Sheffield UCU @sheffielducu.bsky.social has been taking strike action in defence of jobs this term.

But in an alarming escalation, Sheffield management has threatened to "lock out", ie. deduct pay at 100% for each day, if members refuse to reschedule marking, beginning with the start of 2026.

🧵1/7

A great write up about how the branch supported students and tutors to resolve a shortage of professionally-based tutors.

In just under a week, we head into action.

Back in November, FE members voted 90% YES for action.

Since then, over 17 colleges have already won pay awards and 28 colleges will take strike action.

🔗 Full list of colleges involved: tr.ee/7b9M2lu8n5

Letter from the University and College Union (UCU), dated 8 January 2026, from general secretary Dr Jo Grady to the UK foreign secretary. The letter condemns Israeli military attacks on Palestinian education, including a raid on Birzeit University, calls these actions “scholasticide,” and urges the UK government to hold Israel to account through diplomatic, military and economic sanctions.

On Tuesday, the Israeli military invaded Birzeit University, attacking students with live ammunition.

Israel's scholasticide is a core part of its attempt to obliterate the collective life of the Palestinian people.

We have written to Yvette Cooper urging the British government to take action.

Jeez. This just gets worse. Minister now admits jury trials would be curbed regardless of courts crisis

www.lawgazette.co.uk/news/ministe...

Dundee architecture students win fight against course-threatening staff shortages University of Dundee architecture students have successfully campaigned to address a shortage of teaching staff which threatened accreditation of courses

Staff shortages put Dundee’s architecture course at risk, students organised and won.

Teaching has been reinstated in full.

Collective action works.

Strike ballot looms at Durham University over workloads and job insecurity Staff at Durham University are moving towards a strike ballot after senior management refused to engage constructively with the union over untenable workloads and worsening job insecurity, UCU announc...

Staff at Durham University are balloting to strike over workloads and job insecurity.

“Goodwill is not limitless.” @drjogrady.bsky.social

US senators vote to curb Trump's ability to take more Venezuela military action Republicans are among those backing a resolution to stop the US president using more force in the South American country without Congress approval.

The US Senate has voted for legislation that would bar Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without authorisation from Congress

news.sky.com/story/us-sen...

YouTube video by Peter Stefanovic The government won’t achieve ‘decency’ over ‘division’ by trying to be Reform Lite

As we begin 2026 a good time to remember that Human rights are universal - politicians may not always find them politically convenient but it shouldn’t fall to any government to say who those rights should and should not apply to

youtu.be/bl0Lm7v_T18?...

No 10: Grok changes ‘insulting’ and make deepfake creation a ‘premium service’ The changes to Grok come after regulator Ofcom said it made ‘urgent contact’ with X.

BREAKING: Changes to Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot Grok only serve to make creating deepfakes a “premium service” and are “insulting” to victims of misogyny and sexual violence, Downing Street has said
www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/poli...

Scottish Challenge to the Proscription of Palestine Action None

www.crowdjustice.com/case/scottis...
I just supported this case!

Ruhle on winning the "chickens". Prescient auto caption on bbc

@jamboskickback.bsky.social
Even auto captioning can predict Rangers' season

Ruhle on winning the "chickens" bad auto caption

@thejamtarts.bsky.social

'Are your chances of leading the country diminishing?'

PM: 'No, no, no'

Keir Starmer says he doesn't want to talk about 'internal politics of the Labour party' as questions over his leadership ramp up

The Filton Trial “The policewoman attacked by a sledgehammer” has been the constant refrain of the government against Palestine Action.

open.substack.com/pub/craigmur...

Our members have been voting all week. Get your ballots in as soon as you can.

#SaveHE #WeAreTheUniversity

Published yesterday with The Sociological Review: 'Research failure, crip temporalities and bipolar time in UK higher education'

I'm honoured to be co-author of this article with wonderful first author @lizziereed.bsky.social ☺️

Available to read here, open access: doi.org/10.1177/0038...

"The only reason people do not know much is because they do not care to know. They are incurious. Incuriosity is the oddest and most foolish failing there is." -Stephen Fry

I think this is dismissive - many people have curiosity removed from them through childhood - leaving school believing science , poetry, art - are not things they are allowed to be part of and terrified that if they try to engage they will be admonished for not understanding things the “right” way

Our members have voted to support industrial action to fight against job cuts passed today!

In the ballot our 72% of members were in favour of strike action, and 90% in favour of action short of strike. Turnout was 58%.

Thank you to all members, reps and officials for helping us get the vote out.

Visit our website, and read about our strong opposition to the recently rejected University Recovery Plan: a plan created by the short-term team in charge at University of Dundee.

sites.dundee.ac.uk/ducu/

#SaveHE #SaveDundeeUni

#books are awesome.

‘We didn’t understand the goals of the war’: Israel’s inflated Hamas death toll shows lack of strategy in Gaza ‘War dashboard’ showing number of militants killed was objective in itself with no plan for how Gaza could be governed afterwards, say sources in elite Unit 8200

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

ALL SYSTEMS GO ELBIT Systems, which as Israel's largest arms firm is a key cog in the Israeli war machine, is close to winning a £2bn contract that would make it a "strategic partner" of the Ministry of Defence, working on the training of 60,000 British soldiers every year. Elbit Systems UK, its British arm, is bidding for the Army Collective Training Service contract. The chosen bidder will work with the MoD to transform military training "through digitalisation, simulation, a different relationship with industry, and by changing how and where the military trains" Many defence giants put in bids, but in February the MoD reduced the bidders to two: Elbit and Raytheon. The MoD paid the companies €2m each to develop their bids. The development period was supposed to run until mid-August, meaning the final decision is imminent. Elbit has certainly done its best to get the inside track with the ministry, appointing two top former MoD figures to its UK board of directors: Sir Simon Bollom (who made the move in June - see Eye 1651) and Sir Mark Poffley. The firm already has similar contracts with the MoD. Since 2023 it has run Project Vulcan, a €57m, ten-year contract of simulation-based training for tank crews. But the new deal would be a significant step up, both in value and in its relationship with the MoD. The Eye asked the MoD if it would be appropriate to give a company so involved in the Gaza war such a major contract, but it did not respond. • Meanwhile, the anger across Europe over Israel's attacks on Gaza didn't prevent Serbia from agreeing a $1.64bn deal, announced last week, for Elbit to supply "a range of defence solutions" including artillery-rocket systems and attack drones.

Starmer’s Labour government says there’s no money to scrap the two-child benefit cap and lift 500,000 children out of poverty — but there is £2,000,000,000 for Elbit, Israel’s partner in genocide.

This obscene deal must be stopped.

They have Palestinian blood on their hands.

Revealed: Israeli military’s own data indicates civilian death rate of 83% in Gaza war Figures from classified IDF database listed 8,900 named fighters as dead or probably dead in May, as overall death toll reached 53,000

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

UK to recognise state of Palestine in September unless Israel holds to ceasefire Cabinet agrees to support Middle East roadmap at emergency meeting called amid humanitarian crisis in Gaza

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Spineless Starmer shows once again his unlimited capacity to make an unprincipled principled stand.
Why is recognising Palestine not an aim in itself?

‘Man-made mass starvation’ in Gaza, WHO chief says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issues warning, as more than 100 aid groups urge Israel to ease blockade

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/j...

📢 Palestine Fringe at @tolpuddlefest.bsky.social
🗓 Saturday 19 July 3:30-4:30pm
📍Main Fringe Tent

End the genocide. Stop arming Israel.

Trade union leaders and activists will be speaking out. Don’t miss it.
#Tolpuddle2025 #FreePalestine

Justice Dept. Asks for 1-Day Sentence for Ex-Officer Convicted in Breonna Taylor Raid

They mean to be as insulting to Black people, as dismissive of our lives, as resistance to our status as full citizens in this country as they can be.

There is no common ground to be had at the expense of our sisters & daughters’ lives and our dignity as a people.

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/17/u...

Sen. Whitehouse explains why Dems walked out of Emil Bove hearing

The State Department guts its office combating human trafficking The cuts come as Trump reels from MAGA anger over sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

SCOOP: As Trump takes a beating from his own MAGA crowd for his handling of the case of Jeffrey Epstein, his State Department pulled a surprising move: It decimated its office combating human trafficking.

“Everyone was caught off guard,” an insider told @pemalevy.bsky.social