Pauline Stafford
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pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford
@pstafford.bsky.social
1.6K followers 350 following 420 posts

Historian of early Middle Ages, Grandmother, Leftwing, Labour, Leeds, British, European. Emerita Prof University of Liverpool

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Pauline Stafford is Professor Emerita of Early Medieval History at Liverpool University and a visiting professor at Leeds University in England. Dr. Stafford is a former vice-president of the Royal Historical Society. .. more

History 50%
Philosophy 24%
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pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 8h
Yes, and an idea for all of us. Q though - are you allowed to read extra some day then have days off? Asking for a friend.
kfduggan.bsky.social Kenneth F. Duggan 🇨🇦 @kfduggan.bsky.social · 1d
One Article Per Day

I plan to read an article every day in 2026 (something I nearly did to completion one year during my PhD), but this time I’m thinking of posting daily (very briefly) about each article I read. Is this something you are interested in seeing?
A scribe in a ruby tunic with a dark purple cloak over top is seated on a wooden chair, and focusing on the task of writing in a manuscript that is resting on a lectern. The scribe appears inside a large, illuminated letter E that is blue. Within the E the background is made up of small dark blue squares with a circle in each square, almost like the wall behind the clerk is a quilt. The background outside the letter E is similar to the background in the letter E, only it is made up of red squares instead of blue ones. Reference: Durham Cathedral Library MS A.II.3 f.279v

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

alexsobel.co.uk
Alex Sobel MP @alexsobel.co.uk · 8h
Ukrainians know that their best chance of winning this war will come from the move from freezing to seizing assets.

🌟 Full clip: https://youtu.be/UQ74f_-Sri0

#Ukraine

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 8h
A few facts from @sundersays.bsky.social . Enlightening as usual.
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 9h
This statement appears to be untrue for 95-99% of British people convicted and imprisoned abroad
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 17h
I would be interested to see the statistics per country per year behind this statement

“We, the UK, take back our citizens if they’re convicted of criminal offences overseas. It’s only reasonable to expect other countries to do the same thing"

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h
'Jack Gann, the curator at Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, which is hosting the Beneath the Sheets: Anatomy, Art and Power exhibition, says Joseph Maclise’s work also broke new ground by centring black bodies and focusing on queer desire.'
Anatomical exhibition includes rare Victorian-era drawing of a black body
The work of surgeon and artist Joseph Maclise is the focus of a show at the Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eicathomefinn.bsky.social
Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 9h
'Mark Simms said he feared growing hostility towards charity staff, volunteers and beneficiaries, both online and on the streets, was becoming normalised and risked eroding civilised values and norms British society once took for granted.' 2/2

Reposted by Richard S.J. Tol, Becky Francis, Tim Bale , and 4 more

sundersays.bsky.social
Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 9h
This statement appears to be untrue for 95-99% of British people convicted and imprisoned abroad
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 17h
I would be interested to see the statistics per country per year behind this statement

“We, the UK, take back our citizens if they’re convicted of criminal offences overseas. It’s only reasonable to expect other countries to do the same thing"

www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...
All criminals with dual nationality must be deported, say Tories
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime
www.thetimes.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

helengittos.bsky.social
Helen Gittos @helengittos.bsky.social · 10h
While there is an understandable desire for accountability about the past this will not give, in terms of the future, I also think this is 'the best opportunity in a generation to finally put maternity services on a safer path.'

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Maternity care failings 'much worse' than anticipated, says head of national review
An interim report by Baroness Amos finds poor care and dirty wards are blighting England’s maternity services.
www.bbc.co.uk

Reposted by Patrick Dunleavy, Steve Peers, John Foot , and 6 more

thetimes.com
The Times & Sunday Times @thetimes.com · 18h
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime ⬇️
All criminals with dual nationality must be deported, say Tories
The Conservative party’s policy also includes stripping people of their British citizenship when they are found guilty of a crime
www.thetimes.com

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

kfduggan.bsky.social
Kenneth F. Duggan 🇨🇦 @kfduggan.bsky.social · 1d
One Article Per Day

I plan to read an article every day in 2026 (something I nearly did to completion one year during my PhD), but this time I’m thinking of posting daily (very briefly) about each article I read. Is this something you are interested in seeing?
A scribe in a ruby tunic with a dark purple cloak over top is seated on a wooden chair, and focusing on the task of writing in a manuscript that is resting on a lectern. The scribe appears inside a large, illuminated letter E that is blue. Within the E the background is made up of small dark blue squares with a circle in each square, almost like the wall behind the clerk is a quilt. The background outside the letter E is similar to the background in the letter E, only it is made up of red squares instead of blue ones. Reference: Durham Cathedral Library MS A.II.3 f.279v

Reposted by Charles West

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 1d
You really need to get down to local figures to bring home what’s happening as a result of the budget.
alexsobel.co.uk Alex Sobel MP @alexsobel.co.uk · 1d
Thanks to Labour's budget in Leeds Central and Headingley there will be:

🏠11 properties paying the Mansion Tax
🧒2,080 children lifted out of poverty

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

alexsobel.co.uk
Alex Sobel MP @alexsobel.co.uk · 1d
Thanks to Labour's budget in Leeds Central and Headingley there will be:

🏠11 properties paying the Mansion Tax
🧒2,080 children lifted out of poverty

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

eddwilson.bsky.social
Ed Wilson @eddwilson.bsky.social · 1d
Philp's proposed inquiry should take two years? That was the recommendaton of the Casey review and is the proposal for the government's inquiry.

And it should be judge-led? Which Casey recommended against.

And it isn't just attention seeking and sabotage? Oh no, no, no.

#R4Today

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

paullewismoney.bsky.social
Paul Lewis @paullewismoney.bsky.social · 1d
Although some of these amounts for individual MPs are large, the average over 650 MPs is £461.50 so clearly some take nothing, others very little. bit.ly/48Y0mkg But the headline plays into a world view of corrupt politicians which generally, really we don’t have.
From football tickets to gigs, MPs accept £300,000 of gifts in a year
Anti-corruption campaigners have raised fresh concerns that such freebies may affect the decision making of politicians
bit.ly

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

twlldun.bsky.social
Twlldun @twlldun.bsky.social · 1d
Eoin Clarke has handily put together a list of 100 Green policies and it’s pretty astounding anyone can type all these out and not work out the economic collapse they would bring on

Reposted by Pauline Stafford, Raúl Pacheco-Vega

jdportes.bsky.social
Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 1d
Unsurprising mask-off racism from Nick Timothy here.

Upset at the abolition of the two-child limit - because some of (British) kids who will benefit have (British) parents who are the wrong colour (were born in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, etc).

archive.ph/rycVD
Strip residency of migrants who are a net financial drain, urges Tory MP
Ministers should withdraw permanent residency from those who draw more in welfare than they contribute, a former No 10 adviser has said
www.thetimes.com

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 2d
Check out the table of contents. This is an important collection in honour of a scholar who has done so much for our understanding of the early Medieval English peasantry. www.herts.ac.uk/uhpress/book...

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

polprofsteve2024.bsky.social
Steven Fielding @polprofsteve2024.bsky.social · 3d
So far as Labour members are concerned Rayner is like a chippy tea after studies show it’s actually good for you whereas Streeting is like boiled kale after scientists have proved that it’s toxic.
polprofsteve2024.bsky.social Steven Fielding @polprofsteve2024.bsky.social · 3d
And I suspect she’d win. I think many members would like a leader who reflects who they are & not one that makes them embarrassed.
pronouncedalva.bsky.social Ailbhe Rea @pronouncedalva.bsky.social · 3d
Angela Rayner and the soft left do not like the idea of a Wes Streeting coronation

Rayner has told friends she would stand in a leadership contest to stop him

This week's New Statesman column 👇🏻 www.newstatesman.com/politics/lab...

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

labourlist.bsky.social
LabourList @labourlist.bsky.social · 3d
For a fair system where politicians are accountable to the public, not just those who bankroll them we need limits on political donations.
‘Fair politics needs fair limits’ – LabourList
What’s the most valuable thing money can buy? Increasingly, people in Britain fear the answer might be democracy itself. For a government elected on a…
labourlist.org

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Paul Davies, Stacy D. VanDeveer , and 10 more

briantylercohen.bsky.social
Brian Tyler Cohen @briantylercohen.bsky.social · 3d
Donald Trump just removed Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list of free entry days at national parks.

They are being replaced with Trump’s birthday.

Reposted by Rory Naismith, Pauline Stafford

pseudo-isidore.bsky.social
Charles West @pseudo-isidore.bsky.social · 4d
Enmeshed in marking, but just thought I'd point out that this article is now out, open access: Simon MacLean, arguing that the Astronomer's Life of Louis the Pious could be rather later than historians have assumed: might 'the Astronomer' be Jonas of Orleans?
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
The date and context of the Astronomer's Life of Louis the Pious
The Astronomer's Life of the emperor Louis the Pious (814–40) is a canonical source for scholars of Frankish history. It sits at the centre of recent debates about the nature and tone of Carolingian ....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Reposted by Charles West, Pauline Stafford, Julia Hillner

francescatinti.bsky.social
Francesca Tinti @francescatinti.bsky.social · 4d
Looking forward to giving a paper next week in Rome with the archaeologists who excavated parts of the Schola Saxonum, just opposite the church built over Sancta Maria scola Anglorum, as Archbishop Sigeric called it. Lots of interesting 10th-cent evidence attesting to life in the English quarter

Reposted by Judith Jesch

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 4d
I know the feeling.
timbale.bsky.social Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 4d
😱 "For example, the release of The Beatles’ first UK number one, Love Me Do, is closer to the reign of Queen Victoria than it is to the present day." @jackkessler.bsky.social
Time catches up with us all
When your memories become someone else’s history
www.linestotake.com

Reposted by Stephen Jones, Pauline Stafford, Judith Jesch

timbale.bsky.social
Tim Bale @timbale.bsky.social · 4d
😱 "For example, the release of The Beatles’ first UK number one, Love Me Do, is closer to the reign of Queen Victoria than it is to the present day." @jackkessler.bsky.social
Time catches up with us all
When your memories become someone else’s history
www.linestotake.com

Reposted by Tim Bale, Tom Griffin, Stacy D. VanDeveer , and 2 more

petergeoghegan.bsky.social
Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 4d
🔴 Nigel Farage’s Reform is more reliant on super-rich backers than any major party in modern British political history

75% of *all* Reform donations *ever* have come from just three rich men

Is this what democracy looks like?

New on Democracy for Sale
democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...
75% of Reform UK’s donations have come from just three rich men
Calls grow for donation caps as Democracy for Sale research reveals that three-quarters of Reform’s funding comes from a trio of wealthy donors
democracyforsale.substack.com

Reposted by Margot C. Finn, Pauline Stafford, Lisa Colton

royalhistsoc.org
Royal Historical Society @royalhistsoc.org · 4d
"Of the 991 history exam questions set in 2023, 357 featured a named individual, but only 31 were women – and nine of those were references to Elizabeth I or her reign."

Dr Natasha R. Hodgson of Nottingham Trent University writes this week in The Conversation bit.ly/49ZqTiq
Women are still absent from how history is taught and assessed in England
Over a third of GCSE, AS and A-level exam papers in 2023 made no mention of women at all.
bit.ly

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 5d
The Overton window is moving very quickly.
sundersays.bsky.social Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 5d
GB News now broadcasting calls to remove the ethnic minority MPs from parliament

pstafford.bsky.social
Pauline Stafford @pstafford.bsky.social · 5d
You may have missed this on the news . . .
chriswardmp.bsky.social Chris Ward MP @chriswardmp.bsky.social · 5d
🚀 Big win for local businesses

In my Cabinet Office role, I’m proud to be driving through changes that could unlock £1bn a year for SMEs and local firms.

More public contracts for local firms👇

✅ More local jobs
✅ Less red tape
✅ More public money staying in our communities

Reposted by Pauline Stafford

chriswardmp.bsky.social
Chris Ward MP @chriswardmp.bsky.social · 5d
🚀 Big win for local businesses

In my Cabinet Office role, I’m proud to be driving through changes that could unlock £1bn a year for SMEs and local firms.

More public contracts for local firms👇

✅ More local jobs
✅ Less red tape
✅ More public money staying in our communities

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Pauline Stafford

just-jack-1.bsky.social
Just Jack @just-jack-1.bsky.social · 5d
Trump has issued 1500+ pardons and counting…a who’s who of drug kingpins, crypto scammers, violent insurrectionists, terrorism financiers & corrupt politicians.

In Trump’s oligarchy, the rich and powerful can pay their way to reside above the law.

Reposted by Pauline Stafford, Jack Stilgoe

benansell.bsky.social
Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 5d
The UK is in a dark place right now, where anti-asylum attitudes have spilled over into racism from the 1970s or earlier. These types of comments are not 'the result of' higher migration. They are the personal responsibility of the person who wrote them.
Who Counts?
The increasing extremism in British commentary about race
benansell.substack.com