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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 48m

Ceasefire in Gaza at long last

Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 7h

I had AI do a full transcript once and it worked pretty well for that. Got a little confused by the transcription of the US pronunciation of 'comity' as 'comedy' (we need a bit of int'l comedy to make it work...)but it was otherwise fine.

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Reposted by Aslak Berg

Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 1d

It would help if we had a bit of confidence in the basics, like a viable path to substantially lower energy prices, instead of having industries survive out of intertia despite the failure to get the basics right

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 1d

It would help if we had a bit of confidence in the basics, like a viable path to substantially lower energy prices, instead of having industries survive out of intertia despite the failure to get the basics right

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 1d

We should have countervailing subsidies instead of duties, imo, for strategic sectors. But no money for that perhaps

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 1d

Just read an article on the web site of the Norwegian equivalent of the BBC that linked to an FT article... through a paywall removal site. Not sure that's entirely kosher, NRK!

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

"As an X, I believe Y" I don't care. "I believe Y because of Z" Now we can have a conversation.

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

My greatest pet peeve is this tendency where everyone puts labels on everyone, including themselves. There's no need! Yu can have a complex set of habits and beliefs that don't put you neatly on anyone's side or in anyone's camp. And that makes it easier to see that is also the case for most people

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Reposted by Aslak Berg

Peter Ricketts @lordrickettsp.bsky.social · 4d

Good to talk to Amol Rajan on the Today Programme earlier about the Hamas statement. It’s a remarkably astute move, accepting Israel’s key demand for hostage release, thereby earning an approving response from Trump and throwing all the pressure back on Netanyahu. Could still go wrong. But 1/6

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

AI slop will fix this

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

Think about the consequences for schools, the size of the labour force etc. And now think about the fact that it's a global system, and eventually we'll get to a point where immigration to one country means faster depopulation of another country. You're already seeing this in Eastern Europe

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

I don't really think people grasp the extent of the demographic crisis. A fertility rate is 1.5 as the UK, France etc, each generation is 25% smaller without immigration. If it's 1, as it is in several countries in Asia, South America and Europe each generation is less than half the size

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

Huh, interesting - I always thought parliamentary sovereignty was absolute in the UK system

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

I'm not grasping that last point - how would it be a constitutional crisis?

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

And I'm not sure the idea that can find enough healthcare workers by recruiting them en masse from countries where they're also desperately needed is either sustainable or nearly as progressive as people think

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

Worried about state capacity? Demography plays a huge part in that. Do you care about welfare and our ability to take care of our sick and elderly? Demography is a big factor. Do you care about innovation and dynamic societies? Again, demography plays a huge part.

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 4d

What's clear from the responses is that a lot of people are quick to dismiss these concerns in a rather facile manner as just racism and/or sexism. The problem is that falling fertility rates are global and increasingly a real problem in "brown" countries and it will make us all poorer in the end.

Robin Wigglesworth @robinwigglesworth.ft.com · 4d

Can someone explain to me the fear about falling human reproduction rates, ie aside the impact on pension systems etc? Global population has roughly doubled just since i was born, so all the chatter — and not just from Musk and the like — just seems bizarre to me. Genuinely curious.

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 5d

Just look at this!

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 5d

Going to the local Lebanese place for lunch and got asked if I wanted my regular table 😬 But it’s really good and the lunch deal is great!

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 5d

Exactly, the EU wants a big “beware of the dog” sign, but also wants to make sure the dog is securely leashed

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 5d

It's not completely new, the Anti-Coercion Instrument was as much motivated by Trump 1.0 as by China. But in the end they didn't use it perhaps because it was seen as too much of a nuclear weapon, so they need something more targeted.

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Reposted by Aslak Berg

Centre for European Reform @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social · 6d

On this week’s @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social #podcast @aslak.bsky.social sat down with @agathedemarais.bsky.social to discuss where EU trade policy stands since the signing the EU-US trade agreement in July.

Listen to the episode here: buff.ly/Uu7KDnV

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 7d

@agathedemarais.bsky.social and I talk EU trade in the era of Trump on our latest podcast

Centre for European Reform @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social · 7d

🎙️ How do you respond to US #tariffs in a way that is not going to harm EU economies?

@agathedemarais.bsky.social asked @aslak.bsky.social in the latest #CERpodcast. 🎙️

Listen here: buff.ly/Uu7KDnV

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 9d

They know a lot of them won't or can't return. No housing, no schools or universities, no jobs - it will take years to rebuild.

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Aslak Berg @aslak.bsky.social · 9d

Except for in Silicon Valley where it's the standard incentive for employees

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