David Hendy

‘Is university still worth it?’ is the wrong question The graduate earnings premium isn’t really measuring what most people think

Turns out (says @jburnmurdoch.ft.com) it's not so much an oversupply of graduates in the UK (the same would be true of other similar countries but it's not) as an undersupply of the kind of jobs that a better-performing, more productive economy would supply.

My first public talk about my next book. At @gladlib.bsky.social on Tuesday 3rd March - two weeks today.

See the thread featured below for details of tickets

An image of writer David Hendy, stood with his arms crossed. Text above his head reads 'The Secrets, Lies, and Tangled Lives of Britain’s Wartime Propagandists with David Hendy'. The text below reads '4 free tickets available for young people aged 16 to 14. Tuesday 3rd March 7pm - 8pm'.

🚨 Calling all young historians! 🚨

As part of our Engagement and Learning programme, we are pleased to offer 4 free tickets to young people aged 16-24 to David Hendy's talk: The Secrets, Lies, and Tangled Lives of Britain’s Wartime Propagandists.

So, I’d say it is very much the job of journalists here to say explicitly that Farage is lying - and ask WHY he is lying…

I’ve no desire to defend the Johnson government, but Farage is wrong. It was made clear from the start that the vaccine didn’t prevent you getting infected, nor prevent you from passing Covid on. It was explained, explicitly, repeatedly, that it’s value was it ameliorated the impact of an infection

Camaraderie and Conflict at the Coalface A brief history of ‘the workplace’ on the BBC – to celebrate twenty years of The Apprentice.

A recent piece by me for the BBC:

Two decades of The Apprentice - and how the BBC has reflected life in the British workplace

As told through a whistle-stop tour of the TV and radio archives...

100% to this and next in thread
bsky.app/profile/hpsv...

BBC international editor Jeremy Bowen: ‘I do this to tell people what the hell is happening’ The veteran correspondent on the future of the Middle East, why impartiality matters — and his ‘long view’ on Britain’s national broadcaster

Lunch with the FT: Jeremy Bowen

I spoke to the BBC's international editor about Israel, impartiality, and whether Gaddafi farted through interviews: www.ft.com/content/b139...

Roses are red
Violets are blue
Tickets to HistFest 2026
Is what they want from you… events.bl.uk/events/histf...

A red heart holding a torn piece of paper that has the message "I miss you" written on it.

Thinking of all of you who are missing someone on this Valentine's Day. ❤️

#ValentinesDay

The Guardian view on the BBC World Service: this is London calling | Editorial Editorial: With just seven weeks before its funding runs out, the UK’s greatest cultural asset and most trusted international news organisation must be supported

‘Accurate journalism is the strongest weapon in the war of information. The World Service must not be allowed to stumble into decline’

The American blockade on Cuba is nothing but senseless and evil. Pure vindictivness.

Manchester United owner praises Farage during anti-migration diatribe Prime Minister Keir Starmer criticized businessman Jim Ratcliffe’s claims that Britain has been “colonized by immigrants.”

Good morning, Jim Ratcliffe. Two things: one, pay your taxes; two, kiss my ass: www.politico.eu/article/manc... #jimratcliffe #manchesterunited

Do folks have favorite examples storytelling in academic writing? I'm considering asking students to use their research to tell a story as an exercise and would love some models.

Cambridge University museum set to return Benin bronzes to Nigeria A Cambridge University museum  will shortly return around 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria as part of a major restitution initiative, the UK's weekly newspaper the Observer has reported.

Cambridge University's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology will shortly return around 100 Benin bronzes to Nigeria as part of a major restitution initiative - more here:

www.rfi.fr/en/africa/20...

Guidance for responding to 'A Fairer Pathway to Settlement' consultation We are Amnesty International UK. We are ordinary people from across the world standing up for humanity and human rights.

The UK government is proposing radical and punitive changes to settlement rules. This is settlement, not citizenship. The consultation is open until 12 February; please respond to it and oppose these evil proposals. Amnesty have a good guide: www.amnesty.org.uk/resources/gu...

BBC World Service faces funding cliff edge in seven weeks, says Tim Davie As trust in Russia and China’s state broadcasters grows, director general warns of the dangers of cutting back the service

“I urge the government to back the World Service, to act decisively and confidently about what we can achieve in this space, and to act soon”

- Tim Davie, BBC Director-General.

A dire warning about the World Service running out of money in just 7 weeks time.

Small Prophets review – Mackenzie Crook’s magical new comedy is pure, pure pleasure Wonder lies below the surface of this truly fantastic sitcom from the creator of Detectorists. It’s an impossible marvel of TV making

‘The existence of Small Prophets proves the point: that British telly can still create impossible marvels like this is a reason to keep believing in magic.’

As Americans are noticing, the response of the British government to this is rather at odds with theirs - but also with the near-silence from the private sector about those among it who were also involved with Epstein. How about grilling Silicon Valley?

A deer was rescued after being spotted struggling on the frozen surface of Loon Lake in Washington.

Today's Paper of the Day is:

Antiphospholipid Syndrome: A Comprehensive Clinical Review

https://criticalcarereviews.com/latest-evidence/paper-of-the-day

Join us to read 1 paper per day and stay up-to-date as we cover the spectrum of critical care across 2026

YouTube video by Kermode and Mayo's Take Mark Kermode reviews Melania

My God.....Mark Kermode did see Melania....🔥

Of self-driving cars, and the non-existence of jaywalking Also this week: the unexpected indeterminacy of rivers; and a barcode map of the UK.

"But surely the biggest issue is we simply have a different legal relationship with our streets from that of almost any major US city. It’s not so much that jaywalking is legal here, as that it’s an entirely non-existent concept."

It notable that when Essex does this, it makes the Guardian. Brighton closed the Hastings campus in 2016 & the Eastbourne campus in 2023. This has been happening for years & impacting towns. It's not impacting cities, & definitely not Oxford and Cambridge. This is how inequalities get enntrenched

Spot on!

When people talk about the idea that some universities must go under, there’s a certain tendency to behave as if these smaller local campuses are negligible- regrettable casualties perhaps but not ‘real’ universities. This report does a great job of illustrating why that’s wrong.

‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university? When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...

“Having the university here was a big part of the city’s feeling of youthfulness, and the idea that you can be here and learn and grow.”

What happens when a city loses its university?

(A question that will soon be answered in several other places across the UK, sadly…)

Reminder that "jaywalking" was literally made up by american car manufacturers to shift the blame for accidents from drivers to pedestrians. "Jay" was a slang term meaning "idiot" or "rube".

I notice from this article that if any university wanted to employ me by Jan 2027, they could, if they wanted, include my January 2022 book, The BBC: A People's History, AND my forthcoming book on wartime propaganda, in their 2029 REF submission. Both monographs currently 'unaffiliated'

Any takers?

1/10. Tory peer Daniel Hannan has posted a potted history of slavery that demonstrates how historical understanding is being twisted by politicians. I’ll examine it in light of historians’ research.