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Judith Knott

@judithmknott.bsky.social

280 followers 160 following 650 posts

Researching 19th-century German letters - when I’m not learning Estonian, knitting or playing piano. FRSA, ex-civil servant and uni governor. (Pronoun tema.)

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Judith Knott @judithmknott.bsky.social · 23d

Excited to announce I have a German article in Vol 24 of the Mendelssohn-Studien, due out in November.
“Der Rest ist Schweigen”: Zwei Briefe von Rebecka Dirichlet an Johanna Kinkel.
www.wehrhahn-verlag.de/public/index...
(picture is Rebecka’s sister Fanny Hensel)

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Dr Francis Young @drfrancisyoung.bsky.social · 6h

My first publication in Estonian is out today! (kindly translated into Estonian by @ohpuu.bsky.social): a review of ‘Silverwhite’ by Lennart Meri for Keel ja Kirjandus: keeljakirjandus.ee/ee/archives/... 🇪🇪🌠

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Judith Knott @judithmknott.bsky.social · 1d

I took time this morning to look up Jonathan Powell’s biography.
A man who wrote a book on Machiavelli is not someone to put in the role of National Security Adviser.

Judith Knott @judithmknott.bsky.social · 1d

A memory comes to mind:
David Kelly.
An unholy affair in which Powell was involved in the Blair era.

BBC Newsnight @bbcnewsnight.bsky.social · 1d

"The idea of throwing Matt Collins under the bus is frankly pretty low."

"This is a really serious incident."

Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat reacts to the collapsed China spy case and says Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Collins shouldn't be blamed.

#Newsnight

Judith Knott @judithmknott.bsky.social · 1d

Thanks so much for this.

Reposted by Judith Knott

Elinor Elliot @elinorelliot.bsky.social · 1d

They REALLY love getting to shove women to the ground, these ICE pigs.

Huge respect for that brave woman.

Raider @iwillnotbesilenced.bsky.social · 25d

A woman protesting outside the ICE facility in Broadview, Illinois, was brutally assaulted by goons who used mace and sting balls on her.

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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · 2d

Every October without fail, hoverfly Myathropa florea ♂ start landing on my head on sunny days. Their buzz is very distinctive & with little coaxing they can be persuaded to stay long enough on my hat to be photographed. Today in Bengeo garden.

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 3d

Imagine being the UK diplomat having to respond to these "concerns" about how intel is handled, knowing that on the other side the people in charge are Kash Patel, Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, and Donald Trump.

White House anger over UK spy case fiasco
US warns of damage to shared intelligence
Caroline Wheeler Political Editor
George Grylls
Washington Correspondent
Gabriel Pogrund Whitehall Editor
The White House has warned Sir Keir Starmer that the failure to prosecute two alleged Chinese spies risks undermining the special relationship and could threaten intelligence-sharing between Brit ain and the US.
President Trump is understood to be concerned about the UK's reliability after charges against two Britons accused of spying for Bei jing were dropped. The case against Chris Cash, 30, a former parliamentary researcher, and Christopher Berry, 33, an aca demic, collapsed last month after the government failed to provide evidence that China was a threat to national security.
A senior Trump administration official said: "The United States has been warning allies about the Chi nese threat to our combined national security since Preside Trump first came into office in 2017. The US government exercises mation with foreign governments subject to adversarial coercion and influence. We are especially
careful in jurisdictions where our adversaries can act with impunity." Senior Republicans insisted that
the prosecution go ahead. John Moolenaar, chairman of the House of Representatives' China commit tee, said: "As a target of [Chinese state) espionage, it is my hope that the UK government will not allow this case to falter and will take the steps necessary to ensure a clear message is sent and proper justice is served."
Trump's administration has pre viously warned against allowing a Chinese mega-embassy to be built near London financial centres. The American president is understood to have raised the matter person ally with Starmer.
While the prime minister is sof tening Britain's position on China, Trump reignited his trade war with Beijing on Friday, raising tariffs to 130 per cent after China blocked the export of critical minerals used in the defence and tech industries.

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Will Jennings 🗳️ @drjennings.bsky.social · 5d

Maybe UK media could give some attention to this story, given how keen they were to cover Turning Point USA...

David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 5d

Are we great yet?

Mark Bray, a Rutgers University professor and expert on anti-fascist groups, is fleeing to Spain with his family due to death threats that stem from a campaign by Turning Point USA and other conservative groups to get him fired, falsely labeling him as an antifa member.

Antifa expert at Rutgers University says he is moving to Spain because of death threats

An expert on anti-fascist groups who teaches at New Jersey’s flagship state university is moving his family overseas.

apnews.com

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Ed Wilson @eddwilson.bsky.social · 6d

#r4today

Joshua Rozenberg @joshuarozenberg.bsky.social · 6d

In explaining this week why he stopped the prosecution last month of two defendants accused of spying for China, the director of public prosecutions raised more questions than he answered.

rozenberg.substack.com/p/china-the-...

China: the plot thickens

Prosecutor's response raises more questions than it answers

rozenberg.substack.com

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Keith W. Dickinson @keithwdickinson.bsky.social · 7d

Today is a day when arts degrees are worthless, but the product of those degrees is so valuable it would kill an entire industry if they were made to pay for it.

The Verge @theverge.com · May 26

Nick Clegg says asking artists for use permission would ‘kill’ the AI industry

Paul McCartne, Elton John and others signed an open letter.

buff.ly

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Dom White @domw.bsky.social · 8d

"We want people to be living in mixed communities, don't we?"

Robert Jenrick's home is in Eye, Herefordshire, where 165 out of 166 residents were white at the time of the last census.

Best for Britain @bestforbritain.org · 8d

Wow. Robert Jenrick doubles down by branding a black journalist's questions "ridiculous" and saying that the problem is not his comments, but "journalists like you who pop up and try to knock me down", adding that "this is the reason why terrorist attacks happen". ~AA

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Patrick Andrews @patrickandrews.bsky.social · 8d

Research shows that bilingualism confers cognitive benefits so these children generally do better at school on average. Incidentally, this is also why children in Britain should spend more time on learning other languages

Sunder Katwala (sundersays) @sundersays.bsky.social · 8d

Katie Lam says there are some schools in London "where 3/4 pupils don't speak English to the standard needed to for education"

Are there? London school results are outperforming everywhere else, partly + migration/diversity effects

[CPS livestreaming this if want to check the quote.It was 915am]

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Simon Knott @sjbknott.bsky.social · 8d

Adonis Ladybird (Hippodamia variegata) today in Bengeo garden. @ukladybirds.bsky.social @andrew-jewels.bsky.social

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Giles Wilkes @gilesyb.bsky.social · 10d

"Polarisation may be an unhelpful term .... It implies that both sides are becoming equally extreme. Arguably the real dynamic is that elements of the right have hardened, embracing positions that would have been unacceptable a decade ago" on.ft.com/46TGRHs by @henrymance.ft.com 1/

How polarised is Britain?

Behind media perceptions of a sharpening political divide is a more complicated picture

on.ft.com

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Helene von Bismarck @helenebismarck.bsky.social · 9d

A clear sign that I have gone native among the Brits is that I now feel terribly rude and presumptuous, writing about them.

(Not quite enough to stop though. Sorry.)

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Tony Tassell @tonytassell.bsky.social · 11d

Sanae Takaichi has been elected lesder of the LDP party in Japan and is set to become the country’s first female prime minister. Profile here by @urbandirt.bsky.social of the conservative who has dreamed of becoming the Margaret Thatcher of Japan www.ft.com/content/18d7...

The conservative hardliner who could become Japan’s first female PM

Veteran politician Sanae Takaichi has called for a return to ‘Abenomics’ to rejuvenate ailing ruling party

www.ft.com

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German Embassy London @uk.diplo.de · 12d

35 years ago, Germany was reunified.

German reunification celebrations in front of the Reichstag on 3 October 1990

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Brooke Newman @brookenewman.bsky.social · 12d

It’s 2025: ideal conditions don’t exist. Just do your thing like your life depends on it. ✍️

A quote from E.B. White about the importance of writing, whatever the conditions.

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Roland Smith @rolandmcs.bsky.social · 12d

A very thoughtful piece tackling the chewy subject of having political principles (and even morals) and actually winning power to deliver.

Ian Dunt @iandunt.bsky.social · 12d

The politics of drawing a moral line: When we need to call out racism for what it is open.substack.com/pub/iandunt/...

The politics of drawing a moral line

The politics of drawing a moral line.

open.substack.com

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Liane Bednarz @lianebednarz.bsky.social · 12d

35 Jahre Deutsche Einheit!

Es gibt keine Zufälle. Ausgerechnet heute komme ich gerade in Bremen beim Umsteigen an diesem Platz vorbei, und zwar nur, weil es Schienenersatzverkehr gibt.

Vorhin im Zug habe ich noch überlegt, was ich heute zum 3. Oktober als Bild poste. 🙂 🇩🇪

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Miranda Green @greenmirandahere.bsky.social · 14d

Delighted to see the commitment from the IFS @helenmiller.bsky.social to examining the differential impact on men and women of policy (this one on retirement age) ifs.org.uk/publications...

How do people already out of employment fare when the state pension age rises? | Institute for Fiscal Studies

This report studies a group disproportionately affected by state pension age increases: those who had left paid work before the state pension age.

ifs.org.uk

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Dr Simon Ubsdell @simonubsdell.bsky.social · 14d

Yes, it's fascism in the brutal, ugly, original sense but it's also ironic, post-modern, self-aware fascism:

"You'd be an idiot for believing that we're really saying the things that you think we are saying."

But at the same time:

"You're an idiot if you don't realise that we are wholly serious."

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Prof Christina Pagel @chrischirp.bsky.social · 14d

important article highlighting the continuing benefit to both mother and newborn of vaccinating pregnant women against Covid.

The US under RFK Jr just stopped recommending vax for pregnant women. The UK has withdrawn vax for pregnant women too - I think both are very stupid decisions.

Prof Peter Hotez MD PhD DSc(hon) @peterhotezmdphd.bsky.social · 15d

Excited to co-author this study led by @nathanlo.bsky.social @stanfordmedicine.bsky.social on the devastating consequences of not vaccinating pregnant women vs Covid

jamanetwork.com/journals/jam...

Modeling the Health Impact of Discontinuing COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy in the US

This decision analytical model study estimates the number of avertable COVID-19 hospitalizations in US infants younger than 6 months and pregnant persons with vaccinations during pregnancy.

jamanetwork.com

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Alex Andreou @sturdyalex.bsky.social · 14d

"I hope Starmer wakes up tomorrow morning and feels ashamed about what he has done," says man who unveiled this poster the day Jo Cox was assassinated by a far-right terrorist.

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dag @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 15d

Sums up this most dismal moment.

JVG 骨 @jasonv.bsky.social · 15d

Absolute all-timer sentence in today's @nytimes.com

"some legal experts have called it a crime to summarily execute civilians" says today's New York Times, continuing their long tradition of whitewashing fascism

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