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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 14h

Simply the cost, no?

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 15h

For the removal of all doubt

David Henig @davidheniguk.bsky.social · 1d

Between 2019 and 2024 in real terms EU exports grew by 11%.

UK exports also grew. By 0.89%.

That's the total. Goods exports were lower in real terms in 2024 than in 2014.

Centre for European Reform @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social · 1d

@antonspisak.bsky.social of the @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social, a think-tank, observes that, after Brexit took effect at the end of 2020, Britain’s goods exports have grown less than those of any other economy in the G7 club of rich countries.

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 15h

Terrific, uplifting read! Sad to learn of the demise of Dick's Tea Bar, tho. I misspent a great many evenings there during a season about ahem four and a half decades ago

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Reposted by Jon Henley

Juno Rylee Schultz @junoryleejournalism.com · 2d

David Simon, creator of ‘The Wire’, being interviewed by Ari Shapiro (NPR)

SHAPIRO: OK, so you've spent your career creating television without Al, and I could imagine today you thinking, boy, I wish I had had that tool to solve those thorny problems...
SIMON: What?
SHAPIRO: ...Or saying...
SIMON: You imagine that?
SHAPIRO: ...Boy, if that had existed, it would have screwed me over.
SIMON: I don't think Al can remotely challenge what writers do at a fundamentally creative level.
SHAPIRO: But if you're trying to transition from scene five to scene six, and you're stuck with that transition, you could imagine plugging that portion of the script into an Al and say, give me 10 ideas for how to transition this.
SIMON: I'd rather put a gun in my mouth.

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 3d

He's a very good writer (unlike LLMs...)

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 3d

Ditto! So miss early Twitter.

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Reposted by Jon Henley

Jonathan Portes @jdportes.bsky.social · 6d

This detailed demolition of @gullyfoyleuk.bsky.social's "75 Brexit Benefits" by @alanbeattie.bsky.social deserves wider circulation.

Intellectual garbage disposal is a valuable public service!

Alan Beattie @alanbeattie.bsky.social · 6d

OK, let's take this seriously. I had an odd half an hour and via Apple Books had a quick look at the three claims I knew most about - two re the post-Brexit bilateral preferential trade agreements replicated from the EU versions and one about cheaper bananas. All are wrong or wildly implausible. 1/n

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 7d

👇

Jeremy Cliffe @jeremycliffe.bsky.social · 7d

Worth nuancing (valid) worries about Babis-led Czechia joining Hungary & Slovakia in trio of EU spoiler states + democratic backsliders.

1/ Czech institutions strong
2/ Babis's ANO has backed off some prior pro-🇷🇺🇨🇳 positions
3/ ANO not all-mighty; will form minority govt or lead fractious coalition

The Associated Press @apnews.com · 7d

BREAKING: Populist Czech billionaire Andrej Babis has won a parliamentary election, marking a political comeback.

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 11d

On many issues, of course, modern far right and far left parties increasingly share the same policies. But Stačilo is built around the old Communist party, calls itself "left wing" (and "patriotic"), and is referred to as far or extreme left by Czech political scientists.

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 12d

Thread of the day, no notes

Tanja Bueltmann @tanjabueltmann.net · 12d

When I was a teenager there was a bus direct from my hometown in Germany to London - we had a British army base, and this direct bus connection was one of the benefits of that. One summer I went on that bus to go volunteer in an old people's home in Southend-on-Sea. I had just turned 18 and was... 🧵

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 13d

The idea that anyone pays James Delingpole to write anything is frankly beyond me

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Jon Henley @jonhenley.bsky.social · 13d

And a very fine phase it is ! But at least you've managed to keep the earring :)

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