Breffni Michael O’Connor
@breffnioc.bsky.social
📤 123
📥 326
📝 105
Book evangelist. Head of marketing at politybooks.com. Cultivating my own garden. Specifically veg.
Trump administration unleashes torrent of untruths after woman shot dead by ICE
loading . . .
Trump administration unleashes torrent of untruths after woman shot dead by ICE
Victim-blaming began almost as soon as Renee Nicole Good was killed – we examine the claims and the reality
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/09/white-house-minneapolis-ice-killing?CMP=share_btn_url
about 15 hours ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
No, private schools aren’t victims of ‘reverse discrimination’ – and Cambridge should know better | Lee Elliot Major
Trinity Hall’s plan to target elite schools sends the message that privilege equals talent, when the reality is that poorer students are already on the back foot, says professor of social mobility at ...
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/10/private-schools-reverse-discrimination-cambridge-university-trinity-hall?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZnRzaAPPcQhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe2eL7zRXUi46rDDukQmwrNXw3hGwoE5HqiWFf4XU7kACo5exHTBZK9rp46M0_aem_aDe3YXQv6PEkdkpx6IzaTA#Echobox=1768038653
about 16 hours ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
The Guardian
1 day ago
Trump’s territorial ambition: new imperialism or a case of the emperor’s new clothes?
loading . . .
Trump’s territorial ambition: new imperialism or a case of the emperor’s new clothes?
Trump’s attack on Venezuela suggests expansionism is under way but some argue it is simply standard US foreign policy stripped of hypocrisy
https://www.theguardian.com/news/ng-interactive/2026/jan/10/trump-territorial-ambition-imperialism?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1768025784
25
93
51
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
The Guardian
3 days ago
Don’t dignify Trump with talk of a ‘new world order’ – there’s nothing new or ordered about this chaos | Aditya Chakrabortty
loading . . .
Don’t dignify Trump with talk of a ‘new world order’ – there’s nothing new or ordered about this chaos | Aditya Chakrabortty
The US president’s grotesque theatrics on the world stage are an opportunistic distraction from his falling domestic ratings, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/08/trump-new-world-order-chaos-falling-ratings?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1767853590
25
327
111
There goes the ‘special relationship’. Colonialism 2.0
loading . . .
US discussing options to acquire Greenland, including use of military - White House
It came as European allies rallied behind Denmark, which is pushing back against Trump's ambitions for the Arctic island.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyg1jg8xkmo
4 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
The Guardian
7 days ago
Trump’s focus on Venezuelan oil reinforces claim action was never about ‘war on drugs’
loading . . .
Trump’s focus on Venezuelan oil reinforces claim action was never about ‘war on drugs’
US president claims US will take back ‘stolen’ oil, but experts say no legal claim to natural reserves exists
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/04/trump-new-focus-venezuelan-oil-war-on-drugs?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1767539165
38
457
138
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Andrea Capussela
20 days ago
Delighted and grateful that the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute included my book in its 2025 must reads
gdi.ch/en/publicati...
0
0
1
“The reality is that America is in breach of the United Nations charter,” he added. “It has committed the crime of aggression, which the court at Nuremberg described as the worst crime of all.”
loading . . .
Is there any legal justification for the US attack on Venezuela?
International law experts expect Washington to claim self-defence and face little serious pushback
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/03/is-there-any-legal-justification-for-the-us-attack-on-venezuela-trump-maduro
7 days ago
0
1
1
‘Like Mark Antony minus the toga and brains, he struts and preens, cries havoc! and lets slip the dogs of war. ‘
loading . . .
Today an illegal coup in Venezuela, but where next? Donald Trump talks peace but he is a man of war | Simon Tisdall
The world will be anxious, and rightly so. For a man so bent on a peace prize, Trump appears to revel in conflict, writes Simon Tisdall
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jan/03/illegal-coup-venezuela-donald-trump-peace-war?CMP=share_btn_url
8 days ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
I ran 1,000km to test the best running watches in the UK – here are my favourites
We ran more than 1,000km to test top-rated GPS fitness watches including Apple, Garmin and the best for beginners
https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2025/dec/28/best-running-watches-tested-uk
12 days ago
0
0
0
So grateful for the
#NHS
. Appointment, diagnosis, treatment all in one day. No charge.
13 days ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
Israel approves 19 new Jewish settlements in occupied West Bank
Decision takes the total number of new settlements to 69 in past few years as construction binge continues
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/21/israel-approves-new-jewish-settlements-occupied-west-bank
20 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
The Guardian
21 days ago
Manchester Museum seeks help to uncover hidden histories of African collection
loading . . .
Manchester Museum seeks help to uncover hidden histories of African collection
New Africa Hub confronts colonial-era silences by asking visitors to share insights on 40,000 objects
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/dec/21/manchester-museum-uncover-hidden-histories-africa-hub?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1766343920
4
37
10
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Lit Hub
23 days ago
From the Booker to the Giller, the Kirkus to the Edgar, these books took home 2025’s biggest prizes in fiction.
loading . . .
Here Are All the Award-Winning Novels of 2025!
Percival Everett won the Pulitzer and Rabih Alameddine took home the National Book Award, but who else added a shiny new trophy to their mantle this year? From the Booker to the Giller, the Kirkus …
https://buff.ly/rWhpf6x
0
19
4
loading . . .
I’m on hunger strike in a British prison. This is why | Amu Gib
Our demands are simple – and they start with stopping the flow of arms to Israel, says activist Amu Gib
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/19/hunger-strike-british-prison-arms-to-israel
22 days ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Quakers in Britain
25 days ago
Quakers in Britain hold all those affected by the horrifying antisemitic attack in Sydney in the Light.
loading . . .
Quakers express shock, condemnation and deep grief at antisemitic violence in Sydney
Quakers in Britain hold all those affected by the horrifying antisemitic attack in Sydney in the Light.
https://www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-events/news/quakers-express-shock-condemnation-and-deep-grief-at-antisemitic-violence-in-sydney
0
21
8
loading . . .
Bondi beach shooting live updates: Australia's PM condemns act of ‘evil antisemitism’ as death toll from attack at Jewish festival rises to 12; event declared terror incident
Further 29 people are in hospital, after attack on world-famous Sydney beach where a Hanukah event was taking place
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2025/dec/14/nsw-police-responding-to-reports-of-shooting-at-sydneys-bondi-beach-follow-latest
28 days ago
0
1
0
loading . . .
Bondi Beach: Twelve killed in shooting targeting Australia’s Jewish community
A Hanukkah event with over 1,000 attendees was taking place on the beach at the time of the shooting - 29 people have been taken to hospital.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/ckgk391yzm7t
28 days ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Andrea Capussela
about 1 month ago
Podcast on my
@politybooks.bsky.social
book, in St Andrews splendid
@rbpodcast.bsky.social
series. I discuss the links between classical liberty and P. Aghion's Schumpeterian theory, and pick from M. Wolf's and
@brankomilan.bsky.social
's reform programmes
www.intellectualhistory.net/roots-and-br...
0
4
3
loading . . .
New Israeli barrier will slice through precious West Bank farmland
Palestinians who have worked the ‘breadbasket’ area for generations face being replaced by Israeli settlers
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/13/new-israeli-barrier-slice-through-precious-west-bank-farmland
29 days ago
0
1
0
Come with me to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s house. The Brexiters are rattled – and it shows | Polly Toynbee
loading . . .
Come with me to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s house. The Brexiters are rattled – and it shows | Polly Toynbee
Labour and the country have reached a historic inflection point. For all the talk of Brexit ‘benefits’, the anti-EU ideologues know the tide has turned, says Guardian columnist Polly Toynbee
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/09/jacob-rees-mogg-house-brexiters-labour-brexit-benefits?CMP=share_btn_url
about 1 month ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
Trump crowns himself world king… but kindly lets Russia and China rule their fiefdoms | The Observer
https://observer.co.uk/news/international/article/trump-crowns-himself-world-king-but-kindly-lets-russia-and-china-rule-their-fiefdoms
about 1 month ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Tim Bale
about 2 months ago
SURPRISE!
loading . . .
Boris Johnson took four days off as NHS warned Covid could ‘overwhelm’ system
Files show then PM was walking dog, riding motorbike and hosting guests as pandemic planning stalled in ‘lost month’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/nov/22/boris-johnson-took-four-days-off-as-nhs-warned-covid-could-overwhelm-system
20
322
125
loading . . .
Zygmunt Bauman’s Century
Polish-British sociologist Zygmunt Bauman was born 100 years ago today. He is best known as the theorist of “liquid modernity,” in which social bonds decline in favor of an atomized individualism.
https://jacobin.com/2025/11/zygmunt-bauman-liquid-modernity-theory
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
Spain has too rosy a view of Franco’s regime. Let’s remind ourselves of its horrors | Giles Tremlett
Little is taught about the murderous, incompetent dictatorship – and now almost one in five young people say Franco was good for the country, says historian Giles Tremlett
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/nov/21/spain-rosy-view-franco-regime-horrors
about 2 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Ulrich Brand
2 months ago
I am pleased to announce the book Capitalism at the Limit. A Political Ecology of a World in Crisis by Markus Wissen and myself has been published with
@politybooks.bsky.social
. 🙏🏾 order copies for libraries, review the book, use it in teaching, and disseminate.
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
0
18
9
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity
2 months ago
Intimacy can be joyous, but also confusing and socially constrained. The Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Relationships by Luke Brunning & Natasha McKeever reveals how philosophy can deepen our understanding of how we date, love, have sex, and form relationships.
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
0
0
1
loading . . .
Inside China’s Zambian copper mine disaster
It's being called an environmental catastrophe - that's been followed by an alleged government and industry coverup.
https://www.channel4.com/news/inside-chinas-zambian-copper-mine-disaster
2 months ago
0
1
0
BBC ‘100% fake news’, says Donald Trump’s press secretary
loading . . .
BBC ‘100% fake news’, says Donald Trump’s press secretary
Comments by Karoline Leavitt follow allegations that Panorama documentary misled viewers with its editing of a Trump speech
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/nov/08/bbc-100-fake-news-says-donald-trumps-press-secretary?CMP=share_btn_url
2 months ago
0
1
0
loading . . .
Sudan war: Reports of mass killings in el-Fasher in Darfur have echoes of country's dark past - BBC News
Some are warning of a genocide unfolding in Darfur - violence that is linked to killings there 20 years ago.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20pezegv1zo.amp
2 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity
2 months ago
“A marvel of narrative art … it’s the very best book I’ve read in quite a while.” Sara Dowse (
@saradowse.bsky.social
) reviews 'Marseille 1940' by Uwe Wittstock (
@uwewittstock.bsky.social
) for
@insidestory.bsky.social
insidestory.org.au/perilous-ref...
loading . . .
Perilous refuge • Sara Dowse
Uwe Wittstock’s Marseille 1940 is a marvel of narrative art
https://insidestory.org.au/perilous-refuge/
0
3
3
loading . . .
Human remains from University of Glasgow to be returned to South Africa
The remains of six people will be repatriated from The Hunterian in Glasgow to South Africa, having been exhumed and taken to Scotland in the 19th…
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/25541538.hunterian-glasgow-return-remains-south-africa/?utm_medium=Social
3 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Luke Brunning
3 months ago
Coming soon! In one month my new textbook with
@nmckeever3.bsky.social
will be published by
@politybooks.bsky.social
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
loading . . .
The Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Relationships
The Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Relationships, Engagingly written, and rich with real-world examples, The Philosophy of Love, Sex, and Relationships is a crucial resource for students, researchers, a...
https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=the-philosophy-of-love-sex-and-relationships--9781509551491
0
15
7
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity
3 months ago
Many people think they know what fairies are. Francis Young's book demonstrates that the truth about belief in fairies is far stranger than clichéd images of wings and wands. Get 25% off
@drfrancisyoung.bsky.social
's 'Fairies: A History' from Waterstones. Details ⬇️
waterstones.com/book/fairies...
0
2
3
share.google/BVUVWYe5MQ5J...
loading . . .
Spain-Africa: Madrid's radically different approach to African migration
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government is kicking against the prevailing mood among Western nations.
https://share.google/BVUVWYe5MQ5JAkEOI
3 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Good Law Project
3 months ago
"Are we going to abandon people whenever the rightwing press demands it?"
loading . . .
6
187
68
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Rachel Maddow
3 months ago
“With your patient and rigorous work, you can act as a barrier against those who, through the ancient art of lying, seek to create divisions in order to rule by dividing,” he said. “You can be a bulwark of civility against the quicksand of approximation and post-truth...”
apnews.com/article/pope...
loading . . .
Pope urges news agencies to stand as bulwark against lies, manipulation and post-truths
Pope Leo XIV has encouraged international news agencies to stand firm as a bulwark against the “ancient art of lying” and manipulation.
https://apnews.com/article/pope-free-press-media-journalists-c826e0567122d6fa7c094850787c1a39
634
20391
7251
What’s this called again?
loading . . .
FBI fires agents who kneeled during 2020 racial justice protest
Agents kneeled in Washington DC during protests following the murder of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/27/fbi-fires-agents-kneeling-2020-racial-justice-protest?CMP=fb_gu
4 months ago
0
1
0
loading . . .
Ex-Reform UK Wales leader Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges
Nathan Gill admits eight charges of bribery while being a Member of the European Parliament.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj6xwy015ngo
4 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Dan Hicks
4 months ago
✨ look what just arrived from
@politybooks.bsky.social
— fabulous translation of my dear colleague Bénédicte Savoy’s latest book Who Owns Beauty
0
18
3
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Andrea Capussela
4 months ago
'instead of a class-based society of the old capitalism, we now have an elite-ruled society',
@brankomilan.bsky.social
says. Here I argue that we must constrain the power of that elite, to enhance liberty (republican theory) and growth (Schumpeterian theory):
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
add a skeleton here at some point
0
1
2
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Adam Kadlac
4 months ago
It is UK publication day for "The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life" (from
@politybooks.bsky.social
). I guess it's a strange time for a book about Disney to arrive in the world, but this project means a lot to me, and I'm really proud of it.
www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Ma...
loading . . .
The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life: A Philosopher Visits Disney World
What truths and life lessons can we take away from a seemingly trivial theme park in Orlando, Florida? <br /><br />Father and philosopher Adam Kadlac reflects on his own visits to Walt Disney World, a...
https://www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Magic+Kingdom+and+the+Meaning+of+Life%3A+A+Philosopher+Visits+Disney+World-p-9781509567423
4
7
7
loading . . .
‘No one listens to us’: the working-class despair fuellin...
Under the racist chants at last week’s rally lies a deep sense of political betrayal
https://observer.co.uk/news/columnists/article/no-one-listens-to-us-the-working-class-despair-fuelling-the-rise-of-the-far-right
4 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Stuart Elden
4 months ago
Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux, African Philosophies, trans. Matthew B. Smith -
@politybooks.bsky.social
, June 2025
www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?b...
loading . . .
African Philosophies
African Philosophies, In this important book Séverine Kodjo-Grandvaux argues that a serious engagement with African philosophy is long overdue. She shows that there is a rich tradition of philosophic...
https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=african-philosophies--9781509558445
0
8
2
Turning to Disney in a World of Trouble
www.politybooks.com/blog-detail/...
loading . . .
https://www.politybooks.com/blog-detail/turning-to-disney-in-a-world-of-trouble
4 months ago
0
1
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity
4 months ago
“Exemplary philosophy...The profession needs exactly the sort of discussion to which this terrific book contributes.” Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews review 'Seeing Double' by Raymond Geuss
ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/seei...
loading . . .
Seeing Double
While on paper an obvious insider, Raymond Geuss has for decades been criticizing contemporary philosophy as though he were an outsider, viewing it as a...
https://ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/seeing-double/
0
3
1
loading . . .
Opinion | Academic Publishing Has Become a Racket
Scientists write and review papers without getting paid, and their institutions have to pay for access.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/academic-publishing-has-become-a-racket-6af215df?reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
4 months ago
0
0
0
loading . . .
Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, UN commission of inquiry says
The panel finds that four of the five genocidal acts defined under international law have been carried out against Palestinians during the war.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c8641wv0n4go
4 months ago
0
0
0
reposted by
Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity
4 months ago
“a taut and much-needed introduction to the British philosopher-statesman that should be a starting point for any student in their initiation into Burke studies.” Ross Carroll's 'Edmund Burke' reviewed in The Review of Politics See more:
www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
loading . . .
Ross Carroll: Edmund Burke and the Varieties of Misrule. (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2024. Pp. x, 226.) | The Review of Politics | Cambridge Core
Ross Carroll: Edmund Burke and the Varieties of Misrule. (Cambridge, UK: Polity Press, 2024. Pp. x, 226.)
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/review-of-politics/article/ross-carroll-edmund-burke-and-the-varieties-of-misrule-cambridge-uk-polity-press-2024-pp-x-226/7E73B725240663FC5B3FE60CB70A673B
0
2
1
loading . . .
Prepare for revolution now, Elon Musk tells London rally ...
US tech billionaire calls for downfall of Labour government in speech to 110,000 marchers at Robinson’s Unite the Kingdom protest
https://observer.co.uk/news/national/article/prepare-for-revolution-now-elon-musk-tells-london-rally-as-police-come-under-attack
4 months ago
0
0
0
Load more
feeds!
log in