Mark Priestley | Lightnews

Prof Mark Priestley

@markrpriestley.bsky.social

14K followers 3.1K following 1.9K posts

Education Professor, Stirling Centre for Research into Curriculum Making, University of Stirling. Mountain and prog rock enthusiast. European. Blog at http://mrpriestley.wordpress.com
Publications at https://www.stir.ac.uk/people/255862 .. more

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Political science 27%

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Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · Jul 28

Now available for preorder

www.bloomsbury.com/uk/teacher-a...

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 7h

😂🤣😂🤣
@johncrace.bsky.social on the defecation of Jenrick to Reform UK

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Treachery and stupidity to the fore as Robert Jenrick defects to Reform | John Crace

Even Nigel Farage looked taken aback by the news Honest Bob was about to join his flock, but he quickly saw the upside

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Steve Peers, Paul Davies, Peter Holmes , and 3 more Steve Peers, Paul Davies, Peter Holmes, Philip Cowley, Julian R. Betts, Mark Priestley

Robert Hutton @roberthutton.co.uk · 18h

Robert Jenrick: an apology. thecritic.co.uk/fran...

Ishould begin with an apology. Last month, I described Robert Jenrick as “the most shameless man in parliament”. His office complained at the time, but I was stubborn and refused to back down. Well, it’s never too late to say you were wrong. Robert Jenrick is not simply the most shameless man in parliament. He is the most shameless man in Britain, the most shameless man on Earth. Quite possibly the most shameless man in history. It is not simply that Jenrick has no shame. He is like a black hole for shame, sucking in the embarrassment of people around him. Which will be quite handy in his new party, Reform.

Nothing became Jenrick’s time in the Conservative Party so much as the leaving of it. For years he had eased his way up the greasy pole, switching positions when necessary, a heating-seeking missile for whichever pose could help him advance, poster boy for the importance of self-belief over ability or integrity. And finally he was undone because he forgot to pick something up off a

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 19h

The point of Reform UK is Nigel Farage- it’s a mechanism for displaying his monumental ego

Reposted by Leigh Sparks

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 19h

This
👇👇👇👇👇

Amra Watson @amrawatson.bsky.social · 21h

Funny how Robert Jenrick, Reform’s latest signing, says “Britain is in decline” ,considering he helped run it as a Tory minister under May, Johnson,Truss &Sunak.
At this point, Reform looks less like a fresh start and more like a reunion tour for the people who caused the decline in the first place.

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 19h

I actually misread Pippa’s post at first, but it seemed apt 😂

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 20h

In the case of Tory —> Reform UK movements, this should read defecations rather than defections

Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 21h

NEW: Nigel Farage says the "door for defections" will close after the May 7 local elections.

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 21h

Robert Generic’s cynical political opportunism on full display as he completes his journey from Tory moderate to Reform UK nutcase

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Robert Jenrick defects to Reform UK after Conservative party suspension

Announcement comes after Kemi Badenoch sacked shadow justice secretary over evidence of defection plot

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Leigh Sparks, Mark Priestley

Amra Watson @amrawatson.bsky.social · 21h

Reposted by Mark Priestley

Pippa Crerar @pippacrerar.bsky.social · 21h

NEW: Nigel Farage says the "door for defections" will close after the May 7 local elections.

Reposted by Mark Priestley

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 22h

Jenrick defection to Reform is the end of him. Farage already struggles to contain more than one outsized ego in his parliamentary party. Certainly no room for anything the size of Robert's inflated sense of self-worth.

You mark my words - it'll end badly.

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 23h

Robert Generic could join Labour, or perhaps the Greens 🤪

Reposted by Steve Peers, Mark Priestley

Paul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 1d

We go live to Tory HQ

a group of people are sitting on a set of stairs and one of them is wearing a hat

ALT: a group of people are sitting on a set of stairs and one of them is wearing a hat

media.tenor.com

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 1d

Agreed. I have raised this issue repeatedly - so far with little success

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 1d

They don’t do irony - they do lies. They are well aware of this

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 1d

Time for all decent organisations, including the BBC, to stop using X. Last week, I heard the ridiculous pantomime of Nick Robinson lambasting a Labour minister for using X when both he and the BBC still do so

Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 1d

BBC report at a headline level that Grok will now not make sexually exploitative images any more. An actual reporter comes on and explains that it will do no such thing, and will just make the images invisible in the UK. These are two very, very different things.

Reposted by Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, John R. Hutchinson , and 4 more Jonathan Portes, Will Jennings, John R. Hutchinson, Tom Shakespeare, Tom van der Meer, Mark Priestley, Pauline Stafford

Pete Fraser @petefrasermusic.bsky.social · 1d

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 1d

Here’s a Scottish version

Reposted by Mark Priestley

The Ukrainian Review @theukrainianreview.bsky.social · 1d

🇬🇧 British intelligence has named Russia's losses in the war in Ukraine for 2025

The UK Ministry of Defense reported that in 2025, Russia lost about 415 thousand soldiers killed and wounded.

Reposted by Neil Pederson, Fabián Muniesa, Mark Priestley , and 2 more Neil Pederson, Fabián Muniesa, Mark Priestley, Tim Stephens, Karen O’Leary

Scientific American @sciam.bsky.social · 2d

Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

2025 Wasn’t the Hottest Year on Record. Earth Is Still Barreling to the Climate Brink

Global warming surpassed 1.5 degrees Celsius for the past three years, meaning Earth is currently on track to breach the Paris climate agreement by the end of the decade

www.scientificamerican.com

Reposted by Steven French, Mark Priestley

UK Politics @politicsintheuk.bsky.social · 2d

Remember when the Tories said privatisation meant efficiency?
Bills up. Pipes bursting. Water gone.
CEO on £400k salary + £104k bonus.
Investment funds shareholders (70% in Canada and Australia) laughing all the way to the bank.
Thatcherism is still poisoning Britain.
#UKPolitics

Reposted by Mark Priestley, Jonathan J. Buonocore, Tim Stephens , and 1 more Mark Priestley, Jonathan J. Buonocore, Tim Stephens, Karen O’Leary

Niklas Höhne @niklashoehne.bsky.social · 2d

2025 was the third hottest year ever.
Trend is worrying and faster than expected a few years ago.

Only when we stop burning coal, oil and gas, temperature will stop rising.

www.ecmwf.int/en/about/med...

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 2d

This isn’t about banning kids from social media - it’s about responsible organisations stopping using X/Twitter

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 2d

We have just confirmed the date of the March @scrcm.bsky.social webinar. I will be presenting ideas from the forthcoming 2nd edition of Teacher Agency: An Ecological Approach. Join us on Tues 17 March, 4-5.30.

Sign up at www.tickettailor.com/events/facul...

Select tickets – Teacher agency: the ecological approach – MS Teams

Teacher agency: the ecological approach – MS Teams, Tue 17 Mar 2026 - Abstract The last 10 years has seen an explosion in research literature deploying the concept of teacher agency. At the same time,...

www.tickettailor.com

Reposted by Leigh Sparks, Mark Priestley

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 3d

"I suspect that almost every women who listened to it said 'Where is your compassion and empathy for the women?'"

Baroness Kennedy responds to Lord Mandelson's latest apology last night, following criticism that he hadn't gone far enough in Sunday's BBC interview.

#Newsnight

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 3d

My latest article - ‘Curricular justice in a complex world’ in The Curriculum Journal

Open access at dx.doi.org/10.1002/curj...

The Curriculum Journal | BERA Journal | Wiley Online Library

This paper is a response to articles published in this Special Issue of the journal. In the paper, I reflect upon the issue of curricular justice, offering comment on issues raised in the constituent...

dx.doi.org

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 3d

😂

Prof Mark Priestley @markrpriestley.bsky.social · 3d

@johnswinney.bsky.social ?

Neil Mackay @neilmackay.bsky.social · 3d

The Scottish government needs to stand up for what’s right and quit using Twitter right now

How can anyone use a site that is producing deepfake sexualised images of children and women?

If the UK doesn’t have the guts to get off X, then Scotland should

My @heraldscotland.bsky.social column