Abby Innes
@abbyinnes.bsky.social
Assoc. Prof. at the European Institute, LSE. Research and teach the political economy of the state. Optimist. Alarmed by people who lack self-doubt...
Pinned
Abby Innes
@abbyinnes.bsky.social
· Jun 9
‘Ticking timebomb’: sea acidity has reached critical levels, threatening entire ecosystems – study
- Ocean acidification has already crossed a crucial threshold for planetary health, scientists say
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
- Ocean acidification has already crossed a crucial threshold for planetary health, scientists say
#climatecrisis
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
‘Ticking timebomb’: sea acidity has reached critical levels, threatening entire ecosystems – study
Ocean acidification has already crossed a crucial threshold for planetary health, scientists say in unexpected finding
www.theguardian.com
Governments ignore the science and prefer to just focus on climate change as an energy transition: as a spur to kick start a still completely unsustainable capitalism. We’re in breach of multiple planetary boundaries and they - and we - are deeply interdependent. It’s one hell of a category error.
Reposted by Abby Innes
It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
December 12, 2025 at 12:32 PM
It has become received wisdom in Brussels and Washington that there is a new “euro-sclerosis”: that the EU economy is lagging the US
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
This view is wrong
A little primer on the measurement of productivity – and why reports of the economic death of Europe are greatly exaggerated🧵
Reposted by Abby Innes
Absolutely appalling stuff, and remember that every politician bellowing about crackdowns on migrants is helping to create a permissive environment for this violence and intimidation
🔴I wrote about far-right attacks against refugee charities and why some are choosing to leave the sector to protect themselves. It's awful but understandable.
open.substack.com/pub/nicolake...
open.substack.com/pub/nicolake...
When it's time to move on
It's toxic out there
open.substack.com
December 12, 2025 at 12:55 PM
Absolutely appalling stuff, and remember that every politician bellowing about crackdowns on migrants is helping to create a permissive environment for this violence and intimidation
Reposted by Abby Innes
Australia’s social media ban has given us a way to fight big tech – and get my son back on his skateboard | Sisonke Msimang
Australia’s social media ban has given us a way to fight big tech – and get my son back on his skateboard | Sisonke Msimang
The ban on under-16s accessing ‘harmful’ content that began this week has overwhelming approval from adults – even if it had a few teething issues, says author Sisonke Msimang
www.theguardian.com
December 13, 2025 at 10:22 AM
Australia’s social media ban has given us a way to fight big tech – and get my son back on his skateboard | Sisonke Msimang
“Europe faces an existential choice: build genuine technological sovereignty now, or accept governance by platforms whose architects view democracy as an obsolete operating system.”
Labour needs to wake up (and treat Palantir like the plague).
Labour needs to wake up (and treat Palantir like the plague).
Silicon Valley’s Authoritarian Tech Right is not theorizing this world. They are already building it. The pipelines are operational. The feedback loops are functioning. The sovereignty transfers are completing.
A MUST READ 👇
A MUST READ 👇
The Authoritarian Stack
How Tech Billionaires Are Building a Post-Democratic America — And Why Europe Is Next
www.authoritarian-stack.info
December 13, 2025 at 9:14 AM
“Europe faces an existential choice: build genuine technological sovereignty now, or accept governance by platforms whose architects view democracy as an obsolete operating system.”
Labour needs to wake up (and treat Palantir like the plague).
Labour needs to wake up (and treat Palantir like the plague).
Reposted by Abby Innes
I for one will definitely be ignoring pesky health professionals & turning instead to newspaper columnists who backed Brexit, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump & Liz Truss for all my expert health advice during this very serious flu outbreak.
December 13, 2025 at 9:03 AM
I for one will definitely be ignoring pesky health professionals & turning instead to newspaper columnists who backed Brexit, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump & Liz Truss for all my expert health advice during this very serious flu outbreak.
“What is to be done?”
“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear… for thirst is a dangerous thing.”
“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear… for thirst is a dangerous thing.”
December 12, 2025 at 4:02 PM
“What is to be done?”
“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear… for thirst is a dangerous thing.”
“Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends, worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear… for thirst is a dangerous thing.”
Reposted by Abby Innes
"Trumpian populism may be the story of our age but I'm increasingly convinced that we're underplaying the tech-authoritarian elephant in the room." My Swamp Notes newsletter. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/199e371f-8...
Big tech’s ‘elite victim complex’
[FREE TO READ] Acolytes of the broligarchs have a grip on key nodes of Washington’s power ministries
as.ft.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:16 PM
"Trumpian populism may be the story of our age but I'm increasingly convinced that we're underplaying the tech-authoritarian elephant in the room." My Swamp Notes newsletter. Free to read. as.ft.com/r/199e371f-8...
Reposted by Abby Innes
A result which both illustrates the magnitude of the Reform threat and the problems with Labour’s “Farage is right, don’t vote for him” response. 37 point Lab to Reform swing. Labour go from first to 4th as anti-Reform vote splits 3 ways. Combined Lab/LD/Grn vote larger than Reform vote.
Red Hall & Lingfield (Darlington) Council By-Election Result:
➡️ RFM: 37.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 17.3% (-22.5)
🔶 LDM: 17.3% (New)
🌹 LAB: 16.8% (-37.1)
🌍 GRN: 9.8% (+3.6)
🙋 Ind: 1.0% (New)
Reform GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2023.
➡️ RFM: 37.7% (New)
🌳 CON: 17.3% (-22.5)
🔶 LDM: 17.3% (New)
🌹 LAB: 16.8% (-37.1)
🌍 GRN: 9.8% (+3.6)
🙋 Ind: 1.0% (New)
Reform GAIN from Labour.
Changes w/ 2023.
December 12, 2025 at 12:31 PM
A result which both illustrates the magnitude of the Reform threat and the problems with Labour’s “Farage is right, don’t vote for him” response. 37 point Lab to Reform swing. Labour go from first to 4th as anti-Reform vote splits 3 ways. Combined Lab/LD/Grn vote larger than Reform vote.
Reposted by Abby Innes
Have travelled for work to China and Russia many times (latter before 2222) and had many visas - no doubt both countries did checks of various kinds but neither ever asked for my social media history … only the US has done that.
December 12, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Have travelled for work to China and Russia many times (latter before 2222) and had many visas - no doubt both countries did checks of various kinds but neither ever asked for my social media history … only the US has done that.
Reposted by Abby Innes
Erasing the actual ironworkers is also very symbolic of how people think about this technology, which will allegedly "take all the jobs", even though it can't weld girders or indeed build anything.
I guess it's fitting that it's a reimagined, worse version of someone else's artwork
December 12, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Erasing the actual ironworkers is also very symbolic of how people think about this technology, which will allegedly "take all the jobs", even though it can't weld girders or indeed build anything.
Reposted by Abby Innes
Solidarity to all.Essex colleagues facing such awful news so close to Christmas (a common tactic unfortunately)
Ongoing decimation of British universities part 252:
Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email.
Please share @ucuessex.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk
Apx. 1000 academic staff at University of Essex just received formal ‘risk of redundancy’ letters via email.
Please share @ucuessex.bsky.social @ucu.org.uk
December 11, 2025 at 5:26 PM
Solidarity to all.Essex colleagues facing such awful news so close to Christmas (a common tactic unfortunately)
Reposted by Abby Innes
Aaron Rupar is proof that some of the best journalists *are* stenographers. The simple act of recording and publishing the words that they themselves utter - especially when they are as risible as Noem's - is profoundly important.
MAGAZINER: How many veterans have you deported?
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
December 11, 2025 at 4:44 PM
Aaron Rupar is proof that some of the best journalists *are* stenographers. The simple act of recording and publishing the words that they themselves utter - especially when they are as risible as Noem's - is profoundly important.
Reposted by Abby Innes
This is the same group that seems to have an open invitation to appear on every single BBC political programme going, without ever declaring their funding
🔴 REVEALED 🔴
The Institute of Economic Affairs – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group that "incubated" Liz Truss – was bankrolled by oil giants and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
📝 Exclusive findings from @desmog.com 👇
The Institute of Economic Affairs – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group that "incubated" Liz Truss – was bankrolled by oil giants and Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
📝 Exclusive findings from @desmog.com 👇
The Institute of Economic Affairs Banked £640,000 from Oil Giants and Murdoch
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) – the anti-state, anti-climate pressure group – received more than £640,000 from fossil fuel companies and Rupert Murdoch’s media conglomerate between 1957 and ...
www.desmog.com
December 11, 2025 at 10:42 AM
This is the same group that seems to have an open invitation to appear on every single BBC political programme going, without ever declaring their funding
Reposted by Abby Innes
I’d naively expected the “deal” requiring the NHS to pay more to US drugs giants would become a scandal
But Fleet Street has looked away. Except for Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
But Fleet Street has looked away. Except for Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
What will be the cost of Keir Starmer’s new medicines deal with Donald Trump? British lives | Aditya Chakrabortty
More than £3bn that could have been used for UK patients will go to big pharma for its branded products, says Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com
December 11, 2025 at 9:41 AM
I’d naively expected the “deal” requiring the NHS to pay more to US drugs giants would become a scandal
But Fleet Street has looked away. Except for Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
But Fleet Street has looked away. Except for Aditya Chakrabortty
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
Reposted by Abby Innes
Depressing chat with someone on the graduate job market. He said that everyone he knows is using AI to help write their job applications in the knowledge that companies are using AI in the recruitment process.
The bland seeking the bland.
The bland seeking the bland.
December 11, 2025 at 9:58 AM
Depressing chat with someone on the graduate job market. He said that everyone he knows is using AI to help write their job applications in the knowledge that companies are using AI in the recruitment process.
The bland seeking the bland.
The bland seeking the bland.
I don’t know why mice can’t break the sound barrier…
Trump says he doesn't know why America can't achieve 25 percent annual economic growth
December 10, 2025 at 11:24 PM
I don’t know why mice can’t break the sound barrier…
Reposted by Abby Innes
Tory governments spent £325m on free schools that failed or disappeared
Tory governments spent £325m on free schools that failed or disappeared
More than £10bn was committed to building new schools between 2014-15 and 2023-24, compared with £6.8bn for rebuilding existing schools
Conservative governments spent £325m creating 67 free schools that subsequently failed or disappeared, many through lack of demand, according to data revealed by a freedom of information request.
The figures from the Department for Education (DfE) show that the government committed more than £10bn to building new schools between 2014-15 and 2023-24, compared with £6.8bn for rebuilding existing schools, which critics say left England with a backlog of crumbling and decaying buildings. Continue reading...
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 10:41 PM
Tory governments spent £325m on free schools that failed or disappeared
Reposted by Abby Innes
It is hard to overstate how objectively wrong this approach is. It is increasingly harder to explain why 'centre' politicians do the polar opposite of what evidence tells us. You don't fight the far right by adopting their policies. This paves the way for authoritarian takeover.
We must protect our borders to defend our democracies. Here's how
We must protect our borders to defend our democracies. Here's how
This is our strong message to our friends in Europe. Unless responsible governments reflect their citizens’ concerns, populists will win, say British PM Keir Starmer and Danish PM Mette Frederiksen
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:51 AM
It is hard to overstate how objectively wrong this approach is. It is increasingly harder to explain why 'centre' politicians do the polar opposite of what evidence tells us. You don't fight the far right by adopting their policies. This paves the way for authoritarian takeover.
Reposted by Abby Innes
"And tonight in 'Cutting off your nose to spite your face'...."
Tighter visa rules will cost UK up to £10.8bn
Home Office assessment shows impact of latest changes to immigration regime over next five years
www.ft.com
December 10, 2025 at 7:52 AM
"And tonight in 'Cutting off your nose to spite your face'...."
Reposted by Abby Innes
Interesting that the BBC will call National Rally "Far Right" (in an article about Bardella meeting Farage) - when they would never use that term for Reform. Their policies are very similar. If anything Reform's are more authoritarian.
December 9, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Interesting that the BBC will call National Rally "Far Right" (in an article about Bardella meeting Farage) - when they would never use that term for Reform. Their policies are very similar. If anything Reform's are more authoritarian.
Reposted by Abby Innes
Nice to see this making the rounds today. The climate community on Bluesky has come a long way since we first put all these together.
Adaptation starter pack go.bsky.app/3G5Eono
December 9, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Nice to see this making the rounds today. The climate community on Bluesky has come a long way since we first put all these together.
Reposted by Abby Innes
this is cowardly and also pointless: Labour will never win over the British voters who hate Sadiq because he’s Muslim, and failing to stick up for your capital’s mayor (who is also part of your party!!!) against a foreign leader makes you look really weak
Asked repeatedly about Donald Trump calling Sadiq Khan "disgusting" and suggesting that he was only elected because of immigrants, Keir Starmer's spokesman says only that the PM has a "strong relationship" with the President which has "yielded positive results for this country"
December 9, 2025 at 1:14 PM
this is cowardly and also pointless: Labour will never win over the British voters who hate Sadiq because he’s Muslim, and failing to stick up for your capital’s mayor (who is also part of your party!!!) against a foreign leader makes you look really weak
Reposted by Abby Innes
You’re not really supposed to say this bit out loud.
Trump: Would make support for immediately slashing interest rates a litmus test in the choice of a new Fed chair - Politico
December 9, 2025 at 11:25 AM
You’re not really supposed to say this bit out loud.
Reposted by Abby Innes
Wondering what the longest period between Keir Starmer making a statement about race and Reform that it is not immediately undermined by something done by his ministers or aides has been. Three days?
Keir Starmer’s spokesman refuses to criticise Trump for calling Europe a group of “decaying” nations led by “weak” leaders
Asked about Trump saying European countries will no longer be “viable" thanks to migration, Keir Starmer’s spokesman says the UK is “returning control to our asylum system”
Asked about Trump saying European countries will no longer be “viable" thanks to migration, Keir Starmer’s spokesman says the UK is “returning control to our asylum system”
December 9, 2025 at 12:43 PM
Wondering what the longest period between Keir Starmer making a statement about race and Reform that it is not immediately undermined by something done by his ministers or aides has been. Three days?
Reposted by Abby Innes
Turns out Trump was helping to bring about a golden age - the Golden Age of China.
December 9, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Turns out Trump was helping to bring about a golden age - the Golden Age of China.