Pete Eckersley
@peckersley.bsky.social
Associate Prof in Public Policy & Management, Nottingham Trent University. Managing Editor, Local Government Studies.
Own views on climate change, local governance and public policy in the UK & Germany. Plus, occasionally, cricket
Own views on climate change, local governance and public policy in the UK & Germany. Plus, occasionally, cricket
Pinned
Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies? - npj Climate Action
npj Climate Action - Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?
www.nature.com
My latest paper with Antje Otto, Wolfgang Haupt and the late Kristine Kern (RIP) is now out.
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
This is not really a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. But the lack of debate around how adaptation initiatives will be funded and distributed, particularly regarding which towns and villages might be abandoned, is concerning.
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www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Towns may have to be abandoned due to floods with millions more homes in Great Britain at risk
Every constituency projected to be at greater risk, with many areas likely to be uninsurable, Guardian investigation finds
www.theguardian.com
October 14, 2025 at 7:32 AM
This is not really a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention. But the lack of debate around how adaptation initiatives will be funded and distributed, particularly regarding which towns and villages might be abandoned, is concerning.
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www.theguardian.com/environment/...
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www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Surprise, surprise, there is no "waste" in English local government
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Reform UK likely to raise council tax in Kent despite promise to cut costs
Kent becomes latest local authority controlled by Nigel Farage’s party to signal intention to raise council tax
www.theguardian.com
October 6, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Surprise, surprise, there is no "waste" in English local government
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
Some nice touches here:
- Julius Caesar had coins minted with his face on them "weeks before his death"
- The lifespan of the American republic looks about right: 1776-2026
- Also, given that Trump is going to be on both sides of the coin: heads he wins, tails you lose
- Julius Caesar had coins minted with his face on them "weeks before his death"
- The lifespan of the American republic looks about right: 1776-2026
- Also, given that Trump is going to be on both sides of the coin: heads he wins, tails you lose
Julius Caesar was the first Roman to put his own living face on coins, weeks before his death. It is one of the deepest cultural signifiers of something autocracies do and republics do not.
“Render unto Caesar.” A practice so notoriously arrogant Jesus himself dunked on it with snarky wordplay.
“Render unto Caesar.” A practice so notoriously arrogant Jesus himself dunked on it with snarky wordplay.
Treasury Department Has Plans To Mint Dollar Coin Featuring Donald Trump's Likeness | Defector
The United States Department of the Treasury has developed, to the brink of production, a dollar coin that features the face and likeness of President Donald Trump, according to a source within the Tr...
defector.com
October 3, 2025 at 8:53 PM
Some nice touches here:
- Julius Caesar had coins minted with his face on them "weeks before his death"
- The lifespan of the American republic looks about right: 1776-2026
- Also, given that Trump is going to be on both sides of the coin: heads he wins, tails you lose
- Julius Caesar had coins minted with his face on them "weeks before his death"
- The lifespan of the American republic looks about right: 1776-2026
- Also, given that Trump is going to be on both sides of the coin: heads he wins, tails you lose
Listening to Lisa Nandy on Radio 4 trying to defend the 'digital ID' scheme.
It all sounds a bit half-baked. Strong suspicion that this, along with local govt reorganisation, risks being a distraction that takes up loads of political capital for little benefit, and may not even end up happening
It all sounds a bit half-baked. Strong suspicion that this, along with local govt reorganisation, risks being a distraction that takes up loads of political capital for little benefit, and may not even end up happening
September 26, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Listening to Lisa Nandy on Radio 4 trying to defend the 'digital ID' scheme.
It all sounds a bit half-baked. Strong suspicion that this, along with local govt reorganisation, risks being a distraction that takes up loads of political capital for little benefit, and may not even end up happening
It all sounds a bit half-baked. Strong suspicion that this, along with local govt reorganisation, risks being a distraction that takes up loads of political capital for little benefit, and may not even end up happening
Reposted by Pete Eckersley
🚨📢 I am hiring a PhD candidate /research assistant in Swiss Politics and/or Comparative Politics (100%)!
🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!
Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!
Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social
🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!
Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!
Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social
September 19, 2025 at 8:07 AM
🚨📢 I am hiring a PhD candidate /research assistant in Swiss Politics and/or Comparative Politics (100%)!
🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!
Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!
Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social
🚨📢 Je recrute un·e assistant·e diplômé·e en science politique en politique suisse et comparée!
Please join me @unil.bsky.social, Switzerland!
Thanks for sharing! polisky @sspunil.bsky.social
This is terrific on Charlie Kirk. Maybe I live in a bubble, but I had never heard of him before Wednesday.
After having read up about him since, I'd agree that "I won’t celebrate his death, but I’m not obligated to celebrate his life, either"
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
After having read up about him since, I'd agree that "I won’t celebrate his death, but I’m not obligated to celebrate his life, either"
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Charlie Kirk’s Legacy Deserves No Mourning
The white Christian nationalist provocateur wasn’t a promoter of civil discourse. He preached hate, bigotry, and division
www.thenation.com
September 13, 2025 at 2:48 PM
This is terrific on Charlie Kirk. Maybe I live in a bubble, but I had never heard of him before Wednesday.
After having read up about him since, I'd agree that "I won’t celebrate his death, but I’m not obligated to celebrate his life, either"
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
After having read up about him since, I'd agree that "I won’t celebrate his death, but I’m not obligated to celebrate his life, either"
www.thenation.com/article/poli...
Reposted by Pete Eckersley
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
OREM, UT—As law enforcement officials search for a person of interest in the assassination of 31-year-old Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, witnesses on the scene at Utah Valley University ad...
theonion.com
September 11, 2025 at 7:41 PM
Witnesses Assumed Charlie Kirk Shooter Was Just Ordinary Gunman On School Campus
Oops
BBC News - Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle
Medals given to participants use an image of Sunderland, which has no connection to the event.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 8, 2025 at 12:29 PM
Oops
BBC News - Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
BBC News - Great North Run medals show Sunderland instead of Newcastle - BBC News
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
Reposted by Pete Eckersley
The normalization and rationalization of the often authoritarian, erratic and nonsensical behavior and policies of the Trump administration by most of the business, media, and political elites shows how shallow the support for democracy, let alone liberal democracy, always was in this country.
Pritzker: "When did we become a country where it's ok for the US president to insist on national television that a state should call him to beg for anything? Especially something we don't want. Have we truly lost all sense of sanity in this nation that we treat this as normal?"
September 2, 2025 at 8:55 PM
The normalization and rationalization of the often authoritarian, erratic and nonsensical behavior and policies of the Trump administration by most of the business, media, and political elites shows how shallow the support for democracy, let alone liberal democracy, always was in this country.
Not really a surprise: whilst analyses of this nature inevitably involve a lot of guesstimates, countless studies of local govt reorganisation show that it rarely saves any money and instead leads to citizens feeling less affinity with their local council
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
Ministers didn't do cost review of English council mergers
The government relied on a report by a lobbyist group that now says reorganisation could make no savings.
www.bbc.com
August 29, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Not really a surprise: whilst analyses of this nature inevitably involve a lot of guesstimates, countless studies of local govt reorganisation show that it rarely saves any money and instead leads to citizens feeling less affinity with their local council
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
I'm in a German supermarket for the first time in a while, but will always struggle to get my head around the juxtaposition of overt tobacco advertising on the one hand, and cigarettes openly on sale with vivid health warnings on the other
August 8, 2025 at 12:38 PM
I'm in a German supermarket for the first time in a while, but will always struggle to get my head around the juxtaposition of overt tobacco advertising on the one hand, and cigarettes openly on sale with vivid health warnings on the other
What an incredible series #ENGvsIND. Right up there with the Ashes in 2005, but with an even more unforgettable finale. 3-1 would have been unfair on India, who probably should have won in Leeds and it feels about right that the teams are still even after 25 days
August 4, 2025 at 11:09 AM
What an incredible series #ENGvsIND. Right up there with the Ashes in 2005, but with an even more unforgettable finale. 3-1 would have been unfair on India, who probably should have won in Leeds and it feels about right that the teams are still even after 25 days
Sad to hear about Ozzy. I was pretty into metal as a teenager, but for some reason only began to appreciate Sabbath's role in defining the genre later. Clearly he had been ill for some time, but it's still a bit of a shock after the farewell gig the other week. RIP
July 22, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Sad to hear about Ozzy. I was pretty into metal as a teenager, but for some reason only began to appreciate Sabbath's role in defining the genre later. Clearly he had been ill for some time, but it's still a bit of a shock after the farewell gig the other week. RIP
My latest paper with Antje Otto, Wolfgang Haupt and the late Kristine Kern (RIP) is now out.
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies? - npj Climate Action
npj Climate Action - Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?
www.nature.com
July 2, 2025 at 8:19 AM
My latest paper with Antje Otto, Wolfgang Haupt and the late Kristine Kern (RIP) is now out.
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
"Climate capacity in medium-sized German cities: (how) do smaller municipalities implement mitigation and adaptation policies?" features in npj Climate Action.
www.nature.com/articles/s44...
Fascinating charts depicting how the growth of clean tech in China may well herald a massive geopolitical shift in power away from the US over the coming decades 👇
Stunning piece in the NYT showing how the US and China's embrace of fossil fuels and cleantech respectively suggest converging views on global domination
Phenomenal visuals in there too - check out these two charts
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Phenomenal visuals in there too - check out these two charts
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
July 1, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Fascinating charts depicting how the growth of clean tech in China may well herald a massive geopolitical shift in power away from the US over the coming decades 👇
www.bbc.com/news/article...
This is good news in principle, though I await the details with some trepidation
This is good news in principle, though I await the details with some trepidation
Labour to shift council funding towards poorer areas
Ministers say current funding rules fail to account for higher service costs in more deprived places.
www.bbc.com
June 20, 2025 at 5:55 PM
www.bbc.com/news/article...
This is good news in principle, though I await the details with some trepidation
This is good news in principle, though I await the details with some trepidation
This is great from @adamtranter.bsky.social on the need to ensure we put pedestrians at the centre of any shift towards autonomous vehicles. Particularly this bit
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
June 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM
This is great from @adamtranter.bsky.social on the need to ensure we put pedestrians at the centre of any shift towards autonomous vehicles. Particularly this bit
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
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"Well, you tell me. You're the one asking the question"
I'm not sure this is how interviews are supposed to work...
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"Well, you tell me. You're the one asking the question"
I'm not sure this is how interviews are supposed to work...
🤔
fair to say Kemi Badenoch’s last interview on BBC wasn’t a storming success
June 6, 2025 at 3:11 PM
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"Well, you tell me. You're the one asking the question"
I'm not sure this is how interviews are supposed to work...
🤔
"Well, you tell me. You're the one asking the question"
I'm not sure this is how interviews are supposed to work...
🤔
Reposted by Pete Eckersley
Well this couldn’t have come at a better time www.bbc.com/news/article...
Scientists at Loughborough University create 'world's smallest violin'
The violin is smaller than a human hair and has "laid the groundwork" for future research.
www.bbc.com
June 5, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Well this couldn’t have come at a better time www.bbc.com/news/article...
Reposted by Pete Eckersley
🚨Climate politics job alert🚨
Interested in the opportunity to focus on your own climate politics research project for 1 year in a stimulating and supportive environment at a leading university in Berlin?
Open to postdocs & graduates.
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
Interested in the opportunity to focus on your own climate politics research project for 1 year in a stimulating and supportive environment at a leading university in Berlin?
Open to postdocs & graduates.
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
Postdoctoral Researcher / Research Associate - Climate Politics (gn) full-time (40 hours/week)
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com
June 5, 2025 at 6:10 AM
🚨Climate politics job alert🚨
Interested in the opportunity to focus on your own climate politics research project for 1 year in a stimulating and supportive environment at a leading university in Berlin?
Open to postdocs & graduates.
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
Interested in the opportunity to focus on your own climate politics research project for 1 year in a stimulating and supportive environment at a leading university in Berlin?
Open to postdocs & graduates.
hertie-school.dvinci-easy.com/en/p/en/jobs...
I remember Michael D Brown after Hurricane Katrina, but this is taking political appointees to head up FEMA to another level of ignorance and incompetence
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June 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
I remember Michael D Brown after Hurricane Katrina, but this is taking political appointees to head up FEMA to another level of ignorance and incompetence
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Nice to see the Guardian pick up on a new @lgstudies.bsky.social article by @alexnurse.bsky.social.
The paper examines the often toxic nature of debates around local cycling infrastructure, and how cycling activists sometimes adopt counter-productive tactics
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
The paper examines the often toxic nature of debates around local cycling infrastructure, and how cycling activists sometimes adopt counter-productive tactics
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
Forceful bike campaigners can undermine UK cycle lane planning, report finds
Study interviewing councillors and officials shows transport projects can be hampered by ‘toxic’ online debates
www.theguardian.com
May 31, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Nice to see the Guardian pick up on a new @lgstudies.bsky.social article by @alexnurse.bsky.social.
The paper examines the often toxic nature of debates around local cycling infrastructure, and how cycling activists sometimes adopt counter-productive tactics
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
The paper examines the often toxic nature of debates around local cycling infrastructure, and how cycling activists sometimes adopt counter-productive tactics
www.theguardian.com/news/2025/ma...
This is terrific from @jamesrball.com. Particularly this bit
May 29, 2025 at 8:00 AM
This is terrific from @jamesrball.com. Particularly this bit