Reposted by Andrew DeftyLincoln Branch of UCU @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social · 28/09/2026UCU Lincoln members are getting those final ballot papers posted 053
Reposted by Andrew DeftyLincoln Branch of UCU @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social · 26/09/2026Many thanks to our members giving up their Saturday to work the University of Lincoln Open Day today #academicworkloadstatic.klipy.comLeonardo DiCaprio Clapping - Very GoodALT: Leonardo DiCaprio Clapping - Very Good 021
Reposted by Andrew DeftyGary Rawnsley @garydrawnsley.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Bringing the School of Law, Politics, & Society (Uni of Lincoln) Welcome Week to a close, James Newport of the SWIFT Centre delivered a fascinating interactive talk on 'How to Predict the Future in the Social Sciences. Many thanks to James & @drnickcowen.bsky.social for organising 022
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 23/09/2026University of Lincoln has disposed of over 500 staff since 2024. As we start a new academic year management have refused to rule out further compulsory redundancies. @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social is balloting its members on their willingness to take industrial action. If this is you please vote. 01518
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 21/09/2026I have a pile of reading for the new term but the last of the summer reading was Elizabeth Goldring’s gorgeous Holbein: Renaissance Master. It seems likely that Holbein, like many other court painters, carried out intelligence missions for his powerful sponsors. #ArtofSpying 051
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/09/2026More details about Smily here archive.org/details/@eli...archive.orgElizabeth Smily, Artist (1918-2014)Go to Elizabeth Smily Artwork – Table of ContentsELIZABETH MARIAN SMILYNS, SFCA, CIPA, FRSAPortrait painter, teacher, authorBorn Yorkshire, England, June 15, 1918Daughter of Louis John Wolf and Marian... 000
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Elizabeth Smily was an accomplished artist who also painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother. She later moved to Canada. She died in 2014 aged 96. I came across this report from a Canadian newspaper about the transfer of her painting of Odette to @I_W_M 100
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Odette Churchill (Sansom/Hallowes) by the artist Elizabeth Smily (née Wolf) from the Imperial War Museum collection. Not sure the date on the top is correct as I believe Sansom didn’t marry Peter Churchill until 1947, but a lovely portrait which I don’t think I’ve seen before #ArtofSpying 110
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Looking through this summer’s gallery visits. Archdukes Albert & Isabella of the Habsburg Netherlands by Frans Porbus II from the Groeninge in Bruges. Albert & particularly Isabella were the principal beneficiaries of the intelligence activities of the painter Peter Paul Rubens #ArtofSpying 030
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 02/09/2026Great to watch @tourofbritain.bsky.social passing through the Lincolnshire Wolds today. After carefully studying the route I chose what I thought would be a quiet corner deep in the Wolds. When I arrived 30 or so others had clearly had the same idea 😁. Great atmosphere, great racing, great support! 020
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Very much enjoyed @mlamster.bsky.social book on the secret diplomatic role of the artist Peter Paul Rubens, which guided my recent visit to Antwerp. Struck by his thought provoking conclusion. #ArtofSpying 021
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 21/08/2026University managers making cuts to politics programmes truly have their finger on the pulse of the nation’s youth 🤦♂️ www.independent.co.uk/news/educati...independent.co.ukThe A-level subject that has become the fastest-growing in the UKHistorically, A-level politics has been a popular and widely offered subject at private schools 012
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 20/08/2026Another from Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp (KMSKA). Luc Tuymans enigmatic ‘Secrets’ (1990) #ArtofSpying 010
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/08/2026One for the intelligence professional, ‘Minerva Overcoming Ignorance’ (1632-1633?) by Peter Paul Rubens, painter and spy. #ArtofSpying 020
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/08/2026The sumptuous private garden behind Rubens’ house, carefully designed by the artist and described by @mlamster.bsky.social in Master of Shadows as “an excellent place for a private stroll, where delicate political affairs might be addressed away from prying eyes and ears.” #ArtofSpying 010
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/08/2026In Antwerp, looking for Rubens, Flemish master and sometime diplomat and spy #ArtofSpying 100
Reposted by Andrew DeftyRuth Fox @ruthfox.bsky.social · 22/07/2026🧵The House of Commons administration plans to abolish its world leading parliamentary outreach team. @aileenwalker.bsky.social & @estrangeirada.bsky.social explain why cutting in person public engagement across the UK in favour of digital only engagement is a mistake. Blog 🔗⬇️ 11417
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 22/07/2026My wife, who is a headteacher, has just sent out her customary end of year email warmly thanking her staff for all their hard work, this is in marked contrast to my own employer who end each year by sending out hundreds of at risk of redundancy notices. 😡 020
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 17/07/2026Scathing press release from the Intelligence and Security Committee about the collapse of the China espionage case. Raises serious concerns about the government’s handling of the case and further worrying evidence of attempts to hamper the work of the ISC. isc.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/u... 001
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 16/07/2026🧐 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukCouncil shake-up announced for LincolnshireThe government says two new unitary authorities will be good news for council tax payers. 100
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 14/07/2026In National Portrait Gallery today seeking more intelligence related art. Hein Heckroth’s surrealist portrait of Basil Liddell Hart features an ear because the artist mistakenly believed L-H was a spy. Reminiscent of the ears stitched into Elizabeth I’s cloak in the rainbow portrait #ArtofSpying 010
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 09/07/2026If only university managers put as much effort into saving jobs and promoting their programmes as they do into disposing of staff and running down their own institutions, it’s shameful - Summer of ‘chaos’ predicted as mass job cuts close academic year www.timeshighereducation.com/news/summer-...timeshighereducation.comSummer of ‘chaos’ predicted as mass job cuts close academic year‘Impossible to plan’ for research and teaching, say staff, as threat of redundancy looms large over summer breaks 211
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 09/07/2026www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukUnion strike threat over proposed University of Lincoln job cutsThe University of Lincoln says 'shift in student demand' is one of reasons behind planned job cuts. 050
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 08/07/2026The professional associations which underpin so much of what we do in politics and international relations at University of Lincoln have written to the VC to express concern about the proposed job cuts. Some great suggestions here for building on our success rather than running down our programmes. 010
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 04/07/2026A trio of Elizabethan spymasters, William Cecil, Robert Cecil and Francis Walsingham. Part of the excellent Elizabeth I Queen & Court exhibition Philip Mould Gallery. If you’re in London it’s free and runs until 10 July. Well worth a visit. Also includes some paintings of Elizabeth I. #ArtofSpying 0162
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 03/07/2026This week the University of Lincoln informed 142 staff that they are at risk of redundancy. In an all staff email yesterday the Vice Chancellor described this as "a series of proposed localised restructures in a limited number of subject areas". 🤮🤬 200
Reposted by Andrew DeftyLincoln Branch of UCU @uculincolnbranch.bsky.social · 02/07/2026This week, University of Lincoln, have briefed 142 colleagues that ~33 roles need to be cut across 7 schools before Sept 2026. We are processing the news with members, and now in a collective consultation with the SLT. The rationale is as murky as ever. Send solidarity our way, more info to come 22811
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 02/07/2026It’s been an awful week, I can’t say how much of a pleasure it’s been to be back at the National Archives. It’s been a long time, so long that I still want to call it the PRO. 030
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 01/07/2026Yesterday 142 academic staff at the University of Lincoln were put at risk of redundancy including the entire Politics and International Relations team. This follows cuts since 2024 which have already seen over 500 people leave the university. This is the 'University of No Regrets'. 35868
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 29/06/2026When I applied to university I had an interview at Leeds at which I was asked why I’d applied to all Northern universities (Hull Leeds, Liverpool Manchester Sheffield) which I found surprising because from my perspective these places were all down South. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. 130
Reposted by Andrew DeftyTimes Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 19/06/2026Job cuts fuel staff discontent at Lincoln and Northumbria, reports Tom Williams #highered #jobcuts #academicsky www.timeshighereducation.com/news/j… 122
Reposted by Andrew DeftyUniversity and College Union (UCU) @ucu.org.uk · 18/06/2026A damning 97%. That's how many University of Lincoln staff who voted have lost confidence in senior management, after the university cut a third of its workforce and refused to rule out more compulsory redundancies. www.ucu.org.uk/article/1454...ucu.org.uk 03021
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 12/06/2026Also found some more artworks relating to spying - ‘The Postal Censorship, Strand House London’ (1919) by A.J.C. Bryce, and ‘Erecting the First Camouflage Tree’ (1916) by Solomon J. Solomon, along with sketches by the artist G.C. Leon Underwood part of Solomon’s team #ArtofSpying 000
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 12/06/2026Good to visit Manchester & Salford this week. Found time to pop into the Spies, Lies and Deception exhibition at the Imperial War Museum North. 130
Reposted by Andrew DeftyThe Guardian @theguardian.com · 04/06/2026England’s poorest communities face deepest cuts to green space under planning law changes, report findstheguardian.comEngland’s poorest communities face deepest cuts to green space under planning law changes, report findsExclusive: New loopholes for developers will exacerbate extreme environmental disparities, charity coalition warns The poorest and most nature-deprived communities in England will be further left behind in their access to green spaces if proposed changes to planning laws go ahead, a report finds. More than 7.4 million people in England live in areas completely devoid of immediate biodiversity, including 1.42 million children under 15, the report commissioned by a number of wildlife and environmental NGOs says. Continue reading... 54414
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 04/06/2026As mentioned in Younger’s @thetimes.com obituary www.thetimes.com/uk/obituarie...thetimes.comSir Alex Younger obituary: long-serving head of MI6Charming and self-effacing British spy chief with an inner steel 000
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 04/06/2026‘Eastern Still Life' tapestry by the Scottish artist Elizabeth Blackadder, which hung in the office of Sir Alex Younger during his time as Chief of MI6. Younger told the @financialtimes.com that he would often look at it in meetings claiming 'you can always find new patterns' #ArtofSpying 122
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 03/06/2026www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukSir Alex Younger, former head of MI6, dies aged 62Sir Alex held a career in British intelligence that spanned almost three decades after joining the service in 1991. 023
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 29/05/2026That’s a wrap on the 19th Lincoln Model United Nations. A privilege to spend the day with a great group of students and my super colleagues Simon Obendorf and Hamoon Khelghat-Doost. Thanks as always to Lincolnshire County Council for hosting. 020
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 29/05/2026Awaiting the start of another session of the University of Lincoln School of Social and Political Sciences Model United Nations. Palpable tension in the room. 050
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 20/05/2026Peter Hennessy took his leave of the House of Lords this week. His valedictory speech is worth reading - Hansard contribution by Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield (CB) (Valedictory Speech) on Monday 18 May 2026 hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2026-0...hansard.parliament.ukKing’s Speech - Hansard - UK ParliamentHansard record of the item : 'King’s Speech' on Monday 18 May 2026. 021
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 19/05/2026More on art and spying, popped into Burghley House today to look at the portraits of William Cecil (the first Lord Burghley), Elizabeth I’s spymaster. Portrait in full Privy Council regalia is by Marcus Gheeraerts who also painted Elizabeth I #ArtofSpying 040
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 18/05/2026Doing some work on the representation of spying in art. Really pleased to get hold of the catalogue from James Hart Dyke’s 2011 exhibition ‘A year with MI6’. I’ve seen some of these paintings in the media but my no means all and Hart Dyke’s comments are a treat. #ArtofSpying 230
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 16/05/2026Ministers have no authority to withhold Mandelson vetting file, committee says www.theguardian.com/politics/202...theguardian.comMinisters have no authority to withhold Mandelson vetting file, committee saysGroup of MPs and peers in effect accuse government of failing to comply with parliament’s will over release of files 000
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 15/05/2026www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukMandelson papers being withheld from MPs, says intelligence watchdogResponding to the criticism the government said it would 000
Reposted by Andrew DeftyJo Grady @drjogrady.bsky.social · 12/05/2026Yesterday Kier Starmer announced Labour will nationalise British Steel, and save 2700 jobs. Today, the Uni of Nottingham put 2700 staff at risk of redundancy. This is just one university. Across the UK 15,000 higher education jobs need saving. Where is the rescue package for our universities? 19776363
Reposted by Andrew DeftyAlice Lilly @aliceolilly.bsky.social · 11/05/2026There is something that I think multiple successive prime ministers over the last decade or so have failed to grasp and to respond to: that the way backbench MPs see their role has shifted. 25820
Andrew Defty @adefty.bsky.social · 08/05/2026It’s been a challenging week but found time to pop into the Usher Gallery in Lincoln. Three views of Lincolnshire by William Logsdail (1904), L.S. Lowry (1959) and Peter DeWint (c.1813-1826). I particularly like the DeWint, it takes time & patience to appreciate the Lincolnshire flatlands & big sky. 040
Reposted by Andrew DeftyGlen O'Hara @gsoh31.bsky.social · 06/05/2026One of the best History depts in the country is having its undergraduate degree closed. This will happen almost everywhere, progressively, if the Bad Behaving institutions are allowed to swallow the entire sector. Doesn't matter how good teaching or research is: all that matters is the bottom line. 24419