National government in the casino?

This commentary engages with Andy Pike’s recent book, Financialization and Local Statecraft. In it, we raise questions about the role of localism in the UK, the status of taxation and monetary policy, and the crisis of governance that stems from the fiscal landscape Pike lays out in his book. Finally, we close by addressing a question that guides Pike’s own work: “Is it national rather than local government that has taken the local public service gamble?”