Reform are now coming after people with permanent residency. It'll be citizens next. No one is safe from authoritarian governments.

NB for all the (justifiable) criticism of Starmer right now, we also have a Conservative leader who won't criticise even those who think she isn't English or should be deported. Failures of our two main parties to deal with the moment are leaving a huge hole to be exploited.

It is utterly baffling that the UK Government refuses to see that silence and appeasement only embolden the extremists that are actively laying the axe on Britain's democracy, rule of law, and open society. They sense the weakness and will not stop, contrary to what Downing Street hopes.

This is by no means an original take, but with every added day of mayhem, I catch myself trying to recall what it was like when the primary sources of information for societies were not platforms powered by opaque, manipulative algorithms that confront you with extreme content 24/7.

"This has to be Europe's Independence Moment" - channelling her inner Thomas J. Whitmore, Ursula von der Leyen has probably delivered the defining #SOTEU of her Presidency. More combative than ever about Europe's need to stand united, she set out the stall for the rest of her tenure.

Brexit stoked the belief among the UK Right that pursuing a maximalist agenda is a path to victory. The surrender of much of the UK political establishment to Brexit delusions encouraged the UK Far Right to move more quickly to seize control of the Conservatives and impose their agenda on Britain

Whoever writes that "all wars end with negotiations" should be refuted by an decent foreign affairs journal, because it is not true in modern times. 1. World War I ended with revolution in Russia in1917 and Germany in 1918. /1

La Mano Española de Dios 2.0 #ESPGER

Titann-Kathrin Berger #GERESP

For the first time in ages, I have ample time to post and I intend to use that window of opportunity unwisely by jumping on this bandwagon. Go ahead, make your day.

Trump is working on regime change in Europe — fact, not conspiracy theory

Commission will present its proposal for an EU intermediary climate target for 2040. Technology Industries of Finland is supporting a 90 % emissions reduction target. Union can offer global leadership to protect the planet – all while bolstering its own competitiveness, says @toenlaiten.bsky.social

This lovely thread reminds me of my plan to wholly rely on the Tesco Meal Deal (priced at £2.50 back in the magical days of 2011) for lunch to save money in my first year of uni. I had to abandon that plan after two months due to the actual nausea I developed at the mere sight of a Tesco sandwich.

The EU's 2040 climate target will be 90% but softened with flexibilities, with international carbon credits being one of the options discussed, Teresa Ribera told me — while warning against “a big watering down of our 2040 domestic action" through such flexibilities. www.politico.eu/article/euro...

I'm firmly of the view that a ban is the best option: even leaving aside that TikTok is owned and controlled by a hostile authoritarian power, the nature of the platform is such that it fragments the public and rewards misinformation - it's not something that can easily be turned to progresive ends

One really must feel for Harry Kane. Never in his lifetime have Tottenham Hotspur won a major trophy - and then suddenly win a European cup two years after he leaves.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Brexit made the principle that feeling trumps fact policy orthodoxy in Westminster, far beyond the question of UK-EU relations. Once politicians knew they could get away with ignoring difficult tradeoffs and sell comforting fairytales, the game was up.

♥️

If a dozen German MPs decide to ignore the parliamentary majority constellations, the rise of the AfD, the erosion of the transatlantic relationship, a coalition agreement, and an SPD grassroots vote because of their personal dislike of Friedrich Merz, the problem is not Friedrich Merz.

The pillars of the Tory brand used to be fiscal responsibility, respect for institutions, and open trade. That distinguished the party from UKIP in the Cameron era. After Brexit, Boris, and Truss, these pillars have collapsed - and with them, the Tories' arguments against voting for Nigel Farage.

Two posts to summarise the UK political moment from @stephenkb.bsky.social

Aren't we already there? I mean, isn't that what WhatsApp voice notes are all about?

Can't believe no one has told Trump about CBAM yet

It is mindboggling that there are still people in positions of authority who earnestly deny that American democracy is under existential threat. Trump very clearly sees himself as an absolutist ruler whose will is the law and stands above all else. The sooner we accept that, the better.

It has long been a mystery to me how a player may think it a great idea to play a Panenka penalty at a crucial moment in a knockout game. The risk is just so much greater than the reward. If Saka had just blasted it in the middle of the goal, this tie would be over. #RMAARS

To the extent that Trump / Vance have a strategic vision for the US-UK relationship, it is not to strengthen the UK. The vision is to weaken Europe by severing UK from the continent. Trump-Vance true "special relationship" is with Russia. Russia desperately fears UK-EU unity 2/x

2) Trump has had the same impact on economic uncertainty as a global pandemic.

France raises a fascinating hypothetical point: what if the law still exists even if people might get mad at you

I think the Atlantic piece is probably the scoopiest scoop of the last few decades. And it has clarified one thing - other than the total idiocy of sending opsec over group chats - Hegseth and Vance have a genuine animosity towards Europe. Something for us all to ponder.

Surprised to see so many headlines from news outlets suggesting Putin has agreed to a ceasefire. He’s done no such thing. He’s basically said he would do in theory, providing his conditions are met, on his terms. Which is just a variation on what he’s always said.

Dear Europe: You are next on the hit list. Good arguments, preemptive concessions, appeals to friendship, and flattery will not protect you. Discard those fantasies and prepare to hit back hard.

Worth stating simply what’s happening. An American government is launching a full-scope political & economic assault on an ally repelling an ongoing invasion to compel them to terminate martial law, topple their president, hand over minerals to America & accept a ceasefire w/out security guarantees.

People voicing scorn over Friedrich Merz's supposed self-serving u-turn on the debt brake should note that many German observers see this as a sign that the presumptive Chancellor fears that the security situation will further deteriorate starkly and rapidly. That is no cause for schadenfreude.

There we go - Merz has announced that they want to create a special fund for infrastructure in a size of €500bn for the next ten years and exempt all defence spending above 1% of GDP from the debt brake:

If Trump/Vance wanted Russia to win the war, what would they be doing differently?

The UK now has a strategic choice to make: it can stand with Ukraine. In that case, it must stop pretending that Brexit is a political project worth pursuing. In that scenario, maximum realignment with the EU - not even membership, but at least systemic alignment - is without alternative.

Donald Trump aligns with Vladimir Putin because both are cut from the exact same cloth: they are the Al Capone and Andrés Escobar of international politics - mob gangsters who see the world as a place that they can carve up among themselves for their personal enrichment.

Remember: the televised punishment & humiliation meted out to Zelensky just now could be done to any NATO ally facing similar aggression. The sense of sneering hostility & contempt by Trump & Vance isn’t specific to Ukraine.

Dear Volodymyr Zelenskyy, dear Ukrainian friends, you are not alone.

Diversity and green transition are good business, so no point turning back. This is the point of view by Finnish technology industries, which is Finland’s most crucial export industry.

The European conservative response to Trump's abandonment of the transatlantic alliance currently moves on a spectrum that spans from the moral and strategic clarity of Friedrich Merz to... whatever this absurd nonsense by Badenoch is.

This is truly shameful. Even China and Iran abstained. The US has put itself in the company of some of the worst states in the world - Russia, Belarus, North Korea. Hungary showing its true colours as Russia's Trojan horse in the EU as well.

All 299 German constituencies have been counted: BSW received 4.972% of the vote. They are out and there is a majority for a coalition government of Christian democrats and social democrats 🇩🇪 #btw25

Imagine a Tory saying something as principled as this

That space for the UK between the EU and the US is becoming smaller by the day.

Weirdly and notably, there has already been more discussion on foreign and security policy in the post election debate than in any of the pre-election debates.

Fast exakt auf den Tag genau drei Jahre nach der Invasion der Ukraine wählt ein Drittel der Deutschen Parteien, die den imperialistischen Angriffskrieg Russlands belohnen wollen - sei es aus Überzeugung oder Verblendung. Ein trauriger Tag für die deutsche Demokratie. #btw25

The future of German democracy may now hinge on 0.1% of the vote. For, if the Alliance Sahra Wagenknecht (BSW) succeeds in entering the Bundestag, it will force the three democratic blocs (Union, SPD, Greens) into a single, likely fragile coalition - dashing hopes of a stable government in Berlin.

Many progressive Europeans will see this as promising news but the fact is: more than half of Germany's first-time voters voted for pro-Putin parties on the fringes of the political spectrum (Left + AfD + BSW) - that kind of polarisation is no cause for celebration whatsoever.

Trump is helping Putin redraw Europe. Here's why that's even more reason to leave it. Lord Hannan