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Martin Welton

@martwelton.bsky.social
285 followers 571 following 44 posts

Professor of Theatre and other things QMUL

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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 3h
This is spot on. The failure to think through, consider and evaluate a political event of the magnitude of Brexit speaks of not only the feeble lack of imagination of successive governments, but also their carelessness.
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Steve Jones @profstevenjones.bsky.social · 15/10/2026
I'm co-lead for the UK part of this new research into universities' use of management consultants, led by colleagues in Canada. If you have five minutes, please take a look at our survey. Thank you.
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We Own It @weownit.org.uk · 11/10/2026
Barry Gardiner MP has the receipts; showing that England's water companies are persistently failing in their statutory duties. As Secretary of State for the Environment Angela Eagle already has the power to take them into Special Administration. "She can. She should."
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Free Cats Daily😻 @freecatsdaily.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Fire breathing cat #Cat #Caturday
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Cornish/Manc Parallel Realist (Worldwide Dept.) @leftymuso.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
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JointheDots @joiningupthedots.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Helen Whateley: Kemi (Badenoch) has published an essay called The Right Way, really thinking about what's gone wrong with the country" This image as we died in our droves is forged in my mind.
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Private Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The Triple Locke From the Private Eye archive. Issue 1627, July 2024.
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Carole Cadwalladr @carolecadwalla.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
NEW: Meet the real AI ‘rogue agent’: Lord Watson of Palantir. I am sick to the teeth of this current AI hype cycle & its perversion of language. The only thing going ‘rogue’ right now are AI boosters, a gullible & compliant press & a Labour Lord 1/ broligarchy.substack.com/p/meet-the-r...
broligarchy.substack.com
Meet the real AI “rogue agent”: Lord Tom Watson
A Labour leader is out of control. The world needs a containment strategy now
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Jeff (Hot Type) Jarvis @jeffjarvis.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"People built the test, removed restraints, defined the objective, left a route open and decided not to stop what was happening. Calling the result 'rogue AI' does more than sensationalize it. It allows those human decisions to disappear quietly from the story" Gift link www.wsj.com/opinion/the-...
wsj.com
Opinion | The Hugging Face Hack Wasn’t What It Was Cracked Up to Be
Forget the ‘hive mind’ of AI agents ‘going rogue.’ They did what humans programmed them to do.
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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
And reappointed O'Grady in 2023!
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Peter Geoghegan @petergeoghegan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
🔴 The £72million pound question - how worried are you about big money in British politics? Democracy for Sale is running a survey to find out what the public thinks about money in politics - and what we should do about it Please take it!! And share widely!! thx! 😀 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
docs.google.com
How concerned are you about UK political funding? – A Democracy for Sale survey
We're Democracy for Sale, a newsletter covering dark money and influence in UK politics. We're trying to better understand our readers' and the wider public's opinions and concerns about political fun...
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
This should be shared more widely, given the utter bobbins talked about HE in our politics and media
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
80 year-olds with pro-Palestine signs: arrested as terrorists. Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years. Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests. The real two-tier policing.
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Parody Nigel Farage @parodypm.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Currently somebody in Thailand can immediately influence British politics by simply paying £5 million...
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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
This is fun. Manages to square the anatomical circle by simultaneously positioning the tongue firmly in cheek and sticking it defiantly out.
theguardian.com
There’s nothing ‘Mickey Mouse’ about my Van Halen thesis | Letter
Letter: Asking specific questions about culture and answering them with care is what universities have been doing for a long time, writes Greg White
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
This.
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Catherine Pope @cjpope.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Pass this on... someone out there might need it right now www.samaritans.org
samaritans.org
Samaritans - Here to listen
Samaritans works to make sure there’s always someone there for anyone who needs someone. Read more.
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JeffTrnka @jefftrnka.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
They're wearing the cats.....
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
And to think that it’s been said that Tories can’t do comedy. This is hilarious: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
As a Tory, I say things are looking up. Farage is fading, and the looming threat to No 10 is called Kemi | Simon Hart
My party has seen difficult times – but with a few canny moves, the leader is finally cutting through, says former Conservative party chief whip Simon Hart
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Ruth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 22/06/2026
Any word from Elon Musk? Tommy Robinson? Where is the outrage from the vigilante defenders of women and children now this white Protestant Ulster man has been found guilty of the rape and sexual assault of children? Is the media on the streets demanding Orange men apologise for their community?
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
Excellent article
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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 16/05/2026
One city. 9 million people. All of us Londoners. We will never be divided.
White text on a black background reads “Hate is loud.” at the top and “Love is louder.” at the bottom, with the Mayor of London logo centred between the two lines.
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David F. Sandberg @ponysmasher.social · 14/04/2026
I misread the headline as one movie and got very excited for a moment…
Headline on Hollywood Reporter that reads ”Paddington 4, Escape From New York' Reboot in the Works”
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Miriam Cosic @miriamcosic.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
This 1990 speech by Carl Sagan is timely times two: #war #climate
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Mike Galsworthy @mikegalsworthy.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Six years ago, his principles were entirely different.
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Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 16/02/2026
🔴Bannon, Epstein, Farage and Johnson and the Plot to ‘Topple’ Theresa May The far-right former Trump adviser told Jeffrey Epstein that “we are overthrowing May right now” as he worked with Boris Johnson to remove the then Conservative Prime Minister from office bylinetimes.com/2026/02/16/b...
bylinetimes.com
Bannon, Epstein, Farage and Johnson and the Plot to 'Topple' Theresa May
The far-right former Trump adviser told Jeffrey Epstein that "we are overthrowing May right now" as he worked with Boris Johnson to remove the then Conservative Prime Minister from office
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James O’Brien @mrjamesob.bsky.social · 07/02/2026
Have a read of this. Great scoop, obviously, but it’s also an absolute masterclass in how to report on these jokers. Plenty of London-based hacks could learn a lot from Martin Shipton here. If they actually wanted to… nation.cymru/news/the-new...
nation.cymru
The new leader of Reform UK Wales lives in Bath, not Wales
Martin Shipton The newly appointed leader of Reform UK in Wales hasn’t moved back to his home town in the Valleys, but has bought a £1m house near Bath, we can reveal. Dan Thomas, the former Conservat...
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Kevin Buist @kevinbuist.com · 15/12/2025
This is amazing. www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNQp...
youtube.com
Spinal Tap - Cheese Rolling promo
YouTube video by Emory Lane
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flyingrodent @flyingrodent.bsky.social · 15/12/2025
Editorial lead at the Times between about 2018-21, and I have to say he is not wrong.
As the @DailyMail loses its shit over an exodus of Poles from Britain, worth reflecting on the warm welcome that it and other parts of the rancid right-wing media gave them over the years
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Ian Collins @icoll.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
This is the lack of quality of the latest Reform catch Bradley. A liar who spreads fake stories without thinking about the consequences. Jeremy Corbyn should have bankrupted the c-nt.
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 03/12/2025
Finished Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall trilogy. What an astonishingly brilliant series of books. The layering of narrative and voice are so beautifully done, and I loved the sensuousness of the language - food, clothes, smells all made vivid.
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Hadn’t listened to this in ages. I oove where his viice goes. open.spotify.com/track/1bDeVI...
open.spotify.com
Pleasant Street/You Keep Me Hanging On
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Farrukh @implausibleblog.bsky.social · 22/11/2025
23,000 people died because Boris Johnson was too busy walking a dog, riding a motorbike and hosting guests as he took four days off at Chevening, instead of addressing warning signs of the pandemic Why isn't Boris Johnson in jail?
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
Once every 20 years or so, the director-general of the BBC is forced to resign for being insufficiently rightwing. Alastair Milne in 1987. Greg Dyke in 2004. Tim Davie in 2025. The great irony is that the BBC was in all cases profoundly biased towards established power. But just not biased enough …
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Steve Brooks @stevebrooks.bsky.social · 04/11/2025
Fine definition
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Dr Matt Lodder @mattlodder.com · 20/10/2025
I think an alternative take on this is that students are being pushed towards business courses by government and societal rhetoric on employability, when they'd rather be doing other things they're more interested in...
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
All power to J. Brave and brilliant.
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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 18/10/2025
I think this is true in a deep and troubling way. I have been observing this too. I am getting old & maybe I’m wrong, but I really feel basic academic, critical and intellectual, attitudes that were normal and prominent 20 years ago seem to have eroded. I agree, we need to understand how and why.
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Iris van Rooij 💭 @irisvanrooij.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
“Uncritical adoption of AI, will inevitably create people without critical thinking, and this may be a feature - not a bug, as it represents an attack on human agency itself.” collectivefutures.blog/the-infrastr...
collectivefutures.blog
The infrastructure of meaninglessness
Listen, there are two realities that we should be aware of. AI exists to make your job obsolete because the alternative is that AI makes managers obsolete. Let me try to break down this theory, which...
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
At last. Call these fuckers out for what they are. Enough of pandering to ‘understandable concerns’. Nice one Zack Polanski.
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Lux 🌸 Alptraum @luxalptraum.com · 08/10/2025
TFW you paid $1400 to see Beckett’s most famous work without knowing anything about it
One Star Review of Waiting for Godot on Broadway
I recently attended Waiting for Godot on Broadway and spent over $1,400 for two Row C seats (103 and 104). I'm a longtime admirer of Broadway productions and even hold a season pass for Shea's Performing Arts Theatre, so I came in with genuine enthusiasm and high expectations. Unfortunately, this show was unlike anything ! have ever experienced —and not in a good way.
What I encountered was not the artistry, music, or emotional storytelling I usually associate with Broadway, but instead what felt like an endless cycle of nonsensical conversation between characters who seemed trapped in their own madness. I tried-truly tried-to find meaning, symbolism, or even a thread of emotional resonance. I stayed through the first half hoping the second would offer clarity. But by intermission, it was clear: this was a waste of both time and money.
Keanu Reeves is an actor I respect greatly, but I cannot fathom why he would agree to participate in such a disjointed, inaccessible production. His talent was lost in a performance that defied reason rather than provoked insight.
To anyone considering attending: unless you are drawn to highly abstract, nearly incomprehensible theater, I strongly caution you against this show. For the average, educated, thoughtful theatergoer, it is far more frustrating than fulfilling. In my opinion, this was the single most disappointing Broadway experience I've ever had - an unfortunate waste of money and, more importantly, of time.
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Amanda Katz @katzish.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
This is such a nuanced and big-hearted piece on the evolution of autism as a diagnosis, by an anthropologist of mental health who is also the dad of a now-grown daughter on the spectrum. Great reading (gift link) www.nytimes.com/2025/09/24/o...
nytimes.com
Opinion | Autism Has Always Existed. We Haven’t Always Called It Autism.
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David Osland @davidosland.bsky.social · 25/09/2025
It's a good job Morgan McSweeney didn't fail to declare a five quid Universal Credit overpayment, because he'd really be in trouble then
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Simon Pearson @anticapitalistmusings.com · 14/09/2025
app.thenewworld.co.uk/story/141960...
app.thenewworld.co.uk
Tommy Robinson’s march was a drunken, coked-up mess
He claimed the world was watching, but most of London barely noticed – and much of what was on view was appalling
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Zack Polanski @zackpolanski.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
Since this is apparently a resigning matter, I’ll just leave this here… www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings
Exclusive: Reform leader’s use of personal services firm is a practice criticised across the political spectrum
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
If Rayner’s actions speak of entitlement, how should we interpret someone on an MPs salary neglecting his duties in parliament but promoting the interests of his TV channel in the US, flogging gold bullion, bloviating for the Telegraph, and making use of trust funds and offshore banking?
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 05/09/2025
This charlatan is the poison in our body politic. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
theguardian.com
Nigel Farage uses private company to pay less tax on GB News earnings
Exclusive: Reform leader’s use of personal services firm is a practice criticised across the political spectrum
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Martin Welton @martwelton.bsky.social · 04/09/2025
www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Talks about what? Moral turpitude? Spineless handwringing? How to give succour to ethnonationalist racism?
theguardian.com
Israel’s president to visit London next Thursday for expected talks with ministers
Exclusive: Isaac Herzog will make trip just weeks before UK is planning to recognise statehood of Palestine
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 02/09/2025
Are you young, highly educated and driven, and want to contribute to our stagnant economy with its aging population and low productivity? Well out you go
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Martin Calladine @uglygame.bsky.social · 30/08/2025
Amazing story: one of the organisers of the group putting Union Flags up around Manchester previously did time for being part of a people smuggling gang. manchestermill.co.uk/manchester-f...
manchestermill.co.uk
Manchester’s chief flag-raiser has put his people smuggling days behind him
Flags protesting unchecked immigration have gone up across the city, led by a man caught smuggling migrants into the country in the back of a van
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