Random, but, if I want to prove my vaccination status in Scotland, is there any way of doing it? FOI request for my own medical records to show I had it? Something like that?

And, I’m afraid, it is just as wrong a generalisation. The inaccurate stereotype of cushy academic jobs during the pandemic is just that - an inaccurate stereotype - not to mention all the university employees who are required to be on campus.

Without giving away identifiable details, I too know a lot of people who work in universities, and those who have an “easy” pandemic are far outnumbered by those for whom it has been incredibly difficult. Many have been expected to work from home - often without appropriate equipment or access to resources, whilst in some cases simultaneously looking after young children when schools are shut. As for uploading last year’s videos - prior to the pandemic most content by was not recorded (this does varies by institution). All interactive sessions - seminars, workshops, labs - have had to be redesigned for online delivery. I have some professional experience of both in person and remote teaching, and you can’t simply reuse existing material. Then there’s the time and energy spent running live online sessions - as you would in person. That doesn’t magically vanish because you’re doing it remotely.

Postgraduate researchers, who are not employees and therefore have no employment rights whatsoever, have often had it even worse: I know several who weren’t able to access specialised equipment/software for many months (eg being told they couldn’t take their work computers home, unlike staff in the same organisation). As for accessing appropriate DSE equipment, forget it. If you’re not an employee, you also can’t be furloughed if you can’t do your job. So what’s happened is that they’ve lost significant time on fixed duration projects upon which their doctorate depends.

Today I sat in my first traffic jam since March 2020.

I shouldn’t “like” this, but I’ve noticed a significant uptick in road traffic in Newcastle since Monday - both on arterial roads, and in the city centre. When I wandered in today, footfall was also hugely up on last week and the atmosphere - with a huge number of outdoor seating areas - was almost continental.

If there are any good things to come from the pandemic (other than mRNA vaccines, which hold all sorts of promise for other diseases), the rise of an outdoor continental style cafe culture is definitely one of them. If it can work in Stockholm and Tallinn, it can work on Tyneside!

Hopefully the vehicles were practicing social distancing.

Yes the roads and towns are a lot busier, great to see.

These "postgraduate researchers" are students that have, once again, been let down by the university bigwigs. There's also an argument that some junior employees - most notably postdoctoral researchers - have been treated even more harshly than the PhD students because they can't access student wellbeing services, and they aren't part of the student appraisal system. Of course, all consequences of decisions made by senior academics sitting on cushy permanent jobs.

By setting a return date of 17 May, the government might hope that many students simply won't return to university in any meaningful way until September. The risk of student unrest is just too high: we've already seen trouble in Manchester, and the last thing we want is student protests on the scale of 2010.

Staying just north of there at the moment, planning to drive into town and have a wander tomorrow before we start making our way slowly back south so good to know. Hopefully parking won't be too bad...

The weather has been great! A little chilly but nice blue skies.

Western Bypass?

I'm told that, in some areas, 75% of students are already at their term-time address. So, depending on how wide-spread that is, they might be in for a shock... (Oxford isn't that high, by my academic friends tell me that we're once again not typical!)

Should’ve cycled! :D

Personally I’m finding the Tube to be slightly busier but roads, here in London, are as hectic as I remember them
being ante Covid. Some of those pop-up cycle lanes (CS9 in Chiswick, Hammersmith roundabout, Shepherd’s Bush, Kew) are a real godsend while Knightsbridge is a true PITA.

The Tube is strange. Rush hour is still very quiet, especially no longer distance commuters boarding/alighting at the big railway stations. However Oxford Circus at 8:30 this evening was the busiest I have seen since the Before Times.

They can ignore all they want, if HMG make it illegal to travel, there's not much BA (et al.) can do about it.

It would be good if Paul Charles actually explained what he meant.