Simon Rushton

Home Office Home Office refuses to exempt exceptional students from tough immigration rules Exclusive: Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper concerned about student visa ban on female Chevening scholars from volatile countries such as Afghanistan Pippa Crerar Political editor Tue 10 Mar 2026 The Home Office rejected an appeal from the foreign secretary, Yvette Cooper, that would have protected outstanding students in some of the world's most dangerous countries from changes to the UK's immigration system, the Guardian understands.

That Starmer keeps Mahmood in post shows this is not just the actions of an inhumane Home Secretary, but a deeper rooted ideology of hostility and xenophobia within this government. No-one benefits from blocking Chevening scholars. This is cruelty for sake of it.
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Multispecies Mutualisms - Join Our Research Team! We’re hiring 4 Postdoctoral Research Associates (PDRAs) In this video, members of the team share insights into four exciting PDRA opportunities currently available. If you are ready to take the next s...

4 x Postdoc opportunities for researchers interested in human-animal relations. I genuinely can’t think of a better group of people to work with. Check out their explanation of the opportunities here: digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Multis...

BISA social media card with 2 pictures of Brighton seafront, the BISA logo and the words: #BISA2026 Brighton, UK 3-5 June Registration open! conference.bisa.ac.uk

The registration deadline for #BISA2026 is today ‼️

Join us in Brighton in June: 'Is International Studies ready for what comes next? New thinking, new directions' 🎉

Register now 👉 https://conference.bisa.ac.uk

Simon Rushton @julietdryden.bsky.social VisitBrighton Juanita Elias

The Tories’ real rivals are now the Monster Raving Looney Party, Count Binface, and other assorted eccentrics hoping to attract a few hundred protest votes.

MATTHEW BADLOSS IS IT

Insulting his constituents, Matt Goodwin does the most Matt Goodwin thing. Blaming others for failing to see his brilliance. Academics first, now voters. This sentiment is driving his radicalisation. Maybe even people at Reform will realise that it‘s a very bad quality for a politician to have.

Exactly this. The only answer is making the positive case for the benefits of migration into the UK. Starmer’s Labour are far too cowardly to do that so instead we lurch ever further right, in the process doing incalculable harm to immigrants, UK-born minorities, and the country as a whole.

Theory: people who have their own private islands are up to no good.
(Only potential exception I can think of to this general rule is St Cuthbert).

Received official notice today that my employer will be withholding 100% of pay for the next three weeks, to myself and all other members of @sheffielducu.bsky.social who refuse (as is our legal right, and our solidaristic duty) to reschedule classes cancelled due to strike action. Outrageous.

Screenshot of email that reads: “This status will remain in place until the University receives notification that you are no longer participating in that action. During this period, any work undertaken will be regarded as voluntary.”

Well that’s me locked out. No pay for the foreseeable future, all because I refuse to reschedule lost teaching, for which I have already lost pay as part of the strike. Please donate to support @sheffielducu.bsky.social members like me at www.gofundme.com/f/heubvb-sup...

REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR #BISA2026!!
Take a look at the conference programme and register now via the conference website: conference.bisa.ac.uk
Participant registration deadline: 2 March
See you in Brighton 🌊🏖️
@simonrushton.bsky.social @julietdryden.bsky.social @visitbrighton.bsky.social

Two weeks left to apply for a postdoc position on my project!

I'm looking for historians, anthropologists, STS and Global Health researchers with a broad interest in #Brazil, #rural populations, #health, #medicine, and #zoonosis.

For more information👇

BISA annual prizes nomination call highlighting awards for distinguished contribution, thesis, books, working group, EDI, and teaching with a February 3, 2026 deadline.

Nominations for our annual BISA prizes have opened today! 🎉

Recognising excellence & achievement through research & teaching in the field of International Studies! 🌟

Open until the 3 February & presented at our annual conference find all info here 👉https://www.bisa.ac.uk/members/prizes

More good things for London. Screw the north. 🤬

It’s a dark night when you look at the news and are forced to admit that you no longer believe in the power of the FIFA peace prize

Kirsty MacColl - As Long As You Hold Me YouTube video by PassionateFriend

Unbelievably, it's been 25 years since we lost Kirsty MacColl yet the beauty of her music and her memory still resonate. Here's a song I wrote for her to sing in the 1995 movie 'Mad Love'.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWjl...

Like the Post Office Horizon scandal before it, a story that has been covered for years and years by Private Eye without national newspapers apparently noticing. Lots more money siphoned off while everyone else looked away.

Starmer urges Europe’s leaders to curb ECHR to halt rise of far right Exclusive: PM calls for members of European convention on human rights to allow tougher action to protect borders

Nearly every Take relating to this has been done except one, which is - why would the European leaders take advice from Starmer on how to beat the far right? Who among them envies his popularity or admires the sagacity of his advisors?
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/dec...

University of Sheffield staff 'intimidated' by pay forfeit warning University of Sheffield to withhold pay if staff do not make up for teaching missed while striking.

www.bbc.com/news/article...

Sensible universities see their staff as assets to be nurtured and protected.
Foolish universities see them as a cost to be minimised.
Really stupid universities see them as an enemy to be defeated.
@sheffielducu.bsky.social

Check out this post about our current situation from a colleague at another university. @sheffielducu.bsky.social

They’re not. They’re trying to emulate Nigel Farage, who is trying to emulate Donald Trump.
An absolutely pathetic government that for some reason believes performative cruelty against minorities will win them votes, when everyone knows it will just win Reform more votes.

Opportunity for #students : @mcs-medact-ippnw.bsky.social  Holdstock-Piachaud Student #Essay #Prize opens & encourages students to explore the themes covered by the #journal who will be shaping the future. #Disarmament #climate #nowar #medact #competition #research #publichealth #medical

Opportunity for #students :
@mcs-medact-ippnw.bsky.social  Holdstock-Piachaud Student #Essay #Prize opens & encourages students to explore the themes covered by the #journal who will be shaping the future.
#Disarmament #climate #nowar #medact #competition #research #publichealth #publication

The only Legitimate Concerns about asylum seekers are concerns for their well being and safety. For a rich country like ours to incessantly whine about these people as if we are their victims is perhaps the single most pathetic spectacle in British politics over the past quarter century.

From this minister's op-ed: "People wanting to experience God are more likely to meet the Divine trying to shut down the Broadview, Illinois, ICE facility than we ever were in church...God does not live in our houses of worship, but...with those who are bearing the brunt of cruelty in this moment."

Starmer’s Labour and the BBC both show what attempting to appease the far right leads to: stronger demands to move even further right. Who could have guessed?

#BISA2026 submissions deadline is TODAY at 11:59pm 🌟

We cannot wait to see you all in Brighton as we look at the next 50 years in IR 🎉

Today is your final chance to get your submissions in 👉https://conference.bisa.ac.uk/call-papers-0

VisitBrighton Simon Rushton @julietdryden.bsky.social

Last call for BISA 2026 Conference submissions - get your abstracts in asap. 👇

Academic milestone day.....my first ever CFP, alongside the fantastic @ckweatherill.bsky.social We're putting together a panel looking at Gender and resistance in environmental politics for the @mybisa.bsky.social conference next June. Please share away and get in touch if it's of interest

Kimberly Hutchings headshot

Announcing our #BISA2026 conference keynote as leading scholar Professor Kimberly Hutchings @qmpoliticsir.bsky.social 🎉

The title will be 'Violence and the Meaning of Peace’ and we are very excited! 🌟

Find out more 👉 buff.ly/c46i8zp

@simonrushton.bsky.social @visitbrighton.bsky.social