William Westgard-Cruice
@williamwc.bsky.social
Geographer • renewable energy, labour regimes, critique of political economy • Postdoc at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU)
www.williamwestgardcruice.com
www.williamwestgardcruice.com
"For us, flourishing is inseparable from the transformation of the technical and social means by which we reproduce our lives."
"Hegel helps us see that work like Saito’s is premised on a false dichotomy—the choice is not between growth and degrowth but capital growth and rational growth."
"Hegel helps us see that work like Saito’s is premised on a false dichotomy—the choice is not between growth and degrowth but capital growth and rational growth."
“…the task is to rationalize growth: to expand and develop the forces of production so that they might better enable and express the fundamental end of animals like us. In other words, our freedom.” thepointmag.com/politics/rad...
Radical Eudaimonism | The Point Magazine
The choice is not between growth and degrowth but capital growth and rational growth.
thepointmag.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:49 AM
"For us, flourishing is inseparable from the transformation of the technical and social means by which we reproduce our lives."
"Hegel helps us see that work like Saito’s is premised on a false dichotomy—the choice is not between growth and degrowth but capital growth and rational growth."
"Hegel helps us see that work like Saito’s is premised on a false dichotomy—the choice is not between growth and degrowth but capital growth and rational growth."
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
Samtidigt som USA blir allt mer auktoritärt blir vi mer beroende av deras energi. Ja Sveriges _elsystem_ är fossilfritt - men inte industrin och transporterna.
I 2024 lade Sverige ✨205 miljarder kronor✨ på att importera fossil energi. Kunde lagts på annat
I 2024 lade Sverige ✨205 miljarder kronor✨ på att importera fossil energi. Kunde lagts på annat
A 60% jump in EU LNG imports from the U.S. in 2025 managed to drive up greenhouse gas emissions on both sides of the Atlantic - in the EU from the burning of the gas, and in the U.S. by prompting a shift to coal-fired generation as prices rose.
January 31, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Samtidigt som USA blir allt mer auktoritärt blir vi mer beroende av deras energi. Ja Sveriges _elsystem_ är fossilfritt - men inte industrin och transporterna.
I 2024 lade Sverige ✨205 miljarder kronor✨ på att importera fossil energi. Kunde lagts på annat
I 2024 lade Sverige ✨205 miljarder kronor✨ på att importera fossil energi. Kunde lagts på annat
"In 2009, the proposition that Reza Pahlavi might constitute a political alternative to the Islamic Republic would have been widely dismissed... This shift tells us less about the intrinsic strength of monarchism than about the erosion of alternative pathways for political transformation..."
My article on the latest uprising in Iran has just been published in @newleftreview.bsky.social:
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
Eskandar Sadeghi-Boroujerdi, Scylla and Charybdis — Sidecar
On the protests in Iran.
newleftreview.org
January 22, 2026 at 7:48 AM
"In 2009, the proposition that Reza Pahlavi might constitute a political alternative to the Islamic Republic would have been widely dismissed... This shift tells us less about the intrinsic strength of monarchism than about the erosion of alternative pathways for political transformation..."
As the imperialist confrontation between the US and the EU intensifies, the next major advance in Chinese capitalism is quietly underway.
More powerful wind turbines mean less reliance on foreign fuel imports and a growing Chinese edge over Europe in the export of wind power technology.
More powerful wind turbines mean less reliance on foreign fuel imports and a growing Chinese edge over Europe in the export of wind power technology.
'World's First' 20 MW Wind Turbine Installed Offshore
A 20 MW wind turbine was installed in the waters off southern Fujian, China, on 13 January as part of a research project. This is the first time a wind turbine with this output was installed at sea, b...
www.offshorewind.biz
January 20, 2026 at 10:09 AM
As the imperialist confrontation between the US and the EU intensifies, the next major advance in Chinese capitalism is quietly underway.
More powerful wind turbines mean less reliance on foreign fuel imports and a growing Chinese edge over Europe in the export of wind power technology.
More powerful wind turbines mean less reliance on foreign fuel imports and a growing Chinese edge over Europe in the export of wind power technology.
Matt Huber against the dour, anti-political degrowthism of the contemporary Left
"...if we struggle, and wrestle control of production away from the depredations of capital, there is nothing we can’t do. An energy transition is not only possible; it’s only the beginning of what we can accomplish."
"...if we struggle, and wrestle control of production away from the depredations of capital, there is nothing we can’t do. An energy transition is not only possible; it’s only the beginning of what we can accomplish."
My favorite thing I've written in a while. At my core, I'm an energy history nerd (a disciple of Vaclav Smil's hardcore energy materialism).
So Fressoz's book More & More & More gave me much to think about and criticize. jacobin.com/2026/01/fres...
So Fressoz's book More & More & More gave me much to think about and criticize. jacobin.com/2026/01/fres...
Another Energy Transition Is Possible
Jean-Baptiste Fressoz’s dizzying history of energy consumption argues that no energy transition has ever occurred: each generation consumes more of past fuels. Not only are his claims ahistorical but ...
jacobin.com
January 19, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Matt Huber against the dour, anti-political degrowthism of the contemporary Left
"...if we struggle, and wrestle control of production away from the depredations of capital, there is nothing we can’t do. An energy transition is not only possible; it’s only the beginning of what we can accomplish."
"...if we struggle, and wrestle control of production away from the depredations of capital, there is nothing we can’t do. An energy transition is not only possible; it’s only the beginning of what we can accomplish."
"The transformation of America in the past 30 years into an 'hour glass' society, leaving only yuppies and the homeless in cities like Manhattan and devastating the life conditions of the urban working class and marginal Bohemia, is a major factor in the decline of reading." - Loren Goldner, in 1995
40% der Amerikaner:innen haben 2025 kein Buch gelesen
today.yougov.com/entertainmen...
today.yougov.com/entertainmen...
January 15, 2026 at 1:55 PM
"The transformation of America in the past 30 years into an 'hour glass' society, leaving only yuppies and the homeless in cities like Manhattan and devastating the life conditions of the urban working class and marginal Bohemia, is a major factor in the decline of reading." - Loren Goldner, in 1995
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
Preliminary proofs are in......
January 6, 2026 at 12:44 PM
Preliminary proofs are in......
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
I've been rereading this excellent piece today - it sheds light on so many of the vital debates within Marxist and heterodox political economy in recent years. I really recommend checking it out.
New article out with @histmat.bsky.social
I revisit Marx's critique of the relationship between labour, technology and the surplus population and situate it within the context of capitalism's directionality
I revisit Marx's critique of the relationship between labour, technology and the surplus population and situate it within the context of capitalism's directionality
January 9, 2026 at 3:44 PM
I've been rereading this excellent piece today - it sheds light on so many of the vital debates within Marxist and heterodox political economy in recent years. I really recommend checking it out.
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
New paper out! We explore how the Swedish wage-setting model (the Industrial Agreement) manages to hold wage increases together across occupations. Using large labour-market groups, we show that occupational hierarchy plays an increasing role in shaping who benefits most from wage growth.
December 8, 2025 at 7:20 PM
New paper out! We explore how the Swedish wage-setting model (the Industrial Agreement) manages to hold wage increases together across occupations. Using large labour-market groups, we show that occupational hierarchy plays an increasing role in shaping who benefits most from wage growth.
Strong arguments here.
The real problem is we don't live in a society in which we genuinely plan power production decades in advance.
If we did, both nuclear and renewables would be built faster and cheaper as we wouldn't face the same grid constraints and economies of scale would be much greater.
The real problem is we don't live in a society in which we genuinely plan power production decades in advance.
If we did, both nuclear and renewables would be built faster and cheaper as we wouldn't face the same grid constraints and economies of scale would be much greater.
New from me in @jacobinmag.bsky.social.
It has not always been the case, but there’s definitely now a debate on the left on the topic of nuclear energy. I tried to compose the most compact “case for” on climate, labor, and reliability grounds (as well as answer the questions posed by critics).
It has not always been the case, but there’s definitely now a debate on the left on the topic of nuclear energy. I tried to compose the most compact “case for” on climate, labor, and reliability grounds (as well as answer the questions posed by critics).
The Socialist Case for Nuclear Power
Nuclear energy is still regarded with skepticism. But nuclear power’s critics wildly overstate its dangers, and preserving and expanding this energy source is essential to a just green transition.
jacobin.com
December 7, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Strong arguments here.
The real problem is we don't live in a society in which we genuinely plan power production decades in advance.
If we did, both nuclear and renewables would be built faster and cheaper as we wouldn't face the same grid constraints and economies of scale would be much greater.
The real problem is we don't live in a society in which we genuinely plan power production decades in advance.
If we did, both nuclear and renewables would be built faster and cheaper as we wouldn't face the same grid constraints and economies of scale would be much greater.
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
Sammen med @williamwc.bsky.social har jeg skrevet nogle ord om hvorfor kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen har åbnet for højrefløjen at gå frem i energipolitikken
www.information.dk/debat/2025/1...
www.information.dk/debat/2025/1...
Kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen gør modstanden mod grøn energi til en vindersag
Modstanden fra den populistiske højrefløj fokuserer på vindmølle- og solcelleparker som visuelle forstyrrelser. Men frustrationerne, folk oplever med den vedvarende energisektor, går langt dybere
www.information.dk
December 4, 2025 at 7:39 AM
Sammen med @williamwc.bsky.social har jeg skrevet nogle ord om hvorfor kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen har åbnet for højrefløjen at gå frem i energipolitikken
www.information.dk/debat/2025/1...
www.information.dk/debat/2025/1...
In recent Danish municipal elections, the far-right made big gains by mobilizing voters against renewable energy. Jonas and I argue that this was a winning strategy because the left has mostly ignored problems in the industry like social dumping and mass layoffs.
Sadly relevant far beyond Denmark.
Sadly relevant far beyond Denmark.
Sammen med @jonasalgers.bsky.social har jeg skrevet en artikel om, hvordan venstrefløjens svage forbindelse til arbejderklassen bidrager til højredrejningen i debatten om vedvarende energi.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
Kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen gør modstanden mod grøn energi til en vindersag
Modstanden fra den populistiske højrefløj fokuserer på vindmølle- og solcelleparker som visuelle forstyrrelser. Men frustrationerne, folk oplever med den vedvarende energisektor, går langt dybere
www.information.dk
December 4, 2025 at 7:38 AM
In recent Danish municipal elections, the far-right made big gains by mobilizing voters against renewable energy. Jonas and I argue that this was a winning strategy because the left has mostly ignored problems in the industry like social dumping and mass layoffs.
Sadly relevant far beyond Denmark.
Sadly relevant far beyond Denmark.
Massefyringer i vindenergisektoren og social dumping i solindustrien er begge problemer, som venstrefløjen i stor udstrækning har ignoreret. Som følge heraf ser mange i landdistrikterne grøn energi som et symbol på forringelsen af hårdt tilkæmpede arbejdsforhold.
Hvordan reagerer venstrefløjen nu?
Hvordan reagerer venstrefløjen nu?
Sammen med @jonasalgers.bsky.social har jeg skrevet en artikel om, hvordan venstrefløjens svage forbindelse til arbejderklassen bidrager til højredrejningen i debatten om vedvarende energi.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
Kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen gør modstanden mod grøn energi til en vindersag
Modstanden fra den populistiske højrefløj fokuserer på vindmølle- og solcelleparker som visuelle forstyrrelser. Men frustrationerne, folk oplever med den vedvarende energisektor, går langt dybere
www.information.dk
December 4, 2025 at 7:29 AM
Massefyringer i vindenergisektoren og social dumping i solindustrien er begge problemer, som venstrefløjen i stor udstrækning har ignoreret. Som følge heraf ser mange i landdistrikterne grøn energi som et symbol på forringelsen af hårdt tilkæmpede arbejdsforhold.
Hvordan reagerer venstrefløjen nu?
Hvordan reagerer venstrefløjen nu?
Sammen med @jonasalgers.bsky.social har jeg skrevet en artikel om, hvordan venstrefløjens svage forbindelse til arbejderklassen bidrager til højredrejningen i debatten om vedvarende energi.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
Kløften mellem venstrefløjen og arbejderklassen gør modstanden mod grøn energi til en vindersag
Modstanden fra den populistiske højrefløj fokuserer på vindmølle- og solcelleparker som visuelle forstyrrelser. Men frustrationerne, folk oplever med den vedvarende energisektor, går langt dybere
www.information.dk
December 4, 2025 at 6:27 AM
Sammen med @jonasalgers.bsky.social har jeg skrevet en artikel om, hvordan venstrefløjens svage forbindelse til arbejderklassen bidrager til højredrejningen i debatten om vedvarende energi.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
For at ændre debattens præmisser må venstrefløjen styres mindre af miljø-NGO’er og mere af arbejderklassen.
Can't wait to read this
Joel Wainwright, The End: Marx, Darwin, and the Natural History of the Climate Crisis - @versobooks.bsky.social , November 2025
www.versobooks.com/products/334...
www.versobooks.com/products/334...
The End
In this pathbreaking study, Joel Wainwright shows how deeply Darwin influenced Capital. Marx’s thinking about history and nature changed, generating a distinctive ecological critique of capitalism as ...
www.versobooks.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Can't wait to read this
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
Is construction best left to the capitalist market? No. Let's learn from history and build new non-profit construction companies!
💥 new paper with Maria Wallstam in @housingjournal.bsky.social 💥
💥 new paper with Maria Wallstam in @housingjournal.bsky.social 💥
Building beyond profit: the history and potential future of non-profit construction companies
When housing construction slows down due to diminished profit margins while the actual need for housing increases, people might raise the question: is residential construction best left to the capi...
www.tandfonline.com
November 25, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Is construction best left to the capitalist market? No. Let's learn from history and build new non-profit construction companies!
💥 new paper with Maria Wallstam in @housingjournal.bsky.social 💥
💥 new paper with Maria Wallstam in @housingjournal.bsky.social 💥
Ørsted carries out layoffs of nearly 200 employees in Denmark a few weeks after announcing a massive global firing round.
A clear consequence of betting big on an unstable US market instead of focusing on building offshore wind in Scandinavian waters, where it's very much needed.
A clear consequence of betting big on an unstable US market instead of focusing on building offshore wind in Scandinavian waters, where it's very much needed.
Ørsted har fyret næsten 200 medarbejdere i Danmark
Den danske energiudvikler Ørsted har afskediget 191 danske medarbejdere som led i en større fyringsrunde.
www.sn.dk
November 25, 2025 at 8:26 AM
Ørsted carries out layoffs of nearly 200 employees in Denmark a few weeks after announcing a massive global firing round.
A clear consequence of betting big on an unstable US market instead of focusing on building offshore wind in Scandinavian waters, where it's very much needed.
A clear consequence of betting big on an unstable US market instead of focusing on building offshore wind in Scandinavian waters, where it's very much needed.
A lot of writing on renewable energy depicts the industry as "laborless," suggesting that workers in the industry aren't really central to the politics of the "energy transition."
My new article in @societyandspace.bsky.social shows how mistaken this view is.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
My new article in @societyandspace.bsky.social shows how mistaken this view is.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
November 24, 2025 at 6:49 AM
A lot of writing on renewable energy depicts the industry as "laborless," suggesting that workers in the industry aren't really central to the politics of the "energy transition."
My new article in @societyandspace.bsky.social shows how mistaken this view is.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
My new article in @societyandspace.bsky.social shows how mistaken this view is.
journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
🚨NEWS: I recorded my lectures on Volume 1 in 2023. Imo, I think they're pretty good! (And different from Harvey, etc). It was my 5th time teaching the book, and I think I finally "got" a lot of stuff.
So I put them all on Youtube as a playlist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOFe...
So I put them all on Youtube as a playlist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOFe...
November 19, 2025 at 2:44 PM
🚨NEWS: I recorded my lectures on Volume 1 in 2023. Imo, I think they're pretty good! (And different from Harvey, etc). It was my 5th time teaching the book, and I think I finally "got" a lot of stuff.
So I put them all on Youtube as a playlist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOFe...
So I put them all on Youtube as a playlist: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOFe...
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
Radikale politikere i Information: “Blackstone har gjort en positiv forskel i lejernes liv … trukket huslejerne nedad.”
Begrundelsen? Et studie fra USA, der kun sammenligner kapitalfonde med en hypotetisk situation med flere småudlejere, ikke med det reelle alternativ: flere almene boliger.
Begrundelsen? Et studie fra USA, der kun sammenligner kapitalfonde med en hypotetisk situation med flere småudlejere, ikke med det reelle alternativ: flere almene boliger.
København har brug for en venstrefløj, der vil åbne byen – ikke regulere den ihjel
Skyd ikke skylden på Blackstone. Hvis København skal være et socialt springbræt og ikke et reservat for dem, der allerede er indenfor, må vi tænke nyt om boligmarkedet og slippe reguleringsrefleksen
www.information.dk
November 13, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Radikale politikere i Information: “Blackstone har gjort en positiv forskel i lejernes liv … trukket huslejerne nedad.”
Begrundelsen? Et studie fra USA, der kun sammenligner kapitalfonde med en hypotetisk situation med flere småudlejere, ikke med det reelle alternativ: flere almene boliger.
Begrundelsen? Et studie fra USA, der kun sammenligner kapitalfonde med en hypotetisk situation med flere småudlejere, ikke med det reelle alternativ: flere almene boliger.
Reposted by William Westgard-Cruice
We're hiring an editor in our New York office!
Apply by December 1st, 2025
Apply by December 1st, 2025
Job Openings
US Editor Verso Books is looking for an Editor to join the team in Verso’s New York office. This role will be responsible for acquiring and editing books for the Verso list, which covers a wide range ...
www.versobooks.com
November 12, 2025 at 6:58 PM
We're hiring an editor in our New York office!
Apply by December 1st, 2025
Apply by December 1st, 2025
The myth of the labour aristocracy is a fixation of professional class writers:
"The image of privileged workers protecting their global position seems out of step with daily headlines of skyrocketing wealth flowing to the top and a cost-of-living crisis and economic insecurity for the majority..."
"The image of privileged workers protecting their global position seems out of step with daily headlines of skyrocketing wealth flowing to the top and a cost-of-living crisis and economic insecurity for the majority..."
New from me - a critical review of Malcolm Harris's new book "What's Left." damagemag.com/2025/11/12/w...
Of, By, and For the Left
Malcolm Harris’s new book represents the misguided hope that the scattered parts of what passes for “the Left” today can somehow unite and gain power. What’s missing is any confrontation with the fact...
damagemag.com
November 12, 2025 at 7:21 PM
The myth of the labour aristocracy is a fixation of professional class writers:
"The image of privileged workers protecting their global position seems out of step with daily headlines of skyrocketing wealth flowing to the top and a cost-of-living crisis and economic insecurity for the majority..."
"The image of privileged workers protecting their global position seems out of step with daily headlines of skyrocketing wealth flowing to the top and a cost-of-living crisis and economic insecurity for the majority..."
More bad news from the wind energy sector:
Vestas cuts 900 jobs worldwide, including 190 in Denmark.
Govt. talks about a green transition. Meanwhile, the people who design and build wind turbines lose their jobs by the hundreds.
Hvad er venstrefløjens reaktion? @enhedslisten.bsky.social @sf.dk
Vestas cuts 900 jobs worldwide, including 190 in Denmark.
Govt. talks about a green transition. Meanwhile, the people who design and build wind turbines lose their jobs by the hundreds.
Hvad er venstrefløjens reaktion? @enhedslisten.bsky.social @sf.dk
Vestas cuts 900 jobs globally
The reduction primarily affects 190 office employees in Denmark.
energywatch.com
November 12, 2025 at 3:29 PM
More bad news from the wind energy sector:
Vestas cuts 900 jobs worldwide, including 190 in Denmark.
Govt. talks about a green transition. Meanwhile, the people who design and build wind turbines lose their jobs by the hundreds.
Hvad er venstrefløjens reaktion? @enhedslisten.bsky.social @sf.dk
Vestas cuts 900 jobs worldwide, including 190 in Denmark.
Govt. talks about a green transition. Meanwhile, the people who design and build wind turbines lose their jobs by the hundreds.
Hvad er venstrefløjens reaktion? @enhedslisten.bsky.social @sf.dk
The Scottish Government's plans for offshore wind expansion continue to fall apart as Shell cancels a 3GW floating wind project.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
Shell quits giant floating projects in blow to ScotWind
Oil giant hands back lease for 3GW Campion Wind after swap deal with former partner Iberdrola
www.rechargenews.com
November 12, 2025 at 8:51 AM
The Scottish Government's plans for offshore wind expansion continue to fall apart as Shell cancels a 3GW floating wind project.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.
As @brettchristophers.bsky.social argues, even large-scale renewables development is seldom profitable enough for oil majors.
A public pathway is the only way forward.