There is one overriding political problem, from which all others follow. Until it is addressed, every policy advanced by governments is window dressing. www.theguardian.com/inequality/2...

🏢Can cities save democracy? At our AIA panel in Bonn, Sanja Bojanić, Helfried Carl, János Kendernay, and Theresa Reymann agreed: cities are key to democratic culture, but the real power lies with citizens, not cities. Mayor Ursula Sautter closed the event. 🔗 www.aia-nrw.org/en/event-rep...

This is absolutely correct. A constitution is every citizen's compact with the government, not some secret scroll that only members of a priest caste are allowed to access.

It's Our City! (Sheffield) public fb post on the govt (local governance) amendments to the (misnamed) English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill here: www.facebook.com/share/p/1CSn...

100% ... :( :(

A welcome climbdown from Government on the rights of existing councils to continue to operate the committee system form of governance. Government amendments today provide a way for some councils to continue to operate committees (for a while, anyway) - will write something more detailed later

Shabana Mahmood is wrong - Another cowardly attack on immigrants does not hide the incompetence of the Starmer government. Me, for the @newstatesman1913.bsky.social www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk-...

Write to your (Labour) MP, now.

The Sun has been told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will on Monday propose confiscating jewellery, watches, necklaces from asylum seekers to meet asylum costs This reflects the most controversial aspect of the Danish scheme - the Jewellery Law. The toughest Labour MPs thought this was OTT

The Prime Minister said in September that we are at a fork in the road. These asylum proposals suggest we have taken the wrong turning. The idea that recognised refugees need to be deported is wrong. www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

The issue is not whether growth can save democracy. The issue is whether democracy can save us from the economic ideology that demands endless growth without ever meeting basic needs, which must be the absolute priority of every economy, especially if democracy is to be saved from the far right.

Democratic citizens shouldn’t just wait passively for governments to make decisions, then react to them. We have the privilege and responsibility to contribute to the public opinion that helps shape those decisions.

Brilliant discussion with the fab @graceblakeley.substack.com on everything from growth to inequality, power & community organising, & how capitalism is actually a “system based on centralised planning & control rather than free markets”, where big biz is protected from consequences of failure👇

Yesterday we published what I think will be a key document for @citizennetwork.bsky.social - a strategy to create neighbourhoods of care. Although I hope is that it will be adopted in South Yorkshire it will also encourage others to radically reimagine care. citizen-network.org/library/neig...

Pushing power out of Westminster into hands of communities? U r joking. In Sheffield we took power as (diverse) communities 2 change our council. Now Clause 57 of the Bill will trash the referendum we won & top down impose the very governance system we rejected. Stop 57. www.itsoursheffield.org.uk

@allymcgovern.bsky.social Please read below Alison...

Democracy relies on mutual understanding and compromise to resolve conflict. Extreme affective polarization makes this form of resolution virtually impossible.

You may have missed it (and I don't have a clip) but at the second reading of the Devo Bill Abtisam Mohamed MP (Sheffield Central) highlighted the inequity of Government's abolition of the cttee system... (1/2)

Populism is a mortal threat to liberal democracy, but it rarely hits the mark. The evidence shows that these would-be strongmen require an extraordinary set of circumstances to succeed, which is why they so rarely do. muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/a...

Could we please stop pretending that the flags being hung from streetlamps or painted on roundabouts are innocent expressions of patriotic pride? This is the far right marking out its territory. It uses these flags to intimidate its traditional victims and opponents. 🧵1/3

So @se13ed.bsky.social this is a helluva lot of political ‘churn’ for a Bill to be subject to at this stage. What does the article below say please (paywall)?? 👇 www.room151.co.uk/funding/futu...

Of course councils (including local people) should hv the right and freedom to determine their own governance arrangements. Clause 57 is utterly incoherent in relation to what the govt claims it wants to do. (And their evidence-free, misinforming approach to this is bizarre and shameful.)

Arguably moving from the cttee system reopens that settlement, and time and effort will need to be expended understanding the wider impact there on local democracy. Similar considerations apply to Bristol and to a gtr or lesser extent to the other non-shire district cttee system authorities (6/)

For councils faced with this choice however they could (reasonably) think the costs they will incur will be higher. In Sheffield the adoption of the committee system was part of a wide "civic settlement" (my words!!) with local people following the street trees debacle. (5/)

Oh I think 'civic settlement' is probably an accurate phrase & others in #sheffield wld agree I think - given that our change to a cttee system involved the most significant citizen & community mobilisation for local governance change ever seen in England. Itsoursheffield.co.uk I will not....

Good @voxeurop.bsky.social article about the housing crisis in Europe.

@allymcgovern.bsky.social congratulations on your appointment today. Basic local democracy - & Sheffield - now needs your help. Clause 57/English Devo Bill must go - madness & incoherent. In Sheff it will overturn our democratic decision in a city-wide referendum - & more. Pls support us.

@jimmcmahon.co.uk there is nothing that's not "fit, decent and legal" about Sheffield's committee system - in fact it's the only thing that is. A referendum won by the people of Sheffield & resoundingly for change. Now you want to break legal promises and take power away from local people.

#Sheffield - write to your MP to stop government overturning our democratic mandate in a city-wide referendum (ridiculous to be having to pursue this, but that’s where we are). All details here 👇👇 itsoursheffield.co.uk

📣 Hungry for democracy? The Democracy R&D 2025 programme is live – and it’s a full-course menu. Sessions are carefully tagged by purpose (inform, train, debate, solve, network) and spice level (mild to spicy). New or seasoned, there’s a seat at the table. 🍽️ drive.google.com/file/d/1TEgK...

#Sheffield #sheffieldissuper decided in 2021 the way they wanted to be governed & now the Government seem determined to ignore this. Every Councillor & MP should proactively defend the decision residents made. It's Our City! are coming back and getting organised to do exactly that - see below...

🔑We wrote this no-nonsense guide for campaigners, community groups, journalists, and anyone curious to find out more about the local state right now researchforaction.uk/guide-local-... #LocalGov #LocalDemocracy #CouncilsInCrisis #Accountability #Governance #Devolution #Councils

A ludicrous govt announcement, a passive council having chats with the Minister…. Who’s defending the democratic rights of the people of Sheffield? Time to organise👇 facebook.com/events/s/org...?

“…giving the power where it belongs, in the hands of local people…” A quite ludicrous statement as govt prepares to overturn the exercise of local people power in Sheffield where we resoundingly rejected ‘strong leader’ governance.

@jimmcmahon.co.uk www.thestar.co.uk/news/politic...

Govt proposal to override the democratic will of Sheffield people re council governance is really worrying. Please read this statement from @itsourcity1.bsky.social and co researchforaction.uk/sheffield-de... #LocalGov #Devolution

Thank you for support @research-for-act.bsky.social as Sheffield residents begin again to organise to protect gains made as local citizens together, and in demanding meaningful local democracy (in the face of it all). researchforaction.uk/sheffield-de...

Reorganisation, local govt and the future of English Devolution - Copus and Leach for @localis.bsky.social The slow death of local democracy. Bigger & bigger councils. All a bit of a mess. Yes, we know. localis.org.uk/publications...

"If you’re going to get politically organised, it’s more likely to be because your neighbour asked you to come along to a local protest than because you saw a bunch of allegedly intelligent people debating policy on TV." Read: graceblakeley.substack.com/p/why-i-stop...

‘Devolution’ without ….people 👇👇🏽

This whole situation is extraordinary and demonstrates the complete contempt that central government has for local government and local people.

Wrong sort of devolution? Not clear why ministers have picked a fight over this issue given all their other troubles at the moment.

#democracy - it is a good idea, and will be defended

Absolutely this ⬆️ Sheffield will not go back to a system that failed the city so very badly. Not without a fight

The power of the people is stronger than the people in power...

It is 39°C in Lisbon today. The same in Madrid. In Paris next week it will also be 39°C. Look at this picture. People are under trees, where it can be up to 12°C cooler. Given trees take decades to mature and many don’t survive, cities need to plant many more street trees. And urgently.