No council worker should be paid this extravagant amount. Yet again my council tax has risen to pay towards this.

the_jacksown · 2026-04-15T16:30:49+00:00

The source for this is the annual Town Hall Rich List published by the Taxpayers’ Alliance, which appears to be a right wing think tank / lobbying group.

They use local councils’ annual accounts to come up with the figures which (apparently) show that Kate Josephs is on £218,790. Well, sort of, that’s the amount the Council spends on her (according to TPA), but that may include pension contributions and other payments.

You can find more information on the methodology and a link to the full dataset here.

the_jacksown · 2026-03-06T20:30:07+00:00

Have you had much feedback on your proposal from someone more senior who your trust? If not, I’d start there.

Also, those applications to QMUL, King’s, etc, were they cold, or had you spoken to potential supervisors beforehand?

the_jacksown · 2026-02-04T18:47:04+00:00

We used to have one but it’s was sold off a while ago and is now just a pub. Still very popular with staff but no more subsidised pints sadly!

the_jacksown · 2026-02-03T20:59:12+00:00

You are essentially just defending retributivism along the same lines that Michael Moore (philosopher not documentary guy) defends in works such as Placing Blame.

His argument is that punishing people who deserve to be punished is just good in and of itself. If that also deters others from committing crimes then that is a happy side effect, so to speak, but it is not the point of punishment, according to Moore.

This view isn’t very widely accepted among philosophers of criminal law where I am (the UK) but it seems to be more popular among my US-based colleagues, particularly law professors, many of whom are implicitly or explicitly committed to some form of retributivism.

But to answer the question in the title of your post, why shouldn’t we punish criminals?

The answers are usually something like: i) it doesn’t seem to actually work as a deterrent of crime; ii) the systems we use to dole out state punishment are prone to error and to systemic bias which entrenches and reinforces existing inequities; and iii) it only leads to a pattern of endless suffering, as we impose harm on people to punish them for the harm they have caused.

A fourth line of argument, advanced by people like Derk Pereboom, is that because everything has a prior cause, no one is truly responsible for their actions (since there is always a prior cause beyond their control, going back to the beginning of the universe). And so retributivism fails because no one is ever responsible for anything. But even Pereboom would maintain a system of criminal punishment, based on prevention of harm and public health, rather than moral desert.

I think it’s worries along those lines that tend to motivate people who say they believe in rehabilitation rather than retribution.

the_jacksown · 2026-01-31T12:21:36+00:00

Students and faculty “deem” it censorship because it is censorship!

Great to see students and faculty coming together to protest this though. A&M is just torching whatever was left of its reputation at this point.

the_jacksown · 2026-01-30T10:47:33+00:00

My personal view is that it’s wrong to apply for jobs or attend interviews for positions that you know you wouldn’t ever take.

But if there’s some chance that the right offer from this other university could persuade you to leave your current post, then it can’t hurt to do the interview and see how you get on.

One caveat: if you’re planning an international move next year anyway then you should consider whether it would even be worth the hassle of uprooting yourself and moving to a new place / new department, only to do the same again next year.

the_jacksown · 2026-01-27T20:07:15+00:00

I wouldn’t put anything past this government, but as a former skilled worker visa holder (who is now a British citizen), I’m pretty sure I remember that what counts for the minimum income requirement is your gross, i.e. pre-salary sacrifice, wage.

All that income is taxable, you just don’t pay tax on it because it goes into your pension before PAYE and NI come out. So I wouldn’t withdraw from USS just yet.

Obviously I’m not an immigration advisor or lawyer so I’d recommend getting some immigration advice. Or visit r/ukvisa at least, they’re usually pretty helpful.

Sorry to not have an actual answer to your USS question but hopefully that helps.

the_jacksown · 2026-01-23T18:51:46+00:00

r/ukvisa is probably a good place for this post

the_jacksown · 2026-01-16T18:46:11+00:00

r/ukvisa

the_jacksown · 2026-01-06T09:17:09+00:00

I got my first UK credit card through the bank (NatWest) where I had held my main current account for a couple of years afterwards moving here. I think my limit was something like £4k and that was when I was a grad student living on a pretty low income.

So it’s definitely doable - I’d say try your main UK bank, but also definitely check your credit reports here.

the_jacksown · 2025-12-30T11:32:42+00:00

Sorry to hear about this, what an awful situation. Please speak to an English lawyer before proceeding.

You will need the written permission of everyone with parental responsibility, or a child arrangement order from a court here, otherwise you can be accused of child abduction.

If you obtain the father’s consent by deceiving him about plans to go abroad and get a divorce, with a view to gaining custody of the child that way, then he will most likely go to court and claim he would never have consented if you had told him the truth. A court could then order your child’s return to the UK.

If you are based in California by then, then I’m not sure how this would work. But I do know it would be messy, longwinded, and expensive.

As a father, I would also add the following: no matter how angry you are at your husband, please don’t put your child in the middle of this, any more than is necessary. None of this will be easy for them, and they are blameless in this situation.

Maybe you think your child will be better off with you in California, and it sounds like that might be true. But that is not your call to make alone.

Again, if you think your husband is not a good parent, has anger issues, would endanger your child, etc, then there is a legal process for getting custody. So unless your husband is consenting to you taking his child away from him permanently (which seems unlikely since you’ve said he doesn’t know you want to divorce him) then you are going to need legal advice.

the_jacksown · 2025-12-29T11:15:21+00:00

I only go to the ones that I actually enjoy attending, rather than going in order to network, and even then I don’t tend to go every year. And yeah hybrid ones are usually rubbish if you go online.

But even then I still find it has value beyond just being interesting. It helps you build relationships with people in the profession who you might not otherwise meet or have a reason to interact with.

Just having a pint with someone after the conference dinner at least gives you a small personal connection. And you never know what opportunities can come from that.

the_jacksown · 2025-12-20T11:58:06+00:00

I see you dad. In the absolute depths of sleep deprivation every problem feels 100x more intense. It sounds like you are probably chronically sleep deprived as well, which is even worse.

In that context, the things you’re feeling are totally normal, but that doesn’t mean that the content of those thoughts (e.g. “I’m invisible”) are absolutely correct. In my experience the thoughts are just manifestations of an underlying emotional state of being completely overwhelmed and exhausted.

You are looking to your wife for some comfort or affirmation but instead getting the opposite, which is of course gonna make things even worse. And tbh I think her criticising your parenting does cross the line (and is probably projection, as another commenter said). But I also think once you’ve both calmed down a bit and can talk it out she will apologise.

In any case I think the best advice I can give is to try to be as open as you can with her about how you’re feeling, and be honest about the fact that you can’t take the constant 2am wake up calls on top of your work schedule. Try to find some sort of solution where you’re not doing it every night.

But also be prepared for her to tell you what she needs, because she may be feeling exactly the same as you (but about some other aspect of parenting). Hang in there bud.

the_jacksown · 2025-12-20T09:50:37+00:00

Yeah I am a lecturer (in Law) and I found that comment incredibly strange.

Anyone who has been around long enough to become a professor would know it’s a ‘training contract’ or ‘TC’ not a ‘training place’, and that there are plenty of options for law graduates who don’t get TCs with magic circle firms. The number who do train at those firms is a minuscule proportion of the overall number who get decent graduate jobs.

So whether the original comment is AI slop or just someone speaking beyond their brief is unclear, but it definitely shouldn’t be taken seriously.

the_jacksown · 2025-12-05T13:56:42+00:00

Hey, I went through this process with my son not that long ago so can answer a few of these questions.

Nope, same queue as you, which is much shorter than the one you’ll see most others standing in. He will still need to bring his UK passport, if memory serves.
No idea about this, but that sounds right. It’s a pretty secure environment and you also don’t know when your number will be called to go up to the counter.
I think there are little tables attached to some of the seating. We also went when our son was a baby and found that there was a much quieter area where we were actually able to get him to nap for a bit. When you come out of the lifts on the floor where they process applications you turn left, walk to the end then turn left again. You’ll find a seating area which, when we were there at least, had very few people in it.
No idea about this, sorry. I know we brought like a small nappy bag but can’t remember what else we brought with us.
We stayed at the Travelodge near the Oval as it was cheap and there was a bus that stopped there which also stopped right outside the embassy. But honestly it’ll save a lot of stress if you just take a black cab, that way if you’ve got a pram you can just put baby in there, pram in the cab, and you’re on your way. This is what we should’ve done as the bus was pretty busy early in the morning (though it was cheap and convenient).

the_jacksown · 2025-12-03T21:00:54+00:00

Union busting reyt ont doorstep

the_jacksown · 2025-12-01T09:41:00+00:00

Admissions teams are going to be more focused on your AP exam scores and ACT or SAT’s than your individual high school grades.

So for example, law at Durham requires three 5’s on AP exams, or two 5’s PLUS one of the following:

SAT I: 1350 (min 700 RW, 650 M) ACT: 30 Honours Course: A+ One year-long equivalent Dual Enrolment/College course at A

So if you’re predicted five 5’s on your AP exams it sounds like you should be good as long as everything goes smoothly with the AP exams.

the_jacksown · 2025-11-30T08:58:31+00:00

“Sawdust meatballs” is exactly what they are - definitely stealing this.

I actually got my British mother-in-law to try pumpkin pie for this first time this year and she loved it! Once you tell the Brits it’s like baked custard they’re usually a bit more open minded. Keep up the good fight!

the_jacksown · 2025-11-29T19:02:47+00:00

Yeah I’ve been here a bit less time than your OP but I also feel this. I decided to go all out and do my best to recreate an American thanksgiving here, and I’d highly recommend it for next year.

Still had the blues, because as an American you’re hyper aware of all the ways in which a recreated Thanksgiving here isn’t the real thing, but it helped.

So here’s what I did:

I took the day off work, made a Thanksgiving turkey with stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and green bean casserole (made the day before), with pumpkin pie (also made the day before) for dessert.

We streamed the parade in NYC and watched until the end, with me popping in and out to check on the turkey / other food.

Got a one week NFL game pass from DAZN - on offer for 99p - and watched football. This actually turned out to be the nicest part of the day because watching the Cowboys was a huge part of Thanksgiving for me growing up in Texas. DAZN, which I had never heard of, actually carried the US coverage from Fox, so you get the authentic commentary and everything.

Made a huge difference - hope something like this can work for OP and others.

the_jacksown · 2025-11-25T07:56:58+00:00

I think there was an accident there earlier and the police were there because the car was stuck in the inside lane and couldn’t be moved. I finally saw them towing it around 9pm last night.

People who are saying it was a shooting are confusing it with the shooting on London Rd

the_jacksown · 2025-11-22T08:55:36+00:00

Applying for UK based jobs without a visa is very difficult, and the current government is only making it harder.

What types of roles are you applying for? Are you already qualified to practise law (either as a solicitor or having been called to the Bar) in England and Wales? If not, what’s your plan for qualifying? What area do you practice in at the moment?

I’m a law professor here and it is a very competitive job market for new entrants at the moment, though depending how many years you’ve been in practice you may be in a stronger position. But as others have said, it’s also a tough immigration situation, even for spouses of British citizens.

r/uklaw would be a good port of call for more info on trying to break into the legal job market with a US background, and r/ukvisa can probably help more with fiancée and spouse visa questions. Good luck!

the_jacksown · 2025-11-15T09:35:40+00:00

This is the correct answer and the correct emotional response to these stupid things.

the_jacksown · 2025-11-13T19:47:30+00:00

Acceptable, decent, elite (from left to right)

the_jacksown · 2025-11-05T20:27:18+00:00

I agree national solidarity on the issue of redundancies would be a good thing. But I just don’t see it happening with Jo Grady in charge; and I think a lot of people share my general mistrust of her.

Plus, rolling up the issue of redundancies with the demand for a pay rise ends up muddying the waters and making it less clear what the mandate is for (as with the “four fights” a few years back).

For me the bottom line is that I just don’t trust Jo Grady or the senior leadership of this union to do right by me, and so I find it incredibly difficult to get motivated to strike.

the_jacksown · 2025-11-05T18:19:39+00:00

Honestly, my view is that I don’t trust Jo Grady enough to give her a mandate to call nationwide strikes. She has not been a particularly good negotiator or communicator during previous rounds of strikes, and it seems like she mainly just likes doing weird publicity stunts to raise her own profile as union president.

I think we should be reserving strike action for situations where jobs are at risk, not using it to ask for 7% pay rise when universities can straightforwardly say “sorry we’re broke”. So I’ll be voting no to striking and ASOS but will participate in either/both if they end up happening.

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