Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 6h

Dept of Finance official: McTax cuts “an enormous fiscal transfer of taxpayers' money to the sector, which the evidence available at present does not support".
www.rte.ie/news/busines...

Restaurants' customers lose out on McTax cut

It often takes a few days for the dust to settle on a Budget and its full impact to become clear.

www.rte.ie

Reposted by ProfGB

Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 3d

EU Commission proposes safeguard legislation to protect EU farmers from possible effects of EU/Mercosur trade deal ec.europa.eu/commission/p...

Commission proposes safeguards to strengthen protections for EU farmers in EU-Mercosur deal

The Commission today proposed a Regulation to strengthen protections for EU farmers in the context of the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement (EMPA).

ec.europa.eu

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Reposted by ProfGB

Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 3d

Any other outcome would have made a mockery of the European Parliament’s own finding that Orban’s Hungary is no longer a democracy but an electoral autocracy aka a situation where Orban can influence and interfere with judicial proceedings at will

www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

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Steve Peers @stevepeers.bsky.social · 4d

The EU's General Court has upheld the EU/US arrangements for transfers of personal data to the US. Analysis by Dr Samira Allioui: eulawanalysis.blogspot.com/2025/10/the-...

The General Court of the European Union upholds the Data Privacy Framework

Dr Samira Allioui , Research fellow, Centre d'études internationales et européennes, Université de Strasbourg Photo credit : Ibrahim...

eulawanalysis.blogspot.com

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 4d

Bloomberg reports the EU plans to sanction Russia’s main cryptocurrency for cross-border payments: the ruble-backed stablecoin A7A5. The coin, developed by payment firm A7 controlled by pro-Russian politician Ilan Shor and ProBusinessBank, supports transactions worth $68 billion.

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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 4d

EU "cannot accept a new member state which is really not 100 percent following the rule of law" EU Enlargement Commissioner @martakos.ec.europa.eu told Reuters
But @ec.europa.eu & @consilium.europa.eu fine with a country becoming an autocracy post EU accession
www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/pres...

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 4d

Somebody telephone Mayo.

ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 4d

I agree. Free third level education was a staggering achievment. Then Britain under the Conservatives simply dumped it.

William Carruthers @williamcarruthers.bsky.social · 5d

Utterly baffling to me how, at the age of 42, since being a teenager I’ve seen Britain’s higher education system massively expand then have politicians decide that, actually, we can’t be having that. Relatively speaking, it’s not very long!

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Simon Hix @simonhix.bsky.social · 5d

Really thoughtful substack by Adam Tooze on Jean Pisani-Ferry's Legion d'honneur acceptance speech. Fascinating reflections on where the progressive/liberal left went wrong over the past 30+ years.
adamtooze.substack.com/p/chartbook-...

Chartbook 411 The twilight of Macronisme: Jean Pisani-Ferry's cri de cœur.

A decoration ceremony is like a funeral oration with a right of reply.

adamtooze.substack.com

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

Seeing is believing on this one.

POLITICO Europe @politico.eu · 5d

Czech President Petr Pavel said today that a strong pro-NATO and pro-EU stance, along with safeguarding democratic institutions, will be key factors in appointing the country’s next prime minister and Cabinet.

Czech president puts NATO, EU at core of Cabinet talks after elections

Petr Pavel says “premature” to speak of names for prime minister, after right-wing populist Andrej Babiš and his ANO movement gained a decisive victory in Czech parliamentary vote.

www.politico.eu

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Newsweek @newsweek.com · 5d

Newsom said his administration will take legal action against Trump's deployment of 300 California Guard personnel to Portland.

Newsom Challenges Trump Deploying California Troops to Oregon

www.newsweek.com

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 5d

A VAT cut to 9% for the hospitality sector that is so broad that it even gives a tax cut to MacDonalds while allowances for PAYE workers are deliberately not being index linked seems deeply unfair. If special Budget measures are really needed, fairness demands they be much more targeted than this.

Reposted by ProfGB

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 6d

Bad news

Beefeater Fella @beefeaterfella.bsky.social · 6d

🇨🇿 Parliamentary elections were held in the Czech Republic, where party of pro-Russia and former Prime Minister Babis won.

"For him, Viktator Orban is a political role model, and Robert Fico is a political friend.

1/4

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Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 5d

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law. Defendants have made a range of arguments that . . risk blurring the line between civil and military federal power—to the detriment of this nation.” — Trump-appointed U.S. District Court Judge Karin Immergut (Oct. 4, 2025).

Laurence H. Tribe @tribelaw.bsky.social · 5d

www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...

Federal Judge Blocks Trump’s Seizure of Oregon National Guard for Portland Deployment

Read more here.

www.democracydocket.com

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François Heisbourg @fheisbourg.bsky.social · 9d

Where has the US gone?

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 9d

⚡️ UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters.

The Ramstein format was created in March 2022 by the U.S. to coordinate international military support for Ukraine, bringing together over 50 countries.

UK, Germany to host next Ramstein-format meeting on Oct. 15 at NATO headquarters

The Ramstein format was created in March 2022 by the U.S. to coordinate international military support for Ukraine, bringing together over 50 countries.

kyivindependent.com

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François Heisbourg @fheisbourg.bsky.social · 8d

Not deemed to be essential by Trump's US

The Kyiv Independent @kyivindependent.com · 8d

⚡️ US government shutdown reportedly putting Ukraine weapons deliveries at risk of delay.

The disruption has stalled meetings between Ukrainian officials and U.S. counterparts from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House, according to the Telegraph.

US government shutdown reportedly putting Ukraine weapons deliveries at risk of delay

The disruption has stalled meetings between Ukrainian officials and U.S. counterparts from the Pentagon, State Department, and White House, according to the Telegraph.

kyivindependent.com

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NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · 8d

Russia launched its largest mass strike on Ukraine’s gas production infrastructure since the full-scale invasion began, Naftogaz reports. Multiple facilities have been damaged, with some suffering critical destruction.

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Frank - Queen of Schengen 🇪🇺🌈 @chillaxbcn.bsky.social · 7d

Good morning 🇪🇺

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Laurent Pech 🇺🇦 @profpech.bsky.social · 7d

reminder re Merkel’s enabling of autocrats in Hungary and elsewhere www.politico.eu/article/ange...
@rdanielkelemen.bsky.social

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Reposted by ProfGB

Defend Democracy @defenddemocracy.bsky.social · 7d

President Macron: “Europeans, let's wake up!

We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.”

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

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Sander Tordoir @sandertordoir.bsky.social · 7d

Mamma Mia.

To placate the farm lobby, the EPP is considering an amendment that would scupper the entire EU budget reform.

If agri gets an exemption from the EU budget overhaul, social and other spending categories follow and modernisation goes out the window.

A EPP disaster in the making.

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Robert Reich @rbreich.bsky.social · 6d

I don’t have a crystal ball, but I have a good idea how this shutdown ends. Trump and Republicans will cave (he won’t admit he’s caving, of course, but he will cave).

Here’s why: Air traffic controllers.

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 6d

And then there were three.

Czechia follows other Central European EU states Hungary and Slovakia down the populist route. More problems for the EU. More problems for Ukraine

Czech billionaire set to return to power after election win

www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

Czech billionaire set to return to power after election win

Populist Andrej Babis has pledged to undo years of austerity and curb military aid to Ukraine

www.irishtimes.com

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Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 8d

In shocking: "most people want to eat competitively priced, good quality fresh food and don't care where it comes from or what Nigel Farage thinks" news.

David Phinnemore @dphinnemore.bsky.social · 8d

‘Polling commissioned by POLITICO shows the government’s agri-food deal agreed in principle with Brussels is popular with Remainers and Leavers alike — even when they're told it means following EU rules.

‘Nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of voters back the deal…

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ProfGB @profgbarrett.bsky.social · 7d

The level of public awareness of how the Commission is appointed is astonishingly low right, probably right across the political spectrum. And yet there is no disputing how it is done, when one examines it.