Victoria Schofield

Musical score by Anthony Willis - including songs by Charlie XCX

Devastated by the recent terrorist attack in Islamabad with such a high death toll and so many injured

The Oxford Union Society is now officially 200 years old. On 3rd December the Oxford United Debating Society - first established in April 1823 - was closed down. Two days later - on 5th December - the members met again as the Oxford Union Society @OxfordUnion

@Jemima_Khan Losing one's mother is like losing a limb; you adjust but you never get over it. In deepest sympathy. I was greatly moved by your post, having lost my mother 21 years ago.

It’s the natural order of things. It’s coming down the line for everyone with living parents — and yet, still, I just cannot fathom a world without Mum in it. (“Mum” to everyone, including her 18 grandchildren.) Even though she was 91 and had lived a huge life, we were still unprepared. It still felt sudden — a devastating shock. As a recently bereaved friend said to me, “There’s no getting round the shock of it. Mums are a big deal.” Losing the person who brought you into this world is a big deal. I took it for granted that she’d be presiding over us forever. If yours is alive, hold her close. Stay the extra hour. Sit down. Put your phone away. Say all the things you need to say. Funny and sharp to the end — when a young doctor doing his rounds in the hospital (where she’d very reluctantly found herself, much to her irritation) on Friday evening spoke to her like an old person — “DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?” he said slowly, over-enunciating every syllable. “I have a stomach pain, not Alzheimer’s,” she shot back. A few hours later, on Saturday morning, she died peacefully in her sleep. I’m grateful for that. She was so loved. RIP Mum.

More commentary on banning books frontline.thehindu.com/interviews/kas…

Day: 1424 🏫 Day: 964 🎓 🇦🇫 We must keep shouting until the world listens: Girls’ education is not negotiable. It is a right. #RecogniseGenderApartheid #AsACrimeAgainstHumanity #LetAfghanGirlsLearn

My response to the banning of 25 books on Jammu and Kashmir thewire.in/rights/what-th…

The Government of Jammu & Kashmir has banned 25 books, accusing them of 'glorifying terrorism and inciting violence'. But many are written by respected journalists, historians, feminists, and peace scholars. Let’s talk about what’s really being silenced. 👇 #Kashmir #BannedBooks

Banned books, buried histories The latest ban on critical works in Kashmir targets collective memory and suppresses voices that challenge official narratives of power and history. lnkd.in/eQVCbT5X

My interview with Kashmiri based journalist Safeena Wani: thecontrapuntal.com/witness-to-kas…

@kalpana1947 @AnuradhaBhasin_ Thank you for your support. I am disappointed that the government of India has taken this action banning books, which are part of Jammu and Kashmir's historic archive.

In solidarity with my Kashmiri friends and colleagues who are now being told what they can and cannot read #Kashmir ⁦@AnuradhaBhasin_⁩

Speaking at veteran journalist Sandy Gall's funeral, Ahmed Wali Massoud, the brother of assassinated majaheddin leader Ahmed Shah Massoud, described Sandy Gall as a 'noble' man for all the work he had done in support of Afghanistan. Too true.

RIP Sandy Gall, who has died at the age of 97. He was an iconic journalist and became an inspiration with his reporting on Afghanistan and the founding of his charity, the Sandy Gall Afghanistan Appeal (SGAA) to help those who had lost their limbs because of the intense mining.

Speaking at @ChathamHouse in London, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, urged for dialogue with India 'on all points of friction': 'Pakistan is ready to talk about terrorism, Kashmir and water within the framework of the Indus Waters Treaty... Water is about our survival.'

Just some of my thoughts on India-Pakistan tensions and the importance of reconciliation commonwealthroundtable.co.uk/commonwealth/e…

Proud moment indeed for Pakistan - may other countries follow your example.

Inspiring to listen to @johnlegend @OxfordUnion talk about humanity and making music.'when I write a song I want it to be honest and to reflect human experience. If that happens it is usually a good lyric.'

The Pahalgam attack has returned Kashmir to the international agenda. A history of flawed policy means neither India or Pakistan can claim moral authority on the region. chathamhouse.org/2025/05/rising…