Concrete Achievements

Author: Anthony Zacharzewski

  • The new leader, who recently emerged from a power struggle within the ruling party, has…

    The new leader, who recently emerged from a power struggle within the ruling party, has threatened to suspend the national assembly, using historic rights vested in a traditional tribal leader, if it continues to oppose his plans for radical economic transformation.

    The move seems certain to exacerbate tensions with the separatist movement in the restive northern region of the country, but the divided opposition movement is unlikely to be able to mount significant resistance.

    European leaders have expressed concern at the latest developments, but the White House, seeing an easy target for trade talks, has been more welcoming. #brexitfromtheforeigndesk

  • Where to start with this idiocy?

    Where to start with this idiocy?
    1. The EU has taken Ireland’s side from day one and their unity has been impressive
    2. The Irish public are overwhelmingly behind the common position
    3. A hard border would be the consequence of the UK’s failure to uphold GFA twitter.com/JohnRentoul/st…

    4. The border would exist because of a campaign led by Johnson that lied about or ignored consequences for Ireland and UK
    5. Johnson could, today, abandon UK’s discretionary red lines and end the prospect of a hard border, but chooses not to

    6.The WA removes the prospect of a hard border but UK negotiated it then refused to sign it, in a campaign led by Johnson and Davis
    7. Ireland has no duty to save the UK from the consequences of its bad policies, and understandably low trust in its promises (see 6)

    8. After a no-deal, the ending of a hard border (and money and citizens rights) would be the opening demands before any negotiation on an FTA starts, so a hard border won’t be forever

    9. Even if, implausibly, the UK still refused to nego;tiate, a unification referendum and/or state collapse in the UK would take away a hard border by other means.

  • This is point-missing. The chlorine in the chicken is less important than the poor…

    This is point-missing. The chlorine in the chicken is less important than the poor hygiene for which chlorine-washing is an inadequate solution. The geostrategic issue is also the US desire to attach the UK to their regulatory system rather than the EU’s. twitter.com/BBradley_Mans/…

    There isn’t any sovereignty in Brexit beyond “choose the US low-regulation high-carbon model, with less trade, or the EU high-regulation low-carbon model, with more trade”. The UK’s post-Brexit sovereignty will be entirely “pick your master”.

    Plenty of the British right have a teen crush on some imagined American deregulatory paradise (to which I say, try shipping vegetables across state lines). Their fragile alliance with nativist authoritarians won’t last long, but might last long enough to sign on to the US system.

  • Links from the week of 12 August 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 29 July 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 22 July 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • #NouvellePhotoDeProfil

    #NouvellePhotoDeProfil

    Better than a giant floating head.

    And thanks for the pic @MarianCramers

  • Links from the week of 24 June 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 3 June 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Links from the week of 27 May 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.