Reposted by Steve WalkerDavid Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 06/10/2026Worse. I'd argue that Europe's social contract is essentially broken with two huge factors being an ageing population and the rise of the gig economy. Preferred fixes, of blaming China or immigrants, are obviously inadequate and probably counter-productive. 23816
Reposted by Steve WalkerPolitics Phil @politicsphil.bsky.social · 23hNever widely reported, is that in 2010, one of Cameron's first acts was to make 500 employees of HMRC, redundant. 166
Reposted by Steve Walker🫣 stuart reeves 🫣 @5tuartreeves.bsky.social · 22hI'm looking for a strong PhD student candidate for applying to EPSRC DLA (Doctoral Landscape Award) studentships (starting Oct 2027) topic: studying software developers' practices with "AI tools" (i.e. LLM-based assistance) and mapping out its implications stuartreeves.mataroa.blog/blog/phd-adv...stuartreeves.mataroa.blogPhD advert: Candidate search for EPSRC Doctoral Landscape Award studentship on AI-assisted software development — notes on research 179
Reposted by Steve WalkerThe New York Times @nytimes.com · 05/10/2026As wildfires raged across eastern Australia in 2019, the small coastal town of Narooma lost power and internet. The only connection to the outside world was a handful of old-school pay phones. Now, one of them has now been given historic status.nyti.msPay Phone, a Lifeline During 2019 Australia Wildfires, Gains Heritage StatusHundreds lined up to call loved ones as the internet went down and the flames closed in on the Australian town of Narooma in 2019. 48318
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 05/10/2026Embarrassingly, for Brits, there were no problems in France when I visited 25 years ago 010
Reposted by Steve WalkerDr Katie Twomey @k2mey.eurosky.social · 28/09/2026This is quite cool. My university is the first organisation in the world to force Microsoft to allow us to turn off copilot summaries in Word 365, after a backlash against it from staff (including, very vocally, me). That cannot have been easy for our heroic IT people so hats very much off to them! 895446937
Reposted by Steve WalkerRobert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 27/09/2026The response when progressive policies that help millions of people are proposed... "How will you pay for it?" The response when the richest 1% ask for tax cuts, or banks ask for bailouts, or defense contractors ask for more contracts... "How much do you need?" It doesn't have to be this way. 210122713898
Reposted by Steve WalkerJamie Smart @jamiesmart.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Can’t eat a sandwich until you subscribe to sandwiches. Can’t eat today’s sandwich until it has applied daily sandwich updates. Sandwich now has adverts even though you paid for ad-free sandwich. Can pay again to have less sandwich adverts. Now you can eat the sandwich, but it’s smaller. 20747521188
Reposted by Steve WalkerIan Boudreau @ianboudreau.com · 26/09/2026Amazingly, no one was responsible 301371273
Reposted by Steve WalkerPrem Sikka @premnsikka.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Declassified journalists banned from Labour conference – again. A Trumpian policy started by Keir Starmer. Burnham can't make a fresh start without getting rid of the previous advisers. Democracy means accepting scrutiny, even when it is uncomfortable.declassifieduk.orgDeclassified journalists banned from Labour conference - againLabour MPs have condemned the ‘Trump-like’ decision, saying party is ‘bang out of order’ 21377184
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 25/09/2026A bit niche, but Windows/onedrive screwing around with embedded URLs in Word files. 020
Reposted by Steve WalkerNicholas Grossman @nicholasgrossman.bsky.social · 25/09/2026Greatest trick AI leaders have pulled is convincing many people—especially influential people in govt, media, and business—that their software is intelligent, independent, yet never culpable. Humans build it, humans deploy it, but no one bears responsibility for the things that happen when they do. 421664464
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 23/09/2026It's unclear how well it deals with darker skin tones, apparently... 110
Reposted by Steve WalkerSeb Schmoller @schmoller.net · 23/09/2026This point is well made by @brokenbottleboy.bsky.social here: brokenbottleboy.substack.com/p/bbc-news-d...brokenbottleboy.substack.comBBC News, ‘Danny Tommo’ and the dinghy attack that disappearedWhile the rest of the media – even the very worst parts – report on Daniel Thomas’ actions, BBC News fails to give its audience the facts. 012
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026I'm sure some of the detail and interpretation will have changed over the last 50 years, but the big picture, the sense of wonder and the quality of presentation remain fabulous. 012
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Just caught the last ep of Attenborough's Life on Earth. Absolutely as brilliant as I remember it being. Up there with the very best TV ever made. Off to watch the rest on iPlayer. 110
Reposted by Steve WalkerPaul Lewis @paullewismoney.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Too big and important to tax, part 94 bit.ly/4jbxpa6 betting boss says don’t tax betting. Toys, Throw. Pram. There’ll be a lot more of this over the next 39 days!bit.lyBritain’s top taxpayer cuts sports funding in gambling tax rowBetfred tycoon Fred Done says he will no longer financially support rugby league and threatens to pull horseracing sponsorship if Labour hikes levies 35510
Reposted by Steve WalkerAnti-Reform @antireform.bsky.social · 19/09/2026"Proscribe the extreme far right groups before it's too late" via The UK Against Hate 611928648
Reposted by Steve WalkerLabourStart @labourstart.bsky.social · 19/09/2026GLOBAL: Outsourcing workers gather in Stockholm to build power and shape the rules on AI uniglobalunion.org/news/outsour...uniglobalunion.orgOutsourcing workers gather in Stockholm to build power and shape the rules on AIUnion representatives from across the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector met in Stockholm on 16–17 September 2026 for a two-day forum on organizing, collective bargaining and the regulation of ... 065
Reposted by Steve WalkerRuth Watson @ruthwatson.eurosky.social · 18/09/2026Piddington. The racist Sandford.static.klipy.comHot Fuzz: Simon Pegg's 'Oh, I see. It's fascism.'ALT: Hot Fuzz: Simon Pegg's 'Oh, I see. It's fascism.' 58316
Reposted by Steve WalkerMichelle says: Be kind. Always. ❤️ @snarkysillysad.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Real Betis players walked out with the 11 oldest club *socios* (members, all over 80) as matchday mascots before their La Liga game against Getafe on September 17, 2026. Part of Real Betis' "Elderly Week" (*Semana de los Mayores*) initiatives. #AGoodPlace 36948147
Reposted by Steve WalkerPaul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Parents. Your kids have a right to privacy. That includes privacy *from you*. It’s not an absolute right, but it exists. The default should be *not* to invade their privacy. 6638
Reposted by Steve WalkerDr Carole McCartney 🏳️🌈 🏳️⚧️ @ctmccartney.bsky.social · 18/09/2026Absolutely. If you work in HE these days, a meeting with managers and/or HR should NEVER be considered "informal". Always take union support! 25623
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026In league games, I try not to get too worked up about poor decisions. Over a year, you win some and lose some. *Full disclosure: City supporter **Fuller disclosure: I shouted bad words at the telly when Foden got red. *** Even fuller disclosure: I laughed when the goal was given... 100
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026That devil's cut members of the ICC, and the former UN Rapporteur on Palestine, from banking facilities through control of SWIFT. We know thecdevil has form. 110
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 16/09/2026For me, unconvincing PhDs were much more stressful... 010
Reposted by Steve WalkerBy Cory Doctorow (GPG 0xBF3D9110957E5F4C) @doctorow.pluralistic.net · 14/09/2026If you give workers instructions that reveal your ignorance, they might roll their eyes at you and make you feel bad about yourself. Even if they restrain themselves in the moment, they might make fun of you in the break-room later. 31117
Reposted by Steve WalkerSue Me @superberg.bsky.social · 14/09/2026Nothing to see here 👇👇👇 Donald Jr's Wedding was bankrolled by a Putin-Linked Russian Oligarch ..."but Hunter's laptop....." www.propublica.org/article/dona...propublica.orgDonald Trump Jr.’s Wedding Bankrolled by Putin-Linked Russian OligarchThe oligarch, Umar Kremlev, spent hundreds of thousands on expenses like renting out a private island. He appears to have met Trump Jr. only recently, but he attended the intimate wedding with a large... 151
Reposted by Steve WalkerPrivate Eye Magazine @privateeyenews.bsky.social · 14/09/2026No sooner had Burnham lamented unaccountable outsourcing than contracts worth £250m were announced for the outsourcing of civil service training to EY. Expect some heavy lobbying from its bosses and from other outsourcers to keep the gravy train on track. 49424
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 10/09/2026Back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, a fellow student who went on to become a very prominent journalist took me to a public meeting of the Maoist Communist Party of Britain (Marxist-Leninist)... (it was all a bit mad, but that's another story) I don't think he's ever said 'At last...', though. 060
Reposted by Steve WalkerJohn Denham @jydenham.bsky.social · 10/09/2026I do find odd that we all apparently enjoy the right to enter a hotel uninvited, go to the guest floors, knock on the doors of complete strangers on the grounds that they are not white - and yet not commit any offence.bbc.co.ukGroup entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrantsProtesters congregated at a Portsmouth hotel after false rumours that a coach of migrants had arrived. 27532155
Reposted by Steve WalkerPaul Bernal @paulbernal.bsky.social · 10/09/2026“Legitimate concerns” latest. The entire nation should be ashamed of how far we’ve fallen. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...bbc.co.ukGroup entered hotel of Pakistan cricketers mistaken for migrantsProtesters congregated at a Portsmouth hotel after false rumours that a coach of migrants had arrived. 1824868
Reposted by Steve WalkerRobert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 08/09/2026Intrigued to read that the Dublin Vegetarian Association in the early 20th century was run by a Mr Ham, Mrs Joynt and Mrs Hogg. 614824
Reposted by Steve WalkerReform Party UK Exposed @reformexposed.bsky.social · 05/09/202611 councillors have gone from Reform UK this week alone. 6 by-elections this week and Reform UK didn’t even achieve 2nd in any. And that’s before we mention the scandals. But, the threat remains. 27528
Reposted by Steve WalkerRachel Coldicutt @rachelcoldicutt.bsky.social · 05/09/2026ooooh this js super interesting - high cost/scarcity of DRam means consumer electronics are getting de-specced to meet demand giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... 8199
Steve Walker @steve-walker.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Progress... But sure, Andy Burnham, the real threat to road safety is older drivers, not driverless cars or adrenalin-fuelled young men. 022