Stanley Pignal
@spignal.bsky.social
Charlemagne columnist & Brussels bureau chief, The Economist.
Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed.
Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb
[email protected]
Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed.
Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb
[email protected]
Great map of European soil -- so many different things to pick up on.
November 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Great map of European soil -- so many different things to pick up on.
Tired: I read vintage Playboy for the articles
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
I'm in a vintage store with a bunch of old Playboy magazines from the '80s.
A vision of the beauty of long-gone ages.
That is, the damn things are an inch thick, packed with full-page ads. Journalism was so lucrative
A vision of the beauty of long-gone ages.
That is, the damn things are an inch thick, packed with full-page ads. Journalism was so lucrative
November 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Tired: I read vintage Playboy for the articles
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
From iPhone "holiday boom" to "disappointing early sales" in three weeks.
November 23, 2025 at 7:47 AM
From iPhone "holiday boom" to "disappointing early sales" in three weeks.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is the American Prigozhin: a distasteful outgrowth of the establishment, whose brief insurrection offers hope to the regime's opponents until it becomes clear they've overplayed their hand.
November 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene is the American Prigozhin: a distasteful outgrowth of the establishment, whose brief insurrection offers hope to the regime's opponents until it becomes clear they've overplayed their hand.
National heroes' written accounts of how prison changed them. Essential reading.
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
National heroes' written accounts of how prison changed them. Essential reading.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
“The unprecedented step which I hastily took which triggered a minor geopolitical crisis was obviously the right thing to do, which is why I’m reversing it”
The Dutch have handed chipmaker Nexperia back to China following a state visit.
In a statement, economic affairs minister Vincent Karremans said the move was a "show of goodwill."
In a statement, economic affairs minister Vincent Karremans said the move was a "show of goodwill."
November 19, 2025 at 9:20 AM
“The unprecedented step which I hastily took which triggered a minor geopolitical crisis was obviously the right thing to do, which is why I’m reversing it”
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
November 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
November 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
My Saturday morning liberal humanist trifecta.
November 15, 2025 at 9:52 AM
My Saturday morning liberal humanist trifecta.
Best Tory beer content since William Hague claimed to have downed 14 pints a day in his youth.
November 14, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Best Tory beer content since William Hague claimed to have downed 14 pints a day in his youth.
NYT articles are just a jumbled mess. Rarely more than 100 words of text before an ad or picture. Constant skipping
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November 14, 2025 at 7:06 AM
NYT articles are just a jumbled mess. Rarely more than 100 words of text before an ad or picture. Constant skipping
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Reposted by Stanley Pignal
What a sentence.
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
What a sentence.
The EU is cracking down on issuing visas to Russians. On one hand that's common sense, for security and moral reasons. But don't lose sight of the argument that there is something dangerous about blaming the crimes of a regime on a people themselves living in a dictatorship.
My Charlemagne:
My Charlemagne:
Europe is cracking down on Russian tourists
That is partly necessary—and partly alarming
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
The EU is cracking down on issuing visas to Russians. On one hand that's common sense, for security and moral reasons. But don't lose sight of the argument that there is something dangerous about blaming the crimes of a regime on a people themselves living in a dictatorship.
My Charlemagne:
My Charlemagne:
I can no longer send emails to my wife because Gmail (either on her end or mine, not clear) deems it "unsolicited mail".
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
November 13, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I can no longer send emails to my wife because Gmail (either on her end or mine, not clear) deems it "unsolicited mail".
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
I have two missions in life:
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
November 10, 2025 at 10:06 AM
I have two missions in life:
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
- securing world peace
- dissuading people from organising a "quick preparatory call ahead of next week's panel".
COP30 boss: "Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis" and praises China.
Chinese renewables are great, but you have to be disconnected from reality to miss the wrenching change EU in particular has signed up to & China's CO2 trajectory.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Chinese renewables are great, but you have to be disconnected from reality to miss the wrenching change EU in particular has signed up to & China's CO2 trajectory.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
November 10, 2025 at 8:10 AM
COP30 boss: "Rich countries have lost enthusiasm for tackling climate crisis" and praises China.
Chinese renewables are great, but you have to be disconnected from reality to miss the wrenching change EU in particular has signed up to & China's CO2 trajectory.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Chinese renewables are great, but you have to be disconnected from reality to miss the wrenching change EU in particular has signed up to & China's CO2 trajectory.
www.theguardian.com/environment/...
Only one woman won the Nobel Prize in Literature between 1945 and 1991. Nelly Sachs was awarded the prize in 1966 -shared with a man.
November 9, 2025 at 7:45 PM
Only one woman won the Nobel Prize in Literature between 1945 and 1991. Nelly Sachs was awarded the prize in 1966 -shared with a man.
It's the annual "Night where Brexit never happened*" in Brussels. Geoff Meade and Jacki Davis in fine form at the Press Revue. 🇬🇧🇪🇺
*Courtesy @sbeverts.bsky.social
*Courtesy @sbeverts.bsky.social
November 8, 2025 at 7:30 PM
It's the annual "Night where Brexit never happened*" in Brussels. Geoff Meade and Jacki Davis in fine form at the Press Revue. 🇬🇧🇪🇺
*Courtesy @sbeverts.bsky.social
*Courtesy @sbeverts.bsky.social
My current and future reading line-up, in order. If my calculations are correct, this will take me to the end of the year.
November 7, 2025 at 10:03 AM
My current and future reading line-up, in order. If my calculations are correct, this will take me to the end of the year.
I have been meaning to read this for about 25 years. Alas it seems more relevant than ever. See you in 726 pages!
November 6, 2025 at 11:26 AM
I have been meaning to read this for about 25 years. Alas it seems more relevant than ever. See you in 726 pages!
This is terrific. The Line is a bonkers project. Understanding it requires a grasp of politics, engineering, architecture and organisational psychology -- masterfully unpacked here.
NEW: The End of the Line: the centrepiece of Saudi Arabia’s Neom gigaproject - a 500m tall, 170km long wall-like building intended ultimately to house 9 million people - can’t get out of the ground, say more than 20 former Neom architects, engineers and senior executives.
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
ig.ft.com/saudi-neom-l...
End of The Line: how Saudi Arabia’s Neom dream unravelled
Mohammed bin Salman’s utopian city was undone by the laws of physics and finance
ig.ft.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:42 AM
This is terrific. The Line is a bonkers project. Understanding it requires a grasp of politics, engineering, architecture and organisational psychology -- masterfully unpacked here.
Nvidia’s boss says China ‘will win’ the AI race against America because it has cheap energy and loose regulation.
Quite where that leaves Europe, which has expensive energy and a passion for regulation, is a rather troubling question.
on.ft.com/43gkTNV
Quite where that leaves Europe, which has expensive energy and a passion for regulation, is a rather troubling question.
on.ft.com/43gkTNV
Nvidia’s Jensen Huang says China ‘will win’ AI race with US
CEO criticises western ‘cynicism’ while Beijing loosens regulations and cuts energy costs for data centres
on.ft.com
November 5, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Nvidia’s boss says China ‘will win’ the AI race against America because it has cheap energy and loose regulation.
Quite where that leaves Europe, which has expensive energy and a passion for regulation, is a rather troubling question.
on.ft.com/43gkTNV
Quite where that leaves Europe, which has expensive energy and a passion for regulation, is a rather troubling question.
on.ft.com/43gkTNV
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
November 5, 2025 at 8:30 PM
FIFA awarding a "peace prize" to Trump would be so absolutely on-brand, a truly genius innovation.
As a result of the US shutdown curtailing services, American soldiers garrisoned in Germany are being advised to visit local foodbanks.
home.army.mil/bavaria/abou...
home.army.mil/bavaria/abou...
November 5, 2025 at 12:04 PM
As a result of the US shutdown curtailing services, American soldiers garrisoned in Germany are being advised to visit local foodbanks.
home.army.mil/bavaria/abou...
home.army.mil/bavaria/abou...