Mike Walker

and then be in a place through a shared sense of common humanity that we can tackle the global and planetary crises e.g. #climatechange #nuclear #war

and it is only in this context that we will be able to challenge the dominance mindset of #geopolitics

If so, then we will shift to a more magnanimous and positive context only when we grapple with #inequality

do you believe those who have less give more?

A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans ...

A sober and important read about the value of #foresight, imaging that the worst can happen ... and listen to your friends, seriously - #war #ukraine ✊ www.theguardian.com/world/ng-int...

"#Civilsociety coalitions and institutional investors faced opponents with larger budgets and stronger political backing. Investor inaction and NGO limitations become more understandable in this context: The imbalance was structural, not incidental." #omnibus

sounds a bit weird alright

"If #Orbán is brought back into power in April, a choice will have to be made: #Hungary or #Ukraine. The Union risks imploding." yikes 😬

just as, "Power in the sense of having instruments of coercion is not the same as power in the sense of successfully securing one’s interests. The latter requires a willingness to make use of the former ..." so too #civilsociety needs to indemnify its leverage in this new #geopolitical dynamic

definitely @schorstmeyer.bsky.social & @katieocean.bsky.social, we are even having a joint Berlin & Dublin Ocean Dinner in April

when?

@vickycann.bsky.social "But it is increasingly clear that the planned — and much-needed — robust revision of EU chemicals rules is being derailed by corporate interests." 🤬

They will likely find themselves facing a #Europe that has outgrown its overwhelming dependence on the #UnitedStates."

La otra América que apuesta por el "momento Europa" ¡Buenos días!

@daliborrohac.bsky.social "it is perfectly plausible that American politicians in the 2050s or later will still be grappling with the fallout from #Trump’s megalomaniacal and utterly futile mistreatment of American allies ... open.substack.com/pub/lamatina...

"The continent’s old growth model, built on external demand, no longer works in this new world. And the question #EU leaders should be asking is whether they have a plan that matches the scale of this shift." spoiler: they don't & that is #civilsociety's opportunity

❤️ it (not the petrochemical industry, posts)

Scramble to rescue European industry pits Germany against France, again | Euractiv Leaders are still deeply split over how much regulation to slash, and where to spend subsidies

Rivalries within the #EU namely between #Merz & #Macron, not only stall action, they are creating the political space for #VDL and the @ec.europa.eu to manoeuvre greater influence - #EUCO www.euractiv.com/news/scrambl...

82% of young people in #Europe 🇪🇺 have favourable opinion of #China 🇨🇳, do you believe it? cpc.people.com.cn/n1/2026/0206...

Germany’s “China Shock” Revisited Over the past year, German political leaders, central bankers, business associations, and unions have begun talking openly about the risks of a “China shock.” The rhetoric, however, has not been match...

"#Germany 🇩🇪 is losing roughly 10,000 manufacturing jobs per month." the schism in the Germany #China 🇨🇳 economic relationship is a major driver of the #competitiveness & #simplification drive in #Brussels rhg.com/research/ger...

The crisis whisperer: how Adam Tooze makes sense of our bewildering age The long read: Whether it’s the financial crash, the climate emergency or the breakdown of the international order, historian Adam Tooze has become the go-to guide to the radical new world we’ve enter...

an absolute #mustread on the insightful @adamtooze.bsky.social "many of the same countries that chose 80 years ago to ally with the Soviet Union to fight Germany will have to decide whether and on what terms they want to work with an economically dominant China on the #climate problem"

"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.”

The rivalry between France and Italy, as seen by Meloni NEWS ANALYSIS. The Italian prime minister uses France's current difficulties in her speeches to highlight the successes of her own policies, positioning herself as a model for a segment of France's fa...

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

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! We are deeply… | Rethink Plastic Alliance 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! We are deeply concerned by the potential reopening of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation ...

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 🤦