Rhys Owens

The British history academic job market is a constant stream of 'job I'm going to give to my PhD student but I have to open advertise'. Barely concealed and increasingly desperately pathetic

And when that becomes part of the basis of a political movement, then we're gonna have problems

But it's fascinating how when something like the Coronation surfaces, people who look back fondly on the empire often don't really understand what the Commonwealth is. There are many who still think it's a formal imperial relationship, and get confused about the overseas territories

Given the current political divides about our past it's always fascinating to see quite how little the British public know about the Commonwealth (about as much as they did about the empire 100 years ago).

That's not a dig, there's not an enormous reason why they should

New York City giving us hope for the future

Ultimately, homogeny is a myth, times and culture change regardless of immigration levels, and diversity goes much further than its visible signifiers. There will always be someone else to blame

And I do wonder whether they consider the irony that if they got their wish, there would still be a whole swathe of the population who thought, acted and lived their lives with dramatically different values, despite the outward similarities

And what really strikes me as a white man born in Britain with no recent migrant heritage and to all extents and purposes exactly that image of a more simple harmonious past, is how fundamentally different I am culturally to many of my fellow citizens who look the same as me

I've been thinking the last few days about these people who want to make our country more homogenous, more 'integrated', more like them and like a past they believe existed. Essentially with people who outwardly don't seem very different to each other.

You are right. I am incredibly partisan but I could have woken up this morning feeling considerably worse 😅

Well I'm glad where I'm from at least isn't going to be a future history book lesson on where we turned the corner to fascist decline

I can't tell you how upsetting it is that my hometown may potentially have a Reform representative in a few hours time. We live in hope that doesn't happen, and I'm glad I was able to do a small amount towards preventing that

I still keep an eye out for jobs that would suit me on the off chance, but since I gave up trying about a year ago I've seen literally 2 in the UK

This is what the original tuition fees policy was supposed to do. Lord Adonis said he intended there to be a market but for some reason never predicted everyone would just go for the max. State mandated market prices seems difficult

I spoke to a gentleman yesterday who insisted to me that the British Government was planning on handing Gibraltar over to Spain, in the context of Chagos. The histories are so different that even a vague understanding of it should quel that thought, but disingenuous men online abound

It's worth remembering that the future is extremely uncertain, and what you really think is going to happen probably won't.

In the 1930s, some extremely clever very perceptive people were talking about how India would remain in the British Empire for centuries to come yet.

History hits you fast

Can take you down a Welsh involvement path if that's of any interest 😂 PhD may still be useful yet

I've had a year of reading fiction, minus a baby prep book and a biography of a novelist. I usually read heavy non-fiction so it has been a nice change of pace. Currently enjoying Doris Lessing

Nigel Farage roundly condemned over plan to abolish indefinite leave to remain Cross-party criticism after Reform UK leader threatens hundreds of thousands of legal immigrants with deportation

It is really really important to remember looking ahead to 2029 that this is the alternative to what we have. And it isn't at all pretty

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

We've just bought a house and are really enjoying meeting our neighbours. Previously we were renting a house between two half way houses and the only interaction we had with our neighbours was when we had to call the police

Oh look, the fascist march in London descended into violence. Who could have predicted such a thing?

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There is a lot of good stuff happening, just doesn't necessarily make the headlines 🙂

I understand the disappointment, but doing the job I do the difference between this and the last government is like night and day, and working with charities, community groups, civil society etc, it does feel like there's a vibe of possibility now that was beaten down the last decade

Trying to work out whether I'm the kind of person who desperately needs to tie something which marks their identity to a piece of public furniture. I'm considering getting my face printed onto fabric and sticking it on streetlights around town. It will go nicely with the Union flags

Just finished reading Cwmardy and We Live by Lewis Jones, which is a remarkable portrait of Valleys coal mining life in the early 20th century. It's not exactly a literary masterpiece, but life and struggle and everyday reality bursts out of its pages in a way which makes it a living document

Absolutely bizarre the BBC seemingly believing calling someone xenophobic is beyond the pale. Editing out the lines is just plain nuts. Someone should tell them they don't really need to be afraid of the Tories anymore

Just hearing the awful news about Hefin David. He was a passionate public servant who was never afraid to say what he believed.

Really shocking news and just really heartbroken for everyone who loved and knew him

I'd be amenable to trying to come back a few years down the line if (big if) things improve, but the whole setup of academia really prevents that. The short term contracts, moving around, etc. Most people now get their PhDs at an age when that lifestyle is completely untenable, and that's most jobs

Of course not. Don't be surprised if ahead of the next election they start talking about the 'dangers' of women being in the workforce at all. Their aim is a rose tinted spectacle vision of 1950s Britain that never existed in the first place