Francesca Gains
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francescagains.bsky.social
Francesca Gains
@francescagains.bsky.social

Emerita Prof of Public Policy @uompol.bsky.social - still curious about the politics of policy making but happily distracted digging my allotment, being a Horsforth Town Councillor, campaigning to reopen Otley Lido and champions ๐Ÿ†#LUFC ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’› .. more

Political science 80%
Law 6%

Reposted by Francesca Gains

๐ŸŽ„โœจ The Otley Xmas Tree Festival starts tomorrow at noon! Come and find our Friends of Otley Lido tree โ€” Number 13, on the left side as you face the altar. Weโ€™ve decorated with heritage photos of the Lido in its heyday ๐Ÿ’™ Free entry, music, and plenty of festive cheer โ€” come support your local groups!

Reposted by Francesca Gains

We had a fabulous day at the Otley Victorian Fayre today, despite the weather because of course a little water doesn't bother us or dampen our spirits! Thanks to everyone who came to support us & hear our updates on our project to restore our beloved outdoor pool #Otley #Otley #otleyvictorianfayre

If youโ€™re in Otley for the Victorian Fair - come for a warming drink and hear about our campaign to re-open Otley Lido www.otleylido.com

Reposted by Francesca Gains

NEW: @jacknewman.bsky.social and I have just published our new article 'Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution' open access in @politicalquarterly.bsky.social. Read the article here: doi.org/10.1111/1467...
Localism, Levelling Up and Taking Back Control: Tensions in the Ambiguous Justification of English Devolution
There is an increasingly powerful argument for the decentralisation of policy making in England's highly centralised political context. In recent years, this issue has represented one of the clearest...
doi.org

Agreed - pleasingly on both counts!

Fantastic to see Kirkstall Abbey House Museum on the shortlist for best small museum of the year here โฌ‡๏ธ - a testament to all the hard work campaigning to keep it open
kidsinmuseums.org.uk/2025/06/disc...
Discover the UKโ€™s best museums for families this summer - Kids in Museums
18 museums are in the running to be named the UKโ€™s Best Family Friendly Museum.
kidsinmuseums.org.uk

Reposted by Francesca Gains

On 9 June @thesquareball.net & friends will walk from St James' Park back to Elland Road, taking 5 days & over a huge 120 miles! Raising money for #andysmanclub

If you are able to donate, or even repost what we're doing, it would be very much appreciated ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿค #LUFC #NUFC

www.garyspeedwalk.com
Gary Speed Charity Walk | The Square Ball
www.garyspeedwalk.com

Good to talk to supporters at the #OtleyShow today including @katiewhitemp.bsky.social - so heartening to have huge community support for our plans to re-open www.otleylido.com - and to hear all the happy memories & great suggestions for future development of a lido in Otley

This looks a fab (free) event for a sunny #Leeds bank holiday weekend๐ŸŒž๐Ÿ’™

Two brilliant things about #Leeds - champions #lufc and @operanorth.co.uk - marching on together #mot - oh I wish I could have this week all over again
www.facebook.com/share/v/16Pu...
Redirecting...
www.facebook.com

Reposted by Francesca Gains

Raphinha goal in the champions league semi final tonight #LUFC

Reposted by Francesca Gains

Trump's approval ratings have fallen across demographic groups (they have also fallen across specific issues).

A classic case of 'parallel publics' (Page and Shapiro, 1992).

Reposted by Francesca Gains

If you're looking to visit Hathersage, or any of the other iconic Outdoor Pools that we are currently blessed with, check out the @future-lidos.bsky.social map, which is the go-to destination for architecting a road trip which involves a swim!

www.futurelidos.org/lido-map
Lido Map | Future Lidos
A map of public outdoor pools across the UK and Ireland, and the projects underway to create more.
www.futurelidos.org
Death by Shakespeare
Causes of 74 deaths in Shakespeare's plays
#ShakespeareDay

Reposted by Francesca Gains

This is what you need to know about the US research ecosystemโ€ฆand the Trump/Musk effort to destroy it:

www.billjaneway.com/crippling-am...

Reposted by Francesca Gains

๐Ÿšจ New article in Comparative Political Studies (@cpsjournal.bsky.social)!
After many years of rewarding work, Sam, Vera, and I can finally share findings from Mosul, Iraq on how shared suffering under ISIS shaped support for LGBT+ rights.
๐Ÿ”— doi.org/10.1177/0010... 1/4
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
doi.org

Oh boy - what a day!! No Piroe no party - full time @ Burnley v Sheff U - Leeds are going up ๐Ÿ’™ ๐Ÿ’› @punjabiwhites.bsky.social #MOT #LUFC

Reposted by Francesca Gains

Here are a few things its good to be mindful of, come the locals...

1. Benchmarks. 2021 was a good year for the Tories, poor for Labour, non-existent for UKIP (for which read Reform). Losses and gains could mainly just be these locals catching up with July 2024 GE. Will we learn anything *new*?

Cheers for these suggestions - Iโ€™ll look into those (letโ€™s not even think about the play offs!) ๐Ÿคž

Not sure yet where weโ€™ll be but will travel to the right pub to catch that game!๐Ÿคž๐Ÿคž๐Ÿคž

A question for #lufc fans here - where is a good place in London to watch the Plymouth game on the 3rd? Daring to hope this will be a day to celebrate but will be away from home - suggestions welcomed.

Reposted by Francesca Gains

A Massive Happy Birthday to Chris Fairclough who turns 61 today. ๐ŸŽ‰๐Ÿฅณ๐ŸŽ‚

Signed amongst some big names in 89. An unsung hero but was crucial in gaining promotion in 89/90.

Remember the match v Barnsley where he went off for 7 stitches in a head wound. Comes back on & scores a header. ๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช๐Ÿ’ช

#LUFC ๐Ÿ’™๐Ÿ’›๐Ÿค

The cherry blossom is beautiful at Abbey House today & the Museum is full of children looking enthralled - so good the future looks positive and go visit!

museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/pQaofO/abbey...
Elbows up, Canada!

Reposted by Francesca Gains

The future of TV Harrison Sports Ground has been secured.

Iโ€™m so pleased to announce that Leeds Unitedโ€™s initial proposal to take over and invest in Wortleyโ€™s Wembley has been accepted.

Full details here: www.facebook.com/share/p/12KC...

At kick off the moon was over Elland Road - but truthfully by the final whistle - ER was over the moon #totl #mot #lufc
New from me - is it possible we are actually at peak populism? This post is an exercise in working through a scenario - I may very well be wrong. But also, outside of America, I think something is shifting. Because of America. 1/n

benansell.substack.com/p/twilight-o...
Twilight of the Populists?
Perhaps it's possible that, despite it all, we have reached peak populism
benansell.substack.com