"It takes cocksure Americans to spout such idiocy." this is extraordinarily strong language but unfortunately wholly appropriate for these extraordinary times

@glandsbergis.bsky.social “We know we are at a standstill. Our friends and our enemies know it too. Therefore, no one should expect the pressure on Europe to lessen until we understand that respect is earned, not begged for.” #trudat, this is an Ai Weiwei moment i.e. 🖕

this is a valuable analysis of the #Merz #Macron dynamic, with implications for how the #EPP will win and exercise majorities in the #EP and Council, “The question for Macron is whether it is smart to impose political losses on Merz on two big issues.”

A fantastic piece by @lemonde.fr on the #Macron #Meloni relationship

when #geopolitics gets in the way of letting the cat in

"Europe needs what only the [@ec.europa.eu] commission can provide: the capacity to articulate and defend a common European interest that transcends the competing imperatives of 27 national governments." ✊

"We need to continue with at least the same pace [of #simplification] ... we know that actually there is a strong demand for this, including from member states ... There are also strong expectations from industry, from the business side, so certainly we will continue to work.” 🤦

"In a screeching U-turn after five years of high-intensity regulating, the @ec.europa.eu is rewriting its own rules at a blistering pace under pressure from #EU leaders [e.g. #Merz & #Macron] who fear the bloc’s economic woes won’t abate without unshackling businesses." a valuable read

We are deeply concerned by the potential reopening of the #PPWR as part of the upcoming Omnibus. That's why we signed a joint call to @steph-sejourne.bsky.social and @jessikaroswall.ec.europa.eu to protect the integrity of the PPWR! The joint statement 👇 rethinkplasticalliance.eu/news/rethink...

"The leaders of Europe’s center-left and liberal groups [@reneweurope.bsky.social & @socialistsanddemocrats.eu] say the @eppgroup.bsky.social has gone too far in working with the #farright. They also say there’s nothing they can do about it." that is a pretty damning admission 🤦

"This [inquiry] comes despite his own group, the European People's Party [@eppgroup.bsky.social], having in the past voted down measures to shed light on how big industry influences MEPs." = gross #hypocrisy

fantastic piece last night on #publictransport & public representatives failure to commit to even trying it, also serves as a scary indictment of #Ireland's commitment to meaningfully tackling #climatechange - @sadhbhoneill.bsky.social

"If #civilsociety is truly a “pillar of #democracy”, as the strategy claims, the #EU must prove it with multi-annual, independent, politically protected funding. This is not charity. It is a democratic infrastructure." ✊

"... why does Europe seem so powerless? The deficits that are most often pointed to are military and financial ... The bigger problems are structural, political and even psychological ... it [🇪🇺] is incapable of acting quickly and ruthlessly like the European great powers of the past ..." that's good

"In none of the nine countries surveyed did a majority of voters believe their national government was representing their views well ... [but they] backed action to protect #democracy, especially laws and enforcement to combat corruption, protecting the independence of the courts ..." #civilsociety

"We’re looking at four more years of #deregulation [#simplification 💩]. They have accepted that rolling back much of the green deal is their mandate, and when you’re holding a hammer, everything looks like a nail” #Weber #EPP

"The #Parisagreement would be impossible to negotiate today, because of #Trump. It was always going to be more of a diplomatic triumph than a scientific victory. It has made a difference, but it is not yet nearly enough." time for aggressive #politics to match the environmental & human need

“What does Europe look like when independent #civilsociety — the organisations that exist to protect the public interest — is silenced, sidelined or slowly starved out of existence?” really important piece

young people take #politics to the left

Understanding the tensions and dynamics of domestic #China 🇨🇳 #politics is as important and consequential as those of the #US 🇺🇸

The health and longevity of the German 🇩🇪 coalition, the GroKo, impacts all #EU politics, and the influence of the #farright

The end of a #EUGreenDeal era, #Timmermans retires ... and the #Netherlands 🇳🇱 looks like it is moving leftwards (even if the next government ends up being centrist 🙌 #welcomeback

there is a lot 💩 in our water 💧, "The @ec.europa.eu has based its findings on an evaluation of scientific studies that found that the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries are responsible for 66 percent and 26 percent, respectively, of toxicity in urban wastewater." and they don't agree 🤔

brilliant piece by the @eurcorrespond.bsky.social on the cost of #climatechange elaine.mayoris.com/go/wco5p8q4c...

A report going in the opposite direction of #politics - #planetarycrisis @worldresources.bsky.social

Offshore renewable energy is having a rough time, "This has predominately driven by rising costs, but also an overarching political climate where the fight against #climatechange and the drive for decarbonisation and energy transition has somewhat slowed down ... ” Oct. 22 #dublinoceandinner

it will happen, but before then there will be an exciting & very topical #dublinoceandinner at the end of January

indeed, ending or withdrawing is very rare, but getting locked into a sort of path dependency with follow up grants with non-performing projects is all too common

of course the other funder behaviour is failure to exit from non-performing projects i.e. eyes closed, fingers crossed keep funding and hope it delivers despite all evidence

#China 🇨🇳 extraordinary growth in renewable #energy infrastructure is having global impact … come learn how that is affecting 🇮🇪 offshore renewable energy build-out #dublinoceandinner Oct. 22

“Responsible exits warrant research attention …”, very valuable, there have been way to many poor exits, and ill advised entrances

Oct. 22 the next #dublinoceandinner on the contentious issue of #ORE, offshore renewable #energy, it is going to be a good one, you won't want to miss it

Like #WTF, flying to #Antarctica for a jolly while prepping for #nuclear armageddon: we get what we deserve

“The race is on to bring forward these positive #tippingpoints to avoid what we are now sure will be the unmanageable consequences of further tipping points in the Earth system” - #planetaryemergency

"While the environmental lobby’s influence plummeted after the 2024 election, von der Leyen still needs them to pass some legislation. Also, the big protests and political stunts they organize with their wide activist network get noticed." good to know, & tests "#politics is the art of the possible"

Austria's 🇦🇹 unbearable #neutrality, is as untenable as Ireland's 🇮🇪

"Europe [the #EU] is different. It has fewer extremely rich people and more of its wealth is managed with greater caution and conservatism. Its social model and cultural history is simply less conducive to recklessness." provocative stuff here i.e. what is the need for #competitiveness with 🇨🇳 & 🇺🇸

"But executives from 28 of the biggest companies in Europe are demanding more, amid a sense of urgency, including from the likes of Airbus, Carlsberg, Danfoss, Kongsberg, Maersk, Novo Nordisk, Saab, SAP, Siemens, Thales and ThyssenKrupp."

You are very welcome, and what a beautiful thing to kick 🦵 start: #dance 🕺🏼 and #film

@eurcorrespond.bsky.social this is brilliant journalism - stick this is your #rightwing #naturerestoration backlash

rising #insurance costs & premiums: a canary in the coal mine for the need for transformative #climatechange adaptation

"Like dressing or traveling, #reading is ultimately an aspirational activity." love ❤️ this

"Western policymakers expect innovation from research labs and universities, but in China 🇨🇳 "tech innovation emerges from the factory floor, when a product is scaled up into mass production," he writes, a consequence of "learning by doing."" very valuable analysis

@vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu is looking weak ahead of the #SOTEU, this further weakens the @eppgroup.bsky.social and highlights the tensions within the strongest political block in the 🇪🇺, making their agenda a little shaky #competitiveness #simplification (#deregulation)

thank you @thejuicemedia.com for your contribution

“by sapping the vitality of social bonds and fueling deindustrialization, which has fragmented union and working-class solidarity, #neoliberalism has sown the seeds of nihilism” powerful critique

"This approach doesn’t just weaken #climate ambition. It entrenches global inequality and undermines the rights of countries to develop." ❤️ this ... #Ireland 🇮🇪 can do better, we have no time for cynical manipulation

I have a new column out today in The Irish Times: “Why ‘No Additional Warming’ Is a Dangerous Climate Loophole.” www.irishtimes.com/environment/...

"ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are detrimental, regardless of calorie intake ... accounting for over 50% of total energy intake in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the USA" 🤦

"People paint #flowers 💐 around shrapnel holes in their fences and decorate mines (hopefully defused) because they need to. It’s their way of saying ‘fuck you’ 🖕 to the #war." ✊🇺🇦