paulhayes01.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

In an ironic twist that will surprise nobody, the history of the Luddites is now the subject of mass produced AI videos on youtube

submitted 2 days ago • 2 comments

Very useful warning folks.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Policy Makers: You can have low taxes or properly funded services. Which is it? British public: Yes.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

"allowing councils to secure loans to fund revenue spending, on the basis they will pay down the debt in future by disposing of assets and cutting back on frontline services" Not exactly saved. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Been a while.. (Remember kids: most of life's finest moments involve being mid way back from the band with a plastic glass half full of lager).

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

The more accurate term here is of course, 'cut' - not 'saved'

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Our trip to Westminster to present our #climate research to parliamentarians was very productive. 🌍 Read all about how we and our @universityofleeds.bsky.social colleagues got on - and what we all got out of it- in this blog from @policyleeds.bsky.social

submitted 3 days ago • 0 comments

Perhaps we do need to start anthropomorphising LLMs - not as reliable researchers or trusty assistants, but as familiar spirits or demons. They WILL lie and deceive, and twist your words, and seek to get you into trouble, while following the letter of their instructions.

submitted 4 days ago • 30 comments

Good. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

submitted 6 days ago • 5 comments

Reorganising English local government. Up there with fighting a land war in Asia as a career ending move.

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Now I will have to greet my academic colleagues in meetings with "Welcome Mind Poisoners!"

submitted 5 days ago • 0 comments

Anyone paying any attention knew this… Also, nearly half of all homes pay more council tax than Buckingham Palace …including a 3-bed terraced houses in Blackpool Council tax reform now.

submitted 6 days ago • 57 comments

Like they say down Tesco. "Every little helps." Now, about that transport system....

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Key point from this for our wannabe tech bro overlords: "States handle a mountain of boring-but-necessary stuff." Never underestimate the capacity of self proclaimed geniuses to pretend stuff that bores them doesn't exist. (See also: Cummings D)

submitted 6 days ago • 0 comments

Completely agree. Local councillors of all parties do an under thanked, underpaid and under supported task - and they do it well. Should be more of them, not less.

submitted 7 days ago • 0 comments

Excellent short T Dan Smith film on the BFI player “In the North’s greatest city, Newcastle… “ player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/wa...

submitted 7 days ago • 2 comments

As good a guide for writing policy analysis as for journalism. Also - today's insightful policy commentary = tomorrows fish and chip paper. "another thing to remember every time you sit down at the keyboard: a little sign that says "Nobody has to read this crap."

submitted 8 days ago • 0 comments

Very true.

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

The sort of story us local government nerds live for.... www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

submitted 9 days ago • 0 comments

In Doncaster, talking academic-local government collaboration.

submitted 10 days ago • 1 comment

"Worst dungeons and dragons game night ever" conservativehome.com/2025/02/11/r...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

As night follows day. Cutting government waste is the new closing tax loopholes. The problem comes when ministers discover that there aren’t great inefficiencies, just programmes that voters actually want.

submitted 12 days ago • 1 comment

Probably the one phrase in British politics the political class should much more pay attention to: "That's your bloody GDP. Not ours"

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Y-PERN recently presented a research note to All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG)for Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire on the challenges and opportunities presented for the region by the recently published UK Government English Devolution White Paper. Read more here: tinyurl.com/36cj9j5d

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

The new £800k Communities Innovating Yorkshire Fund from Yorkshire Policy Innovation Partnership (YPIP) @ypip.bsky.social is live! Applicants across Yorkshire and the Humber will need to address one of the 5 YPIP project themes Find out more and apply here: y-pern.org.uk/ciy-fund/

submitted 19 days ago • 0 comments

Discover the latest in our February signpost ⬇️ medium.com/policy-leeds...

submitted 12 days ago • 0 comments

Someone has been paying attention.

submitted 13 days ago • 0 comments

For anyone who hasn't read Project 2025 or is curious about it, here is a link that has been indexed for you. indexersguidetoproject2025.com

submitted 13 days ago • 71 comments

'Creating a market for public services'. Pretty much always comes back to bite you. Hard. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

I do love these images of the north. Northernites - If you don't follow @groomb.bsky.social‬ you really should.

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

Be interesting if these questions were asked of supporters of all main British political parties with 'UK' substituted for 'US'.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

My copy (that was a loooong kickstarter wait...) arrived weds. Creeping Eldritch Horror: just the thing for a fun break from modern Britain.

submitted 14 days ago • 0 comments

Cummings: As ever, pretty right about problems, totally wrong about solutions: "In America, the capable elite said, ‘F*** this, we’re not going to tolerate it any more’. Something similar is needed in Britain.” ('Capable Elite' - derogatory phrase of the week) www.thetimes.com/uk/politics/...

submitted 14 days ago • 1 comment

If the UK was really, really smart, it would now plough tens of billions into research centres and take in all the American academics fleeing the US. Spoiler: the UK is not smart. 🇬🇧

submitted 15 days ago • 89 comments

Again: your regular reminder that the return of Public Health from the NHS to local govt in 2013 has been, by an order of magnitude, the most successful act of devolution.

submitted 15 days ago • 0 comments

Let us hope not. www.economist.com/britain/2025...

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

It's the simpering way the lickspittles all simultaneously laugh at Sugar's jokes that make me wince most. Must be what working for Musk is like. www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...

submitted 16 days ago • 0 comments

People you wish on your worst enemy: Max Caller. Birmingham City Council ordered to sell more assets amid £1 billion demand - Birmingham Live search.app/N63dQdQJnXNj...

submitted 16 days ago • 2 comments

Amidst all the Blue Labour debate over the weekend, thought it was worth re-upping this to show the diversity of thought on the communitarian centre left. Includes folk like @sundersays.bsky.social @morganj0nes.bsky.social @claire-ainsley.bsky.social @mds49.bsky.social go.bsky.app/H5rQDgh

submitted 19 days ago • 1 comment

It's instructive of the state of public services that since 1999 the local government workforce has fallen by 27 per cent from 2.7 million to 2 million. The central government workforce has increased by 72 per cent from 2.3 million to 4 million.

submitted 20 days ago • 4 comments

"It can't happen here" www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

submitted 20 days ago • 0 comments