Concrete Achievements

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  • Links from the week of 7 December 2020

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

  • I’ve not really engaged with the argument about whether diehard remainers were to blame…

    I’ve not really engaged with the argument about whether diehard remainers were to blame for the current U.K. disaster. I wasn’t in the U.K. or paying close attention after July 2016. But generally:

    I think people should argue for what they believe. God knows, Brexiteers did for forty years and now they’re destroying the U.K. like they always wanted to. Never doubt that a small group of committed people… what’s that old line?

    I *particularly* think those who want Britain to be part of a united Europe should argue for what they believe. The referendum was a choice between mild eurosceptic Cameron’s deal and the haters. It’s not surprising the enthusiasm levels were low.

    The blame for bad policy choices lies with the people who pushed those bad policy choices, not the people who might have been better advised tactically to vote against their own beliefs and interests to do their political enemies a favour.

    The corollary to the “inevitable rise of the populists” metanarrative is the “why don’t foolish internationalists compromise their values more?” While the rise of the populists is starting to look happily evitable, the other argument hasn’t gone away… yet.

    I don’t think, as it happens, that those seeking a democratic united Europe are the entrenched elite – but not are we the Rebel Alliance. It’s a group of people seeking a deep and difficult political innovation, one that pushes against a huge number of entrenched power positions

    Including in the European institutions themselves – and I don’t think anyone could confidently describe what the destination looks like. But we certainly won’t get there if we are persuaded that the bad choices of the other side are our responsibility.

  • Links from the week of 30 November 2020

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

  • This is a decent set of ideas on what happens to white collar workers, but of course…

    This is a decent set of ideas on what happens to white collar workers, but of course service and manufacturing workers don’t always have these options. It may be that we’ll finally see the rural/small town revival that remote working promised, but I’m a bit doubtful. twitter.com/chris_herd/sta…

    For example, I could live in Vresse – lovely little town in the Semois valley, cheap housing, lots of space, only 90 minutes from Brussels. Or Namur, historic city only 60 minutes away, easy train ride straight to the office. Why don’t I? Because I like

    my city. Cafes, museums and all that – but also the mix of people and languages. Maybe everyone else will move out, which will be great for my house purchase plans – but I don’t really see it.

  • This is unbelievably stupid.

    This is unbelievably stupid. Rural railway lines are often on narrow formations that could at most be a single-track lane (of which I am told there are many in the countryside). Or you widen it with all the land taking etc needed, in which case why not build a new road. twitter.com/RichardWelling…

    And the point about railways, like roads, is that they are a NETWORK. No individual part is unprofitable or profitable on its own – particularly if you are looking at societal value rather than ignoring externalities.

    I will pay more than a nanosecond’s attention to this sort of rubbish when I see a self-described libertarian saying that “unprofitable” B-roads in Cumbria should be torn up.

  • Links from the week of 23 November 2020

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

  • “Without a crystal ball”, says @rtbf’s political reporter on Matin Première, “I predict a…

    “Without a crystal ball”, says @rtbf’s political reporter on Matin Première, “I predict a Brexit deal in the coming hours.” Seems a bit optimistic to me ..

    “Brexit has never been logical, the British chose it with their gut not their head. But we expect a bit of famous British pragmatism.” Again, optimistic…

    And following that, they’re playing Claire Laffut’s « Mojo (t’en vas pas) » and I will not lie, it sounds like she’s singing “Bojo”. youtu.be/1n_VzsVeOhQ

    It reminded me that in one of the countries most affected by Brexit, this is the first mainstream news report I’ve heard about it in months.

  • Links from the week of 16 November 2020

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

  • Links from the week of 9 November 2020

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

  • All Europeans now know that DeKalb County exists, AND that it’s pronounced de-cab, so why…

    All Europeans now know that DeKalb County exists, AND that it’s pronounced de-cab, so why don’t they know as much about European politics as they do about American? Because we have a better electoral system.

    Of course, the US is big, and important, and the elections are huge news events – BUT part of the problem with American elections is that first past the post (winner takes all) elections create lots of narrow finishes and high drama – at the cost of millions of wasted votes.

    The reason that we know about @ItsInDeKalb is that the US electoral system makes swing counties in swing states hugely important. I guarantee that you will never hear @TehamaCountyED get the same focus – because it’s in California.

    But in the same way you will never hear about Łomża county (pronounced WOM-zha) holding the balance of power in the European Parliament – because it never will. Proportional representation means that a few votes in Łomża don’t turn the scale more than a few votes in Warsaw.

    That’s bad for the tourism service of @umlomza, but good for European governance, and for European voters. Quick, proportional elections mean votes count more equally. They make for good politics, but bad political theatre (and no days of sitting in front of Euronews).