iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Slight Arnolfini Portrait vibes. Can almost see the artist...

Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Ed Hammond @se13ed.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

Emerging that Government will this afternoon announce plans to pause the process of English local government reorganisation pending a review. So where are councils now?

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Ben Proctor @benproctor.co.uk · 04/09/2026

Being a councillor is still a difficult career for women – why this matters for democracy theconversation.com/being-a-coun...

theconversation.com

Being a councillor is still a difficult career for women – why this matters for democracy

The fixes could be cheap and easy, though.

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

INLOGOV @inlogov.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

Approaching LGR, new unitary authorities should see, value and promote parish and town councillors and clerks as vital elements of local services and democracy. @catherineneedham.bsky.social and @drdavemckenna.bsky.social Local Government Chronicle www.lgcplus.com/politics/gov...

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

*Salonika is a name often used for the city of Thessaloniki- you might remember PAOK Salonika knocked Arsenal out of Europe at the start of the 1997-98 season…. A brilliant city to visit if you haven’t been 🇬🇷

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 23/08/2026

Goodly morning and kalimera. If we need a nickname for our new left winger then maybe it should be The Salonika Sanchez to reflect the city in northern Greece he is from and his boyhood idol. I saw someone suggesting the mikonos messi and it triggered me. Or am I being too sensitive 😂

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 22/08/2026

He’s from Thessaloniki so Salonika Sanchez maybe 🇬🇷

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Brushes a PAOK players fringe before it goes to the player providing the assist- in case it’s not clear in the stadium 😂

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

It’s on public tv here in Greece so can keep an eye 👀

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

With Thessaloniki connections I’m hoping for a different outcome…. 😬🇬🇷

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I did wonder if this was as straightforward forward as it was suggested on this podcast - so I'm grateful for the discussion here.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Next was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, about ‘the tragic torn lives of a poor black family… in post depression 1940s Ohio’. Engaging prose but the events of this short but thought provoking book made it tough to read at times. B+ for me.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

First up was The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard. It's about the lives and relationships of two orphan Australian sisters in post war England. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would - very rich prose, full of ideas and some surprises along the way. I gave it a B.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

I wanted to broaden my reading so I've taken to picking books randomly (asking google for a random number) from the Guardian's recent '100 best novels of all time'. So far it's working and I'm reading books I definitely would not have chosen 😮 www.theguardian.com/books/ng-int...

theguardian.com

The 100 best novels of all time

The top 100 novels of all time published in English, as voted for by authors, critics and academics worldwide. How many have you read?

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

UCL Constitution Unit @conunitucl.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

What is parliamentary scrutiny? Our latest explainer explores how parliamentary scrutiny improves and legitimises government legislation, policy and delivery, the types of scrutiny, the impact of scrutiny, and threats to scrutiny. Read our brand new explainer 👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo....

Explainer. What is parliamentary scrutiny? The Constitution Unit. Parliamentary scrutiny can both legitimise and improve government legislation, policy and delivery. Parliament can scrutinise the government through the legislative process, questions and statements, non-government debates and select committees. It would be wrong to see parliament’s scrutiny power as weak. The views of parliamentarians are often incorporated into policy.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 27/05/2026

Have been reading more this year. And trying to read books I might not normally reach for. Anyhow, these are the ones I’ve read in the last 6 months.

Books in a pile:
Martyr, Kaveh Akbar
The sea, the sea, Iris Murdoch
The secret history, Donna tart
Nostromo, Joseph Conrad

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 24/05/2026

Looking through the wardrobe for something to wear today…

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

In the old days, this was the tie I used to wear to work to mark special occasions. You can imagine me wearing it today if you like…

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Yep. I feel that the silver lining from the cloud of rejection is the feedback from reviewers that you can use to improve the article. Not yours, though, reviewer 2 😳

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

ADSO @adso-uk.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

✅ We're hiring - could you be our ADSO Lead Consultant? We’re looking for someone with energy, ideas and a collaborative spirit to help us develop & expand our consultancy offer. 📅 12 month fixed term ⏰ 2 -4 hrs per week (flexible) 💻 Remote working View our job pack 👉 ow.ly/yUFr50YSvnj

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 30/04/2026

Agree with this and I found similar issues in my PhD research. I'm not really sure what the case is for elections by third. You wouldn't want it for national elections. Or would you?

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

A couple of these made me smile. Nothing so English as the seaside windbreak, marmite and paddington bear 😊

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Hannah White @drhannahwhite.bsky.social · 21/04/2026

This really is the end of a fantastic era for @conunitucl.bsky.social - Meg Russell has led the Unit from strength to strength - brilliantly straddling the academic/practitioner landscapes - big shoes to fill (but glad to hear she will be continuing to contribute her expertise)!

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

I mean you might have to kick it to get anything out 😂

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Actually, local government as a vending machine rings a bell from somewhere🤔

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

A metaphor for use in a presentation maybe?

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Anthony Zacharzewski @anthonyzach.be · 13/03/2026

My fact of the day is that because French communes are so small, 40% of all EU local government bodies are French communes.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 12/03/2026

At the @cfgs.bsky.social conference with scrutiny on the big screen 🍿🎬

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Business travel tip here. I carry a couple of those wooden forks and spoons for supermarket takeaway meals and a decaf coffee sachet.

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 01/03/2026

My first local government job was as a housing officer working out of the Townhill estate office. I learnt a lot! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Centre for Governance and Scrutiny @cfgs.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

Twenty five years ago councils were implementing exec arrangements and overview and scrutiny as a result of the Local Government Act of 2000. But as @se13ed.bsky.social points out, the legislation was playing catch-up with innovative councils www.lgcplus.com/politics/gov...

Ed Hammond: Governance after 25 years of scrutiny

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

LCC municipal @lccmunicipal.bsky.social · 14/02/2026

Here is a fascinating document from the the late 1940s. It was produced for the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire by the Bureau of Current Affairs and is a digest of information and statistics about the Council. It picks up on a number of interesting themes... 🧵

The cover is bright red. A black and white photo of a family grouped together and looking rightwards (forwards to the future?) is superimposed over a yellow outline of the West Riding of Yorkshire. Wakefield, the County Town, is the only town marked on this map. The heading in a black lozenge-shaped box at the top is Meet Your County Council.

Graphic design and image credits: Uncredited
Taken from: Meet Your County Council - The West Riding of Yorkshire
Published by: The Bureau of Current Affairs in association with the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire
Date: Undated, but appears to be c.1949

The coat of arms of the West Riding of Yorkshire on a black background. At the top is a golden crown. The shield as a red bar at the top with three white roses in a line. The rest of the shield below is white with a large white rose on a representation of the sun.

Graphic design and image credits: Uncredited
Taken from: Meet Your County Council - The West Riding of Yorkshire
Published by: The Bureau of Current Affairs in association with the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire
Date: Undated, but appears to be c.1949

Th rear cover of the book is red with a white rose in the middle. The text, either side of the rose says "The West Riding of Yorkshire"

Graphic design and image credits: Uncredited
Taken from: Meet Your County Council - The West Riding of Yorkshire
Published by: The Bureau of Current Affairs in association with the County Council of the West Riding of Yorkshire
Date: Undated, but appears to be c.1949

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

I, for one, am a fan. More of these please 🚂

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Dr Dave McKenna @drdavemckenna.bsky.social · 27/01/2026

Watched it again at the weekend. Brilliant film IMO. but yes, also funny.

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Reposted by Dr Dave McKenna

Ed Hammond @se13ed.bsky.social · 13/11/2025

But what about Police and Crime Panels, I hear you say? (1/)

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