Nick Gane
@nickgane.bsky.social
Sociologist at the University of Warwick.
Sat on a bench in the sun at Warwick today and found a plaque in memory of Meg Stacey. I remember Meg from arriving at Warwick as a student in 1990 but had no idea that she was the first woman professor at the University
September 22, 2025 at 12:46 PM
Sat on a bench in the sun at Warwick today and found a plaque in memory of Meg Stacey. I remember Meg from arriving at Warwick as a student in 1990 but had no idea that she was the first woman professor at the University
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
To put this in perspective the average car emits 4 tonnes of CO2 a year
To put this in perspective the average car emits 4 tonnes of CO2 a year
Google’s huge new Essex datacentre to emit 570,000 tonnes of CO2 a year
Exclusive: Planning documents show impact of Thurrock ‘hyperscale’ unit as UK attempts to ramp up AI capacity
www.theguardian.com
September 16, 2025 at 8:43 AM
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
To put this in perspective the average car emits 4 tonnes of CO2 a year
To put this in perspective the average car emits 4 tonnes of CO2 a year
Reposted by Nick Gane
Dependence on food banks is the new norm in the UK.
In a rich country 14m people, including 3.8m children, food insecure. One in six households went hungry last year.
Result of low wages/benefits, unchecked profiteering, govt indifference.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
In a rich country 14m people, including 3.8m children, food insecure. One in six households went hungry last year.
Result of low wages/benefits, unchecked profiteering, govt indifference.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Failure to tackle dependence on food banks in UK driving public discontent
One in six households went hungry last year, says Trussell, with Britain facing ‘new normal’ of severe hardship
www.theguardian.com
September 10, 2025 at 6:30 AM
Dependence on food banks is the new norm in the UK.
In a rich country 14m people, including 3.8m children, food insecure. One in six households went hungry last year.
Result of low wages/benefits, unchecked profiteering, govt indifference.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
In a rich country 14m people, including 3.8m children, food insecure. One in six households went hungry last year.
Result of low wages/benefits, unchecked profiteering, govt indifference.
1% have more wealth than 70% of the population combined.
Reposted by Nick Gane
The Gillian Rose Memorial conference. London, 18-19 June. Swedenborg House.
www.kingston.ac.uk/about/events...
www.kingston.ac.uk/about/events...
The Gillian Rose Memorial Lecture Conference 2025
Rosean Futures: Promise and Perdition in the Thought of Gillian Rose
www.kingston.ac.uk
June 18, 2025 at 12:56 PM
The Gillian Rose Memorial conference. London, 18-19 June. Swedenborg House.
www.kingston.ac.uk/about/events...
www.kingston.ac.uk/about/events...
Lovely obituary by Nickie Charles of Carol Wolkowitz who taught me at Warwick in the 1990s. She was a wonderful teacher who brought sociology to life
@sociowarwick.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
@sociowarwick.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Carol Wolkowitz obituary
Other lives: Sociologist who examined how gender shapes our working lives
www.theguardian.com
June 7, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Lovely obituary by Nickie Charles of Carol Wolkowitz who taught me at Warwick in the 1990s. She was a wonderful teacher who brought sociology to life
@sociowarwick.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
@sociowarwick.bsky.social
www.theguardian.com/education/20...
Just spent 32 mins waiting for my call to be answered by Severn Trent before giving up. Given they make £300m in profits out of a former public utility you’d think they could do better
April 24, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Just spent 32 mins waiting for my call to be answered by Severn Trent before giving up. Given they make £300m in profits out of a former public utility you’d think they could do better
Great to see Sam Burgum @samburgum.bsky.social today and very much looking forward to reading his new book
March 26, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Great to see Sam Burgum @samburgum.bsky.social today and very much looking forward to reading his new book
Reposted by Nick Gane
When you find out your company is owned by a moron who plans to make you and all your coworkers unemployed while scraping every writer who's ever written for every publication in history to auto scribe new "content" based on whatever it is fed, from fellow auto generated content #AutoGenEchoChamber
February 16, 2025 at 3:18 PM
When you find out your company is owned by a moron who plans to make you and all your coworkers unemployed while scraping every writer who's ever written for every publication in history to auto scribe new "content" based on whatever it is fed, from fellow auto generated content #AutoGenEchoChamber
Reposted by Nick Gane
Just posting a four-year-long state of exception
February 15, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Just posting a four-year-long state of exception
Reposted by Nick Gane
The federal civilian worker payroll totaled $271 billion in 2022.
The annual cost of permanently extending Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited rich individuals? $400 billion.
Keep this in mind as Trump and DOGE lay off thousands of federal workers.
The annual cost of permanently extending Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited rich individuals? $400 billion.
Keep this in mind as Trump and DOGE lay off thousands of federal workers.
February 14, 2025 at 7:06 PM
The federal civilian worker payroll totaled $271 billion in 2022.
The annual cost of permanently extending Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited rich individuals? $400 billion.
Keep this in mind as Trump and DOGE lay off thousands of federal workers.
The annual cost of permanently extending Trump's tax cuts that primarily benefited rich individuals? $400 billion.
Keep this in mind as Trump and DOGE lay off thousands of federal workers.
Waiting for a CrossCountry train at Bristol. 200 people on the platform trying to get into 4 carriages. Arriva owned by a private equity group with 40bn assets. Why do we put up with this?
February 14, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Waiting for a CrossCountry train at Bristol. 200 people on the platform trying to get into 4 carriages. Arriva owned by a private equity group with 40bn assets. Why do we put up with this?
Reposted by Nick Gane
UK govt data on annual median state pension.
For retirees before April 2016
Male £11,436
Female £9,934
Post-2016 retirees
Male £11,490
Female £11,467
Median state pension is less than 50% of minimum wage.
2m pensioners live in poverty.
In 2022, 110,000 died in fuel poverty.
What future?
For retirees before April 2016
Male £11,436
Female £9,934
Post-2016 retirees
Male £11,490
Female £11,467
Median state pension is less than 50% of minimum wage.
2m pensioners live in poverty.
In 2022, 110,000 died in fuel poverty.
What future?
Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Information from UK Parliament on written questions & answers, written statements and daily reports.
questions-statements.parliament.uk
February 13, 2025 at 4:53 PM
UK govt data on annual median state pension.
For retirees before April 2016
Male £11,436
Female £9,934
Post-2016 retirees
Male £11,490
Female £11,467
Median state pension is less than 50% of minimum wage.
2m pensioners live in poverty.
In 2022, 110,000 died in fuel poverty.
What future?
For retirees before April 2016
Male £11,436
Female £9,934
Post-2016 retirees
Male £11,490
Female £11,467
Median state pension is less than 50% of minimum wage.
2m pensioners live in poverty.
In 2022, 110,000 died in fuel poverty.
What future?
Reposted by Nick Gane
Cost of extending the expiring Trump tax cuts for the rich: $4.6 trillion
Cost of cutting corporate tax rate to 15%: $1 trillion
Both Trump proposals will explode the deficit and be used as an excuse to gut programs that millions rely on.
It's reverse Robin Hood.
Cost of cutting corporate tax rate to 15%: $1 trillion
Both Trump proposals will explode the deficit and be used as an excuse to gut programs that millions rely on.
It's reverse Robin Hood.
February 12, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Cost of extending the expiring Trump tax cuts for the rich: $4.6 trillion
Cost of cutting corporate tax rate to 15%: $1 trillion
Both Trump proposals will explode the deficit and be used as an excuse to gut programs that millions rely on.
It's reverse Robin Hood.
Cost of cutting corporate tax rate to 15%: $1 trillion
Both Trump proposals will explode the deficit and be used as an excuse to gut programs that millions rely on.
It's reverse Robin Hood.
Reposted by Nick Gane
All of which is to say that the only account capable of explaining the political and ideological power of Big Tech has to start with a thorough analysis of the global economy, and, well, capital. What passes for "techno-feudalism" is merely an effect of capitalism in crisis.
February 11, 2025 at 7:19 AM
All of which is to say that the only account capable of explaining the political and ideological power of Big Tech has to start with a thorough analysis of the global economy, and, well, capital. What passes for "techno-feudalism" is merely an effect of capitalism in crisis.
Reposted by Nick Gane
Word of the week - revanchism (and likely the next four years).
February 11, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Word of the week - revanchism (and likely the next four years).
If you’ve ever published anything then this might be of interest
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Elon Musk-led group makes surprise bid of nearly $100bn for OpenAI
Sam Altman, OpenAI’s CEO and co-founder, responded that he would not accept and offered to buy X instead
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2025 at 7:36 AM
If you’ve ever published anything then this might be of interest
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
Reposted by Nick Gane
Feeding frenzy: Army of advisers making millions from Thames Water.
It has £19bn debt, wants another £3bn debt at interest rate of 9.75% in two instalments.
Two-thirds of £1.5bn will end-up in the pockets of debt investors, professional advisers.
As usual, customers will pay.
It has £19bn debt, wants another £3bn debt at interest rate of 9.75% in two instalments.
Two-thirds of £1.5bn will end-up in the pockets of debt investors, professional advisers.
As usual, customers will pay.
Feeding frenzy: how army of advisers is making millions from Thames Water
Court case points to sizeable fees being racked up as firm seeks £3bn loan to try to avoid temporary nationalisation
www.theguardian.com
February 10, 2025 at 5:02 PM
Feeding frenzy: Army of advisers making millions from Thames Water.
It has £19bn debt, wants another £3bn debt at interest rate of 9.75% in two instalments.
Two-thirds of £1.5bn will end-up in the pockets of debt investors, professional advisers.
As usual, customers will pay.
It has £19bn debt, wants another £3bn debt at interest rate of 9.75% in two instalments.
Two-thirds of £1.5bn will end-up in the pockets of debt investors, professional advisers.
As usual, customers will pay.
Reposted by Nick Gane
UK gambling companies covertly track visitors to their websites and sending data to Facebook’s parent company without consent in an apparent breach of data protection laws.
Meta uses the data to flood gamblers with ads for casinos and betting sites.
Will Govt stand up to predatory corporations?
Meta uses the data to flood gamblers with ads for casinos and betting sites.
Will Govt stand up to predatory corporations?
Revealed: gambling firms secretly sharing users’ data with Facebook without permission
Betting companies secretly track visitors to their sites before sending data to parent company Meta
www.theguardian.com
February 9, 2025 at 9:58 PM
UK gambling companies covertly track visitors to their websites and sending data to Facebook’s parent company without consent in an apparent breach of data protection laws.
Meta uses the data to flood gamblers with ads for casinos and betting sites.
Will Govt stand up to predatory corporations?
Meta uses the data to flood gamblers with ads for casinos and betting sites.
Will Govt stand up to predatory corporations?
Reposted by Nick Gane
When is a fine not a fine?
When it is levied on England's water companies.
Aug 2024: OFWAT announced £168m fine on 3 companies. ZERO Paid.
Dec 2024: £18m fine on Thames Water for paying unjustified dividends. ZERO Paid.
Regulatory indulgence emboldens companies, encourages more abuses.
When it is levied on England's water companies.
Aug 2024: OFWAT announced £168m fine on 3 companies. ZERO Paid.
Dec 2024: £18m fine on Thames Water for paying unjustified dividends. ZERO Paid.
Regulatory indulgence emboldens companies, encourages more abuses.
The water industry shows how the state indulges corporations to the detriment of society
Since 1989, water companies have been the subject of over 1,100 criminal convictions, but governments are content for them to control the industry.
leftfootforward.org
February 9, 2025 at 5:01 PM
When is a fine not a fine?
When it is levied on England's water companies.
Aug 2024: OFWAT announced £168m fine on 3 companies. ZERO Paid.
Dec 2024: £18m fine on Thames Water for paying unjustified dividends. ZERO Paid.
Regulatory indulgence emboldens companies, encourages more abuses.
When it is levied on England's water companies.
Aug 2024: OFWAT announced £168m fine on 3 companies. ZERO Paid.
Dec 2024: £18m fine on Thames Water for paying unjustified dividends. ZERO Paid.
Regulatory indulgence emboldens companies, encourages more abuses.
Reposted by Nick Gane
Tesla earned $2.3 billion in the United States in 2024.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
Tesla Paid Zero Federal Income Tax in 2024, Despite $2.3 Billion in Income
This brings Tesla’s average tax rate over the past three years to 0.4 percent.
truthout.org
February 7, 2025 at 11:00 PM
Tesla earned $2.3 billion in the United States in 2024.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
You'd think it paid a lot in taxes, right?
Well it paid precisely $0 in federal income taxes last year.
You want waste and fraud? Look at what some big corporations and the rich are getting away with.
Reposted by Nick Gane
The A&E Crisis Shows How the NHS Is Getting Worse and the Govt Has No Real Plans to Fix It’.
It is a political choice, part of privatisation strategy.
Govts that bailout banks & energy companies, fund foreign wars, hand subsidies & tax cuts to corporations/rich can relieve suffering.
It is a political choice, part of privatisation strategy.
Govts that bailout banks & energy companies, fund foreign wars, hand subsidies & tax cuts to corporations/rich can relieve suffering.
'The A&E Crisis Shows How the NHS Is Getting Worse and the Government Has No Real Plans to Fix It'
Politicians are refusing to take meaningful action to resolve the perma-crisis in our health service, writes NHS Doctor, David Oliver
bylinetimes.com
February 5, 2025 at 7:37 AM
The A&E Crisis Shows How the NHS Is Getting Worse and the Govt Has No Real Plans to Fix It’.
It is a political choice, part of privatisation strategy.
Govts that bailout banks & energy companies, fund foreign wars, hand subsidies & tax cuts to corporations/rich can relieve suffering.
It is a political choice, part of privatisation strategy.
Govts that bailout banks & energy companies, fund foreign wars, hand subsidies & tax cuts to corporations/rich can relieve suffering.
Reposted by Nick Gane
NatWest Bank finalises £450m bonus pot, 25% higher than last year.
CEO remuneration expected to hit £6.6m.
Their profiteering is our poverty.
Govt tells worker wage rises are inflationary, but that doesn't apply to exec pay, dividends, share buybacks.
It's class war.
CEO remuneration expected to hit £6.6m.
Their profiteering is our poverty.
Govt tells worker wage rises are inflationary, but that doesn't apply to exec pay, dividends, share buybacks.
It's class war.
NatWest finalises £450m bonus pot as return to private ownership looms
The bank's annual results will come with the government on the brink of no longer being its single-biggest shareholder after nearly 17 years, Sky News can reveal.
news.sky.com
February 4, 2025 at 6:53 AM
NatWest Bank finalises £450m bonus pot, 25% higher than last year.
CEO remuneration expected to hit £6.6m.
Their profiteering is our poverty.
Govt tells worker wage rises are inflationary, but that doesn't apply to exec pay, dividends, share buybacks.
It's class war.
CEO remuneration expected to hit £6.6m.
Their profiteering is our poverty.
Govt tells worker wage rises are inflationary, but that doesn't apply to exec pay, dividends, share buybacks.
It's class war.
Reposted by Nick Gane
Barclays Bank tells customers to contact food banks as IT glitch disruption enters third day.
It made £6.6bn pre-tax profit last year but can't produce a robust IT system.
I bet no one told directors to go to food banks.
news.sky.com/story/barcla...
It made £6.6bn pre-tax profit last year but can't produce a robust IT system.
I bet no one told directors to go to food banks.
news.sky.com/story/barcla...
Barclays tells customers to contact food banks as IT glitch disruption enters third day
The bank has apologised as hundreds of customers complain about service disruption and missing funds.
news.sky.com
February 3, 2025 at 8:11 PM
Barclays Bank tells customers to contact food banks as IT glitch disruption enters third day.
It made £6.6bn pre-tax profit last year but can't produce a robust IT system.
I bet no one told directors to go to food banks.
news.sky.com/story/barcla...
It made £6.6bn pre-tax profit last year but can't produce a robust IT system.
I bet no one told directors to go to food banks.
news.sky.com/story/barcla...