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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 7d

Europe, take note. Act accordingly.

Brent Toderian @brenttoderian.bsky.social · 7d

If you’ve heard about Trump’s unprecedented and deeply frightening “speech” to all US military leaders today, but you didn’t watch it and aren’t sure what the concern is, this is worth watching. And if you’re still not frightened yet, you should be. youtu.be/v-7bB_UHmRc?...

Trump’s unlawful call for ‘war’ on citizens met with stony silence from generals

YouTube video by MSNBC

youtu.be

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 10d

Don't trust right wing parties when they say they are for ordinary workers, which they do, because they are not.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 12d

Right-wing governments talking the pro-worker talk and walking all over the workers.
Finland edition
bsky.app/profile/jmko...

Janne M. Korhonen @jmkorhonen.fi · 12d

This graph shows #unemployment in the Eurozone and #Finland.

Can you spot when the most right wing government in Finland’s history took power?

Please learn from the mistakes of others.

Ville Niinistö @villeniinisto.vihreat.fi · 12d

Mitä tapahtui 2023?

- Orpon hallitus.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 13d

The #Draghi Report rightly drew attention to the difficulties that European companies face in scaling up.
One of the proposed solutions is an EU-wide "28th regime" for innovative companies.
This analysis shows that serious pitfalls must be avoided & safeguards instituted if this proposal is to work.

ETUI @etui.bsky.social · 13d

⚖️ ⚠️ Evidence shows that the European Commission's #28thRegime proposal will have an inevitable impact in areas beyond company law, such as labour law, taxation, insolvency and social security

🧵 👇

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 14d

Update
Exhibit 2 (from the very next day).
Reminder: this is the man EU leaders imagine they achieve trade policy stability with?
bsky.app/profile/atru...

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 14d

Trump to the UN: "The 'carbon footprint' is a hoax made up by people with evil intentions, and they're heading down a path of total destruction."

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 15d

Is there a doctor in the house?
The most powerful person on the planet glaringly obviously has serious mental health problems and no-one is doing anything about it.

Iikka Korhonen @iikkakorhonen.bsky.social · 15d

This is madness.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 15d

Trump: "It's too much liquid. Too many different things are going into that baby at too big a number. The size of this thing when you look at it. It's like 80 different vaccines and beyond vaccines."

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 15d

But the EU is not imposing tariffs.
If anything US tariffs will push EU inflation down.

Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 16d

Kudos, indeed, to Spain and PM Sanchez for breaking the taboo in Europe.
At the same time it is worth noting that, from a global perspective, Europe/OECD lags well behind world opinion on Palestine.

(Source: @theguardian.com )

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 17d

Update
More on the intellectual confusion (or cynicism) in the US administration on monetary policy. bsky.app/profile/wend...
Now it's Miran tying himself in knots. 👇
His only intellectually honest way out would be to say the labour market is crashing. Bet he doesn't go there....

Wendy Edelberg @wendyedelberg.bsky.social · 17d

Core inflation is running ~1 pp ABOVE Fed’s target. The reason to look at inflation & yet still cut would be BECAUSE you think inflation is being temporarily boosted by tariffs. If Miran doesn’t think it’s tariffs that are boosting inflation, surely that would make him MORE worried about inflation??

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 20d

Update
Fossil fuels also play an outsized role in Trump's foreign policy, as @guillaumeduval.bsky.social shows:
institutdelors.eu/en/publicati...
The apparent welcome tilt towards Ukraine is largely about safeguarding US fossil fuel interests.
All the more reason for EU to double down on renewwables

Why Trump wants to ban Russia from selling its oil - Institut Jacques Delors

institutdelors.eu

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 21d

Trump makes a Bond Villain look like a cute kitten.
In hock to the fossil fuel industry, his administration is systematically seeking to destroy the renewable energy industry in order to restore "carbon dominance". This is risking the lives of millions of people for financial and political gain.

Royce Kurmelovs @roycerk2.bsky.social · 29d

The Trump administration appears to be trying to make a global war on renewables. I spoke to @mkblyth.bsky.social for @drilledmedia.bsky.social about the strategy of carbon dominance, how this is shaping politics not just in the US but everywhere, and what that means for the future.

Trump Is Trying to Kill Renewables Everywhere

The US government is trying to strangle renewables to save fossil fuels. Trump wants other countries to do the same.

drilled.media

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Reposted by Andrew Watt

ETUI @etui.bsky.social · 22d

🗣️ Last week at the #ILERA 2025 European Congress (International Labour and Employment Relations Association) @durham-university.bsky.social 👇

What can the ETUI's latest research in the industrial relations field tell us about the state of #SocialEurope today?

Key points of discussion included... 🧵

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 22d

🚨 Publication alert 🚨
New e-book available on European Industrial Policy via Social Europe
ebooks.socialeurope.eu/9/industrial...

ebooks.socialeurope.eu

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · 23d

Aber in einem westdeutschen BL.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 7

My stomach is not iron clad enough to prevent acute nausea whenever Mandelson talks about Trump. And I am fine with that.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 7

And if they'd have asked you before your Zivildienst whether you'd rather not?

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 7

Everybody thinks a year of public service is an excellent idea... except for themselves.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 4

"While western leaders gather in diplomacy...rules based order" Seriously?
Trump has trashed the global trade regime (EU acquiesces).
Has lit a fire under global climate accords.
US & EU do nothing to stop the slaughter in Gaza.

Kallas is upset & puzzled why non-western powers are coming together 🤦

Finbarr Bermingham @fbermingham.bsky.social · Sep 3

🚨Kallas on Beijing parade:

Xi, Putin and Kim are an "autocratic alliance" seeking a "new world order"

"While Western leaders gather in diplomacy, an autocratic alliance is seeking a fast track to a new world order"

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 2

www.etui.org/news/not-muc...

A very quick tour d'horizon of the challenges for the EU that have built up over the normally quiet summer period.

www.etui.org

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Sep 1

Update
Q: What turns a government bailout once the crypto-Treasury doom-loop starts spinning from a racing certainty to a slam dunk?
A: The Trumps themselves have made a vast fortune virtually overnight by "printing crypto".
bsky.app/profile/carl...

Carl Quintanilla @carlquintanilla.bsky.social · Sep 1

* Trump Family Amasses $6 Billion Fortune After Crypto Launch

@wsj.com

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Aug 29

Agreed, important point.

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Aug 29

Moreover, solidaristic wage-setting in collective agreements & minimum wage hikes boosted the wages of the lower-paid disproportionately. (Lowest quintile 6.5%, highest 2.5%, Q2/25 on the previous year). This helps offset the higher inflationary burden (food, energy) on lower-income households.
3/3

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Aug 29

After severe losses during the inflationary surge, workers' real incomes have risen for 9 straight quarters, bolstering domestic demand, while compressing inflated profit margins as inflation returned to target. Given the real-world realities of price & wage setting, a successful adjustment.
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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Aug 29

An important and welcome development for the whole Euro Area economy.
In Germany, the "wage anchor" for the entire currency area, nominal wages are growing at a stable rate of around 4%, consumer prices at the ECB target of ~2%. Real wages are therefore increasing at a substantial rate, ~2%
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Daniel Vorgrimler @dvorgrimler.bsky.social · Aug 29

Die Nominallöhne in Deutschland waren im 2. Quartal 2025 um 4,1 % höher als im Vorjahresquartal. Die #Verbraucherpreise stiegen im selben Zeitraum um 2,1 %. Damit lagen die #Reallöhne um 1,9 % höher als im Vorjahresquartal Quelle: www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pr...

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Andrew Watt @andrewwatteu.bsky.social · Aug 28

A market doesn't have to be THAT big to cause huge damage if its investors head for the exits at the same time. #contagion

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