Ruth Holliday

Well if you said to me “Do you like the taste of hospital food?” it would have to be a strong “Yes!” #JamesPagetHospital

Statement by trade union leaders

We stand with fellow trade unions in condemning the illegal war on Iran.

Reports of civilian casualties, including students and schoolchildren are deeply disturbing and require urgent and independent investigation.

The killing and wounding of civilians is indefensible.

Text reads: I am humbled and excited to be elected the next UCU Vice-President for Higher Education. Now is a devastatingly difficult and challenging time for our sectors and so many workers in post-16 education, but as a union we cannot succumb to despair. We have the skills, knowledge and capacity to help chart a way out of this mess and restore higher and further education. That you have put your trust in me to help do that is a huge honour and responsibility. I do not take this lightly. Thank you to the many thousands of members who voted for me and also to those who did not – we need to build better engagement in our union and part of that is voting, no matter who you voted for. I promised in my election materials to work hard to bring our union together and that is what I will do.

Text reads: Thank you to the other HE candidates Sean and Steve, both committed trade unionists. I know they will continue to fight for members and the future of Higher Education and I look forward to doing that alongside them. Congratulations to those elected to the National Executive Committee and commiserations to those who missed out this time. Your willingness to put yourself forward for election is hugely valued and I know you all will continue to contribute in other ways. So what next? Until the end of May, I’ll be tying up some loose ends and taking some time off to visit family and friends back in Australia. I will take up my role after UCU’s annual Congress at the end of May, this year in Harrogate.

Text reads: For the following three years, I will be lead negotiator for pay and conditions and for USS pensions across UK Higher Education, working with our team of elected negotiators and officials. I will also chair UCU’s Higher Education Committee and HE sector conferences, serve on other national committees and represent you in various forums. In 2029-30 I will become UCU’s President after the excellent Suzi Toole, who has also been elected as Vice-President for Further Education and will spend two years leading on further education matters before becoming President. She will take over from Dyfrig Jones, who succeeds early to the Presidential role for a two-year term this May, due to the casual vacancy that arose last year, replacing Maria Chondrogianni. Maria stays on as immediate past president, rounding out the presidential team. I want to again acknowledge David Hunter who stepped down as President-Elect last year for health reasons and continue to wish him and his family all the best.

A picture of two smiling people (Suzi Toole and Mark Pendleton) wearing UCU beanies. Text reads: That’s a lot of work, and a lot of moving parts, but at the heart of it will be my commitment to build a better union, alongside members and branches, and through that transform our sectors. I am ready and I know from the responses to this election that many of you are too. I’m looking forward to getting to work, together with you all.

UCU’s elections concluded this week and I am honoured to have been elected as the next Vice-President for Higher Education, to become President in 2029-30.

Thank you for all the support.

A short statement about the election and what’s to come after I take up the role in May.

FT comments section this morning - saying what everyone else is thinking, right?

Luke Akehurst @lukeakehurst •3h Looking forward to hearing what the magic Green strategy is for getting to 326 seats, as like Labour they would need to win the votes of white working class voters in Red Wall seats who are concerned about immigration, and traditional Con vs Lab swing voters. George Eaton @georgeeaton•8h Green surge was inevitable now the "wasted vote" argument no longer holds. Labour will need to offer positive reasons to think again rather than simply saying Greens couldn't win an election. Westminster voting intention Conservatives Other Labour Lib Dem Reform UK Green Conservatives Labour Lib Dem Other SNP Plaid Cymru 5% 3% 1% Data collected March 1-2, 2026. Sample size was 2,073 adults Chart: The Times and The Sunday Times • Source: YouGov SNP Plaid Cymru Reform UK Green| 23% 21% 16% 16% 14%

It’s so gratifying watching this beet-faced pig smugly deploy the same circular logic that’s sending him and his entire party of dogs swirling down the drain

Big money has bought British politics

75% of Reform’s money has come from three rich white men

democracyforsale.substack.com/p/75-of-refo...

I really hope we can build a union now that puts members interests first and that fights for a post-16 education sector that is literally on its knees.

The @ucucommons.org slate has done exceptionally well in the NEC elections.

We need to encourage greater engagement with these elections, but this is a solid endorsement of our principles from our members.

Whoohoo!!

Seems like Israel’s plan to save people from being killed by the Iranian regime is for Israel
to kill them all first

All this death for the right to vote once every 4-5 years between parties that all worship the same economic systems. 🤷‍♀️

All in the name of self-defense of course.

Well, Labour Friends of Israel love a massacre.

So, America has dragged the UK into another endless war in the Middle-East.

Is Trump proud of killing 100 little girls? Or is it just “collateral damage”?

Headline: "The most bitter news': Iran reels as more than 100 children reportedly killed in school bombing

American military “liberating” Iran and winning hearts and minds …

Another endless miserable war

Just saw Lisa O’Neill. No photos.

Memorizing!!

What has Israel got on Trump I wonder 🤔

We should all grow up and vote for Starmer because the right knows how to win power. Don’t vote for Polanski because he’s on the left and the left only lose elections (especially if you sabotage them).

We voters have got it totally wrong by not voting at Labour according to Starmer and his cronies. We can’t see that only extremists condemn Israel, inequality, racism, corruption and transphobia. We should just grow up and support someone with literally no moral compass and nothing to offer 🤷‍♀️

Starmer vows to fight on after historic Green by-election win The result - in a seat Labour has held for nearly 100 years - heaps further pressure on the PM's position.

Labour had a, small, chance of potentially turning their downward spiral around today by doing a massive mea culpa, and announcing a scrapping of their hostile policies. Starmer's unhinged rant doubling down though makes it even more likely they will lose more seats. 1/
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Or does he just mean for his own skin?

sky news Starmer admits by-election defeat 'very disappointing' but says he will 'continue to fight'

Fight for what I wonder 🤔

Fielded a terf, received the "worst result for the conservatives in by-election history"

Hannah Spencer walking into Westminster, sucking her teeth, tutting, and muttering "tell you what, you've had some cowboys in here."

Could there possibly be no UK convictions after:

#Grenfell
#PostOffice
#Water
#Epstein

😂

😂

Bad British Public!! Yet again failing to do what you were told!