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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 11m

Looking forward to welcoming @dmk1793.bsky.social to the @ihr.bsky.social Modern French History seminar this Monday 5 October at 17h30. David will be giving a paper on 'Collaborationist Socialism in Nazi-Occupied France.' Please do join us or sign up online: www.history.ac.uk/news-events/... 🗃️

history.ac.uk

Collaborationist Socialism in Nazi-Occupied France

IHR Modern French History

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 23h

Just got a text from the blood donation service to let me know my donation was issued to a hospital in Cambridge. It's really affirming to get to know more about how it can tangibly help people. If you are able to do so, it is painless, easy & a good thing to do www.blood.co.uk

blood.co.uk

Home

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Chris Bertram @crookedfootball.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Radical Philosophy (Spring 1984)

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

About to go live on France24 English channel to talk about the latest in the French presidential elections, including the revelations about the RN President's strongly alleged antisemitism

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Went to see de Gaulle pt2 yesterday and - yes - I cried when the Eluard poem was read

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

'In his [Ivison's] view, the government is avoiding the bigger issues of what universities are for and who should pay for them.' It would help if universities would ask (and answer) that 1st big question in public rather than just parroting government. That's what institutional autonomy is for.

researchprofessionalnews.com

To save UK higher education, start talking about knowledge - Research Professional News

Until debate on universities foregrounds their core purposes, their woes will deepen, says Margot Finn

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Was on France24 last night talking about the youthful antisemitism revelations for the RN's President. With this many bad apples, you'd be right to worry about a bitter harvest

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I'll be on @france24.com english channel tonight around 8.30pm (London time) to talk about the latest French political polling. But first, I'm off to see part 2 of the de Gaulle film

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Dave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Well, there you are: official UK govt figures confirm it costs £3,000 a year more to teach the average undergraduate than they're willing to pay us. www.gov.uk/government/p... Now, they'll explain how that's our fault for greedily having almost no pay-rises for a decade...

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

It was great to welcome the "Parliament Matters" podcast to "the political studies powerhouse that is Queen Mary University of London". Featuring the brilliant @ruthfox.bsky.social @darcyxtip.bsky.social @cathhaddon.bsky.social & @danielgover.bsky.social, plus me going tonto on billionaire donors.

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Always catnip to a historian when you see this kind of phrase in a preserved document in the archives

Typed letter reading "maybe I suggest that you should burn this letter after you have taken action on it?"

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Amused by this story and the echoes of when the Isle of Dogs declared UDI in March 1970. Apparently Cllr Ted Johns received a letter from Mexico addressed to 'Government House' which the Post Office redirected to his flat ("so the PO must recognise it") www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bbc.co.uk

Piddington in Oxfordshire votes to leave UK over asylum plans

Piddington residents vote over proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers nearby.

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Here's me on @en.france24.com yesterday, talking over the opinion polls on the upcoming Presidential election. I tried to talk about how political fragmentation over polarisation might tell us more about the campaign, plus the need for more participatory democracy www.france24.com/en/amid-fran...

france24.com

Amid France’s political 'fragmentation', 'a case needs to be made for participatory democracy’

Carys Garland is pleased to welcome Dr. Andrew Smith, Historian of Modern France and Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London. He argues that Marine Le Pen and the National Rally’s…

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

About to go live on @en.france24.com for the first time after the rentrée to talk about recent polling and the Presidential race for 2027 in France

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 12/09/2026

Take History for example. (Seriously, do take History, students!). Sure you'll find St Andrews, LSE, Cambridge, Oxford and Durham in the top 10. But also in that top group is Anglia Ruskin (7th, with 96.2% satisfied with teaching) and Bangor (9th, with 97.4% satisfied with teaching).

Landscape photo of Main Arts building, University of Bangor, see from Bangor Mountain.

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School of Advanced Study, University of London @sas-news.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The @ihr.bsky.social, @senatehouselib.bsky.social and SAS are excited to announce that bookings are now open for History Day 2026! 🥳 Save the date for Wednesday 18 November and join us in Senate House for this celebration of all things history. Book your free place: bit.ly/4yw4zWt

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Obvs I enjoyed the de G film and - in case you want my contribution to weeks old discourse - it was an awful lot better than the Odyssey (which was kinda fine & stumbled at the first hurdle by asking us to see MD as smart enough to play old sly sandles himself)

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

In part 1 of the de Gaulle film there's a moment when he claims the British are promoting him "like a bar of soap". I came across the original ref in v2 of Max Gallo's bio of de G today, and he said it in ref to Richmond Temple, the PR man contracted to promote de G by the British

Extract from chapter 4 of v2 of Max Gallo's de G biography:

"'This Richmond Temple...' de G continued.
During the lunch that had just ended at the Connaught hotel, where de G took his meals almost every day in the company of one or more guests, Richmond Temple, an advertising executive, had explained the mission he had been given by the Prime Minister to make de G and the Free French known.
'... is promoting me like a bar of soap.' de Gaulle repeated."

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Society for French Historical Studies @sfhs.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

There is a new issue of FHS hot off the presses! It's a forum on medieval environments and the introduction is free until December. Check it out 👇 #skystorians #envhist @eseh.bsky.social read.dukeupress.edu/french-histo...

read.dukeupress.edu

Volume 49 Issue 3 | French Historical Studies | Duke University Press

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

Got back from France last week & still feeling the mosquito bites, so recirculating my open access article on the development of the southern French coast since 1960 (inc tackling mosquitoes) to imagine a 'touristic' future www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.com

Building a French Florida: the Mission Racine and the ‘touristification’ of the Languedoc-Roussillon

In the 1960s, the French state began an ambitious tourism project, known as the Mission Racine, to transform the Languedoc-Roussillon coastline into a major tourist destination. The state envisione...

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Intrigued to read that the Dublin Vegetarian Association in the early 20th century was run by a Mr Ham, Mrs Joynt and Mrs Hogg.

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Su Lin Lewis @sulinlewis.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Here's a new post I co-wrote with @bengjthomas.bsky.social based on an amazing sound and history event we did last year at Bristol's IC Visual Lab for the 70th anniversary of #Bandung. Diving into the music of the era was so much fun, and we historians don't seem to do it enough....Thanks Ben & HWJ!

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Simon Peplow @simpep.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

History and AI – A Survey of History Students in UKHE Our preliminary project report explores anonymous responses from more than 600 history students across all regions and types of institutions in the UK. @callingdrjones.bsky.social www.history-uk.ac.uk/projects/his...

history-uk.ac.uk

History and AI – A Survey of History Students in UK Universities

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become impossible to ignore in higher education. For historians, working in a discipline which depends on interpretation, evidence, and critical thinking, the devel…

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

'The need to outsource services following redundancy programmes may be increasing universities’ costs rather than lowering them, as well as impacting staff productivity, a report warns.'

timeshighereducation.com

Restructuring ‘too often adding cost rather than removing it’

Universities are ‘underestimating’ the challenges caused by outsourcing services amid major professional services staff redundancies, report warns

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

New post on the Save Tangmere Tower blog this morning. It's the double anniversary of air speed records set from RAF Tangmere! The 1946 record was set by Group Captain Teddy Donaldson, then the 1953 record set by Sqn Ldr Neville Duke savetangmeretower.com/seen-from-th... 🗃️ #skystorians #otd

savetangmeretower.com

Seen from the Tower: Two Record Attempts – Tangmere

We are delighted to feature another guest post from David Coxon, Honorary Vice President of Tangmere Military Aviation Museum . David writes: RAF High

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

Was back on the Larzac plateau last week, visiting some of the activists from the struggle that I interviewed in my book 'Make Cheese Not War' Enjoyed the discussions of politics, hope & climate in what turned out to be an engaging exchange manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9781526175878/

Wall of photos of the Larzac struggle pinned to the side of a farmhouse in St Martin du Larzac

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

savetangmeretower.com

Seen from the Tower: Two Record Attempts – Tangmere

We are delighted to feature another guest post from David Coxon, Honorary Vice President of Tangmere Military Aviation Museum . David writes: RAF High

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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

A new statue of British prime minister William Gladstone was unveiled in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria earlier this year. Find out why in this week's @ppfideas.bsky.social: a story of three empires, two great popular movements, the origins of "jingoism" & the last great battle between Gladstone & Disraeli

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 05/09/2026

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

Unexpected encounter today in Carcassonne, when a host of soldiers marched by in formation singing

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Very much enjoyed the preview of the new de Gaulle film this evening. Excellent Q&A led by @lmebroch.bsky.social interviewing Julian Jackson on whose book the film is based

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Nudism, mosquitoes, sun, sea, & sand! See off the end of summer with a reflection on what happens when a vaunted 'civilisation of leisure' meets macroeconomics, and place-based policy runs up against... people and place

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

My article is now available open access! 'Building a French Florida: the Mission Racine and the ‘touristification’ of the Languedoc-Roussillon' This looks at grand state projects, regional impacts, & the wider development of the Mediterranean doi.org/10.1080/1755... #FrHistory #skystorians 🗃️

doi.org

Building a French Florida: the Mission Racine and the ‘touristification’ of the Languedoc-Roussillon

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Dónal Hassett @donalh.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Finally got around to reading @smidbob.bsky.social's brilliant book on transnational resistance and the Larzac protest movement. Particularly fascinating to hear how the conflict in the North of Irleand shaped local perceptions of British soldiers training in the Larzac military camp.

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Dr Cath Feely @cathfeely.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

Fellows of @royalhistsoc.org - check your emails to vote in Council elections!

Thank you for voting screen for Royal Historical Society council elections.

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The chapter I've been drafting has finally found coherence & I'm feeling pretty pleased with it. When will I learn that writing synoptic history is not a breezy task to be taken on lightly but a tough challenge? Never. I will never learn this. Pitch me, I'll probably say yes. It's a compulsion.

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The British Academy @britishacademy.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Following A level results day last week, here are some key subject uptake trends that you may have missed, with long-term analysis from our SHAPE Observatory. We will be analysing the data again this week on GCSE results day.

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Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan @london.gov.uk · 19/08/2026

Some outcomes are bigger than politics.

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

My daughter has gone to a holiday club today and left me in charge of caring for her Tamagotchi, Lady Blobbington. The weight of responsibility hangs heavy

Pink sparkly tamagotchi toy. The beast slumbers for now, but what bleeping horrors awaiting upon its waking?

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Had a couple of enquiries recently about my new book, 'Make Cheese Not War: Transnational Resistance and the Larzac in Modern France' It's a history of place based protest, challenges to development, and the means of forging connections across continents 🗃 #skystorians

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Andrew WM Smith @smidbob.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

On 16 August 1940, RAF Tangmere was strafed by Stukas, killing 10 RAF & 3 civilians, as well as destroying 13 aircraft & devastating the vase Today 16 Aug 2026, there was a flypast of Tangmere by Supermarine Spitfire TE311, the base's former gate guardian to mark the date 🗃 #skystorians #otd

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Margot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

'languages are often unavailable to students in schools and colleges before they make their subject choices at university. Limited opportunities have suppressed demand. But interest in languages is not limited, and it is important not to forget the joy and vitality of languages too.'

hepi.ac.uk

The joy and vitality of languages - HEPI

This blog was kindly authored by Fiona Devine (Manchester) and Jo Fox (Newcastle), on behalf of the N8 subgroup on Modern Languages. We are very familiar with the story that languages are in decline a...

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David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I enormously enjoyed recording this PPF episode on Major Douglas’s Social Credit - a crank economic theory of the interwar period that caused immense frustration to mainstream intellectuals (including Keynes, Cole, Hobson and Gaitskell) but whose followers ended up taking power in Western Canada.

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Colm Murphy @colmpm.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

It's nice to see P&P promoting my article as we approach the anniversary of the 1976 IMF Crisis, when unilateral protectionism was furiously debated within the bowels of the British state. It's open access and free to read via the link below.

'The Political Crisis of British Keynesianism', by Colm Murphy. Abstract: 'In histories of Western political economy in the 1970s–1980s, Keynesianism is conventionally depicted as a victim of neoliberal ascendancy. Building on revisionist scholarship, this article looks beyond neoliberalism to explain the fate of Keynesianism in the transforming political economy of the United Kingdom in its global contexts. It explores a neglected case study: the intense controversies sparked by the Keynesian policy makers Wynne Godley and Francis Cripps. Responding to stagflation and strikes, Godley and Cripps demanded sweeping import controls to forestall mass unemployment and reverse Britain’s ‘decline’. They became celebrity economists, attracting admiration and opprobrium from government ministers and officials, political parties, journalists, and the City. Their arguments raised thorny questions, not just over economic policy, but also over Britain’s domestic statecraft and geopolitical relations after empire, during the Cold War, and inside the European Community. Revisiting these debates underscores the destabilizing impact of de-industrialization. It also reveals that (geo)political calculation determined the fate of Keynesian policy making more directly than neoliberal ideology. Godley and Cripps’s failure therefore illuminates a deeper political dilemma for fin-de-siècle Keynesians across Europe: upon which territorial order could they, and should they, exercise demand management as globalization accelerated? This question continues to shape Western politics in the twenty-first century.'

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will pooley @willpooley.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

“a detail is itself a kind of argument” cracking piece from @joemoransblog.bsky.social on detail in history writing 🗃️

......
a detail is itself a kind of
argument and thus, since beauty and elegance in writing derive from economy, a way of making a point without belabouring it. Through the selection and arrangement of detail, you can redirect the reader's attention, which is naturally drawn to the eye-catching or the obviously consequential. You can make something that seemed peripheral seem suddenly important.

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Dr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

We are conditioned so hard as academics to believe that excellence and performance matter, that our productivity, contributions, and ways with students and colleagues all accumulate into a profile which makes us valuable. That can be true and it *still* doesn't matter when the axe comes down.

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Dr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

The sheer scale of the closures and job losses in UK HE are plain today. Departure posts and lifeboats visible across all of HE Linkedin, lots here too. In what is now an annual exercise, I tap the sign, which reads: "This has nothing to do with how 'good' these depts or staff are, or were."

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