Andrew McRae
@mcraeandrew.bsky.social
English prof, Uni of Exeter. Prone to talk about UK politics, higher education policy, the 17th century, the excellence of English studies, & Aussie sports.
This is an OfSt 2024 document: we’ll be pegged to a level close to a 30-year low. In debates over the fee-level post-Browne, £9k was at the upper end of expectations, and many policymakers resented unis ‘dodging austerity’. But we were dragged into it eventually - & now indefinitely. Good news? 🤷♂️
October 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
This is an OfSt 2024 document: we’ll be pegged to a level close to a 30-year low. In debates over the fee-level post-Browne, £9k was at the upper end of expectations, and many policymakers resented unis ‘dodging austerity’. But we were dragged into it eventually - & now indefinitely. Good news? 🤷♂️
And let’s not forget Falkner trying to bully university leaders into preemptively enforcing her proposed anti-trans rules.
October 17, 2025 at 8:32 AM
And let’s not forget Falkner trying to bully university leaders into preemptively enforcing her proposed anti-trans rules.
A short study into the recycling of higher education policy.
Or
When a headline matters more than any capacity to realise a policy.
Or
When a headline matters more than any capacity to realise a policy.
October 12, 2025 at 8:07 AM
A short study into the recycling of higher education policy.
Or
When a headline matters more than any capacity to realise a policy.
Or
When a headline matters more than any capacity to realise a policy.
‘Good medicine is guided by the values of the patient, not those of a clinician, politician or commentator.’
October 6, 2025 at 8:13 AM
‘Good medicine is guided by the values of the patient, not those of a clinician, politician or commentator.’
How gender-affirming care continues to work in Australia (as it once worked - albeit starved of resources - in the UK).
October 6, 2025 at 8:12 AM
How gender-affirming care continues to work in Australia (as it once worked - albeit starved of resources - in the UK).
Valuable perspective on the UK sociopolitical context.
October 6, 2025 at 8:10 AM
Valuable perspective on the UK sociopolitical context.
Quite a paragraph, methodically outlining the failings of Cass.
October 6, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Quite a paragraph, methodically outlining the failings of Cass.
If this, seriously, is Badenoch’s best attack-line against Mahmood, she might be in even more trouble than we thought. #bbclaurak
October 5, 2025 at 9:05 AM
If this, seriously, is Badenoch’s best attack-line against Mahmood, she might be in even more trouble than we thought. #bbclaurak
The only subject that causes this holder of indefinite leave to remain to depart from an impeccable standard of English is Nigel *#*#*# Farage.
September 22, 2025 at 8:16 PM
The only subject that causes this holder of indefinite leave to remain to depart from an impeccable standard of English is Nigel *#*#*# Farage.
Excellent, thought-provoking piece. I was struck by starmer’s answer when asked about free speech on Thursday. He cited one limit: not incitement to violence (Connolly🤔), not protecting minorities, not the interests of civil society. Nup: protecting the kids.
September 20, 2025 at 9:45 AM
Excellent, thought-provoking piece. I was struck by starmer’s answer when asked about free speech on Thursday. He cited one limit: not incitement to violence (Connolly🤔), not protecting minorities, not the interests of civil society. Nup: protecting the kids.
The prevailing view seems to be that this Starmer response was funny, as he got to talk about paedophilia while standing next to Trump. But note that he’s invoking the priorities of the far right (‘protect our children!’), and passing up an opportunity to defend laws against incitement to violence.
September 18, 2025 at 4:24 PM
The prevailing view seems to be that this Starmer response was funny, as he got to talk about paedophilia while standing next to Trump. But note that he’s invoking the priorities of the far right (‘protect our children!’), and passing up an opportunity to defend laws against incitement to violence.
Am I the only one who can’t understand why the Mandelson emails became the deal-breaker? The birthday letter, released first, tells us all we need to know. It says: ‘I know who you are, I know what you do, and I admire you for it.’ I’m yet to hear anyone asking Starmer or Mandelson about it.
September 13, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Am I the only one who can’t understand why the Mandelson emails became the deal-breaker? The birthday letter, released first, tells us all we need to know. It says: ‘I know who you are, I know what you do, and I admire you for it.’ I’m yet to hear anyone asking Starmer or Mandelson about it.
I’m not buying it. This ‘sector figure’ is so far wide of the mark regarding the values/objectives of PCE that I’d say the THE is spinning a story to fill a vacuum. A reversion to something like 2021 (weighting & template) would be a better bet.
September 12, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I’m not buying it. This ‘sector figure’ is so far wide of the mark regarding the values/objectives of PCE that I’d say the THE is spinning a story to fill a vacuum. A reversion to something like 2021 (weighting & template) would be a better bet.
Why do politicians find it so hard to defend the UK’s laws against incitement to violence? You don’t have to say anything about this one case, but the principle is critical. And letting Farage and Vance get away with telling us otherwise is dangerous.
September 3, 2025 at 6:06 PM
Why do politicians find it so hard to defend the UK’s laws against incitement to violence? You don’t have to say anything about this one case, but the principle is critical. And letting Farage and Vance get away with telling us otherwise is dangerous.
Key argument right here: don’t listen to those who tell you that words don’t matter, as long as you appear to get roughly what you want.
August 25, 2025 at 1:10 PM
Key argument right here: don’t listen to those who tell you that words don’t matter, as long as you appear to get roughly what you want.
And so: ‘rethinking authorship’. Again, this cuts much deeper in a subject like mine (English), where the quality of writing is part of the point. But we’re going to have to work through it somehow. How can we value independent thought - and human creativity- in an AI-everywhere world? 3/4
August 24, 2025 at 12:54 PM
And so: ‘rethinking authorship’. Again, this cuts much deeper in a subject like mine (English), where the quality of writing is part of the point. But we’re going to have to work through it somehow. How can we value independent thought - and human creativity- in an AI-everywhere world? 3/4
So: an ‘authorship crisis’? As it happens, I *do* write in the way this guy says never happens. Many of us in the humanities do, and that makes it especially hard to understand the writing experiences of our students. But I think we need to. 2/3
August 24, 2025 at 12:48 PM
So: an ‘authorship crisis’? As it happens, I *do* write in the way this guy says never happens. Many of us in the humanities do, and that makes it especially hard to understand the writing experiences of our students. But I think we need to. 2/3
And this is another useful reflection on which protests are publicized internationally.
August 24, 2025 at 6:53 AM
And this is another useful reflection on which protests are publicized internationally.
Seems there’s easy money out there for some graduates. Here’s Simon Jenkins (PPE, Oxford), who gets paid to rehash his old columns.
August 15, 2025 at 9:51 AM
Seems there’s easy money out there for some graduates. Here’s Simon Jenkins (PPE, Oxford), who gets paid to rehash his old columns.
Or: ‘Students face yearly tuition fee hikes to meet the costs of their education’ 1/2
August 14, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Or: ‘Students face yearly tuition fee hikes to meet the costs of their education’ 1/2
‘Increasing quality of research’ 🤔 1/2
August 6, 2025 at 7:18 AM
‘Increasing quality of research’ 🤔 1/2
An answer, perhaps? Here’s what the facade of the cathedral looked like in 1672. Strong likeness! This would still leave the question of how the engraver, William Hole, knew about these features. In the context of his work for PO, this is an unusually specific detail.
July 30, 2025 at 7:37 AM
An answer, perhaps? Here’s what the facade of the cathedral looked like in 1672. Strong likeness! This would still leave the question of how the engraver, William Hole, knew about these features. In the context of his work for PO, this is an unusually specific detail.
Here’s one for early modernists: what is Norwich holding in this 1622 map (from Drayton’s ‘Poly-Olbion’)? Yes, Norwich had a big cathedral spire, but not two (and these maps usually indicate spires in the figure’s headdress). I’ve been tossing this about, and asking experts, for months. Stuck!
July 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Here’s one for early modernists: what is Norwich holding in this 1622 map (from Drayton’s ‘Poly-Olbion’)? Yes, Norwich had a big cathedral spire, but not two (and these maps usually indicate spires in the figure’s headdress). I’ve been tossing this about, and asking experts, for months. Stuck!