is with deep sadness that I have to report the passing of Chip Berlet. He was one of the few people to consistently research and organize against the U.S. Far Right from the 1970s through the '00s. His co-authored 2000 book "Right-Wing Populism in America" unfortunately remains all-to-relevant.
Chip Berlet (1949-2026)
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
Chip Berlet (1949-2026)
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
idavox.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:50 AM
It is with deep sadness that I have to report the passing of Chip Berlet. He was one of the few people to consistently research and organize against the U.S. Far Right from the 1970s through the '00s. His co-authored 2000 book "Right-Wing Populism in America" unfortunately remains all-to-relevant.
Reposted by John E. Richardson
THREAD 🧵:
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
February 4, 2026 at 7:04 PM
THREAD 🧵:
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
The Epstein files are real. The antisemitism they're fueling is also real.
And right now, the second part is getting almost no attention.
Reposted by John E. Richardson
My research is featured on the Public Understanding of Science blog with a brief introduction to our paper published in their journal (here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...) and the toolkit which can be download here: livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
sagepus.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-fi...
sagepus.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-fi...
A fiction author can do anything, we’re bound by the facts
science communication, science and society, public understanding of science, science & the media, research
sagepus.blogspot.com
February 6, 2026 at 2:18 PM
My research is featured on the Public Understanding of Science blog with a brief introduction to our paper published in their journal (here: journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...) and the toolkit which can be download here: livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/
sagepus.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-fi...
sagepus.blogspot.com/2026/02/a-fi...
Very sad news. RIP Chip
Chip Berlet (1949-2026)
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
Chip Berlet (1949-2026)
When neo-fascists began to be followed and recorded, it was Chip that was the one who made the first moves. He gave us the blueprint that antifascist researchers go by today. Thank you, Chip, we will take it from here.
idavox.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Very sad news. RIP Chip
Reposted by John E. Richardson
free speech latest
February 6, 2026 at 4:07 PM
free speech latest
Reposted by John E. Richardson
How can the other parties not beat this? I mean, seriously? These people should be shouted down in roars of laughter the minute they say this. Just toxic. www.bigissue.com/news/politic...
Nigel Farage wants to cut price of beer by reinstating two-child benefit cap
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to reinstate the two-child limit on benefits to pay for a 5p cut off pints of beer to boost pubs.
www.bigissue.com
February 5, 2026 at 1:36 PM
How can the other parties not beat this? I mean, seriously? These people should be shouted down in roars of laughter the minute they say this. Just toxic. www.bigissue.com/news/politic...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
More than 30 people trying to reach Britain in a small boat were left to drown over several harrowing hours because of failures by rescue authorities, an inquiry has found
The incident in November 2021 is the deadliest known small boat disaster in the English Channel
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
The incident in November 2021 is the deadliest known small boat disaster in the English Channel
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
Deaths in Boat Disaster in English Channel Were Avoidable, Inquiry Finds
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 3:51 PM
More than 30 people trying to reach Britain in a small boat were left to drown over several harrowing hours because of failures by rescue authorities, an inquiry has found
The incident in November 2021 is the deadliest known small boat disaster in the English Channel
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
The incident in November 2021 is the deadliest known small boat disaster in the English Channel
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/w...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Nigel Farage tells GB News that Keir Starmer's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador shows his judgement is "seriously wrong" and he should stand down as Prime Minister.
Here's what Farage said when Mandelson was appointed
Here's what Farage said when Mandelson was appointed
February 5, 2026 at 3:50 PM
Nigel Farage tells GB News that Keir Starmer's decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador shows his judgement is "seriously wrong" and he should stand down as Prime Minister.
Here's what Farage said when Mandelson was appointed
Here's what Farage said when Mandelson was appointed
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Here's who the Washington Post just laid off.
February 4, 2026 at 9:10 PM
Here's who the Washington Post just laid off.
Reposted by John E. Richardson
Reposted by John E. Richardson
An interview with my lovely @uonenglish.bsky.social colleague, Kevin Harvey, about his fascinating and moving book about the power of literature as a form of medicine. You should read the interview, and then buy the book!
We know that books change lives. But how exactly does it happen? How does bibliotherapy work? And what do we as a society risk with the closure of public libraries?
Today's post is a humorous, heartfelt Q&A with The Literary Lifeline author Kevin Harvey: bit.ly/4rqiWZ1
Today's post is a humorous, heartfelt Q&A with The Literary Lifeline author Kevin Harvey: bit.ly/4rqiWZ1
February 4, 2026 at 2:35 PM
An interview with my lovely @uonenglish.bsky.social colleague, Kevin Harvey, about his fascinating and moving book about the power of literature as a form of medicine. You should read the interview, and then buy the book!
Reposted by John E. Richardson
A good illustration of the wide-reaching impact of university campus closures on students, staff, and communities www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
www.theguardian.com
February 4, 2026 at 9:14 AM
A good illustration of the wide-reaching impact of university campus closures on students, staff, and communities www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Reposted by John E. Richardson
One of several scholarships for Palestinian students available at the University of Liverpool. This one is for the MRes in Irish Studies. Please share to relevant circles.
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
University of Liverpool Humanitarian Scholarship in Irish Studies | Study | University of Liverpool
Learn about our University of Liverpool Humanitarian Scholarship in Irish Studies.
www.liverpool.ac.uk
February 4, 2026 at 2:34 PM
One of several scholarships for Palestinian students available at the University of Liverpool. This one is for the MRes in Irish Studies. Please share to relevant circles.
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/fees-a...
www.liverpool.ac.uk/study/fees-a...