Aimee J. Smith

Labour promised root and branch reform of the Legacy Act. @aimeejaysmith.bsky.social and I argue that the government needs to relinquish political control of the institutions and make victims and survivors architects of reform, rather than recipients of change that is decided for them.

Government to block Adams internment compensation Hilary Benn says the government will bring in primary legislation to address the issue.

With government interference over who is entitled to compensation we're going to see similar levels of distrust over any new legacy and reconciliation bill. There are limited chances left to get this right

As an Iranian American, it feels like I need to help explain something:

A friend recently expressed confusion as to why those in the Iranian diaspora (liked myself), who hate the regime, would be opposed to the attacks on Iran.

I’ll try to explain my thoughts/feelings.

🧵

Excited to share research from @cslstudyucd.bsky.social with colleagues at the Educational Studies Association of Ireland Conference @esai-irl.bsky.social this week. My paper details the co-creation and implementation of our participatory research method, ‘A School Day’ board game.

Trump tariffs could undermine Brexit deal in Northern Ireland US president imposes two-tier rate on island of Ireland, raising concerns over impact on 1998 peace pact

It's kind to wonder if any of this has been thought through 😑

Trumps tarrifs raises concerns over Windsor Framework which may require UK and EU to work closer together to reduce impact on NI. It also potentially undermines the peace process.

Small fry to a large ego of course.

I'm reading this at the moment. Very much enjoying it!

German election 2025: results in full With all seats assigned, Friedrich Merz’s CDU/CSU conservatives will be the biggest party in the Bundestag, but the far-right AfD have come second. Find full results from every constituency

German Election in full with interactive maps

The Annual Harri Holkeri Lecture 2025

QUB - Annual Harri Holkeri Lecture

"Peace Mediation in the Age of Geopolitical Contestation" - Elina Valtonen MP (Finland, Minister of Foreign Affairs)

3rd March - 17:30-19:00

www.qub.ac.uk/events/whats...

I love a good graphic - excellent thread of analysis on Trump's first few weeks in office by @chrischirp.bsky.social

I would take it to mean bringing multiple sources of analysed data together to create an evidence base (researcher). However seeing the number of people who say its generated, I think we need to be clearer in our usage. Data is synthesised together to 'create' knowledge

Trump administration strips schools, churches of immigration enforcement protections The memo rescinds a Biden administration guideline that created "protected areas" consisting of places where "children gather, disaster or emergency relief sites, and social services establishments."

The absolute only reason to strip schools of immigration protection is to target children. That's it. That is the ballgame. I don't get how broken your moral compass has to be to accept that, no matter what your political affiliation.

www.npr.org/2025/01/21/n...

hey cool all my Bad Religion albums came true

It seems as good a time as any to dive into hope...

For a while I have been interested in the sociology of hope, largely but not exclusively, as it pertains to those in post-conflict environments. Snippets of hope were visible in my thesis interviews with young people, and I am now in a place where I can start to delve into this more.

Maybe it's the wrong time for me to ask, but maybe not? What are some tangible actions a person can do who is based in the UK right now to prevent the rise of the far right and facism, especially with Farage being best pals with Musk, right now? How do we act before it's too late?

A small mountain is outlined in the mist

First mountain of the year - the Mourne's Wee Binnian. A damp misty day but a fun scramble nonetheless.

Screenshot: Apply for funding to form a community-driven research network to enhance access to culture. Funded networks will create partnerships across communities, researchers, and policymakers, to promote urban cultural renewal. You must be based at a UK research organisation eligible for Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funding.

I love that AHRC are funding community networks, but they've used the phrase I really dislike. The grant will "enhance access to culture"
This tends to mean access to the correct/acceptable/rich people culture. Poor people have culture too, they just don't make BBC4 shows about it.

One benefit of being part-time - Thursdays are the new Fridays!

One major downside - I have a memory like a sieve so need to spend extra time writing detailed lists for next week before I forget everything.

It was the same when I was full time but I feel the extra day will make a big difference

Here's a personal thread about the very strong, complex emotions that I struggled with all of last week, since we watched Assad fall and Syria rise:

Why we should take care when ascribing luck to academic success Considering how the idea of luck is mobilised by different groups and to different effect in academia, Jonatan Nästesjö argues luck can play a positive and negative role in maintaining status hiera…

💥New: Considering how the idea of luck is mobilised by different groups and to different effect in academia, Jonatan Nästesjö argues luck can play a positive and negative role in maintaining status hierarchies in academia.

#AcademicSky #AcademicCareers #Luck

So I spent a few days in Coventry this week meeting my new colleagues. Upon arriving at the train station, my music playlist started on the Stiff Little Fingers version of The Specials 'Doesn't make it alright'. A spontaneous and welcome merging of my new geographic worlds through music

As is often the case with new jobs, my first few days are spent working out how to navigate new systems, identify key helpers and plan workload. A bit of information overload!

🚨 Today, we launch Report 8b from the #CSLstudy, ‘Equalities in Children’s School Lives: The Impact of Gender.’

🔗 Download the report from our website at: cslstudy.ie/wp-content/u...

🧵 Read about some of the key findings below –

⬇️ 1/15

I am now officially up and running in my new role. Delighted to join the team at PAIS in the University of Warwick as a Research Fellow working on the Inclusive Peace project

Ireland’s peculiar election fail Staid campaign limps toward election day as party leaders struggle to drum up enthusiasm for a vote with no clear front-runner.

Irish election 2024: No party is standing enough candidates to win a majority - while the STV system makes a coalition almost an inevitability, how much longer can the FG/FF-perpetual government provide stability through the current challenges facing Ireland?

Irish election: why one single party is unlikely to win – and what it means for the next government Ireland’s fractured party system often leads to protracted political stalemates.

Short piece by me explaining the fracturing of the party-system in Ireland and why there will likely be a protracted stalemate and caretaker government after this week’s election
theconversation.com/irish-electi...

With that in mind, I want to use this account for the following:*
- coming back to research after nearly a year off
- mental health/burnout recovery
- research and updates (when I get started)
- books
- music and other arts/activities that set my soul alight

*energy/inspiration permitting

I've never been great at social media as an academic - I'm an introvert both online and off. However the internet can be a space that allows for more intentional and thoughtful engagement with others - more so than in person for me. With a new platform, I'm going to try.

I am writing a book chapter on qualitative methods in political science/public policy/public administration.

If you have authored recent papers using QM in these three disciplines, please send them to me! I’d like to read and potentially cite.

raul(.)pacheco(.)vega(@)flacso(.)mx