Simon Pirani

Simon Pirani

@simonpirani.bsky.social

Historian, researcher of energy systems, Ukraine, Russia, & more. Blog: https://peopleandnature.wordpress.com/. Author of Burning Up: A Global History of Fossil Fuel Consumption (2018) & Dissident Communists in Early Soviet Russia (2023).

593 followers216 following282 posts

Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Privately-owned network companies put community solar in danger - when it should be a climate policy priority. Thanks @theecologist.org for running this one. theecologist.org/2026/oct/26/... @communityenergyengland.org @communityenergyldn.bsky.social @communityenergynet.bsky.social

theecologist.orgNetwork failures obstruct community solarA community renewable energy company was seriously let down by the grid - a stark warning for Britain's necessary transition to low carbon energy.
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Thanks New Politics journal for reposting my review of Russia's New Imperialism: Capital and Ideology by Ilya Budraitskis and Ilya Matveev. The book is a thorough consideration of a topic of life & death importance, by people who understand it very well newpol.org/russias-bloo...

newpol.orgRussia’s bloody shift from subimperialism to new old imperialism - New PoliticsA review of a new book by Budraitskis and Matveev exploring the material and ideological factors accounting for Russia's new imperialism.
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

It took me a few weeks of digging to work this one out. A shabby story of corporate failure standing in the way of positive action on climate

People & Nature@peoplenature.bsky.social

Climate crisis? What climate crisis? Electricity companies' failure to invest, and regulators' failure to force them to, obstructs decarbonisation. In Devon, network failures led to Britain's biggest community solar farm being shut down for 4 months peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/10/20/d...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comDevon community solar shutdown strikes a blow at climate actionBy Simon Pirani Britain’s largest community-owned solar project is fighting for its life, after the local grid company stopped it generating electricity for four months. Derril Water solar park in …

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

70 years ago, Peter Fryer was sent by the Communist Party newspaper to cover what its editors called a "counter-revolution" in Hungary. He witnessed a revolution, and wrote the truth about it. His reports were censored and suppressed. peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/10/19/f...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comFrom Windrush to the Hungarian revolution: Peter Fryer’s staying powerFriday 23 October is the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution of 1956, when a nationwide rebellion by workers and students briefly overthrew a Soviet-backed Stalinist regime. Workers’ and s…
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

I learned a good deal when reviewing this excellent book.

People & Nature@peoplenature.bsky.social

How to explain Russia's "self defeating strategy" in Ukraine? Why did the state, seen by Marxists as capital's instrument, "cut across capital’s economic interests so dramatically?" Russia's New Imperialism by Ilya Budraitskis & Ilya Matveev reviewed peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/10/15/r...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comRussia’s bloody shift from subimperialism to new old imperialismReview by Simon Pirani of Russia’s New Imperialism: Capital and Ideology, by Ilya Budraitskis and Ilya Matveev (Stanford University Press, 2026). Reposted with thanks from Links journal – In …

Simon Pirani reposted

Fare Free London
@farefreelondon.bsky.social

Saturday 17 October, 9.0am to 1.0pm, Protest: Say No to Robotaxis. Wayve Technologies Ltd, 230-238 York Way, London N7 9AG. Fare Free London will be joining a protest, calling for the mayor to stop trials of driverless taxis.

actionnetwork.orgSay no to robotaxis! - Saturday 17th October Closest overground/tube stations: Camden Road, Caledonian Road and Barnsbury, Caledonian Road (about 10min on foot from each station). The campaign against robotaxis is quickly expanding. Robotaxis are not welcome in London! Let’s spread the word out and protect our streets from AI-led vehicles! It all started as a campaign against Waymo when the Google-owned company started testing its AI-led vehicles in Brent in April and a Waymo breached a police line on April 22nd. To this day, the roll-out of fully commercial robotaxi services hasn’t happened yet, despite the pressure of big tech companies on Transport for London with the support of the UK government. However, since the start of September, Uber introduced a small number of “supervised autonomous rides” in London - as in robotaxis but with a person behind the wheel. This is the result of a partnership signed with the British firm Wayve. This move is a way to normalise the presence of robotaxis in London but we are not fooled! Join us and speak up against Wayve and Uber.

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Our bulletin #216: Will Russia invade more of Europe?/ Russian schoolteacher’s view/ Lviv worker resistance/ Trump ultimatum to Ukraine/ Russian torture/ Forcible transfer of civilians/ UN slams Russian attacks on civilians/ Militarisation of children/ & more ukraine-solidarity.org/2026/10/11/n...

ukraine-solidarity.orgNews from Ukraine Bulletin 216 (12 Oct)DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN AS A PDF HERE In this week’s bulletin: Will Russia invade more of Europe?/ Russian school teacher’s view/ Lviv worker resistance/ Trump ultimatum to Ukraine/ Evidence of Russi…
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Well said - once again - @kevinclimate.bsky.social. Climate science really is constrained by social hierarchies

Kevin Anderson@kevinclimate.bsky.social

Quoted in the Guardian today on the technical hopium that, in my experience, has become widespread among many, usually senior, climate experts. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

theguardian.comScientists who put faith in technology less likely to take climate action‘Techno-optimism’ may lead to reliance on unproven solutions at expense of societal changes needed

Simon Pirani reposted

Fare Free London
@farefreelondon.bsky.social

"Free public transport turns the city into a common good." A report of our event last week

farefreelondon.orgFree public transport turns the city into a common good France now has 49 fare-free territories. It has a total population of more than 3.4 million, a Fare Free London event last week was told. Ten of the fare-free zones are municipalities with more than 100,000 population, Jérôme Serodio of the Union for Free and Public Transport Development (UGDT) said. “Free public transport turns the […]

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Our bulletin #215: Ivanka ‘Hayka’ Kutsenko killed/ Miners’ union and union federation appeals over Russian attacks/ Evidence of Russian torture/ Oleshky under seige/ Religious terror in occupied territories/ Widespread Russian attacks on civilians/ & more ukraine-solidarity.org/2026/10/04/n...

ukraine-solidarity.orgNews from Ukraine Bulletin 215 (5 October)DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN AS A PDF HERE A Digest of News from Ukrainian sources – also attached as a PDF In this week’s bulletin: Ivanka ‘Hayka’ Kutsenko killed/ Miners’ union and union federation appe…
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

people talking sense about "ai"

The Distributed AI Research (DAIR) Institute@dairinstitute.bsky.social

In which @timnitgebru.blacksky.app and @emilymbender.bsky.social remind us that the risk of AI is not "superintelligence gone rogue," but human reliance on flawed systems in high-stakes situations: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

theguardian.comForget ‘superintelligence’: error-prone AI nearly sparked world war three this month | Timnit Gebru and Emily M BenderThe risks of AI aren’t what we think they are, as a recent security incident between China and the United States reveals

Simon Pirani reposted

The Russian Reader
@russianreader.bsky.social

Elena Kostyuchenko: We’re No Longer Eyeless in Gaza Since most Russian middle-class emigres are to the right of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir when it comes to Israel-Palestine and Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, exiled Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko's review of the documentary film "NAZA" and…

therussianreader.comElena Kostyuchenko: We’re No Longer Eyeless in GazaSince most Russian middle-class emigres are to the right of Smotrich and Ben-Gvir when it comes to Israel-Palestine and Israel's ongoing genocide in Gaza, exiled Russian journalist Elena Kostyuchenko's review of the documentary film "NAZA" and her experience of seeing it in New York is a rare act of insight and civic courage in that reactionary milieu.
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

This challenge to the government's carbon budget, which cuts climate science adrift and bows the knee to corporate interests, has gone in today. I support it and hope you all will too

#CarbonReckoning (Andrew Boswell)@drandrewboswell.bsky.social

⚖️ Filing next week 🙏 Please support this cutting edge climate litigation case here www.crowdjustice.com/case/carbon-... ⚡ 1️⃣ of 7️⃣ reasons to support the #CarbonReckoning legal case

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

"The retrofit measures – that could and should help tackle climate change, while making people’s lives better – have made them worse. And this plays into the hands of opponents of climate action." peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/09/24/c...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comClimate action: failed government retrofit scheme is ‘the next Post Office scandal’By Simon Pirani. Republished with thanks from Labour Hub The disastrous failure of the government’s ECO4 scheme – which was supposed to retrofit homes with insulation, heat pumps and solar panels –…
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

My report from a powerful @fuelpovertyaction.bsky.social event on Saturday

Labour Hub@labour-hub.bsky.social

Climate action: failed government retrofit scheme is ‘the next Post Office scandal’ By Simon Pirani The disastrous failure of the government’s ECO4 scheme – which was supposed to retrofit homes with insulation, heat pumps and solar panels – is “the next Post Office scandal”, Imogen Thomas of Fuel…

labourhub.org.ukClimate action: failed government retrofit scheme is ‘the next Post Office scandal’By Simon Pirani The disastrous failure of the government’s ECO4 scheme – which was supposed to retrofit homes with insulation, heat pumps and solar panels – is “the next Post Office scandal”, Imogen Thomas of Fuel Poverty Action warned last week. “It’s that level of outrageous,” Imogen told the campaign’s Make Green Fair conference in Manchester on Saturday. Homes wrecked by incompetent or fraudulent contractors are facing their fourth winter without heating. People claiming compensation are given the run-around. The retrofit measures – that could and should help tackle climate change, while making people’s lives better – have made them worse.

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Today is the 60th birthday of Andrei Trofimov, one of Russia's 000s of political prisoners. He is in solitary confinement at the notorious IK-9 prison. His lawyer has just re-established contact after multiple obstructions by the authorities. More here. ukraine-solidarity.org/andrei-trofi...

ukraine-solidarity.orgAndrei Trofimov16 September 2026. Today is Andrei Trofimov’s sixtieth birthday. Last week his lawyer was able to visit him, for the first time since he arrived at the IK-9 prison. His support group was able to sh…

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

"In Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam and Tehran, Iran – which both have around 10 million people, more than London – people are shifting from private vehicles to buses and the metro." @farefreelondon.bsky.social calls on Mayor to consider the potential peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/09/11/m...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comMegacities make progress with free public transport schemesExperiments with free public transport, introduced in some of the world’s biggest cities to tackle the fuel price crisis, are proving successful. In Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam and Tehran, Iran – whi…

Simon Pirani reposted

Labour Hub
@labour-hub.bsky.social

Megacities make progress with free public transport schemes By Simon Pirani Experiments with free public transport, introduced in some of the world’s biggest cities to tackle the fuel price crisis, are proving successful. In Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam and Tehran, Iran – which both have around 10…

labourhub.org.ukMegacities make progress with free public transport schemesBy Simon Pirani Experiments with free public transport, introduced in some of the world’s biggest cities to tackle the fuel price crisis, are proving successful. In Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam and Tehran, Iran – which both have around 10 million people, more than London – people are shifting, in numbers, from private vehicles to buses and the metro. In Australia, pilot zero-fares schemes have been extended, due to their popularity. In India, eight states now provide free public transport for tens of millions of women. Jakarta, Indonesia, the world’s most populous city, has introduced a partial but generous free transport scheme.
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Experiments with free public transport, introduced in some of the world’s biggest cities to tackle the fuel price crisis, are proving successful. @farefreelondon.bsky.social says, think big & bold here too. @campaigncc.bsky.social @ianallinson.bsky.social labourhub.org.uk/2026/09/08/m...

labourhub.org.ukMegacities make progress with free public transport schemesBy Simon Pirani Experiments with free public transport, introduced in some of the world’s biggest cities to tackle the fuel price crisis, are proving successful. In Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam and Te…

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

How credible is "analysis" of Russian war on Ukraine that starts from a preconception about "global process of confrontation", & fails to mention class struggle & other forms of social change in either Russia or Ukraine? A response to Alex Callinicos. peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/09/07/r...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comRussian empire, social dynamics and where Marxism goes from hereBy Simon Pirani What, really, have socialists learned from the Russian war on Ukraine? Has it changed our understanding of the way that imperialism works? Tell us we were right all along? Reflectin…

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Our bulletin #211: Appeal to international trade unions/ New evidence of Russian torture/ Parallels between Bosnia and Ukraine/ Putin claims fantasy encirclements/ Volyn killings: a conversation/ Wildberries comment/ & more ukraine-solidarity.org/2026/09/06/n...

ukraine-solidarity.orgNews from Ukraine Bulletin 211 (7 Sept)DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN HERE AS A PDF In this week’s bulletin: Appeal to international trade unions/ New evidence of Russian torture, & more here and here/ Parallels between Bosnia and Ukraine/ V…

Simon Pirani reposted

Tom Ackers
@tomackers.bsky.social

Important article about UK heat networks by @simonpirani.bsky.social → profiteering & abuse: appalling service, exorbitant prices → “jaw-dropping” levels of injustice → up to 900,000 British households affected, who rely on heat networks for central heating & hot water. Judicial review pending...

The Ecologist@theecologist.org

Without proper price protection, working class tenants are being burdened with exorbitant costs.

theecologist.orgHeat networks judicial review challengeHeat networks should reduce costs and climate impacts. But private interests and lack of regulation has resulted in exorbitant bills and poor service.

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

The case highlights scandal of poor customer service, waste, inefficiency and breakdowns faced by up to 900,000 British households that rely on heat networks. But ... done differently, the networks could be a big part of tackling climate change peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/09/03/j...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comJudicial review challenge to extortionate heat network chargesBy Simon Pirani. Republished from the Ecologist, with thanks Skyrocketing charges for heating and hot water from council heat networks in Lambeth, south London, are to be challenged at a judicial r…

Simon Pirani reposted

Fare Free London
@farefreelondon.bsky.social

Vietnam: Ho Chi Minh city (population 14 million) has added the metro to a fare-free scheme that already covers its entire bus network. The scheme runs until the end of 2026.

vietnam.vnTomorrow, all residents of Ho Chi Minh City will be able to ride the metro and buses for free.Ho Chi Minh City Metro Line 1 Company Limited has announced a plan to operate trains and offer free tickets on Metro Line 1 to celebrate the 81st anniversary of National Day on September 2nd.

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

"30+ years later, many on the 'left' still feel uncomfortable talking about Bosnia and Kosova. Some went as far as to question the reality of what happened. NATO had bombed Serbia: surely, the logic went, the Serbs could not therefore be the bad guys." peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/09/01/t...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comThe butcher of Srebrenica: a UN officer had drinks, ‘lefts’ had clean slogansA guest post by JOHN DAVIES The Serbian general and war criminal Ratko Mladić, the butcher of Srebrenica and too many other places to mention, died last week. It’s an opportunity for reflection, an…

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Our bulletin #210: US solidarity call/ Build the Convoy to Ukraine/ Andrei Trofimov court appearance/ Russian attempts to brainwash children/ Russia health system/ Rewriting history/ Russia grain producers in debt/ & more ukraine-solidarity.org/2026/08/31/n...

ukraine-solidarity.orgNews from Ukraine Bulletin 210 (1 September)DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN AS A PDF HERE In this week’s bulletin: US solidarity call/ Build the Convoy to Ukraine/ Andrei Trofimov court appearance./ Russian attempts to brainwash children/ Russia healt…
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Thanks @kevinclimate.bsky.social for refusing to join in the disgusting political bargaining, distortion and invention of narratives that politicians are demanding from scientists, to greenwash new oil & gas in the global north.

Kevin Anderson@kevinclimate.bsky.social

Emit today & fix it tomorrow. Proposal by Loo/Allen/etc for new N.Sea oil & gas developments to be conditional on fossil-fuel execs promising to neutralise emissions thro' future CCS & “engineered removals”. static1.squarespace.com/static/6356a... My response: climateuncensored.com/response-to-...

climateuncensored.comResponse to Open Letter to DESNZ about Rosebank & Jackdaw - Climate UncensoredResponse to a letter from Stephanie Loo, Myles Allen & colleagues to the DESNZ Secretary of State about offsetting continued fossil fuel production with

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

The court heard a claim that prison staff had prevented Andrei Trofimov meeting his lawyer. At the hearing, Trofimov read a poem that said: “My friends, I’ll get back from prison. The age of the mad sultan is finite." peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/08/28/p...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comPolitical prisoner Andrei Trofimov has appeared in court, but is not out of dangerThe Russian political prisoner Andrei Trofimov has appeared on a video link to a court hearing on Thursday, after four months’ loss of contact. His supporters, who fear he was being mistreated in t…

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

"The court decision endangers free speech of TUists, students & all in Ukraine who, even in wartime, insist on the right to question and challenge gov't decisions. A right central to the democracy for which many Ukrainians believe they are fighting." peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/08/24/j...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comJail sentence for Ukrainian Trotskyist is an assault on free speechBy Simon Pirani A Ukrainian court this month found Bohdan Syrotiuk, a Trotskyist, guilty of high treason and jailed him for 15 years – solely for words he wrote about the war. This assault on free …

Simon Pirani reposted

Ukraine Information Group
@ukraineinfogroup.bsky.social

Our bulletin #209: How Russia targets Ukrainian workers/ Surviving war in Crimea/ Occupied territories: Ukrainians lose homes/ Report: Russian attempts to legitimise occupation/ Ukraine cultural policy/ Myths about Ukraine rebutted/ & more ukraine-solidarity.org/2026/08/23/n...

ukraine-solidarity.orgNews from Ukraine Bulletin 209 (24 August)DOWNLOAD THE BULLETIN AS A PDF HERE In this week’s bulletin: How Russia targets Ukrainian workers/ Surviving war in Crimea/ Occupied territories: Ukrainians lose homes / Report: Russian attempts to…

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

Free public transport actually works! Ask under-22s in Scotland. It opens access to jobs, education & social life. But it would work far better with public ownership & control, says @betterbusesspt.bsky.social. My article for @farefreelondon.bsky.social peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/f...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comFree buses open doors for Scotland’s under-22s – but privatisation undermines schemeThis summer’s heat waves have hammered home the reality of climate change, and highlighted, again, the gulf between the government’s timid efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions and what scientist…

Simon Pirani reposted

People & Nature
@peoplenature.bsky.social

For action on climate and social justice, let's have some imagination. £5.6 bn/year = free buses for all, says @neweconomics.bsky.social. Taxing wealth more effectively gets £50 bn/year. Do the maths! My article for @farefreelondon.bsky.social peopleandnature.wordpress.com/2026/08/20/e...

peopleandnature.wordpress.comEffective taxes on wealth could fund abolition of bus faresReposted from the Fare Free London web site The government could make all bus journeys in the UK free, at a cost of about £5.6 billion per year, a report by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) shows…

Simon Pirani reposted

Mediazona English
@en.zona.media

11 years and 1 month. This outrageous sentence was handed down to a Yabloko politician Lev Shlosberg today for a social media post (published before the censorship law even existed), and words spoken by his opponent during a debate en.zona.media/article/2026...

en.zona.media“The grain of evil ripens in the granaries of state policy”. Politician Lev Shlosberg sentenced to 11 years following a defiant stand in Pskov courtJudge Victoria Malyamova of the Pskov City Court in western Russia has sentenced Lev Shlosberg, a prominent opposition figure and a deputy chairman of the liberal Yabloko party, to...
Simon Pirani
@simonpirani.bsky.social

Solidarity, plus actual meaningful policies to tackle climate change

Fare Free London@farefreelondon.bsky.social

Fare Free London and other community groups joined pickets this morning at Stamford Hill bus station. We were there to support Arriva North London bus workers, who are striking for decent working conditions and protection from extreme heat at work.