Seb Schmoller
@schmoller.net
Wrote/ran TUC courses for union reps. Led Sheffield College's educational IT. Led ALT. Did techish consulting. Now involved in Further/Adult Ed/School governance. Finishing a maths degree. Walking a Border Collie.
Politics, outdoors, cycling, Sheffield.
Politics, outdoors, cycling, Sheffield.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
This BBC drivel was parodied 44 years ago by Alexander Cockburn: harpers.org/archive/1982... It is - literally - beyond parody.
January 8, 2026 at 10:13 AM
This BBC drivel was parodied 44 years ago by Alexander Cockburn: harpers.org/archive/1982... It is - literally - beyond parody.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
2023 talk for the RSM by Axel Heitmueller, recently appointed to head the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Public health focused. Gives an insight into how Heitmueller thinks. Calm, with effective use of data and examples.
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
January 7, 2026 at 12:52 PM
2023 talk for the RSM by Axel Heitmueller, recently appointed to head the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Public health focused. Gives an insight into how Heitmueller thinks. Calm, with effective use of data and examples.
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
I understand the pressures on the BBC, but Radio 4's coverage of the Minneapolis shooting is an example of "bad balance".
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
January 8, 2026 at 8:38 AM
I understand the pressures on the BBC, but Radio 4's coverage of the Minneapolis shooting is an example of "bad balance".
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
It's all "the Trump regime says she was a terrorist, but Democrats say it was murder".
The BBC has the footage. It doesn't have to treat truth and falsehood as equally valid.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
The best time to quit X was two years ago, the second best time is now...
July 8, 2025 at 10:35 PM
The best time to quit X was two years ago, the second best time is now...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
A college spending resource on this instead of access efforts, given the woeful current state of access (particularly to unis like Cambridge), is a regulatory failure. Unis should have access targets and face real consequences if they don't meet them.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Cambridge college to target elite private schools for student recruitment
Exclusive: Trinity Hall’s new policy described as a ‘slap in the face’ for state-educated students
www.theguardian.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:40 PM
A college spending resource on this instead of access efforts, given the woeful current state of access (particularly to unis like Cambridge), is a regulatory failure. Unis should have access targets and face real consequences if they don't meet them.
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Ill check it out
Skimming through I agree
Done a few fairly similarly sounding talks over the years
The (ahem) blogs that summed them up here
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/h...
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/t...
Skimming through I agree
Done a few fairly similarly sounding talks over the years
The (ahem) blogs that summed them up here
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/h...
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/t...
How health is created, why does that matter – and so what?
How health is created, why does that matter (and so what?) Earlier this month I did the annual lecture for the Sheffield Institute of Policy Studies with the above title. Knowing some of the names …
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:50 PM
Ill check it out
Skimming through I agree
Done a few fairly similarly sounding talks over the years
The (ahem) blogs that summed them up here
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/h...
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/t...
Skimming through I agree
Done a few fairly similarly sounding talks over the years
The (ahem) blogs that summed them up here
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2022/07/06/h...
gregfellpublichealth.wordpress.com/2017/06/20/t...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
"Denmark’s Refugee Appeals Board does deliver final decisions quickly and has very few onward challenges. However, Denmark also has far higher initial grant rates (around 65–70 per cent) than the UK (47%) and invests heavily in high-quality first decisions". ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...
Labour’s asylum appeals overhaul: what the new system means in practice - UK in a changing Europe
Ali Ahmadi, Catherine Barnard, Fiona Costello explain what Labour's proposed overhaul in the asylum appeals process will mean in practice.
ukandeu.ac.uk
January 7, 2026 at 3:45 PM
"Denmark’s Refugee Appeals Board does deliver final decisions quickly and has very few onward challenges. However, Denmark also has far higher initial grant rates (around 65–70 per cent) than the UK (47%) and invests heavily in high-quality first decisions". ukandeu.ac.uk/labours-asyl...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Glad we made this decision today
I know colleagues, the government and other organisations think they will be ceding ground and an important public discussion space if they leave X
It has been twisted too far into an unsafe, malign and destructive tool to morally use, & thereby endorse, anymore
I know colleagues, the government and other organisations think they will be ceding ground and an important public discussion space if they leave X
It has been twisted too far into an unsafe, malign and destructive tool to morally use, & thereby endorse, anymore
January 7, 2026 at 6:46 PM
Glad we made this decision today
I know colleagues, the government and other organisations think they will be ceding ground and an important public discussion space if they leave X
It has been twisted too far into an unsafe, malign and destructive tool to morally use, & thereby endorse, anymore
I know colleagues, the government and other organisations think they will be ceding ground and an important public discussion space if they leave X
It has been twisted too far into an unsafe, malign and destructive tool to morally use, & thereby endorse, anymore
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Fifty million Brits had a Covid vaccine.
The speed at which they were developed is one of the success stories of the last 25 years.
Farage took to the airwaves today to say they were not real vaccines.
This might be a popular view in the MAGA movement, but it's not where the British public is.
The speed at which they were developed is one of the success stories of the last 25 years.
Farage took to the airwaves today to say they were not real vaccines.
This might be a popular view in the MAGA movement, but it's not where the British public is.
January 7, 2026 at 6:02 PM
Fifty million Brits had a Covid vaccine.
The speed at which they were developed is one of the success stories of the last 25 years.
Farage took to the airwaves today to say they were not real vaccines.
This might be a popular view in the MAGA movement, but it's not where the British public is.
The speed at which they were developed is one of the success stories of the last 25 years.
Farage took to the airwaves today to say they were not real vaccines.
This might be a popular view in the MAGA movement, but it's not where the British public is.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Inspired by Barnsley’s claim to
Tuscan hill town status.
Marsden.
Tuscan hill town status.
Marsden.
January 2, 2026 at 10:05 AM
Inspired by Barnsley’s claim to
Tuscan hill town status.
Marsden.
Tuscan hill town status.
Marsden.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Farage tells @hugorifkind.bsky.social that accusations that he hissed gas sounds at Jewish students at school are a concern of "those that live in London and the upper middle classes".
January 7, 2026 at 12:58 PM
Farage tells @hugorifkind.bsky.social that accusations that he hissed gas sounds at Jewish students at school are a concern of "those that live in London and the upper middle classes".
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Bloomberg's X account has more than 800k followers. Their most recent post was shared five times
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
January 7, 2026 at 7:19 AM
Bloomberg's X account has more than 800k followers. Their most recent post was shared five times
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
It would basically come at close to zero cost for outlets like Bloomberg to delete their X accounts, and "We don't want to use a non-consensual deepfake abuse app as a comms platform" is a fine excuse
2023 talk for the RSM by Axel Heitmueller, recently appointed to head the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Public health focused. Gives an insight into how Heitmueller thinks. Calm, with effective use of data and examples.
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
January 7, 2026 at 12:52 PM
2023 talk for the RSM by Axel Heitmueller, recently appointed to head the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit. Public health focused. Gives an insight into how Heitmueller thinks. Calm, with effective use of data and examples.
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
youtu.be/P_l4xwzCZSg?... (@felly500.bsky.social gets an enthusiastic mention.)
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
This is a really great piece that both humanizes Newsom while simultaneously conveying how weird he is in many ways. He comes out as much more interesting than I had thought.
I went to Sacramento to profile Gavin Newsom, governor of California and purveyor of mean tweets about Trump. I was pretty surprised by what I found:
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
www.theatlantic.com/politics/202...
The Front-Runner
California’s Gavin Newsom would rather be wrong than weak.
www.theatlantic.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:52 AM
This is a really great piece that both humanizes Newsom while simultaneously conveying how weird he is in many ways. He comes out as much more interesting than I had thought.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Vladimir Putin must have observed with astonished delight the meeting of the Nato “coalition of the willing” in Paris yesterday. Progress was made towards preventing a putative second (or third) Russian invasion of Ukraine while European fears turned to a possible US invasion of part of NATO. 1/
January 7, 2026 at 10:55 AM
Vladimir Putin must have observed with astonished delight the meeting of the Nato “coalition of the willing” in Paris yesterday. Progress was made towards preventing a putative second (or third) Russian invasion of Ukraine while European fears turned to a possible US invasion of part of NATO. 1/
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Hi @barstandardsboard.bsky.social, is it okay that one of your licensed practitioners is the head of compliance at a platform that is used for generating criminal content?
Since the head of *compliance* at the deepfake and child porn website is an English barrister with a license to practice, perhaps people should contact the Bar Standards Board to report their concerns using this handy link:
www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/ask-us-a-que...
www.barstandardsboard.org.uk/ask-us-a-que...
January 7, 2026 at 7:16 AM
Hi @barstandardsboard.bsky.social, is it okay that one of your licensed practitioners is the head of compliance at a platform that is used for generating criminal content?
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
My child is not a fan of the 'explain how you worked out your answer' questions in Maths.
January 7, 2026 at 9:40 AM
My child is not a fan of the 'explain how you worked out your answer' questions in Maths.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
Immediate actions are required to halt the decline of Eurasian Curlew across the UK and that is why Curlew Action have now published our latest action plan which you can read in full now.
www.curlewaction.org/wp-content/u...
www.curlewaction.org/wp-content/u...
January 7, 2026 at 10:15 AM
Immediate actions are required to halt the decline of Eurasian Curlew across the UK and that is why Curlew Action have now published our latest action plan which you can read in full now.
www.curlewaction.org/wp-content/u...
www.curlewaction.org/wp-content/u...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
New post: What kind of crisis would a bursting AI bubble become?
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
If the bubble bursting hits aggregate demand, then policymakers can replace that demand using monetary and fiscal policy, as long as policymakers are prepared to use these instruments.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
If the bubble bursting hits aggregate demand, then policymakers can replace that demand using monetary and fiscal policy, as long as policymakers are prepared to use these instruments.
What kind of crisis would a bursting AI bubble become?
In this post I’m not going to speculate about whether the current boom in AI infrastructure (mainly data centres, mainly in the US) is a b...
mainlymacro.blogspot.com
January 6, 2026 at 8:50 AM
New post: What kind of crisis would a bursting AI bubble become?
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
If the bubble bursting hits aggregate demand, then policymakers can replace that demand using monetary and fiscal policy, as long as policymakers are prepared to use these instruments.
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2026/01/what...
If the bubble bursting hits aggregate demand, then policymakers can replace that demand using monetary and fiscal policy, as long as policymakers are prepared to use these instruments.
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
New research has confirmed that the first year of a project to reintroduce wildcats to Scotland was highly effective, with survival and reproduction rates "exceeding expectations".
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570419...
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570419...
Project to reintroduce wildcats to Scotland hailed as big success
New research has confirmed that the first year of a project to reintroduce wildcats to Scotland was highly effective, with survival and reproduction…
www.heraldscotland.com
January 6, 2026 at 11:10 AM
New research has confirmed that the first year of a project to reintroduce wildcats to Scotland was highly effective, with survival and reproduction rates "exceeding expectations".
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570419...
www.heraldscotland.com/news/2570419...
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
I just looked at Keir Starmer's latest tweet on X. Three times as many hostile replies and quote tweets than likes and RTs. Plus a community note attached. 850k views - a massive chunk of that to hostile accounts given above.
Is this really high quality reach?
Is this really high quality reach?
January 5, 2026 at 9:35 PM
I just looked at Keir Starmer's latest tweet on X. Three times as many hostile replies and quote tweets than likes and RTs. Plus a community note attached. 850k views - a massive chunk of that to hostile accounts given above.
Is this really high quality reach?
Is this really high quality reach?
The government minister says she believes in using X "because of freedom of speech". (There are many platforms - 4chan, Stormfront - which it does not use).
The government is being asked to
(i) uphold the law
(ii) undertake a good faith review of its own guidelines for govt communications
The government is being asked to
(i) uphold the law
(ii) undertake a good faith review of its own guidelines for govt communications
January 5, 2026 at 4:53 PM
Reposted by Seb Schmoller
The detention of Noriega in 1969 is clearly the closest precedent for the Maduro operation. But events in Caracas remind me of a now-forgotten episode in which the US invaded a Commonwealth Caribbean state, giving the UK Gov’t a few hours’ notice and ignoring their objections 1/9
January 4, 2026 at 5:35 PM
The detention of Noriega in 1969 is clearly the closest precedent for the Maduro operation. But events in Caracas remind me of a now-forgotten episode in which the US invaded a Commonwealth Caribbean state, giving the UK Gov’t a few hours’ notice and ignoring their objections 1/9