About the Blog

This blog is about Exeter – what needs to change, what needs to be conserved, and how what’s needed can happen.  Much of what I will write is, I hope, applicable to other similar communities; and indeed to some that are very different.

It’s written from a Green perspective, though it does not always follow adopted Green Party policy. Nor do I speak here for the Green Party, despite being an active member in Exeter. Much of the content will be familiar to local Party friends and colleagues, because it reflects our shared belief that society should be organized for the common good respecting the limitations of the planet and not for the convenience of the financially privileged.

Its structure is evolving, but at present it’s organised as follows:

• A Future sets out a personal view of what Exeter might be like in the future, the end of the journey, if you like.
• Where we are now describes how our current politics and governance hold us back from making worthwhile change.
• A Journey will try to pull together the governance and political changes that will be needed if we are to move towards my, or any other environmentally and socially responsible, vision of the future.
• Inspiration and Innovation will offer some ideas and real-life examples of what we can do.

About the blogger

This blog is written by me, Peter Cleasby. A resident of central Exeter since 2013, I’ve been a senior civil servant, a policy and management consultant, a trustee of a few local and national charities, an independent member of a police authority standards committee, and a community volunteer in various guises. Today I’m the contributing editor at Exeter Observer, a volunteer watchkeeper at the National Coastwatch Institution’s Exmouth station, research officer for the Exeter Green Party, the lay member on one of the University of Exeter’s Research Ethics Committees;  and I dabble in and try to study a few other things.

I also blog on a wider range of topics at www.petercleasby.com, though all blogging activity is currently taking second place to my work at Exeter Observer.