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Antony Carpen

@acarpen.bsky.social
1.6K followers 689 following 16K posts

Ex-Whitehall type still with views on public policy, but now local historian in Cambridge (UK) blogging at lostcambridge.com - also writing about the future of the city on The Cambridge Town Owl.

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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 12m
John Pink looking slightly older but happier in this pic. lostcambridge.wordpress.com/2018/01/09/m... “Mr John Pink: Founding Father of Cambridge’s Public Libraries, 1833-1906”
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 15m
You found it!!! #LostCambridge hero John Pink spent *half a century* building up the Cambridge Central Library from 1854 till his death in the early 1900s. He got the first purpose-built free library built in 1884 round the back of the Guildhall and also the first branch library on Mill Rd in 1897 >
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Mark Pack @markpackuk.bsky.social · 1h
And another one goes: buff.ly/ih25xfb Reform has now already lost 50 of its councillors elected in May (well, 51 but 1 returned) as well as a further 44 in the same period who were elected earlier than that: buff.ly/Nap4Uot
buff.ly
East Sussex Reform UK county councillor becomes independent
An East Sussex councillor has become an independent after resigning from Reform UK.
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UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 31m
Who gets access to government and has the most influence? Next Thursday, hear Stuart Sterling, Baroness (Dianne) Hayter, @duncanhames.bsky.social, @suehawley.bsky.social and @jrgerlis.bsky.social, with David Coen, discuss lobbying. Sign up for this in-person event 👉️ www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....
A picture of the Elizabeth Tower with the text 'Policy & Practice Seminar'.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
Anyone else strangely fascinated by the electoral performance of very small parties? Esp those polling fewer than the Monster Raving Loony Party? The 99p coin policy vanquishing candidates from the Xian People’s Alliance, & the CommunistLeague 🫠
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
On that Blue vs Green frontline: split vote in the former lets in the latter. @greenparty.org.uk
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
Reminds me of the Clegg vs Chris Huhne contest where the media were brutal towards the LibDems - & that was pre-Coalition in the mid-2000s. Satirists drawing Huhne without any identifying facial features - just a blank face where eyes/nose/mouth etc should have been! Ouch! 😶
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Katrina Navickas @katrinanavickas.bsky.social · 1h
Thread
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
Via @katrinanavickas.bsky.social Still waiting for the Land Registry data to be made free & open access to see who owns what.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
Given the very large number of activists that mobilised for The Greens in a Lib-Dem-Style ‘flood the constituency’ operation, they’ll have collected *lots* of data on potential & newly active supporters. Will this change the dynamic in the constituency? (Or will high population turnover hit this?)
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 1h
Has Sir Ed Davey taken the LibDems as far as he can? - Is Charlie Maynard a stalking horse candidate or leadership material? - What would he (or Davey’s successor) do differently?
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Liz Carolan @lizcarolan.com · 2h
Irish Gov is hosting its "International AI Summit" next week Even I was surprised by how industry heavy is it 83% of speakers are corporates, 0 independent experts, 1 union rep I'm not explicit about this in the piece -but- surely this is, at best, tone deaf? www.techpolicy.press/at-irelands-...
techpolicy.press
At Ireland’s AI Summit, Tech Industry Dominates as Civil Society Sits Out
The invitation-only summit comes as Ireland leads Digital Omnibus negotiations, raising questions about whose interests are represented, writes Liz Carolan.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 2h
There’s a movie or book deal in this - ‘The Cycling Plumber’ now in #Cambridge. National stereotypes & more in @camcycle.bsky.social www.camcycle.org.uk/images/blog/... (including lists of upcoming #localgov meetings to submit public questions to! 😁 #BecauseDemocracy )
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 2h
And this will have a disproportionately greater impact in other towns & cities esp outside the SE. England. Esp where they are a major employer & where those institutions don’t have a large alumni income stream or an asset base to fall back on. So short-sighted 😢
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 2h
With all the vans & equipment it must have been a resource-intensive operation. But if it’s automated using fixed equipment then presumably they’ll say the running costs are minimal, right?
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John Elworthy @johnelworthy.bsky.social · 4h
Marshall Aerospace acquired by AURELIUS: What does it mean for Cambridge jobs? AURELIUS has completed its acquisition of the historic Cambridge-based aerospace and defence company, opening a new chapter for the business. #Cambridge #MarshallAerospace www.cambsnews.co.uk/cambridge-ba...
Marshall Aerospace acquired by AURELIUS: What does it mean for Cambridge jobs?
AURELIUS has completed its acquisition of the historic Cambridge-based aerospace and defence company, opening a new chapter for the business.
With major defence contracts and an experienced workforce, attention now turns to future growth and the potential impact on local employment.
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Department of Politics and International Relations @uoypolitics.bsky.social · 3h
Using social network analysis and interviews, we examine the organisations and practitioners shaping local climate mini-publics. We find a professionalising field with distinct clusters and growing expertise, but no simple story of elite capture. Read the article here tinyurl.com/3v6v7xw8
tinyurl.com
Professionalizing deliberation: a Social Network Analysis of UK climate mini-publics | European Political Science Review | Cambridge Core
Professionalizing deliberation: a Social Network Analysis of UK climate mini-publics
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Cambridgeshire @cambridgeshireuk.bsky.social · 3h
Shock as Cambridge City Foodbank van stolen and engine ripped out by thieves #Cambridge
cambridgeindependent.co.uk
Shock as Cambridge City Foodbank van stolen and engine ripped out by thieves
‘Beyond belief’ that thieves would do this to charity delivering food to people in need.
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Catherine Mayer @mayeroflondon.bsky.social · 3h
My friend Sandi Toksvig has a question she’d like to discuss with you: can we reclaim childhood from Big Tech? The thing is, she’s done a great job of reclaiming her own life from tech so I’m sharing this message for her 🧵
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Housing LIN @housinglin.bsky.social · 3h
Now out - our #HLINReport with HCR Law: the first AI State of the Nation survey of specialist and supported housing finds experimentation racing ahead of evaluation and resident involvement. Read in full at: www.housinglin.org.uk/Topics/type/... #HLINReport #AIinHousing #DigitalSwitchover
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 2h
“ [Caroline Lucas] later appeared to mollify her criticism slightly, posting on X that Polanski's leadership had "transformed the party" and she hoped he would now "help resolve huge issues we face and transform our internal structures". www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Zack Polanski vows to stay on as Green leader as crticism mounts
Jewish Greens' leader has said Polanski should resign in the wake of a Zionism row and by-election defeat.
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UK in a Changing Europe @ukandeu.bsky.social · 5h
A rather sad announcement from @anandmenon.bsky.social on the future of UK in a Changing Europe. ukandeu.ac.uk/announcement...
UK in a Changing Europe (UKICE) was founded 12 years ago. We hired our first member of staff on the day of the 2015 election, the outcome of which guaranteed that there would be a referendum on EU membership. The subsequent period has been tumultuous, yet, throughout it all, we have done our utmost to be a source of impartial, research-based analysis.
We were initially supported by the Economic and Social Science Research Council (ESRC), who generously funded the organisation for over a decade. Their foresight in recognising the need to bring social science to the attention of external audiences in this area was impressive. 
Our ESRC funding ended in April 2025. Since that time, we have kept going courtesy of the generosity of King’s College London and donations from numerous other sources including the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Amazon Web Services and the Spanish Government. I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to all those who have contributed to the organisation’s longevity.
Sadly, it is now time to bring down the curtain on this act. UKICE will cease to operate at the end of this year. This is – for us at least – a sad occasion. However, we will soon be able to inform you of the exciting ways in which our work – blogs, reports, lunchtime seminars and more – will continue. The website, containing its rich treasure trove of blogs, reports, videos and the Brexit Witness Archive will, of course, remain accessible thanks to the generosity of the Policy Institute at King’s College London. 
I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished over the last decade and of the way we have assessed the Brexit process, the development of the United Kingdom since 2016 and the evolution of UK-EU relations. UKICE has attempted to bridge the gap between social scientists and what some people call the ‘real world’. We have shown a new way of doing social science – engaging, accessible and impartial. While it would be too much to claim to have shaped the debate, I g…
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Laura McInerney @missmc.bsky.social · 3h
When I started teaching in 2006 I bought a DAB radio with a SIM card purely so I could record it each day and listen back when I got home. Can’t tell you how many scams me and family have avoided over the years because of it. 😔 Is nothing sacred, BBC?
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Prospect Magazine @prospectmagazine.co.uk · 3h
“My comedy comes from a place of frustration, but also [from] a genuinely optimistic belief that if enough people learn about these injustices, we will be able to stop them,” says Cody Dahler
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Comedian Cody Dahler: We need to take social media seriously
The civil servant-turned-comic on how shortform content can improve political literacy
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Dr Florence H R Scott @florencehrscott.bsky.social · 3h
The way tech is developing is inherently anti-intellectual and fascist because it’s specifically geared towards never having to engage with ideas beyond your own, current, limited conception
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Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 3h
Simply read this summary on what is driving the increased prevalence of mental health distress from the long awaiting final independent report into teenage mental health. Now compare it to the public discussion on mental health which basically comes down to social media and over-diagnosis.
The rise in mental distress among children and young people has unfolded alongside profound changes in the conditions of childhood. No single cause explains it. Family life, education, communities, digital environments and economic security all influence whether children feel safe and connected, have time to recover, can participate in everyday life and can look to the future with confidence.

Among the possible drivers, digital environments and educational pressures show the closest correspondence with the timing and pattern of rising distress. Neither is likely to be the principal cause. The evidence indicates that these environments have become more significant contributors than for previous generations, interacting with family circumstances, economic insecurity and existing vulnerability rather than operating alone. Continuous comparison and visible evaluation, disrupted sleep, reduced opportunities for belonging and recovery, and growing uncertainty may reinforce one another.

The strongest protective factors for mental health are supportive parenting relationships, positive educational experiences, and community participation and belonging. The pandemic, economic insecurity, pressures on families and the decline of community infrastructure do not explain the trend on their own, but they have intensified pressures and weakened sources of protection. These effects are not evenly distributed. Children experiencing poverty, discrimination, SEND, care experience or family stress often bear the greatest burden.

Prevention cannot rest solely on helping children cope with environments that place growing demands on them. It also requires action to improve those environments: more inclusive schools; protected time for rest, play and belonging; stronger community infrastructure; reduced poverty and insecurity; practical support for parents and carers; and enforceable duties on digital platforms to protect children while preserving the connection and support they can pro…
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Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 3h
Thank you David. Yes, I agree. A bit left on the cutting room floor: I went back through the archived RSA website from a decade or so ago looking for a report I wrote this week. I was shocked at the range of ideas including on the state we were publishing just there. Now? It's quiet outside...
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David Higham @oldtrotter.bsky.social · 3h
It’s very striking.
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Brynley Heaven @brynleyheaven.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Latest: Youtube obsession with short format making front page less functional Facebook algorithm showing signs of life at last after a long period in the weeds Google Search even more rubbish with every passing day; where to defect to? News websites looking thinner Otherwise, everything is great
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Dr Hannah Pethen @hannahpethen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Apropos of this, I have observed that the inbuilt search AI in Google ONLY produces even vaguely useful results when the questions relate to 'doing tech stuff'. It is surprisingly useful at determining 'how to do x in y program' it's rubbish at everything else.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 6h
Worth listening to her acceptance speech too m.youtube.com/watch?v=pzfC...
m.youtube.com
Sagal Abdi Wali wins by-election and retains Holborn & St Pancras seat for Labour | Full speech
YouTube video by The London Standard
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 6h
Via @gabyhinsliff.bsky.social Was Holborn a stepping stone or a peak for The Greens? (Having flooded the constituency with activists & collected huge volumes of data on the constituency including identifying new supporters & activists, will it convert in future elections?)
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 7h
Good piece. The line that really caught my eye here was this one: "Lobby journalists, while being supportive in print, are typically unimpressed with Badenoch in person". It speaks volumes about how the Tory press sees its role, and its attitude towards the truth of what it prints.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 7h
From IG, a case in the US where their #localgov council gave away their personal data to a big corporation. www.instagram.com/reel/DeP3W_-... Huge issues raised on big data & consent.
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Heather Stewart @guardianheather.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Sorry at what point do the government feel the need to do something about BBC funding, or are they just going to watch it be salami-sliced to extinction?
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 7h
“Presence Without Belonging: A Conceptual Analysis of Loneliness in Autism” May 2026 journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... Hari Srinivasan - open access
journals.sagepub.com
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 7h
NEW BLOGPOST: “South East Cambridge – can we have what North Cambridge has?” cambridgetownowl.com/2026/10/09/s... a very busy events poster board at the recently built Meadows Community Centre in Arbury, which has one of the larger council housing estates in the city.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 22h
“The Government wants to deliver growth, but Planning Committees are not the problem. We have over 37,000 homes with planning permission granted in Greater Cambridge, but waiting to be built.”
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 7h
One for #localgov officers as well as councillors. Also one for anyone who has lived in council housing or social housing - how do these inspection regimes from the interwar era compare with your experiences?
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Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 8h
This prompted me to go back and check the claim that "On current DWP forecasts, from the 2024 election until 2030, Labour will have increased working-age benefit spending by a further £51.6 bn/year." It appears to be equally fictional/spreadsheet error. Correct figure is maybe £36bn..
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The Empty City @davidallengreen.bsky.social · 8h
No, competitive tendering and transparency in the award of public contracts would do.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 21h
"Without major reform of the regressive nature of Council Tax and substantial improvements in central state financial transfers to local government, these are ‘passive revolution’ measures designed to offer minor structural changes." One for #Localgov people. @inlogov.bsky.social @localgov.digital
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 13h
And finally, the acceptance speech by the new MP for Holborn & St Pancras, Sagal Abdi-Wali MP was really powerful and worth listening to.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 13h
The coverage and Qs put to the political party representatives by the broadcast media would make for a great case study for politics/media students out there, comparing sound journalistic principles vs what was actually asked and broadcast.
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 13h
It was like: "So @nataliegreenpeer.bsky.social it doesn't look like this controversy is going to go away!" Well if they are going to keep asking the same question over-and-over again day-after-day "Why aren't you talking about only environmental issues" Um...because you ignored them when they did?
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 13h
Some ***really bizarre*** questioning from the Nooze channels this evening that felt like they were trying to get some 'gotcha!' moments rather than attempting to engage in meaningful analysis - esp of the local issues that came up in the campaign. #HolbornStPancras.
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Britain Elects @britainelects.com · 14h
‼️ Labour HOLD Holborn and St Pancras Labour: 45.0% (-3.9) Green: 32.7% (+22.3) Conservative: 7.0% (-0.2) Reform: 5.9% (-0.2) Liberal Democrats: 3.4% (-2.4) Restore: 2.5% (+2.5) Workers: 1.1% (+1.1)
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 15h
" [Mr Polanski] would also like to pay tribute to Sagal, for a respectful campaign and for rising above the appalling racism she has had to endure. Despite our political differences, we stand in solidarity with you." greenparty.org.uk/2026/10/08/g... Re #HolbornStPancras by-election
greenparty.org.uk
Green Party close of polls statement - Green Party
"Whatever the result later, we've run a positive campaign full of energy in what is one of Labour's safest seats. To be the main challenger shows how far the Greens have come. We know that many want t...
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Antony Carpen @acarpen.bsky.social · 15h
"CITY-HUBs Sustainable and Efficient Urban Transport Interchanges" www.routledge.com/CITY-HUBs-Su... cc #Cambridge (UK) people only our ones need improving!
routledge.com
CITY-HUBs: Sustainable and Efficient Urban Transport Interchanges
Explore the Design and Operation of Urban Transport Interchanges Transport planners throughout the world can implement a range of policies to influence travelers’ behavior, and encourage a move to pub...
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Adam Bienkov @adambienkov.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
When people say the Conservatives play politics on easy mode this is what it means
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