Brendan Sweeney
@mbrendan.bsky.social
Retired, but still supporting social justice.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Immigration make Britain brilliant
May 17, 2026 at 6:28 AM
Immigration make Britain brilliant
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
As this says, we really, really need the Pendolinos replacing at the end of their lives, with the latest tilting trains. Without that journey times north of Birmingham, and especially north of Preston, will be worse than now. And that's half of the distance London to Glasgow.
Really good and lucid explanation of the technical challenges created by Rishi Sunak’s worst decision as PM (cancelling the Birmingham to Manchester leg of HS2) and how it might be fixed:
May 6, 2026 at 9:57 PM
As this says, we really, really need the Pendolinos replacing at the end of their lives, with the latest tilting trains. Without that journey times north of Birmingham, and especially north of Preston, will be worse than now. And that's half of the distance London to Glasgow.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
We must stand in solidarity with Jews being attacked by antisemitic criminals and terrorists: no ifs or buts. We must stand in solidarity with Palestinians being murdered by the Israeli government: no ifs or buts. These are not contradictory positions. They are consistent ones. 🧵1/5
May 3, 2026 at 7:05 AM
We must stand in solidarity with Jews being attacked by antisemitic criminals and terrorists: no ifs or buts. We must stand in solidarity with Palestinians being murdered by the Israeli government: no ifs or buts. These are not contradictory positions. They are consistent ones. 🧵1/5
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Professor Frank McDonough: Shakespeare mind cloud created by Allysa Gray.
April 23, 2026 at 8:38 PM
Professor Frank McDonough: Shakespeare mind cloud created by Allysa Gray.
This is fun and more non-American responders would be good.
I NEED HELP!
Please take this quick, meaningless 19 question survey so I can get data for my students to learn stats!
I did a similar version a few months ago but missed an important question type. Even if you did the old one, please do it again!
Please circulate widely!
Please take this quick, meaningless 19 question survey so I can get data for my students to learn stats!
I did a similar version a few months ago but missed an important question type. Even if you did the old one, please do it again!
Please circulate widely!
Quick and Meaningless Data Collection
Help me collect some data to use for student examples! The questions on geographic region and gender will only be used for subsetting the data, not for student analysis. No questions are required -…
buff.ly
April 19, 2026 at 5:32 PM
This is fun and more non-American responders would be good.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Something I don't think the UK boasts about enough - and a great rebuttal to Reform and the Tories' anti-net zero propaganda:
The UK is home to 7 out of the top 10 biggest offshore wind farms in the world. 10 of the top 20. And 6 in 10 of the largest ones in the world currently under construction.
The UK is home to 7 out of the top 10 biggest offshore wind farms in the world. 10 of the top 20. And 6 in 10 of the largest ones in the world currently under construction.
April 6, 2026 at 8:25 PM
Something I don't think the UK boasts about enough - and a great rebuttal to Reform and the Tories' anti-net zero propaganda:
The UK is home to 7 out of the top 10 biggest offshore wind farms in the world. 10 of the top 20. And 6 in 10 of the largest ones in the world currently under construction.
The UK is home to 7 out of the top 10 biggest offshore wind farms in the world. 10 of the top 20. And 6 in 10 of the largest ones in the world currently under construction.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
'Gordon's Wine Bar - Villiers Street WC2' by John Duffin
www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/399-...
www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/399-...
February 12, 2026 at 7:39 AM
'Gordon's Wine Bar - Villiers Street WC2' by John Duffin
www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/399-...
www.royalwatercoloursociety.co.uk/artists/399-...
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
It’s known for making submarines. So how does this remote Cumbrian venue attract the world’s boldest musicians?
It’s known for making submarines. So how does this remote Cumbrian venue attract the world’s boldest musicians?
In a park keeper’s lodge in Barrow-in-Furness, Full of Noises has hosted the likes of Julia Holter and Lonnie Holley – and is a model for why arts funding matters
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2026 at 12:03 PM
It’s known for making submarines. So how does this remote Cumbrian venue attract the world’s boldest musicians?
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
I find it utterly sickening that we are the 5th richest country in the world and yet deep poverty is at the highest level in three decades.
People in ‘very deep’ poverty now make up 6.8 million people, including millions of children. We’re failing to turn the dial.
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...
People in ‘very deep’ poverty now make up 6.8 million people, including millions of children. We’re failing to turn the dial.
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...
UK Poverty 2026: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK
This report sets out the nature of poverty in the UK, and evaluates changes under the last Conservative-led Government. It also sets out the scale of action necessary for the current Government to del...
www.jrf.org.uk
January 27, 2026 at 2:24 PM
I find it utterly sickening that we are the 5th richest country in the world and yet deep poverty is at the highest level in three decades.
People in ‘very deep’ poverty now make up 6.8 million people, including millions of children. We’re failing to turn the dial.
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...
People in ‘very deep’ poverty now make up 6.8 million people, including millions of children. We’re failing to turn the dial.
www.jrf.org.uk/uk-poverty-2...
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
ICYMI: This is the full text of #KeirStarmer's speech today in response to #DonaldTrump's announcement of #tariffs on #European countries over the #Greenland issue. It seems to me a good idea to read it in full, in order to be properly informed. Reading it would take only a few minutes of your time.
PM statement on international affairs and cost of living issues: 19 January 2026
Prime Minister Keir Starmer's remarks at the press conference in 9 Downing Street this morning (Monday 19 January).
www.gov.uk
January 19, 2026 at 3:29 PM
ICYMI: This is the full text of #KeirStarmer's speech today in response to #DonaldTrump's announcement of #tariffs on #European countries over the #Greenland issue. It seems to me a good idea to read it in full, in order to be properly informed. Reading it would take only a few minutes of your time.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
you cynics thought he had defected for self-interested reasons, but it turns out it was to address a grave injustice. Take it back
January 12, 2026 at 3:51 PM
you cynics thought he had defected for self-interested reasons, but it turns out it was to address a grave injustice. Take it back
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Nadim Zahawi arrived in the UK from Iraq as a child refugee. His family claimed asylum once they were here. Today he has joined Reform who will stop all in country asylum applications. Under his new party, his own family fleeing persecution would be immediately deported.
January 12, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Nadim Zahawi arrived in the UK from Iraq as a child refugee. His family claimed asylum once they were here. Today he has joined Reform who will stop all in country asylum applications. Under his new party, his own family fleeing persecution would be immediately deported.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
In 2024, at least 1,365 people were killed by police in fatal shootings in the USA.
In the England and Wales in the same period that figure... was 2.
In the England and Wales in the same period that figure... was 2.
January 8, 2026 at 8:04 AM
In 2024, at least 1,365 people were killed by police in fatal shootings in the USA.
In the England and Wales in the same period that figure... was 2.
In the England and Wales in the same period that figure... was 2.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
‘What should matter most is that what you're doing is accurate and it is truthful. And if some people perceive that as being biased, then frankly let them be damned. A more self-confident BBC would have had this attitude.’
@lewisgoodall.com on the BBC, on the pod.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
@lewisgoodall.com on the BBC, on the pod.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
On Politics: The Bust-up at the BBC
Podcast Episode · The LRB Podcast · 26/11/2025 · 1h 5m
podcasts.apple.com
November 29, 2025 at 10:10 AM
‘What should matter most is that what you're doing is accurate and it is truthful. And if some people perceive that as being biased, then frankly let them be damned. A more self-confident BBC would have had this attitude.’
@lewisgoodall.com on the BBC, on the pod.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
@lewisgoodall.com on the BBC, on the pod.
podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/o...
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Terrific column by @chrisgiles.ft.com;
No need for a moral panic about the welfare system
It’s far from perfect, but the UK’s spending is broadly controlled and employment is high
www.ft.com
October 16, 2025 at 8:58 AM
Terrific column by @chrisgiles.ft.com;
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
Dear parents - Yes you can give your sick child paracetamol if they’re >3 months old. It’s an excellent painkiller. It brings down a high temperature. It’s one of the safest drugs available. You are right to want to soothe your child’s distress. Evidence supports your good parenting. Be confident.
September 27, 2025 at 2:06 PM
Dear parents - Yes you can give your sick child paracetamol if they’re >3 months old. It’s an excellent painkiller. It brings down a high temperature. It’s one of the safest drugs available. You are right to want to soothe your child’s distress. Evidence supports your good parenting. Be confident.
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
In need of some good news? Smoking has now been virtually eliminated among school age kids in England!
(Yes, some of this is a shift to vaping but still...)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3ee...
(Yes, some of this is a shift to vaping but still...)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3ee...
September 25, 2025 at 11:42 AM
In need of some good news? Smoking has now been virtually eliminated among school age kids in England!
(Yes, some of this is a shift to vaping but still...)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3ee...
(Yes, some of this is a shift to vaping but still...)
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68d3ee...
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
“Harvard geneticist David Reich said … increasingly sophisticated analysis of genetic material made possible by technological advances shows that virtually everyone came from somewhere else, and everyone’s genetic background shows a mix from different waves of migration that washed over the globe.”
Pure bloodlines? Ancestral homelands? DNA science says no. — Harvard Gazette
Geneticist explains recent analyses made possible by tech advances show human history to be one of mixing, movement, displacement.
news.harvard.edu
September 20, 2025 at 9:49 AM
“Harvard geneticist David Reich said … increasingly sophisticated analysis of genetic material made possible by technological advances shows that virtually everyone came from somewhere else, and everyone’s genetic background shows a mix from different waves of migration that washed over the globe.”
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
2 in 5 arrested over last summer’s riots had been reported for domestic abuse
2 in 5 arrested over last summer’s riots had been reported for domestic abuse
Police data indicates overlaps between public violent disorder and domestic violence and abuse
Two out of every five people arrested after participating in last summer’s riots had been previously reported to the police for domestic abuse, the Guardian can disclose.
Police data released under freedom of information (FoI) laws shows that 41% of 899 people arrested for taking part in the violent disorder last July and August had been reported for crimes associated with intimate partner violence. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
July 26, 2025 at 12:00 PM
2 in 5 arrested over last summer’s riots had been reported for domestic abuse
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
My sister in law is the illustrator of this children’s book: raise YOUR child to enjoy this kind of chat today:
July 19, 2025 at 10:10 AM
My sister in law is the illustrator of this children’s book: raise YOUR child to enjoy this kind of chat today:
Reposted by Brendan Sweeney
New data shows adult English & maths learning seems to have bottomed out, but at half the level it was at a decade ago. On current trends it will take 20 years+ for everyone to get the help they need. This doesn't get attention it needs - 9m adults in England have low literacy or numeracy.
July 18, 2025 at 8:55 AM
New data shows adult English & maths learning seems to have bottomed out, but at half the level it was at a decade ago. On current trends it will take 20 years+ for everyone to get the help they need. This doesn't get attention it needs - 9m adults in England have low literacy or numeracy.