Nicholas Petre

Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge In my last post about the prospect of Labour breaking its tax pledge, I did something I don’t often do, which is indulge in some ‘I told y...

New post: Labour’s Brexit stance is as untenable as their tax pledge
mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/11/labo...
As public perception and econometric estimates of the damage caused by Brexit rise, Labour's refusal to discuss rejoining the EU's customs union or single market means more self harm.

Ukraine and the United Kingdom: how the EU should address the challenge of enlargement to the east and west This paper contrasts the challenges faced by the United Kingdom and Ukraine as they each try to level with the European Union. It recommends a change of methodology to accelerate Ukraine’s accession and overcome a veto.

"At the other end of the continent from pussy-footing Britain, Ukraine is fighting for its life." epc.eu/publication/...

“The far right can only govern if the centre right cooperates”, @carolinedegruyter.bsky.social says. “Everyone claims the voters shift to the far right but it is a rightward shift of the political parties.”

👏👏👏

I must have been watching a different speech

The European Right-wing anti-migrant politicians and influencers who enthusiastically support Netanyahu are backing an Israeli government whose actions will end up pushing 100s of 000s of forcibly displaced Gaza refugees into the EU

In just the past week or so, Russia has bombed a US factory in Ukraine, bombed an EU office in Ukraine, and jammed the navigation system on a plane carrying the EU president, forcing the pilots to land using paper maps.

Putin does not want peace. He will keep pushing until we fight back.

Very succinct WSJ summary of the staggering migration shock that successive Tory governments inflicted on Britain as they tried to mitigate and hide the economic consequences of the Brexit disaster

Brexit & Dublin Regulation aside, the best way to increase illegal migration pressures into Europe in the long term is climate change denialism, opposition to net zero, a pillar of Reform and other far right parties across Europe.

A day of shame for the UK. A political party proposes mass deportations and the response from other political parties is not to condemn this as going further than even Mosley or the National Front.

But the burbling on this..the DMA etc is thematic and organised, from Vance speech in Munich on. Arguably from the moment the tech bros stood like pets at his inauguration

I would argue the alternative may be far worse. And of course that all these things should be persued in parallel.

“It was a splendid autumn day, the leaves were falling, and as they fell they seemed to say: make haste, time is passing.”

Uncertain times. But it seems likely how to bring Ukraine into EU quickly will feature prominently this autumn.

Christopher Steele suggests that Russia may have the Epstein files.

Haaretz / Liza Rozovsky Source: Netanyahu expected to discuss expansion of Gaza offensive to areas where hostages could be located Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene the security cabinet to discuss an expansion of the war in Gaza, a source involved in the matter told Haaretz on Monday. The source added that the cabinet meeting will also discuss invading areas of the Gaza Strip where the Israeli hostages could be located

Israeli media reports that the cabinet is gearing up to instruct the IDF to occupy all parts of the Gaza Strip.
The implications are a severe escalation of the carnage, starvation, and ethnic cleansing.
UK+EU sanctions should preempt this catastrophe - not respond to it belatedly.

Trump's 25 per cent India tariff is obnoxious and yet another gift to China. He's punishing poorer countries more than richer ones and alienating the global south. Stupidity doesn't cover the damage Trump is doing.

Extraordinary how much of the media is essentially trying to incite rioting now. Not just legitimise or normalise but actively encourage. It is, of course, unlikely to kick off anywhere near them.

UK will recognise Palestinian state in September unless Israel agrees to Gaza ceasefire and other conditions - live updates Starmer says the UK will take the step at a UN meeting unless Israel makes

Making it contingent a ceasefire is bizarre: why would Palestinian statehood be less valid just because Israel wasn’t in the process of killing Palestinians?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd...

Never forget the russian atrocities committed against the people of Mariupol — a beautiful city turned into a graveyard.

A very useful analysis, as always from Steve. It gives a clear and focused explanation of the proposed UK-France deal, including potential legal issues. Very well worth reading.

New research reveals the best attack lines to use against Reform How to stop Farage...

"From 2019-2024, Reform received more than 90% of its funding, £2.3 million, from individuals and companies linked to polluting industries and climate science denial.

"Bringing this information to the attention of voters 'was the only message to significantly reduce willingness to vote for Reform'"

European capabilities and effective deterrence are what matters, not spending targets picked out of the air.

Not that I'm pessimistic, but my tracker for UK-EU reset legal agreements runs out to the end of 2029

Unlikely to see the core elements (SPS, ETS, YES, Electricity) all in place even by next year

PDF with clicky links: bit.ly/UshGraphic141

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Opinion | Elon Musk’s Legacy Is Disease, Starvation and Death

"Brooke Nichols, an associate professor of global health at Boston University, has estimated that these cuts have already resulted in about 300,000 deaths, most of them of children, and will most likely lead to significantly more by the end of the year."

What George doesn't understand is that in the UK, we decided in 2020 that 'governing' was actually a tedious distraction from 'speculating about, and positioning for, the next general election'. It's core to our culture and it is *very* disrespectful to criticise it.

🚨 New publication 🚨 : Happy to share that my paper, "Losing Touch: The Rhetorical Cost of Governing" is now forthcoming at @cpsjournal.bsky.social. Short 🧵 about the paper here 👇 1/10

A lot of energy being directed at getting the monopoly on that 14% of the electorate.

Renew Europe Calls for Investigation into MEP Links to… - Renew Europe Speaking in the European Parliament today, MEP Valérie Hayer, President of the Renew Europe Group , raised serious concerns about actions by Members of…

Parliament's centrist group calls for action to be taken against far right and far left MEPs planning to attend Putin's red square parade. So far, Fico's MEPs, BSW MEPs and a dicey Cypriot influencer MEP may be travelling to lick Putin's boots. www.reneweuropegroup.eu/news/2025-05...

Renaming the EU, Dismantling the Commission: Polish, Hungarian Illiberals Seek U.S. Backing - VSquare.org The Trump administration's most influential think tank, The Heritage Foundation, is receiving proposals from illiberal forces in Poland and Hungary on how to shape the future of the European Union. Th...

two major thinktanks— Hungary’s Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC) and Poland’s Ordo Iuris Institute— are developing a plan to weaken, rename and dismantle EU. They are discussing it with the US Heritage Foundation, and they are laundering the Russian oil vsquare.org/heritage-fou...

How golden ages really start—and end The greatest civilisations of the past 3,000 years were the opposite of MAGA

Of all the progress of the past 10,000 years in raising human living standards, half has occurred since 1990.

www.economist.com/culture/2025...