This is Mo. Mo was trafficked to the UK when he was 9 to work in modern slavery. In future, unaccompanied children like Mo, who arrive on boats, will simply be offered accommodation until they are 18, then sent back to their country of origin, or somewhere like Rwanda. #r4today
This is Dominic. Dominic's Jewish father escaped the Czech Republic as a 6-year-old when the Nazis annexed it in 1938. If Dominic's father had ended up on a boat, with the new laws, he would have been sent back to Prague in 1950, once he reached the age of 18 (or sent to Rwanda).
This is Rishi. His parents were economic migrants, coming to the UK to make a better life. In future, without a legal route, people like Rishi's parents who end up on boats would be sent back or deported to Rwanda, in spite of what they could offer with their skills & hard work.
This is Priti. Her patents arrived in the UK fleeing the despotic regime of Idi Amin in Uganda. With no legal routes, people like Priti's parents, who arrive in boats from places like Syria, desperately fleeing warzones, will, in future, simply be sent back or deported to Rwanda.
This is Suella. Suella's parents were economic migrants to UK who benefitted from long-defunct legal immigration routes. Suella wrote the bill to restrict rights of refugees & immigrants coming on boats, adding to the front page it probably contravened Human Rights Law. #r4today
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There is real tension here. As educators, we design degrees to be good value for high fees. They require (especially in sciences) ca. 35 h/week in termtime to succeed. Yet because of the costs, our most disadvantaged students can't afford to fully engage. bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-…
I don't think the answer is to cut-back degrees to a 'part-time' undertaking. Instead, we should properly fund disadvantaged students so they can dedicate energies to study. If govt refuse, we must think seriously about making proper, top-quality, part-time degrees available.
However, do we really want to live in a country where the wealthiest can graduate a degree in 3-4 years, while the most disadvantaged need 6-8 years to get the same qualification? Higher education is a right for all, and should be equally accessible to all.
I get lots of people asking me how a chemistry curriculum can be 'decolonised', so I thought I'd make a short thread with examples.
Firstly, decolonisation is not about removing science from the curriculum, it is about giving students more context (see: pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ac…)
If teaching org/med chemistry, why not include quinine? Known since ancient times in South America, the bark of the cinchona tree was brought to Europe by a priest, aware of problems with malaria in Rome. In the years after, it became a key malaria treatment in Europe.
When Britain colonised India, quinine was a key malaria treatment, given in rations to the British army to maintain their health. Officers would take it with a gin at sundown. However, quinine was not made available to the Indians.
A restorative visit to the Himalayan Sculpture Garden, one of our absolute favourite places to go and relax. Sheltered in a valley in the Dales, it's a tranquil magical wonderland that feels tucked away from the world. @The_Hutts
The beauty of the place is the way that sculpture and nature entwine - as the seasons change it brings out different aspects of the work.
New for this year is the beautiful 'Bursting from the Slumber'. Over 1000 ceramic Blue Himalayan Poppies. Emerging from the worst of the Covid pandemic, artist, Anna Whitehouse, organised groups of volunteers, to meet, talk and hand-decorate the poppies with personal messages.
To mark the end of Pride Month, here is a short thread to celebrate some trans scientists and their amazing contributions. These are great scientists, and great people who have risen above transphobia to succeed - that's worth celebrating. #Pride2022
Lynn Conway is a computer scientist who revolutionised the design of the computer chip. Fired by IBM when she transitioned in the late 1960s, her contributions during the 1970s ushered in a new age of personal computing. In recent years, she has been a powerful trans advocate.
Ben Barres was a neurobiologist who transformed our understanding of brain cell function - in particular discovering astrocytes can play a key role in degenerative brain diseases. He talked frequently about sexism in science, and how barriers had lifted for him as a trans man.
'Britain's strictest teacher' explains how she deals with kids with additional needs as part of a Times interview. When I took her to task about SEND education, she blocked me. It's evident she simply couldn't care less about kids who are different.
She says, dyslexic kids have 'not been taught to read properly', with no understanding of underlying issues. She doesn't make any allowances for kids with ADD or ADHD because she 'doesn't believe in making allowances'. Well actually, it's the law to make reasonable adjustments.
It was about 2 years I had an online discussion with her about SEND and she expressed very similar views. I politely pointed out that if a child had an EHCP it was the law that its requirements are met (e.g. 1:1 support, ability to step out of class etc) - she simply blocked me.
TW: Palliative care/Assisted suicide/Death
With a bill coming to Parliament, there's discussion in UK about the right to die. This is a hugely difficult issue, and one I'm conflicted about. Having been through palliative care with my husband Sam, I have a few reflections.
The palliative care pathway aims to make patients comfortable at the end of life. Patients are treated with anti-anxiety drugs and large amounts of painkillers like morphine. For a patient with breathing difficulties, the doctors were clear that this also accelerated end of life.
On the pathway, Sam was able to control his dose levels. While he could cope, he wanted to stay conscious and enjoy his final time with friends and family. But as things got really hard, he asked for the medication to be at a higher level so he would remain unconscious.