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Michael Eades

@drmichaeleades.bsky.social
578 followers 363 following 340 posts

Head of Civic Engagement at Goldsmiths, University of London. Cities, engagement, art, nature, surrealism. Research as practice. Writer and walker www.michaeleades.net

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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Just walked straight past Keir Starmer near Blackfriars. Filing that next to my spot of Liz Truss in Greenwich Waterstones in 2022. Just need Johnson and I’ll have q full set of recently defenestrated UK Prime Minister sightings…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Beautiful day on campus. Even with everything else that’s going on at Goldsmiths at the moment, start of term feels refreshing and re-energising. Like all the cool and interesting young weirdos of the world have turned up en masse in SE London and are ready to make stuff happen… It’s lovely #ukhe
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Might just… spend some time here today. #UKHE
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good news and about bloody time. Westminster Council, one of very few Tory councils in inner London, have been fighting this tooth and claw for years… mainly as a point scoring exercise against Sadiq Khan. Oxford Street will still be horrible, of course, but less so: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Oxford Street to be pedestrianised from 26 October
Buses, taxis, bikes and other vehicles, will be banned from Orchard Street to Great Portland Street.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
More of this sort of thing please….
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Good funding opportunity here via @migrantfutures.bsky.social. Grants up to £20k available for artists, photographers, filmmakers, and migrants’ organisations to explore how images can reshape public feelings about migration… Timely and urgent! #ukhe #culturalfunding sites.gold.ac.uk/mfi-news/
sites.gold.ac.uk
MFI News
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Lovely stuff. Another railway line back in public ownership. This quiet programme of reclaiming vital public infrastructure isn’t getting anywhere near the recognition it deserves… I remember a time when *any* renationalisation seemed unthinkable. #PublicOwnership www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Chiltern Railways renationalised after 30 years as private company
It joins Great British Railways as part of government plans to save money and improve services.
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Jonathan Hopkin @jonathanhopkin.eurosky.social · 20/09/2026
Although the cost of housing in London is insane and makes life difficult for anyone under 50, youngsters are mostly unaware much of the city used to look like this
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
This is so depressing to read. Raising fees (yet again) is not going to save #UKHE. Particularly not as a bogus ‘quality’ marker. Sorry to be boring but the answer to the problem lies in good old fashioned state investment in education… #academicsky www.timeshighereducation.com/news/russell...
timeshighereducation.com
Russell Group backs higher fees as £3,000 loss per student revealed
Chief executive Libby Hackett says top universities should charge more as scale of teaching deficit is revealed
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Collection de l'Art Brut, Lausanne. An incredible collection of artworks made by people on the outer fringes of society. A powerful reminder that creativity is a fundamental human trait that ALWAYS finds ways of manifesting, even under the most challenging circumstances.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Basel, city by the Rhine…. Very much enjoying some time in this European Interzone city on the frontier of three different countries, where everyone speaks at least three languages and there seems to be an art gallery on every corner. Louche vibes.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
This is what you want. This is what you get. open.spotify.com/track/6LM5C6...
open.spotify.com
The Order Of Death - 2011 - Remaster
Public Image Ltd. · This Is What You Want . . . This Is What You Get (2011 Remaster) · Song · 1984
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
Wearing a rain coat and absolutely loving it.
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Migration Museum @migrationmuseum.org · 19/08/2026
The Migration Museum is partnering with @foodmuseumuk.bsky.social , and seeking 2x Community Curators to explore themes of migration and food as part of an upcoming UK-wide programme.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Just awful. I literally said to someone earlier this week ‘I hope the poor guy doesn’t kill himself’. Shame on everyone involved in this appalling pile on. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Jason Arday: Former Cambridge university professor found dead
Emergency services said a man was found "unresponsive" at an address in Battersea, south London, on Friday afternoon.
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Ewan Gibbs @ewangibbs.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Just remember this message is aimed at your children not theirs.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Really enjoyed working with Future Arts Centres & colleagues at Goldsmiths on this report exploring the role of arts centres as catalysts of 'Creative Democracy’. Looking into creative ways both of working with civic institutions and of reimagining them.👇 futureartscentres.org.uk/future-arts-...
futureartscentres.org.uk
Future Arts Centres and Goldsmiths publish Creative Democracy report - Future Arts Centres
What role can arts centres play in connecting communities, public bodies and democratic decision-making? Future Arts Centres and Goldsmiths, University of London publish Creative Democracy report.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Brilliant news here from the Migration Museum. I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with this incredible organisation over the past 5+ years and it’s been inspiring seeing them get closer and closer to their goal of creating the UK’s first permanent museum of migration. Needed now more than ever!
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
Interesting article. I don’t agree with the headline, but the underlying argument - that successive govts (Tory and Labour) have damaged the UK HE sector more by neglect and bad policy than Trump has managed in the USA with a full on assault - is grimly compelling: www.ft.com/content/e14d...
ft.com
Labour has harmed universities as much as Trump, London School of Economics head says
LSE vice-chancellor Larry Kramer points to domestic students’ fees, limits on international students and rise in employers’ national insurance
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
It’s taken me ages to figure out where ‘Number 10 North’ actually is. I thought Heron House rang a bell, and when I looked it up on street view it all clicked into place: the office building on Albert Square above the Slug and a Lettuce… Class 👌
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 19/06/2026
Makerfield election is a good example of what happens when the progressive vote unifies behind a single candidate. Greens and Lib Dems should really have stood aside in this one (as Caroline Lucas said). Luckily the electorate did it for them.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
I think this is what Henri Lefebvre was on about when he called for ‘the carnivalisation of everyday life’…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Wonderful and strange vibes from our Goldsmiths + Nunhead Cemetery late takeover yesterday evening. Mercuralia comes to southeast London 👌
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
I always enjoy voting. The dusty church halls.The pencil stubs. The badly printed ballot papers. The names ticked manually off lists… Politics is complicated but the actual business of democracy can be endearingly lo-fi.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 02/05/2026
Niche content but I love it…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
On the train up to Manchester. Only one song to soundtrack that…. open.spotify.com/track/0XciPb...
open.spotify.com
Hit the North - Part 1
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 29/04/2026
Grim news from University of Nottingham. When I did my MA and PhD there 15 years ago these kind of cuts were unimaginable. It was a mighty, wealthy institution then. Smug, if anything. No one is safe: www.timeshighereducation.com/news/plans-a...
timeshighereducation.com
Plans to axe 600 jobs mooted at Nottingham to save £50 million
University says final decision yet to be made after document outlining new redundancy scheme leaked to press
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
And very sad to see special (deserved) mention in this article for both the uni at which I currently work and the one at which I did all my postgrad study…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 26/04/2026
‘Rather than trying to shut down universities, we should be restoring them to their true purpose’… Very insightful piece on the current UK university crisis here: observer.co.uk/news/columni...
observer.co.uk
Why saving universities is far more than academic
Modern Britain needs young people with degrees – here’s how to make sure they still have somewhere to study them
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
The cause of a sizeable chunk of the world’s current problems captured perfectly in this post…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Everyone knows Brexit was a disaster. Culturally, socially, environmentally and above all economically. Time to come right out and say it. Then proceed quickly to fixing it. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK could adopt EU single market rules under new legislation
The move has raised questions over parliamentary scrutiny of future rules to deliver planned EU deals.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
Yes!!! Get in the bin Orban you crypto fascist twerp…. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c2...
bbc.co.uk
Hungary election: Viktor Orbán ousted after 16 years in power as opposition heads for landslide - follow live
The long-serving prime minister concedes defeat to Péter Magyar, who has promised closer EU ties and an anti-corruption drive.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
And you will suffer all the seasons/ On the sides of municipal buildings… open.spotify.com/track/1uUVzJ...
open.spotify.com
Bury Pts. 1 + 3
The Fall · Your Future Our Clutter · Song · 2010
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Finished this beauty/ beast of a book this week by @stuhennigan.bsky.social . If you haven’t read it yet, you NEED to. It achieves the rare feat of being savage and tender at the same time, and being genuinely original in an era of literary blandness. Real, essential writing…. Also…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
Top night in East London for the launch of @stuhennigan.bsky.social’s novel Keshed. Savage Northern poetic literature onslaught in darkest Mile End. Perfect 👌
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Imagine devoting your entire career to selling the idea that the British public hates wokery and is clamouring for radical right wing populism, only to then be defeated in an actual election by the most left wing possible coalition of politicians and activists in the country. It's got to hurt
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Phew! The good guys won this time. Major achievement for the Greens… Still, due to a big split in the left vote a despicable creep like Matt Goodwin came pretty close to being an MP. Unelectable otherwise. We need to be very careful about this in coming elections. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cp...
bbc.co.uk
Green Party wins Gorton and Denton by-election with Labour pushed into third by Reform
Hannah Spencer, a 34-year-old plumber, also becomes the first Green Party candidate to win a Westminster by-election.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
Anxious about Gorton & Denton. Greens are bookies favourite and I hope they win. BUT huge risk in this election of progressive vote splitting and Reform coming through the middle. A Reform MP in a constituency with a huge Muslim community would be a farcical disaster whichever way you look at it.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
This beauty arrived in the post today. Looks like it’s time to #getkeshed in South London… Am I right, @stuhennigan.bsky.social ?
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
We are approaching a tipping point in relation to research capacity at uk universities. Despite being recognised as a national priority by successive governments, it’s absolutely running on fumes at many unis. A huge failure of policy and imagination: www.researchprofessionalnews.com/rr-news-uk-u...
researchprofessionalnews.com
Job losses at research-intensive universities double in two years - Research Professional News
Exclusive: Scale of redundancies revealed by RPN branded a “disaster” for UK research capacity
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
My hot political prediction for 2026…. Appointing someone with a background of multiple workplace bullying accusations as head of the UK civil service because they’re going to ‘shake things up’ and ‘get things done’ is going to end in tears, regrets and U-turns www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Starmer appoints Antonia Romeo as head of UK civil service
Dame Antonia will be the first woman to hold the post and replaces Sir Chris Wormald as the UK's top civil servant.
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Jo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
What made this country great? Immigration!!! How are we going to make it great again? Stopping immigration!!!
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
Out on the South Downs yesterday making the most of a brief break in the weather. Windmills, woodlands and dew ponds. Lovely.
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
UK construction and service sectors shrank in 2025. Both crucial sectors, particularly services. Higher Education also obviously shrank significantly. At least some of this will be driven by lower migration, which as ever is crucial to our economy: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
UK economy grew by 0.1% in final quarter of 2025
Manufacturing was the main driver of growth during the final three months of the year, official figures show.
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Being Human Festival @beinghumanfest.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Two grant schemes from the School of Advanced Study are now open for applications: Being Human Festival 2026 and the Centre for Public Engagement Practice in Arts and Humanities’ new Collaboration and Innovation Grant. Go to bit.ly/3ZoolUq for details on how to apply
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 08/02/2026
Lee Miller at Tate Britain. Beautiful images. Haunting images. Images of shattered worlds…
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Heartbreaking piece here on the closure of the University of Essex’s Southend campus. Unlike much that’s written about universities, it really captures the deep emotional connection between university and place, and what it means when that’s lost: www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘If I think about what this means, I want to cry’: what happens when a city loses its university?
When Essex University’s Southend campus opened, it was a message of hope for a ‘left behind’ UK seaside town. Its closure will be felt far beyond its 800 students, some of whom will not get their degr...
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Early signs of spring at the end of the garden, and a new guardian spirit to help them along….
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Wowsers look at what happened to posts on Twitter/X about London crime after monetisation of posts was introduced… economist.com/britain/2026...
X Posts about London Crime - large growth in number of likes after monetisation introduced
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Michael Eades @drmichaeleades.bsky.social · 29/01/2026
‘Lawless Britain’ update, in case you missed it. Homcides in England and Wales currently lower than at any point since the 1970s. Knife crime at its lowest level since 2003… Why aren’t we shouting this stuff from the rooftops? www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Homicides at lowest level in nearly 50 years, ONS statistics show
The 499 homicide cases in the year to September were the lowest in England and Wales since 1977.
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