Rupert Higham

Not ALL in Your Head? Think Again A Campaign Guide for the Bait and Switch Tactic

📢 Our Campaign Guide is out!

It deals with common media traps that we need to know how to deal with

🗣️ Part One covers the ‘Bait & Switch' tactic: ‘Its not ALL in you Head But…’

Easy-to-read download & audio included

💌 Help us shift the paradigm and share away!

Phenomenal journalism investigating the FII crisis for families with disabled, ill & vulnerable children by Emily Dugan.

We know this is negatively impacting #LongCovid families & urgent change is needed to the @rcpch.bsky.social FII guidelines. 🧵1/7
TW
🗞️🖇️ tinyurl.com/bdcrsxrj

💙 Thank you to Dr Kane for highlighting this deeply problematic mandatory training for FII.

This broad model is embedded within healthcare yet is NOT backed by evidence.

Capturing highly vulnerable families whom the medical system is failing.

It is discriminatory & damaging. We need change.

We have serious concerns about the appointment of Dr Terry Segal as paediatric expert in the @covidinquiryuk

This is due to her problematic history with ME, association with BACME & present framing of #LC
🧐What does the evidence say? /1

This is a great statement - it captures many aspects of a dire situation and offers solutions.

So good to see ME and Long Covid charities and advocacy organisations standing shoulder to shoulder.
#WorldMEDay

Self portrait of me (39 year old ww with wavy dark hair wearing sweatpants & a blue robe) seated in bed with my chi mix on my lap. I’m holding a sign that says Fuck M.E. in white all-caps over black

Fuck M.E. in white all-caps over black

TLDR: This is an SOS. If you don’t have capacity to read this whole thread, please skip ahead to ***WAYS YOU CAN HELP*** Please pick at least one! 🙏🏻💙

#MEAwareness
#MillionsMissing
#DisabilitySOS
#WorldMEDay
#GreatestMEdicalScandal #MyalgicEncephalomyelitis
#MECFS
#LongCovid

Moderna's combo Covid and flu mRNA shot outperforms current vaccines in large trial A combination shot would make it easier for people to get vaccinated against Covid and the flu at the same time.

Nobel Prize winning science.

The eco-populist against net-zero Zack Polanski is looking to lead the Green Party, and to challenge Labour's climate policy from the left.

"We constantly hear there’s no money left,” Polanski said, “but actually there is a lot of wealth in this country… but we are taxing people who are working really hard far more than we’re taxing wealth.” He added: “that’s totally the wrong way round!”

www.newstatesman.com/the-weekend-...

Neuro-Spicy: Discussing ADHD with Dr. Kristin Carothers [VIDEO] Spotify video

A great podcast for anyone with or around ADHD. That's all of us.
open.spotify.com/episode/5ID2...

New article:

School Leadership in the Anthropocene: Four Pillars of an Intelligent, Humane Response

With my UCL colleagues, David Godfrey and Monica Mincu. Full text and summary available here. Enjoy - and be in touch!

responsibleleadershipblog.wordpress.com/2025/02/24/s...

Proud to endorse Zack Polanski to be the next leader of The Green Party.

Zack is inclusive and welcoming to new members and understands the urgent need for The Green Party to become a broad church. He is also ready to take the fight to all shades of Toryism.

No narrow party can rise to get into government. The current Labour Party is dying on its feet because it's dogmatic and has lost touch. The Greens welcome socialists, and others too. The Labour Right couldn't take it over if they tried.

Brave move, Zack - and a good one. Your senior Green colleagues are great, but the message isn't cutting through. Reform have all the momentum. Ethical left populism is what we need.

#BackZack

We need bold leadership. Now.

That's why I'm running to be the next leader of the Green Party.

Join our campaign: backzack.com

#BackZack

We are proud to campaign alongside disabled people in our constituencies. They are not expendable. They are not a burden. They are not – as Frances Ryan writes - a cost to society . They are our neighbours and friends, and they deserve to live healthy, social and fulfilling lives just like anyone else. If ministers took the time to speak to people with illnesses and disabilities, they might understand not only the hardships they face but their humanity that successive governments have denied. There is an alternative: treat disabled people with care, respect and dignity instead.

Thanks to @jeremycorbyn.bsky.social for mentioning my work in his piece about Labour’s disability benefits cuts. The narrative that disabled people are “a cost” on the rest of society is pernicious and becoming more and more engrained. www.mirror.co.uk/news/politic...

Culture warriors see not sick Britain, but a plague of 'overdiagnosis'. How convenient | Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett Instead of dismissing huge swaths of the population, how about a nuanced conversation about neurodivergence and mental health, asks Guardian columnist Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett

Excellent article on our increasing brutishness towards neurodiversity, disability and unhappiness.

www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Digital graphic on dark blue featuring magenta headings and text: "Long Covid Awareness." White text describes long-covid. Below left are magenta hashtags related to the campaign. A circular crop on right contains a protest scene. The protesters hold signs saying: "Long Covid Me/CFS Destroy Lives," "1.9 million Have Long Covid," and other statements of protest. The upper right corner features a magenta hand icon. Bottom text promotes the 'Voice of Reason' campaign with website.

💌 We're started the #Postcards4LC campaign for #LongCovidAwareness because we urgently need funding for:

⭐ biomarkers
⭐ pathophysiology
⭐ treatments

@ashleydaltonmp.bsky.social
@england.nhs.uk
@nihr.bsky.social

#LongCovidAwarenessDay

Writing my postcards to @ashleydaltonmp.bsky.social and more for #LongCovidAwarenessDay as part of @longcovidadvoc.com campaign

We need funding now!

#pwME #LongCovid

Dear @sadiqkhanlondon.bsky.social,

I was invited to join your roundtable with Thames Water.

Will you call for them to be nationalised?

Stopping us from being there isn't going to stop me asking the questions!

📣Another blog post I hear you ask? Yes! Here's today's with @clairetyler.bsky.social & Catherine Dilnot:

🎤Testing, Testing – Why are Black applicants not getting graduate jobs?🎓💼

Black applicants are 45% less likely to get a graduate role than their white peers

blogs.ucl.ac.uk/cepeo/2025/0...

YouTube video by Long Covid Advocacy The Pedantic Zebra Podcast with Dr Jonathan Stea

📺 Our #pedanticzebra book club recording is now available!

We have a fascinating discussion with @jonathanstea.bsky.social that covers:
▶️ Pseudoscience
▶️ US Politics & misinformation
▶️ The Lightning Process

Audio, video & text versions available
Links below👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP6B...

It's not nothing, and these should have been reported. But it's such small change. Monumental lack of ambition, vision and urgency from a Labour government.

Half a decade of Long COVID - The Sick Times Looking back on half a decade, there have been numerous milestones in Long COVID research, advocacy, and greater societal awareness, many led by people with the disease. There has also been, and conti...

"While much of society does not consider or advocate for us, we continue to deliver the news and share our stories."

@mileswgriffis.bsky.social in @thesicktimes.bsky.social, reflecting on five years of Long COVID: thesicktimes.org/2025/03/07/h...

Thank you graphic celebrating 15K followers, featuring large gold and silver "15K" text, pink butterflies, and a "Thank You!" message in a stylish font, with the text "FOLLOWERS" below and the website handle "@LONGCOVIDADVOC.COM" at the bottom, alongside a verified badge.

👀It is important in these times to have choices to where we place our social media attention.

👩‍💻So, we've worked to create a viable community on Bluesky.

🥳To celebrate your support we are now VERIFIED!

Looking forward to this panel @ucl.ac.uk next Weds 5-7pm.

5 years since covid, what are the lessons for communicating in a crisis?

Jonathan Van-Tam
@profaliceroberts.bsky.social
@susanmichie.bsky.social
Professor Jack Stilgoe
Dr Philip Ball
and me!

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/communicat...

‘What do I do? Save the environment or let children go hungry?’ Leading English schools at time of climate crisis Our analysis of interviews with 10 headteachers of English secondary schools (11–18 years) shows they are keenly aware of the importance of climate change and sustainability issues but are not alwa...

New, open-access publication:

English headteachers are deeply conflicted: they know they must lead on climate change education, but feel overwhelmed by competing responsibilities.

Please read and share.

#educationalleadership #climatechange
#BELMAS

www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

YouTube video by Long Covid Advocacy Long Covid Advocacy support video for the #FundThePlan campaign

💙 LCA wholeheartedly supports @thereforme.bsky.social #FundThePlan campaign.

It is crucial that strong foundations are formed for #pwME and that means investment.

One of our members explains below in our video contribution. 1/8
youtube.com/shorts/4yCiM...

Steve Reed: include public ownership as an option in your independent commission on the water sector. | We Own It Steve Reed must put public ownership back on the table.

Privatised water has failed. Just look at your water bills or the sewage pouring into our rivers. Steve Reed - include public ownership as an option in your independent commission on the water sector. Sign the petition

weownit.org.uk/act-now/stev...

United Utilities boss admits water firm ‘isn’t good enough at stopping sewage dumping’ Louise Beardmore, boss at England’s worst-polluting firm, tells MPs pollution rise partly down to extra monitors and wet weather

Boss of England’s most polluting water provider United Utilities admits firm ‘isn’t good enough at stopping sewage dumping’.

Dumped sewage for 3.6m hours. CEO got £1.4m pay.

Company has 205 criminal convictions, allowed to hike bills by 32%.

Must remove profit motive. Nationalise.

When I worked in UK academia I recall hearing of a Japanese man who was baffled at how Britain had decided to run its universities like firms. “Why? Your universities are excellent and your firms are terrible.”