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Edward Barrow

@ejoftheweb.bsky.social

570 followers 810 following 3K posts

Part-time Londoner: woke liberal socialist, empiricist. Likes food, dancing, gardening, interested in politics, economics, environment. Likely to block bigots and denialists of any stripe; will block crypto bros etc. Signal: ejoftheweb-57

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Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 19h

Yes; this isn't the first exchange where it's been a distraction. 'Part-time Londoner' reduces specificity but not I hope accuracy.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 19h

I think the biggest factor in boosting agricultural productivity is ammonium nitrate, produced by the Harber-Bosch process which uses about 2-3% of global energy. A much better use of that energy than crypto mining.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 20h

Excellent piece, great rant. I haven't read either book (soz), but I hoped and thought that the dystopian (cottagecore?) visions of Blueprint for Survival were buried. Seems not.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Not mythical, but her story may not be entirely accurate. I am sure their corporate legal team very quickly stamped on the rogue bus-dev operatives. I don't do DMs, but if you contact me by Signal (details in bio) I'll let you know the name of the 'college', with caveats/disclaimers.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Thank you; yes you are right.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

If you had been following from the start, instead of jumping in to dogpile, you might have picked up that I'm not either. But I don't think it's controversial to say that some people are. And by other non-skin-related differences.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

not overstaying, mostly. No, I shouldn't have mentioned that. Some things are best kept round the kitchen table. Sorry.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Settled status still exists, for EU citizens who were UK resident before the end of the Brexit transition period. It's 'pre-settled' that will soon no longer exist (as it's nearly 5 yrs since the end of the transition period)

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I am not 'frightened'. It is a good thing, mostly. But it can also (objectively) be unsettling, like any rapid social change. 'Boriswave' - a shorthand for the post-pandemic surge in immigration. Which should never have been stopped imo.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

If they are wrong, and they might be, it would be wrong to identify the college alleged to have done the mis-selling.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

You can believe that if you like. I am not in a position to prove otherwise.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I never gave any numbers.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

It is a very modest supplement to my pension. I keep rents as low as I can and I have never increased them once they have moved in. They seem to like it when we go back to see them, but they may just be being polite to the old folks.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

She certainly exists. The 2-yr graduate visa is a major attraction for overseas students. I have no way of knowing whether her story about her erstwhile employer mis-selling courses on the promise of 3 years is true, but I have no reason to doubt it.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

WhatsApp is a wonderful thing. Although I'd rather we were all on Signal tbh.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Because they had been sold the course on the basis that they would get 3 years' visa after graduation, whereas it could only ever be 2.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I will not say it because I probably shouldn't have been told the bit about the mis-selling and it would be wrong to dump anyone further in it.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I now live part-time in Brixton (since retiring). For the last 36 years we have had 3 or 4 lodgers in our house. We are still in touch with most of them. We consider them family.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I have 4 lodgers. Therefore it is an HMO. I am aware of all of this, thank you very much.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

They are not illegal. They are offering courses, specifically one-year masters'. Their website is glossy about the quality of the teaching. Their sales team over-emphasised the visa above the pedagogy.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Someone (you?) accused me of not checking her immigration status, as her landlord. Her *job* was advising her then employers about visas for their students. She was dumped in it by their bus-dev team, so left.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

I need an HMO licence whether or not I live there.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

She was their immigration adviser so had been pretty heavily dumped in it by the bus-dev team's mis-selling.
It's owned by a big multinational, so they would have had deep enough pockets to fund the settlement.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

Neither. I have just WhatsApped my former lodger for more info. Apparently the college generously compensated all students who had been mis-sold their 1yr master's course on the basis of a 3yr visa.

Edward Barrow @ejoftheweb.bsky.social · 1d

She was an employee, not a student, and has settled status.