Louise, Prof/Dr
@louiselocock.bsky.social
Mostly retired qualitative health services researcher, linguist, europhile, cat lover. Other animals welcome.
Mostly in Oxford, occasionally in Aberdeen
I block if you have no bio or posts
She/her
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8109-1930
Mostly in Oxford, occasionally in Aberdeen
I block if you have no bio or posts
She/her
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8109-1930
Pinned
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Studies show 20mph speed limits result in a 34%-40% reduction in fatal or serious injuries on urban roads.
Pedestrian fatality risk drops from 50% at 30mph to just 1.5%–10% at 20mph.
Recent data shows 20mph zones can reduce child fatalities by up to 75%.
Cost savings for NHS & emergency services.
Pedestrian fatality risk drops from 50% at 30mph to just 1.5%–10% at 20mph.
Recent data shows 20mph zones can reduce child fatalities by up to 75%.
Cost savings for NHS & emergency services.
February 5, 2026 at 8:23 PM
Studies show 20mph speed limits result in a 34%-40% reduction in fatal or serious injuries on urban roads.
Pedestrian fatality risk drops from 50% at 30mph to just 1.5%–10% at 20mph.
Recent data shows 20mph zones can reduce child fatalities by up to 75%.
Cost savings for NHS & emergency services.
Pedestrian fatality risk drops from 50% at 30mph to just 1.5%–10% at 20mph.
Recent data shows 20mph zones can reduce child fatalities by up to 75%.
Cost savings for NHS & emergency services.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Four senior UKRI leaders appeared at a press briefing this morning in the wake of RPN stories over the last week about a shake-up to research council funding
Our story that the MRC is expecting to fund fewer grants through applicant-led calls that closed in September last year was confirmed
...
Our story that the MRC is expecting to fund fewer grants through applicant-led calls that closed in September last year was confirmed
...
Medical Research Council ‘will fund fewer applicant-led grants’.
Confirmation from deputy leader comes as council restructures investments, with calls on hold until summer.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Confirmation from deputy leader comes as council restructures investments, with calls on hold until summer.
www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-r...
Medical Research Council ‘will fund fewer applicant-led grants’ - Research Professional News
Confirmation from deputy leader comes as council restructures investments, with calls on hold until summer
www.researchprofessionalnews.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:31 PM
Four senior UKRI leaders appeared at a press briefing this morning in the wake of RPN stories over the last week about a shake-up to research council funding
Our story that the MRC is expecting to fund fewer grants through applicant-led calls that closed in September last year was confirmed
...
Our story that the MRC is expecting to fund fewer grants through applicant-led calls that closed in September last year was confirmed
...
My husband read me this lovely bit from 'On the advantages and disadvantages of literature' by Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472).
'Follow not wealth, which is denied to the scholar, but the knowledge of wonderful things.'
Translation by Martin McLaughlin.
'Follow not wealth, which is denied to the scholar, but the knowledge of wonderful things.'
Translation by Martin McLaughlin.
February 5, 2026 at 5:49 PM
My husband read me this lovely bit from 'On the advantages and disadvantages of literature' by Leon Battista Alberti (1404-1472).
'Follow not wealth, which is denied to the scholar, but the knowledge of wonderful things.'
Translation by Martin McLaughlin.
'Follow not wealth, which is denied to the scholar, but the knowledge of wonderful things.'
Translation by Martin McLaughlin.
There's big game hunting (repellent). And then there's whatever this disgusting thing is.
Italian man investigated over claims he paid to shoot people during 1990s siege of Sarajevo
Italian man investigated over claims he paid to shoot people during 1990s siege of Sarajevo
Former truck driver, now 80, said to have been one of many ‘sniper tourists’ who paid Bosnian Serb soldiers to be allowed fire on city
An elderly Italian man is under investigation as part of an investigation by prosecutors in Milan into individuals who allegedly paid members of the Bosnian Serb army for trips to Sarajevo so they could kill citizens during the four-year siege of the city in the 1990s.
The 80-year-old is being investigated on charges of aggravated murder, a source close to the case told the Guardian. The man, a former truck driver from the northern Italian region of Veneto, is the first suspect to be placed under investigation since the inquiry began in November. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 4:42 PM
There's big game hunting (repellent). And then there's whatever this disgusting thing is.
I don't know why everyone keeps saying Angela Rayner wouldn't be popular enough with voters. Personally I'd much rather have her than Streeting. Proper Labour not the blue variety.
February 5, 2026 at 4:25 PM
I don't know why everyone keeps saying Angela Rayner wouldn't be popular enough with voters. Personally I'd much rather have her than Streeting. Proper Labour not the blue variety.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
If you were looking for an exposition of what British values *could* be you could do a lot worse than Ian McKellen wielding Shakespeare like a rapier.
Sir Ian McKellen performing a monologue from Shakespeare’s Sir Thomas More on the Stephen Colbert show. Never have I heard this monologue performed with such a keen sense of prescience. Nor have I ever been in this exact historical moment.TY Sir Ian, for reaching us once again.
#Pinks #ProudBlue
#Pinks #ProudBlue
February 5, 2026 at 1:13 PM
If you were looking for an exposition of what British values *could* be you could do a lot worse than Ian McKellen wielding Shakespeare like a rapier.
Please don't make me agree with Glasman!
We've reached the "Maurice Glasman showed better judgement than the PM" stage of this crisis. Not sure there's any way back from that...
EXC:
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
I can reveal the contents of a memo by Labour peer Lord Maurice Glasman in January 2025 warning Number 10 it was making a mistake to hire Mandelson - sent to Starmer’s chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney.
www.ft.com/content/584a...
February 5, 2026 at 4:16 PM
Please don't make me agree with Glasman!
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Yes, quite. It's the biggest scandal of this administration, so far, probably. It's an average Tuesday under Johnson.
OK this makes me extremely angry. Has everyone forgotten the massive profiteering from thousands of avoidable pandemic deaths?? The unconstitutional suspension of parliament to force through an act of nationalist destruction that cost our children their future??
“It’s potentially the biggest political scandal of this century”
As MPs force Keir Starmer to publish files about Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador Skys Beth Rigby provides a detailed summary of how we got here
As MPs force Keir Starmer to publish files about Peter Mandelson's appointment as US ambassador Skys Beth Rigby provides a detailed summary of how we got here
February 5, 2026 at 1:40 PM
Yes, quite. It's the biggest scandal of this administration, so far, probably. It's an average Tuesday under Johnson.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
If you want to understand the mainstreaming of far right politics and why defeating the far right at the ballot box doesn't mean actually defeating far-right politics, this is it
Keir Starmer attacks the racism of Reform and Matt Goodwin but then adds that "Britain has also been let down by a mindset on the left of politics that is too slow to defend core British values"
February 5, 2026 at 11:51 AM
If you want to understand the mainstreaming of far right politics and why defeating the far right at the ballot box doesn't mean actually defeating far-right politics, this is it
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
The right wing Cato Institute has released a paper showing that, over 30 years, immigrants to the US created a fiscal surplus of $14.5 trillion, and that without immigrants, US public debt would be twice its current level.
Immigrants’ Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994–2023
Our analysis in this paper shows that immigrants generated a fiscal surplus of about $14.5 trillion from 1994 to 2023, that the average immigrant is much less costly than the average US-born American,...
www.cato.org
February 5, 2026 at 1:39 PM
The right wing Cato Institute has released a paper showing that, over 30 years, immigrants to the US created a fiscal surplus of $14.5 trillion, and that without immigrants, US public debt would be twice its current level.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
This is what leadership looks like.
February 5, 2026 at 10:49 AM
This is what leadership looks like.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Blue Labour is a small faction in the Party. I have no idea why Starmer is in thrall to them. If the soft left got their act together, they could oust him pretty quickly. The new leader would obviously dump Glassman and McSweeney quickly. In an alternate world, Sue Gray wasn’t ousted.
December 31, 2025 at 12:11 PM
Blue Labour is a small faction in the Party. I have no idea why Starmer is in thrall to them. If the soft left got their act together, they could oust him pretty quickly. The new leader would obviously dump Glassman and McSweeney quickly. In an alternate world, Sue Gray wasn’t ousted.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Best McSweeney description I’ve read recently
He wants power in the way a puppy wants socks
February 5, 2026 at 9:19 AM
Best McSweeney description I’ve read recently
Looks interesting
Hamlet review – Riz Ahmed’s tortured prince drives chilling modern take through London’s streets
Hamlet review – Riz Ahmed’s tortured prince drives chilling modern take through London’s streets
Timothy Spall and Art Malik co-star in Aneil Karia’s intelligent and stark retelling of Shakespeare’s tragedy, set in the world of shady family business
www.theguardian.com
February 5, 2026 at 9:41 AM
Looks interesting
Kind of sad. And I say that as an occasional pescatarian myself.
The Punter pub in Osney which has been vegetarian for five years, is to introduce fish to its menu, to target a wider clientele, citing the closure of the Botley Road and "financial pressures imposed on pubs by the Labour government". Their new menu will start on 9th February.
The Punter Pub Oxford
The Punter Pub Oxford is a quirky pub & restaurant situated on the banks of the river Isis on Osney island in Oxford UK. We cook using fresh and local ingredients on our regularly changing menu. We al...
www.thepunteroxford.co.uk
February 5, 2026 at 8:42 AM
Kind of sad. And I say that as an occasional pescatarian myself.
😬
The owner of Yew Tree Cottage in Adderbury has been fined £7,200 for chopping down seven (*checks notes*) yew trees. Graham Evans was seeking to create two new dwellings and three car parking spaces. The trees were on council land, in a conservation area, and large enough for legal protection.
February 5, 2026 at 8:40 AM
😬
Another example of how people's trust in preventive treatment has been eroded, with sad consequences
For decades, hospitals have given babies a vitamin K injection to protect against bleeding. Now, the shot appears to be facing resistance.
One of the babies whose parents refused the shot suffered a type of bleeding in the brain that vitamin K could have prevented.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
One of the babies whose parents refused the shot suffered a type of bleeding in the brain that vitamin K could have prevented.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
More Parents Are Rejecting a Lifesaving Vitamin Shot for Newborns
www.nytimes.com
February 5, 2026 at 8:18 AM
Another example of how people's trust in preventive treatment has been eroded, with sad consequences
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Zack Polanski, "Palantir.. £240 million contract last month"
"That was lobbied by Global Counsel which is Peter Mandelson's lobbying group"
"The idea that a defence company from the US has its fingerprints all over our healthcare system, alongside Peter Mandelson"
"That was lobbied by Global Counsel which is Peter Mandelson's lobbying group"
"The idea that a defence company from the US has its fingerprints all over our healthcare system, alongside Peter Mandelson"
February 4, 2026 at 11:26 PM
Zack Polanski, "Palantir.. £240 million contract last month"
"That was lobbied by Global Counsel which is Peter Mandelson's lobbying group"
"The idea that a defence company from the US has its fingerprints all over our healthcare system, alongside Peter Mandelson"
"That was lobbied by Global Counsel which is Peter Mandelson's lobbying group"
"The idea that a defence company from the US has its fingerprints all over our healthcare system, alongside Peter Mandelson"
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Full time AHRC doctoral studentships now available in Arts & Humanities at University of Hertfordshire for October 2026 start - please do share widely!! This includes both History & Heritage Studies among other subjects 🌟😀 www.herts.ac.uk/research/res...
AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award studentships
The AHRC Doctoral Landscape Award is a major new funding scheme from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Its aim is to grow the UK’s capacity for doctoral research in the arts and humanit...
www.herts.ac.uk
February 3, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Full time AHRC doctoral studentships now available in Arts & Humanities at University of Hertfordshire for October 2026 start - please do share widely!! This includes both History & Heritage Studies among other subjects 🌟😀 www.herts.ac.uk/research/res...
Woah. Sapienza University in Rome has had to shut down its entire IT system. uk.lapresse.it/news-en/2026...
Rome: hacker attack on La Sapienza IT infrastructure - LaPresse News
Rome, 2 February (LaPresse) - ‘La Sapienza's IT infrastructure has been the target of a cyber attack.’ The university announced this in a
uk.lapresse.it
February 4, 2026 at 8:24 PM
Woah. Sapienza University in Rome has had to shut down its entire IT system. uk.lapresse.it/news-en/2026...
Hypocrite
Farage calls for EU to probe Mandelson’s time in Brussels ft.trib.al/eAGo2wa
Farage calls for EU to probe Mandelson’s time in Brussels
Reform UK leader claims former trade commissioner may have misused his position for personal gain
ft.trib.al
February 4, 2026 at 7:34 PM
Hypocrite
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Streeting is right. By the time the UK political debate catches up with the reality of under-30s, who are facing marginal tax rates of 50%+ and not being able to afford decent housing, it’ll be too late.
"I do think it's a debate worth having..."
Is the student loan system fair?
Wes Streeting tells @shelaghfogarty.bsky.social 'we need to look at this' but admits there is 'no sign of movement.'
Is the student loan system fair?
Wes Streeting tells @shelaghfogarty.bsky.social 'we need to look at this' but admits there is 'no sign of movement.'
February 4, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Streeting is right. By the time the UK political debate catches up with the reality of under-30s, who are facing marginal tax rates of 50%+ and not being able to afford decent housing, it’ll be too late.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
Some interesting reporting in the New Statesman. There was a shortlist of four to be UK Ambassador to the US. Starmer favoured George Osborne. It was Morgan McSweeney who pushed for Mandelson.
The Mandelson affair: inside the scandal of a century
Mandelson's fall from grace reveals a very Labour weakness
www.newstatesman.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:53 PM
Some interesting reporting in the New Statesman. There was a shortlist of four to be UK Ambassador to the US. Starmer favoured George Osborne. It was Morgan McSweeney who pushed for Mandelson.
Reposted by Louise, Prof/Dr
If Mandelson is being investigated for his Epstein connections, he must also be investigated for his Thiel connections, because they ran a joint fund when Mandelson fixed Starmer's visit to Palantir
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/25/p...
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/25/p...
'Peter Mandelson's Fixing of Keir Starmer’s Visit to Spytech Firm Palantir Raises Serious Questions'
Palantir was represented by a lobbying firm founded by Mandelson, Iain Overton and Max Colbert report
bylinetimes.com
February 4, 2026 at 12:41 PM
If Mandelson is being investigated for his Epstein connections, he must also be investigated for his Thiel connections, because they ran a joint fund when Mandelson fixed Starmer's visit to Palantir
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/25/p...
bylinetimes.com/2025/04/25/p...