Richard Bourke
@richardfbourke.bsky.social
wide interests and few qualifications
Wow, this year's Munich Security Conference is going to be interesting.
January 17, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Wow, this year's Munich Security Conference is going to be interesting.
Reposted by Richard Bourke
"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down."
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
The Wall Looks Permanent Until It Falls
On the optimism of preparation in a time of democratic decay.
data4democracy.substack.com
January 13, 2026 at 12:32 AM
"The wall looks permanent until the day it comes down."
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
data4democracy.substack.com/p/the-wall-l...
Several people I know have used the word "beautiful" for this piece, and that's exactly right. A beautifully phrased essay on the bind we're in— until we aren't.
Recommended, in an extreme way.
In the words of Brenda from Bristol. "Oh no! Not another one".
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
Little Foot hominin fossil may be new species of human ancestor
Australian researchers think the skeleton found in South Africa is not the same species as two found in the same South Africa cave system
www.theguardian.com
December 14, 2025 at 3:08 PM
In the words of Brenda from Bristol. "Oh no! Not another one".
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
www.theguardian.com/science/2025...
As the British Covid Judicial Inquiry released its report, the German Parliamentary Commission into it starts. Its first important witness, Christian Drosten. Who recommends Germany gets itself a transparent scientific advice body "like the UK's" (SAGE, I guess).
www.tagesschau.de/video/video-...
www.tagesschau.de/video/video-...
Enquete-Kommission arbeitet Corona mit Drosten auf
Virologe Christian Drosten hat der Enquete-Kommission zur Corona-Aufarbeitung Rede und Antwort zu ihren Fragen rund um die Corona-Maßnahmen gestanden.
www.tagesschau.de
December 2, 2025 at 9:41 AM
As the British Covid Judicial Inquiry released its report, the German Parliamentary Commission into it starts. Its first important witness, Christian Drosten. Who recommends Germany gets itself a transparent scientific advice body "like the UK's" (SAGE, I guess).
www.tagesschau.de/video/video-...
www.tagesschau.de/video/video-...
I've been unsuccessfully looking for a book that covers the Irish Confederacy Wars (1641-1653: basically the Irish strand of the War of the 3 Kingdoms).
And instead, I found a podcast, @paxbritannicapod.bsky.social ,
whose series 2 and 3 covers the period in a lot of detail ).
And instead, I found a podcast, @paxbritannicapod.bsky.social ,
whose series 2 and 3 covers the period in a lot of detail ).
November 10, 2025 at 9:05 AM
I've been unsuccessfully looking for a book that covers the Irish Confederacy Wars (1641-1653: basically the Irish strand of the War of the 3 Kingdoms).
And instead, I found a podcast, @paxbritannicapod.bsky.social ,
whose series 2 and 3 covers the period in a lot of detail ).
And instead, I found a podcast, @paxbritannicapod.bsky.social ,
whose series 2 and 3 covers the period in a lot of detail ).
I know you don't like your followers posting replies that you alread know, but maybe you could have mercy on us by not posting questions whose answers all start with "duh! nicotine dependency!"
November 3, 2025 at 5:31 PM
I know you don't like your followers posting replies that you alread know, but maybe you could have mercy on us by not posting questions whose answers all start with "duh! nicotine dependency!"
Reposted by Richard Bourke
www.facebook.com/share/p/19C1...
My friend Mark Mardell was chucked off his Turkish Airlines flight at the weekend because he had Parkinson’s and his son had asked for assistance for him. (He’s written about it as a public post on Facebook but the link is proving hard to share outside,)
My friend Mark Mardell was chucked off his Turkish Airlines flight at the weekend because he had Parkinson’s and his son had asked for assistance for him. (He’s written about it as a public post on Facebook but the link is proving hard to share outside,)
October 27, 2025 at 6:00 AM
www.facebook.com/share/p/19C1...
My friend Mark Mardell was chucked off his Turkish Airlines flight at the weekend because he had Parkinson’s and his son had asked for assistance for him. (He’s written about it as a public post on Facebook but the link is proving hard to share outside,)
My friend Mark Mardell was chucked off his Turkish Airlines flight at the weekend because he had Parkinson’s and his son had asked for assistance for him. (He’s written about it as a public post on Facebook but the link is proving hard to share outside,)
asylum in the UK is just an endless succession of expensive, inefficient bodges eg: Scabies shd be picked up at initial screening. Hotels shd only ever have been a temporary stopgap. Wd be far cheaper to custom-build or renovate to allow separation eg of genders.
But living in an asylum hotel - where there are reports of scabies, nutrition related illness leading to babies failing to thrive, mums unable to feed their kids, allegations of racist abuse & sexual harassment- is not the same as staying in a hotel on holiday
www.opendemocracy.net/en/asylum-ho...
www.opendemocracy.net/en/asylum-ho...
Home Office recorded 1500 asylum hotel complaints in 2023
Asylum hotel providers receive billions in government contracts while residents report harassment and abuse
www.opendemocracy.net
August 19, 2025 at 8:10 AM
asylum in the UK is just an endless succession of expensive, inefficient bodges eg: Scabies shd be picked up at initial screening. Hotels shd only ever have been a temporary stopgap. Wd be far cheaper to custom-build or renovate to allow separation eg of genders.
Reposted by Richard Bourke
The cynical words of an old law professor seem again apt, sadly.
Domestic law is a matter of law.
Foreign laws are a matter of expert evidence.
International law is a matter of fiction.
Domestic law is a matter of law.
Foreign laws are a matter of expert evidence.
International law is a matter of fiction.
June 22, 2025 at 10:22 AM
The cynical words of an old law professor seem again apt, sadly.
Domestic law is a matter of law.
Foreign laws are a matter of expert evidence.
International law is a matter of fiction.
Domestic law is a matter of law.
Foreign laws are a matter of expert evidence.
International law is a matter of fiction.
Merkel's record on this is mixed. It isn't that she deliberately provoked the surge of asylum-seekers in 2015. Rather it was accidental, plus being bounced into it by Orban.
She did, however, call in a lot of favours to get the EU-Turkey repatration deal agreed, which did help to reduce the flow.
She did, however, call in a lot of favours to get the EU-Turkey repatration deal agreed, which did help to reduce the flow.
On responding to far right parties … from Angela Merkel’s autobiography. It should be read by U.K. political leaders but I’d be surprised if it was.
June 8, 2025 at 4:28 PM
Merkel's record on this is mixed. It isn't that she deliberately provoked the surge of asylum-seekers in 2015. Rather it was accidental, plus being bounced into it by Orban.
She did, however, call in a lot of favours to get the EU-Turkey repatration deal agreed, which did help to reduce the flow.
She did, however, call in a lot of favours to get the EU-Turkey repatration deal agreed, which did help to reduce the flow.
Working title. "Lawyer on the edge of a nervous breakdown".
I remember a US version of this happening. When the judge challenged the existence of the fake citations, the lawyers went back and *prompted the AI to draft the full text of the fake judgments*.
May 7, 2025 at 12:05 PM
Working title. "Lawyer on the edge of a nervous breakdown".
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie
To kill 2 Mockingbirds
To kill 2 Mockingbirds
May 5, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Implement a 100% tariff and ruin a movie
To kill 2 Mockingbirds
To kill 2 Mockingbirds
Vorfreude. "Anticipatory happiness" or similar
April 22, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Vorfreude. "Anticipatory happiness" or similar
"Deshalb ist es so wichtig, zwischen dem, was real ist, wie dieser dumme Zollkrieg, den er angezettelt hat, und dem, was er sagt, weil er weiß, dass sich alle darüber aufregen, zu unterscheiden".
9 kommas!
#DE_ENRealSentences
9 kommas!
#DE_ENRealSentences
April 8, 2025 at 7:49 AM
"Deshalb ist es so wichtig, zwischen dem, was real ist, wie dieser dumme Zollkrieg, den er angezettelt hat, und dem, was er sagt, weil er weiß, dass sich alle darüber aufregen, zu unterscheiden".
9 kommas!
#DE_ENRealSentences
9 kommas!
#DE_ENRealSentences
So, today I tripled my numbers of blocks, and number of times I've been blocked. And this is something that I worry about. It kicked off with this story, widely shared over the past 24 hours from Quakers in Britain (BYM) 1/
bsky.app/profile/quak...
bsky.app/profile/quak...
🚨 Outrage as 20 police officers break into Westminster Quaker Meeting House and arrest six. 🚨
This shocking violation of a place of worship is a direct result of crackdowns on protest and dissent - freedom of speech, assembly and democracy are at risk.🕊️
👉 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
This shocking violation of a place of worship is a direct result of crackdowns on protest and dissent - freedom of speech, assembly and democracy are at risk.🕊️
👉 www.quaker.org.uk/news-and-eve...
Quakers condemn police raid on Westminster Meeting House
Police broke into a Quaker Meeting House last night (27 March) and arrested six young people holding a meeting over concerns for the climate and Gaza.
www.quaker.org.uk
March 29, 2025 at 8:50 PM
So, today I tripled my numbers of blocks, and number of times I've been blocked. And this is something that I worry about. It kicked off with this story, widely shared over the past 24 hours from Quakers in Britain (BYM) 1/
bsky.app/profile/quak...
bsky.app/profile/quak...
Honey, I shrunk the island!
March 27, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Honey, I shrunk the island!
My God. "Adolescence" just wrings you out and leaves you crumpled on the floor. And after all that still keeps you thinking. How does the UK still produce this level of acting quality? A stunning mini-series if you have netflix.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
Adolescence review – the closest thing to TV perfection in decades
Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham’s drama about a teen accused of murder is astounding. Its dazzling performances, and the devastating questions it asks, will linger with you
www.theguardian.com
March 15, 2025 at 2:40 PM
My God. "Adolescence" just wrings you out and leaves you crumpled on the floor. And after all that still keeps you thinking. How does the UK still produce this level of acting quality? A stunning mini-series if you have netflix.
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio...
This was a beautiful, inspiring read. But I want to make a different, nerdy point:
It popped up a comprehensible explanation of cookie usage. 1st time! I hate the standard cookie selection popups with a passion. (WTF is "legitimate use" anyway?)
Why don't more websites customise their explanation?
It popped up a comprehensible explanation of cookie usage. 1st time! I hate the standard cookie selection popups with a passion. (WTF is "legitimate use" anyway?)
Why don't more websites customise their explanation?
All I would say is *going to these places that vote AfD is really important*
There is no substitute for trying to see this on the ground
Many of the (west) Germans fearful of the AfD's rise mostly haven't
Here's a little story from Seifhennersdorf, Sachsen jonworth.eu/the-personal...
There is no substitute for trying to see this on the ground
Many of the (west) Germans fearful of the AfD's rise mostly haven't
Here's a little story from Seifhennersdorf, Sachsen jonworth.eu/the-personal...
The personal is political. Have you ever been to Seifhennersdorf, Zgorzelec or Ormenio? - Jon Worth
A Friday evening in early June. I am in a compartment in a delayed EuroCity train from München to Klagenfurt, and I am helping one of my fellow passengers in the compartment with their onward connecti...
jonworth.eu
February 25, 2025 at 9:23 AM
This was a beautiful, inspiring read. But I want to make a different, nerdy point:
It popped up a comprehensible explanation of cookie usage. 1st time! I hate the standard cookie selection popups with a passion. (WTF is "legitimate use" anyway?)
Why don't more websites customise their explanation?
It popped up a comprehensible explanation of cookie usage. 1st time! I hate the standard cookie selection popups with a passion. (WTF is "legitimate use" anyway?)
Why don't more websites customise their explanation?
ok, no need to stay up late on sunday night, as this thread basically tells you what the pundits are going to say. update: die Linke up to 7.5% in latest polls, FDP and BSW both below the 5% threshold
How are Germans planning to vote? I took a look, with five charts and a bunch of data 🇩🇪📈
February 20, 2025 at 10:34 AM
ok, no need to stay up late on sunday night, as this thread basically tells you what the pundits are going to say. update: die Linke up to 7.5% in latest polls, FDP and BSW both below the 5% threshold
Is there nothing that's *below* this guy's pay-grade? You're the President of the global top nation, for god's sake!
February 7, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Is there nothing that's *below* this guy's pay-grade? You're the President of the global top nation, for god's sake!
A very good speech. But also good expectation management. Something Trump (who appears to believe that foreign governments pay the cost of tariffs) hasn't done for his own citizens.
And he's either going to back down quickly, or learn that to his cost.
And he's either going to back down quickly, or learn that to his cost.
Here's the speech if you haven't heard it. 13 minutes of your time. Share it with your American friends and neighbours, because they won't see it otherwise. Circulate it in Mexico and Denmark, France and the UK, Panama and Germany, Poland and Estonia, and especially -- especially -- Ukraine.
Trudeau: Canada will retaliate with 25% tariffs on $155B of U.S. goods
YouTube video by CBC News
youtu.be
February 2, 2025 at 12:19 PM
A very good speech. But also good expectation management. Something Trump (who appears to believe that foreign governments pay the cost of tariffs) hasn't done for his own citizens.
And he's either going to back down quickly, or learn that to his cost.
And he's either going to back down quickly, or learn that to his cost.
Rudakubana sentencing in UK in parallel with ongoing political reactions to attack in Aschaffenburg (2 dead, perp a mentally disturbed Afghani).
A long time since the Syrian refugees were welcomed by enthusiastic helpers and applauded at Munich Hauptbahnhof, in 2015. Right to asylum: can it last?
A long time since the Syrian refugees were welcomed by enthusiastic helpers and applauded at Munich Hauptbahnhof, in 2015. Right to asylum: can it last?
January 23, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Rudakubana sentencing in UK in parallel with ongoing political reactions to attack in Aschaffenburg (2 dead, perp a mentally disturbed Afghani).
A long time since the Syrian refugees were welcomed by enthusiastic helpers and applauded at Munich Hauptbahnhof, in 2015. Right to asylum: can it last?
A long time since the Syrian refugees were welcomed by enthusiastic helpers and applauded at Munich Hauptbahnhof, in 2015. Right to asylum: can it last?
Psychic hygiene, my subjective take. Right now it's unfollowing people (even interesting, well-informed people) who mostly post on US politics. I'm rationing my attention and my emotion. That's also why I left X.
January 21, 2025 at 12:16 PM
Psychic hygiene, my subjective take. Right now it's unfollowing people (even interesting, well-informed people) who mostly post on US politics. I'm rationing my attention and my emotion. That's also why I left X.
I'm not intending to post much. I mostly reply
November 28, 2024 at 5:52 AM
I'm not intending to post much. I mostly reply