Finn Pollard
@heresfinn.bsky.social
Head of Academic Quality. Associate Prof (US History). Pollard's US Politics Thread (Fridays). Arts Reviewer. Lib Dem/Remainer. Views my own not UoL.
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Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 7th Nov 2025, or, The Obviously Grocery Prices are Way Down Edition…(1/58)
I agree. But in order to make any progress there would have to be an agreement for major change to the REF. There seems to be no sector will to pursue this (& the union also seems uninterested in pushing for this):
“It’s time for the ‘publish more’ mindset to perish.”
Mandy Hill, writing in the Financial Times, calls for reform in academic publishing:
Read the full letter (paywall) 🔗 https://cup.org/3WRVlDm
Mandy Hill, writing in the Financial Times, calls for reform in academic publishing:
Read the full letter (paywall) 🔗 https://cup.org/3WRVlDm
November 12, 2025 at 6:12 PM
I agree. But in order to make any progress there would have to be an agreement for major change to the REF. There seems to be no sector will to pursue this (& the union also seems uninterested in pushing for this):
I have written at length to explain why I think the Edinburgh International Festival's decision (announced in the Members newsletter last week) to open booking for selected events before the full programme is publicly available is mistaken: www.wheresrunnicles.com/2025/11/stag...
Staggered Booking at the Edinburgh International Festival Redux, or, You Cannot Be Serious
On the 3rd November I received an e-mail sent to all the various levels of Edinburgh International Festival Members. At this time of year I...
www.wheresrunnicles.com
November 11, 2025 at 10:19 AM
I have written at length to explain why I think the Edinburgh International Festival's decision (announced in the Members newsletter last week) to open booking for selected events before the full programme is publicly available is mistaken: www.wheresrunnicles.com/2025/11/stag...
Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 7th Nov 2025, or, The Obviously Grocery Prices are Way Down Edition…(1/58)
November 7, 2025 at 4:57 PM
Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 7th Nov 2025, or, The Obviously Grocery Prices are Way Down Edition…(1/58)
Personal archive note. When I started doing the US Politics Thread back in 2022 I didn’t always save a copy of the start of thread link. Have just realised that as I‘ve done little on Facebook except cross-post it’s fairly easy job to recover the links to early threads. Pleased.
November 4, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Personal archive note. When I started doing the US Politics Thread back in 2022 I didn’t always save a copy of the start of thread link. Have just realised that as I‘ve done little on Facebook except cross-post it’s fairly easy job to recover the links to early threads. Pleased.
Just received an email from the Edinburgh International Festival informing me that a selection of perfs will go on sale later this month. Staggered booking was a daft idea when Linehan proposed it for 2016 & had to walk it back. It is no better an idea now. EIF should reconsider.
November 3, 2025 at 1:17 PM
Just received an email from the Edinburgh International Festival informing me that a selection of perfs will go on sale later this month. Staggered booking was a daft idea when Linehan proposed it for 2016 & had to walk it back. It is no better an idea now. EIF should reconsider.
V good on the ground reporting on the flag raisers: manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...
The men who raised the flags
Nigel Farage says this summer’s movement was led by ‘ordinary people’ expressing their patriotism. That’s not what we found
manchestermill.co.uk
November 2, 2025 at 9:27 AM
V good on the ground reporting on the flag raisers: manchestermill.co.uk/the-men-who-...
Donmar The Maids: Despite the efforts of the ensemble I wasn‘t persuaded by the updating (the ending in particular just seemed bizarre). Overblown production wch as so often lately hindered rather than helped the drama.
November 1, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Donmar The Maids: Despite the efforts of the ensemble I wasn‘t persuaded by the updating (the ending in particular just seemed bizarre). Overblown production wch as so often lately hindered rather than helped the drama.
It's been another heavy week at the day job but my evening has just been made by managing to pick up 5 of the BBC Classic Who novels I don't currently have in my collection at bargain prices from the Oxfam shop website. Slowly filling the collection gaps.
October 31, 2025 at 6:57 PM
It's been another heavy week at the day job but my evening has just been made by managing to pick up 5 of the BBC Classic Who novels I don't currently have in my collection at bargain prices from the Oxfam shop website. Slowly filling the collection gaps.
Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 31st Oct 2025, or, The For Sale. One Army. Only One Previous Owner. Anonymous Bids Welcome Edition… (1/47)
October 31, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 31st Oct 2025, or, The For Sale. One Army. Only One Previous Owner. Anonymous Bids Welcome Edition… (1/47)
An excellent afternoon of escapism watching Back to the Future with live orchestral score courtesy of the RPO at the Royal Albert Hall.
October 26, 2025 at 7:23 PM
An excellent afternoon of escapism watching Back to the Future with live orchestral score courtesy of the RPO at the Royal Albert Hall.
Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 24th Oct 2025, or, The It’s My House And I Can Do What I Like To It But I’m Definitely Not Behaving Like A King Edition…(1/73)
October 24, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Hi there and hello! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 24th Oct 2025, or, The It’s My House And I Can Do What I Like To It But I’m Definitely Not Behaving Like A King Edition…(1/73)
If any followers happen to spot anything on Ag Sec Rollins's plan for the US beef industry that analyses the plan in depth (rather than just describing what's in it) & gives some context/comparison to current arrangements please do alert me to it.
October 23, 2025 at 10:26 AM
If any followers happen to spot anything on Ag Sec Rollins's plan for the US beef industry that analyses the plan in depth (rather than just describing what's in it) & gives some context/comparison to current arrangements please do alert me to it.
Not at all enthused after sitting through the Bridge's Lady from the Sea at the weekend about the prospect of Simon Stone returning to the venue in 2026...
October 22, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Not at all enthused after sitting through the Bridge's Lady from the Sea at the weekend about the prospect of Simon Stone returning to the venue in 2026...
An excellent thread on the Lam proposals:
Katie Lam has made a video - focusing on not giving new ILR grants to people who don't have it
But quietly including the Conservative proposal to be the first government since Idi Amin in 1972 to revoke the permanent leave to remain, then expel: she underplays to what extent
x.com/Katie_Lam_MP...
But quietly including the Conservative proposal to be the first government since Idi Amin in 1972 to revoke the permanent leave to remain, then expel: she underplays to what extent
x.com/Katie_Lam_MP...
x.com
October 22, 2025 at 9:30 AM
An excellent thread on the Lam proposals:
Reposted by Finn Pollard
People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
October 22, 2025 at 8:32 AM
People who have come to the United Kingdom legally, played by the rules and made it their home do not need to “go home”. This is their home.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
I've written to Kemi Badenoch to give her the chance to reject these divisive calls from her frontbencher Katie Lam.
Could the Education Secretary name some institutions she currently thinks “don’t take quality seriously”: www.theguardian.com/education/20...
English universities can raise tuition fees if they meet ‘tough’ standards, says Phillipson
Measure, which will allow increase in line with inflation, is part of white paper on post-16 education and skills
www.theguardian.com
October 21, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Could the Education Secretary name some institutions she currently thinks “don’t take quality seriously”: www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 19th Oct 2025, or The Special Sunday Supplement Edition (Because We Were Swamped with the Day Job on Friday)… (1/61)
October 19, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Greetings Friends! Welcome to the US Politics Thread for w/e 19th Oct 2025, or The Special Sunday Supplement Edition (Because We Were Swamped with the Day Job on Friday)… (1/61)
Bridge Lady from the Sea: Well everyone else gave it a standing ovation. Wild horses would not have got me to my feet. Conducting the whole second act either in the rain or in a swimming pool just rendered it ludicrous as far as I was concerned.
October 18, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Bridge Lady from the Sea: Well everyone else gave it a standing ovation. Wild horses would not have got me to my feet. Conducting the whole second act either in the rain or in a swimming pool just rendered it ludicrous as far as I was concerned.
There are lines in the Bridge’s attempt at updated Ibsen that remind me of the early American novelist Charles Brockden Brown (whose works I had to wade through during my doctorate). This similarity is not to the benefit of the show.
October 18, 2025 at 2:47 PM
There are lines in the Bridge’s attempt at updated Ibsen that remind me of the early American novelist Charles Brockden Brown (whose works I had to wade through during my doctorate). This similarity is not to the benefit of the show.
Apologies to all our regular readers owing to pressures at the day job we‘re not able to get a US Politics Thread out this evening. We hope we may be able to publish something later in the weekend.
October 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Apologies to all our regular readers owing to pressures at the day job we‘re not able to get a US Politics Thread out this evening. We hope we may be able to publish something later in the weekend.
Sorry to see the excellent Matthew Sweet is leaving BBC R3 Sound of Cinema (notable that the press release just announces a replacement (Edith Bowman), no explanation beyond that).
October 16, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Sorry to see the excellent Matthew Sweet is leaving BBC R3 Sound of Cinema (notable that the press release just announces a replacement (Edith Bowman), no explanation beyond that).
Just managed to finish listening to the complete 2025 Proms season before it falls off Sounds tonight. A lot of excellent concerts. Among the ones I got to late on I esp enjoyed Avi Avital’s Between Worlds late night Prom & Angelique Kidjo’s African Symphony.
October 13, 2025 at 8:59 PM
Just managed to finish listening to the complete 2025 Proms season before it falls off Sounds tonight. A lot of excellent concerts. Among the ones I got to late on I esp enjoyed Avi Avital’s Between Worlds late night Prom & Angelique Kidjo’s African Symphony.
An excellent summary (the graph is especially revealing) of the serial damage done to HE finances by govt decisions over the last few years. All while the govt pretends it has no responsibility for what's happening in the sector: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insig...
The financial impact of government policy decisions on universities
We estimate the net impact of government policy decisions taking effect in 2025–26 will be a £1.4 billion reduction in funding.
www.universitiesuk.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 5:36 PM
An excellent summary (the graph is especially revealing) of the serial damage done to HE finances by govt decisions over the last few years. All while the govt pretends it has no responsibility for what's happening in the sector: www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/latest/insig...
Reading 2025: A Penguin copy of Stendhal’s Scarlet and Black has been on the to be read piles/shelves since the late 90s (bought for 60p from the twice weekly bookstall in the basement of the David Hume Tower I suspect when I was still an undergraduate). Finally got round to it. A pretty odd novel.
October 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Reading 2025: A Penguin copy of Stendhal’s Scarlet and Black has been on the to be read piles/shelves since the late 90s (bought for 60p from the twice weekly bookstall in the basement of the David Hume Tower I suspect when I was still an undergraduate). Finally got round to it. A pretty odd novel.
ROH Giustino. Marvellously characterful singing & playing. Sense of drama but also the ability to make lines float & haunt. Excellent detailed individual acting perfs enabled prod to transcend occasional slips into busyness or confusion. All the sensuality missing from last season’s Semele.
October 12, 2025 at 4:53 PM
ROH Giustino. Marvellously characterful singing & playing. Sense of drama but also the ability to make lines float & haunt. Excellent detailed individual acting perfs enabled prod to transcend occasional slips into busyness or confusion. All the sensuality missing from last season’s Semele.