Liam Shields
@liamshields.bsky.social
Senior Lecturer in Political Theory @UoMPolitics. Former post-doc @stanfordethics. Working on equality in education, parents' rights, and sufficientarianism.
www.liamshields.com
www.liamshields.com
Reposted by Liam Shields
“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 5:08 PM
“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
Perfect crackling
Salted in fridge over night, upside down on kitchen roll. Mop that up in the morning, salt again and turn upside down on kitchen roll.
Then before you put it in the oven, dry it off again, salt again and pour on hot oil.
Oven temp of 220c for 45 minutes then 160c for each 500g.
Salted in fridge over night, upside down on kitchen roll. Mop that up in the morning, salt again and turn upside down on kitchen roll.
Then before you put it in the oven, dry it off again, salt again and pour on hot oil.
Oven temp of 220c for 45 minutes then 160c for each 500g.
November 9, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Perfect crackling
Salted in fridge over night, upside down on kitchen roll. Mop that up in the morning, salt again and turn upside down on kitchen roll.
Then before you put it in the oven, dry it off again, salt again and pour on hot oil.
Oven temp of 220c for 45 minutes then 160c for each 500g.
Salted in fridge over night, upside down on kitchen roll. Mop that up in the morning, salt again and turn upside down on kitchen roll.
Then before you put it in the oven, dry it off again, salt again and pour on hot oil.
Oven temp of 220c for 45 minutes then 160c for each 500g.
Reposted by Liam Shields
A government that did a wealth tax that literally brought people to the streets to protest against it, but is, somehow, having its lunch eaten by people calling for wealth taxes!
Terrific column by @robertshrimsley.bsky.social- this is essentially a Milibandite government, but one that is so in denial about it that it can’t even appeal properly to the coalition *for Milibandism*:
The inescapable logic of Labour’s choices
Starmer and Reeves should lean in to what the Budget reveals about this tax-and-spend government
www.ft.com
November 8, 2025 at 11:23 AM
A government that did a wealth tax that literally brought people to the streets to protest against it, but is, somehow, having its lunch eaten by people calling for wealth taxes!
Reposted by Liam Shields
How do you encourage people to have more children? I think the only strategy known actually to work is to make them multimillionaires so they can employ a platoon of workers to take care of their children while they accumulate and enjoy their wealth.
The emphasis on family policy is very evident in Heritage’s policy work.
One draft paper we obtained proposed a “Manhattan Project” for more babies.
A subsequent draft floats giving straight married couples an extra “half vote” in federal elections for each of their children.
One draft paper we obtained proposed a “Manhattan Project” for more babies.
A subsequent draft floats giving straight married couples an extra “half vote” in federal elections for each of their children.
November 7, 2025 at 6:54 AM
How do you encourage people to have more children? I think the only strategy known actually to work is to make them multimillionaires so they can employ a platoon of workers to take care of their children while they accumulate and enjoy their wealth.
Reposted by Liam Shields
For this week's issue of @economist.com I got to think hard about something I've not had to think about for more than 20 years: the world of dating and singles. What I found shocked me. Rates of singlehood (singledom) have been rising for decades, but have suddenly accelerated in recent years. 1/
November 7, 2025 at 1:23 PM
For this week's issue of @economist.com I got to think hard about something I've not had to think about for more than 20 years: the world of dating and singles. What I found shocked me. Rates of singlehood (singledom) have been rising for decades, but have suddenly accelerated in recent years. 1/
Reposted by Liam Shields
Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students
monitor.icef.com/2025/11/cana...
monitor.icef.com/2025/11/cana...
Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students
On the heels of this week's announcement of a significant reduction in Canada's foreign enrolment cap, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued additional guidance for students
monitor.icef.com
November 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Canada announces new incentives for international recruitment of master’s and PhD students
monitor.icef.com/2025/11/cana...
monitor.icef.com/2025/11/cana...
Reposted by Liam Shields
Compulsory team teaching on every module is perhaps the biggest ever threat to the quality of teaching in UK universities.
It causes chaos on the ground for timetabling, ruins course coherence and turns lecturers into permanent supply teachers. It is pedagogically incoherent… 1/
It causes chaos on the ground for timetabling, ruins course coherence and turns lecturers into permanent supply teachers. It is pedagogically incoherent… 1/
November 6, 2025 at 6:57 AM
Compulsory team teaching on every module is perhaps the biggest ever threat to the quality of teaching in UK universities.
It causes chaos on the ground for timetabling, ruins course coherence and turns lecturers into permanent supply teachers. It is pedagogically incoherent… 1/
It causes chaos on the ground for timetabling, ruins course coherence and turns lecturers into permanent supply teachers. It is pedagogically incoherent… 1/
Reposted by Liam Shields
Hard to think that anybody with experience of UK university senior managements would have confidence that, left to themselves, they'd back academic freedom over an income stream.
China-critical UK academics describe ‘extremely heavy’ pressure from Beijing
Reliance on overseas students’ tuition fees under scrutiny as scholars describe chilling effect of being targeted
www.theguardian.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:09 AM
Hard to think that anybody with experience of UK university senior managements would have confidence that, left to themselves, they'd back academic freedom over an income stream.
Around a 150 years ago many working class people got together to form sports teams, as the rules of various types of football were starting to firm up.
Just think of all the football and rugby teams that were know today were established from 1874 to 1900.
We owe a lot to such pioneers.
Just think of all the football and rugby teams that were know today were established from 1874 to 1900.
We owe a lot to such pioneers.
November 5, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Around a 150 years ago many working class people got together to form sports teams, as the rules of various types of football were starting to firm up.
Just think of all the football and rugby teams that were know today were established from 1874 to 1900.
We owe a lot to such pioneers.
Just think of all the football and rugby teams that were know today were established from 1874 to 1900.
We owe a lot to such pioneers.
Reposted by Liam Shields
Fascinated by how widespread “I think it was a conspiracy theory re: Rudakubana” is. No, they really did find huge amounts of violent material and he really wasn’t psychotic: the clue is that his defence did not reach for “he is psychotic” at all!
I've seen silly posts about trains and non-sequiturs about immigration or terrorism, but haven't seen any coverage on what to do about people with some form of psychosis attacking people. We pretended Axel Rudakubana was mentally well to prosecute, but does this part of mental health services work?
November 3, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Fascinated by how widespread “I think it was a conspiracy theory re: Rudakubana” is. No, they really did find huge amounts of violent material and he really wasn’t psychotic: the clue is that his defence did not reach for “he is psychotic” at all!
Reposted by Liam Shields
‘ERC grants aimed at early career researchers saw a 22 per cent increase in applicants compared with last year, with a record 4,807 proposals. Nearly 250 of those came from outside Europe, including 169 from the US — nearly triple the 2024 figure.’
on.ft.com/490NR8k
on.ft.com/490NR8k
Trump’s university backlash drives US researchers towards Europe
EU grant applications hit record in 2025 amid surge in interest from American academics
on.ft.com
November 3, 2025 at 7:05 AM
‘ERC grants aimed at early career researchers saw a 22 per cent increase in applicants compared with last year, with a record 4,807 proposals. Nearly 250 of those came from outside Europe, including 169 from the US — nearly triple the 2024 figure.’
on.ft.com/490NR8k
on.ft.com/490NR8k
Reposted by Liam Shields
We're now at "black people aren't British". Open sewer racism. Look forward to seeing him on QT again soon.
November 2, 2025 at 2:35 PM
We're now at "black people aren't British". Open sewer racism. Look forward to seeing him on QT again soon.
Reposted by Liam Shields
People are more willing to ask AI to do something unethical than to do the unethical thing themselves, new study finds.
It’s Easier to Cheat When You Can Blame AI
A study finds that people are more willing to ask AI to behave unethically than to do it themselves
on.wsj.com
November 2, 2025 at 5:42 PM
People are more willing to ask AI to do something unethical than to do the unethical thing themselves, new study finds.
I was just asking Google to with it my average speed, as I always do when I cycled, and something odd happened.
The first answer of a pretty straightforward calculation was wildly incorrect.
I refreshed the page and got the correct answer.
You must check your answers.
The first answer of a pretty straightforward calculation was wildly incorrect.
I refreshed the page and got the correct answer.
You must check your answers.
November 2, 2025 at 5:29 PM
I was just asking Google to with it my average speed, as I always do when I cycled, and something odd happened.
The first answer of a pretty straightforward calculation was wildly incorrect.
I refreshed the page and got the correct answer.
You must check your answers.
The first answer of a pretty straightforward calculation was wildly incorrect.
I refreshed the page and got the correct answer.
You must check your answers.
Reposted by Liam Shields
New post just out:
"Who might replace Starmer?"
With pressure growing on the PM, there are a lot of conversations going on in Westminster about who could take over.
Who are the contenders? Who's best placed to win? Would it make any difference?
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/w...
"Who might replace Starmer?"
With pressure growing on the PM, there are a lot of conversations going on in Westminster about who could take over.
Who are the contenders? Who's best placed to win? Would it make any difference?
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/w...
Who might replace Starmer?
As predicted at the start of the summer, the idea that the Prime Minister might not make it through another year is gaining traction.
open.substack.com
November 2, 2025 at 9:09 AM
New post just out:
"Who might replace Starmer?"
With pressure growing on the PM, there are a lot of conversations going on in Westminster about who could take over.
Who are the contenders? Who's best placed to win? Would it make any difference?
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/w...
"Who might replace Starmer?"
With pressure growing on the PM, there are a lot of conversations going on in Westminster about who could take over.
Who are the contenders? Who's best placed to win? Would it make any difference?
(£/free trial)
open.substack.com/pub/samf/p/w...
Just made a huge error and put Sunday with Laura K on.
November 2, 2025 at 9:33 AM
Just made a huge error and put Sunday with Laura K on.
That's a much better half of rugby from England. Much more aggression, better kicking, and the stadium is making a big difference.
Could we win this?
Could we win this?
November 1, 2025 at 3:25 PM
That's a much better half of rugby from England. Much more aggression, better kicking, and the stadium is making a big difference.
Could we win this?
Could we win this?
I love a lamb hot pot
October 30, 2025 at 5:43 PM
I love a lamb hot pot
Tough day calls for a special dessert
October 29, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Tough day calls for a special dessert
Reposted by Liam Shields
Younger people who voted Labour are going Green, young people who couldn't vote or didn't vote are going Green. Many uncertainties in politics but here's one sure thing: this group will be bigger at next GE than now - voting age going down and more people becoming eligible.
Where is the Green vote coming from? Only 4 in 10 current Green voters backed the Party last July. 1 in 5 opted for Labour while a similar number didn’t/couldn’t vote in a mirror of Reform UK’s attraction of previous non voters.
October 29, 2025 at 10:34 AM
Younger people who voted Labour are going Green, young people who couldn't vote or didn't vote are going Green. Many uncertainties in politics but here's one sure thing: this group will be bigger at next GE than now - voting age going down and more people becoming eligible.
Keith Andrews looks like a young Lindsay Buckingham.
October 26, 2025 at 8:20 AM
Keith Andrews looks like a young Lindsay Buckingham.
Absolutely loving that the rugby league ashes is back. Let's hope England can be competitive for the full 80
October 25, 2025 at 1:36 PM
Absolutely loving that the rugby league ashes is back. Let's hope England can be competitive for the full 80
Who curates Now TV's bucket list movies?
October 24, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Who curates Now TV's bucket list movies?
Reposted by Liam Shields
My word but the BBC used to make some really good programmes. Here on the BBC iPlayer you can get Bryan Magee's 1987 'The Great Philosophers' series, where you can (as I currently am doing) watch Sydney Morgenbesser talking about Peirce, James and Dewey.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
The Great Philosophers - Series 1: 13. The American Pragmatists
Bryan Magee and Sidney Morgenbesser discuss the work of the American pragmatists CS Peirce, John Dewey and William James.
www.bbc.co.uk
October 21, 2025 at 5:25 PM
My word but the BBC used to make some really good programmes. Here on the BBC iPlayer you can get Bryan Magee's 1987 'The Great Philosophers' series, where you can (as I currently am doing) watch Sydney Morgenbesser talking about Peirce, James and Dewey.
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...
Reposted by Liam Shields
You may have heard about UK ministers' plan to double to 10 years the time needed to reached settled status in the UK. But did you realise that it threatened access to pensions for the 180,000 people who came from Hong Kong on the UK government's visa scheme? My dispatch: www.ft.com/content/8b91...
UK Hongkongers rue the rockiness of their ‘lifeboat’ after threatened visa changes
People who fled Chinese territory are angry after London looks at doubling length of time required to gain citizenship
www.ft.com
October 22, 2025 at 6:21 AM
You may have heard about UK ministers' plan to double to 10 years the time needed to reached settled status in the UK. But did you realise that it threatened access to pensions for the 180,000 people who came from Hong Kong on the UK government's visa scheme? My dispatch: www.ft.com/content/8b91...