Colin Wrafter
@wraftercolin.bsky.social
Retired Irish diplomat, occasional lecturer and seminar chair. Interests include foreign policy, Northern Ireland , human rights, philosophy, history. I enjoy golf but rarely win!
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Harry Cole of Sun interviews Connor Tomlinson - who advocates banning ethnic minority MPs from parliament
Tomlinson regrets sacrificing Suella Braverman but feels sure (on no evidence) she would sacrifice herself to remove the risk of Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel & Shabana Mahmood!
Tomlinson regrets sacrificing Suella Braverman but feels sure (on no evidence) she would sacrifice herself to remove the risk of Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel & Shabana Mahmood!
December 13, 2025 at 7:11 PM
Harry Cole of Sun interviews Connor Tomlinson - who advocates banning ethnic minority MPs from parliament
Tomlinson regrets sacrificing Suella Braverman but feels sure (on no evidence) she would sacrifice herself to remove the risk of Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel & Shabana Mahmood!
Tomlinson regrets sacrificing Suella Braverman but feels sure (on no evidence) she would sacrifice herself to remove the risk of Kemi Badenoch, Rishi Sunak, Priti Patel & Shabana Mahmood!
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the Hungarian capital Budapest to demand Prime Minister Viktor Orban's resignation due to perceived inaction over allegations of child abuse in state-run institutions.
u.afp.com/S7Lu
u.afp.com/S7Lu
December 13, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Tens of thousands of protesters rallied in the Hungarian capital Budapest to demand Prime Minister Viktor Orban's resignation due to perceived inaction over allegations of child abuse in state-run institutions.
u.afp.com/S7Lu
u.afp.com/S7Lu
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Why has today’s Senate, individually and collectively, surrendered its free will, backbone, and constitutional duties? The key is Trump. lnk.thebulwark.com/48UgS3H
Worst. Senate. Ever.
Republican senators surrendered to Trump, and now they own this catastrophe.
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Why has today’s Senate, individually and collectively, surrendered its free will, backbone, and constitutional duties? The key is Trump. lnk.thebulwark.com/48UgS3H
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
The 25th anniversary of Bush v Gore is today. The conspiracy mongering & corruption of the GOP has been brewing for a long time.
Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh were all on Bush's legal team, where they pushed unfounded legal theories. SC justices were already enmeshed in voter fraud myths.
Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh were all on Bush's legal team, where they pushed unfounded legal theories. SC justices were already enmeshed in voter fraud myths.
Here's Sandra Day O'Connor endorsing News Max levels of voter fraud conspiracies in the 2000 election.
December 12, 2025 at 2:17 PM
The 25th anniversary of Bush v Gore is today. The conspiracy mongering & corruption of the GOP has been brewing for a long time.
Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh were all on Bush's legal team, where they pushed unfounded legal theories. SC justices were already enmeshed in voter fraud myths.
Roberts, Barrett and Kavanaugh were all on Bush's legal team, where they pushed unfounded legal theories. SC justices were already enmeshed in voter fraud myths.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
@joshtpm.bsky.social says there's one saving grace about Trump’s reelection and his campaign of destruction over the course of 2025. The old system is clearly and unequivocally broken and something new has to be built in its place.
Towards a Deeper Understanding of Our Age of Monsters and Predators
I got a fascinating array of responses to my Tuesday post about...
talkingpointsmemo.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:39 PM
@joshtpm.bsky.social says there's one saving grace about Trump’s reelection and his campaign of destruction over the course of 2025. The old system is clearly and unequivocally broken and something new has to be built in its place.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
For the first time in decades, I handed my successor an air traffic controller workforce that was growing instead of shrinking.
Disturbingly, the Trump administration can't or won't say whether that’s still the case.
Disturbingly, the Trump administration can't or won't say whether that’s still the case.
December 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
For the first time in decades, I handed my successor an air traffic controller workforce that was growing instead of shrinking.
Disturbingly, the Trump administration can't or won't say whether that’s still the case.
Disturbingly, the Trump administration can't or won't say whether that’s still the case.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
How British investors pivoted from trafficking to monopoly imperialism and how they nipped an African -led transition to “legitimate trade” in the bud:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Antislavery and the Original ‘Scramble for Africa’, 1807-1879
Keynote Lecture for 140 Years Beyond the Berlin Conference, Africa Centre and SOAS Friday 12 December and Saturday 13 December 2025 Alan Lester Most British imperial historians have tended to fol…
alanlester.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 8:46 PM
How British investors pivoted from trafficking to monopoly imperialism and how they nipped an African -led transition to “legitimate trade” in the bud:
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
alanlester.co.uk/blog/antisla...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
‘It is easy to discern why America distrusted this grandiloquent officer who claimed to embody France. He occasionally portrayed the US and its British auxiliary as adversaries on a par with Nazi Germany.’
David Todd on Charles de Gaulle’s nationalism.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
David Todd on Charles de Gaulle’s nationalism.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
David Todd · Codename Resurrection: De Gaulle makes a comeback
‘He had one illusion – France; and one disillusion – mankind, including Frenchmen.’ John Maynard Keynes’s...
www.lrb.co.uk
December 12, 2025 at 8:47 PM
‘It is easy to discern why America distrusted this grandiloquent officer who claimed to embody France. He occasionally portrayed the US and its British auxiliary as adversaries on a par with Nazi Germany.’
David Todd on Charles de Gaulle’s nationalism.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
David Todd on Charles de Gaulle’s nationalism.
www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Trump’s ambassador to the EU is accidentally—and unwittingly—saying the US economy is losing ground to the EU, even if he doesn’t seem to realise it.
By comparing the wrong GDP metrics, Andrew Puzder is arguing the EU is currently trouncing the US. And it’s all because of Trump!
Let me explain🧵
By comparing the wrong GDP metrics, Andrew Puzder is arguing the EU is currently trouncing the US. And it’s all because of Trump!
Let me explain🧵
December 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Trump’s ambassador to the EU is accidentally—and unwittingly—saying the US economy is losing ground to the EU, even if he doesn’t seem to realise it.
By comparing the wrong GDP metrics, Andrew Puzder is arguing the EU is currently trouncing the US. And it’s all because of Trump!
Let me explain🧵
By comparing the wrong GDP metrics, Andrew Puzder is arguing the EU is currently trouncing the US. And it’s all because of Trump!
Let me explain🧵
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in NRSC v. FEC, a case challenging federal limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates. While the campaign finance system clearly needs reform, those choices belong to Congress, not the Court. Learn more: bit.ly/4oIZsNl
December 12, 2025 at 9:04 PM
The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in NRSC v. FEC, a case challenging federal limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with their candidates. While the campaign finance system clearly needs reform, those choices belong to Congress, not the Court. Learn more: bit.ly/4oIZsNl
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Kristi Noem has attacked Sister Norma Pimentel, a leader of Catholic Charities serving immigrants in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, after she spoke out bravely criticizing DHS deportation projects, echoing the words of Pope Leo. www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/268391/...
DHS cuts off aid to Texas Catholic Charities
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has suspended Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley (CCRGV) from receiving federal funding, according to CCRGV.
www.catholicnewsagency.com
December 12, 2025 at 5:32 AM
Kristi Noem has attacked Sister Norma Pimentel, a leader of Catholic Charities serving immigrants in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, after she spoke out bravely criticizing DHS deportation projects, echoing the words of Pope Leo. www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/268391/...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
We aren't surprised by this article in which a top lawyer says that cross-border employment is a 'minefield' - it has been a longstanding challenge for workers & employers contacting @borderpeople.bsky.social.
Delighted to have secured significant #PEACEPLUS funding: crossborder.ie/news/ccbc-se...
Delighted to have secured significant #PEACEPLUS funding: crossborder.ie/news/ccbc-se...
Top lawyer warns of cross-border employment ‘minefield’ spanning data protection, tax and pension auto enrolment
A leading employment lawyer has warned that employing remote workers cross-border creates a potential “minefield” for employers as well as issues for staff.
A leading employment lawyer has warned that employing remote workers cross-border creates a potential “minefield” for employers as well as issues for staff.
Top lawyer warns of cross-border employment ‘minefield’ spanning data protection, tax and pension auto enrolment
A leading employment lawyer has warned that employing remote workers cross-border creates a potential “minefield” for employers as well as issues for staff.
www.independent.ie
December 12, 2025 at 2:00 PM
We aren't surprised by this article in which a top lawyer says that cross-border employment is a 'minefield' - it has been a longstanding challenge for workers & employers contacting @borderpeople.bsky.social.
Delighted to have secured significant #PEACEPLUS funding: crossborder.ie/news/ccbc-se...
Delighted to have secured significant #PEACEPLUS funding: crossborder.ie/news/ccbc-se...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
#EarlyModern 🗃️
The second, 'Ireland, 1485-1798: colonial laboratory?' (featuring @nejohnst.bsky.social) examined how Ireland was used as a colonial laboratory by the English Crown and its servants. youtu.be/EY3nimRylms?...
Ireland, 1485-1798: colonial laboratory?
Neil Johnston, head of early modern records at The National Archives (UK), examines how Ireland was used as a colonial laboratory by the English Crown and its servants. His talk will explore how,…
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 1:59 PM
#EarlyModern 🗃️
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
La Croatie achète des Leopard allemands après avoir fait don de chars à l'Ukraine
La Croatie achète des Leopard allemands après avoir fait don de chars à l'Ukraine
La Croatie a signé un contrat de 1,48 milliard d'euros pour l'achat de 44 chars Leopard 2A8 à l'Allemagne, en remplacement d'équipements militaires de l'Est, dans le cadre d'un vaste programme de modernisation de la défense.
fr.euronews.com
December 12, 2025 at 2:08 PM
La Croatie achète des Leopard allemands après avoir fait don de chars à l'Ukraine
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
The first, 'England’s First Colony: Medieval Ireland, 1171-1500' provided an overview of the history of English intervention in Ireland and its role in the political development of the British and Irish isles. youtu.be/z96EoL0qhxI?...
England’s First Colony: Medieval Ireland, 1171-1500 (Finding Ireland series with TNA (UK))
In May 1487, a coronation was held in Christ Church Cathedral Dublin. The young child was hailed as King Edward VI. Those who pressed his claim, soon raised an army to invade England and depose the…
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The first, 'England’s First Colony: Medieval Ireland, 1171-1500' provided an overview of the history of English intervention in Ireland and its role in the political development of the British and Irish isles. youtu.be/z96EoL0qhxI?...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
The third, 'Ireland’s undiscovered past: the 1800s' (featuring @gillianobrien.bsky.social) delved into the VRTI in search of lesser-known men and women to reveal new interpretations of Ireland’s recent past. youtu.be/dsuWzs00AXM?...
Ireland’s undiscovered past: the 1800s
The history of 19th century Ireland was dominated by big events, big men and big problems. The Act of Union of 1800, the Great Famine, and the campaign for land rights and Home Rule are among the…
youtu.be
December 12, 2025 at 1:05 PM
The third, 'Ireland’s undiscovered past: the 1800s' (featuring @gillianobrien.bsky.social) delved into the VRTI in search of lesser-known men and women to reveal new interpretations of Ireland’s recent past. youtu.be/dsuWzs00AXM?...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
More than 250 people who were exposed to measles, including dozens of unvaccinated school-aged children, are quarantining in South Carolina as the state wrestles to contain an outbreak that has sickened more than 110 people.
Hundreds Quarantined in South Carolina as Measles Outbreak Shows No Sign of Slowing
The outbreak shows no signs of slowing, likely because of the affected area’s “lower-than-hoped-for vaccination coverage,” a state health official said.
nyti.ms
December 12, 2025 at 2:10 PM
More than 250 people who were exposed to measles, including dozens of unvaccinated school-aged children, are quarantining in South Carolina as the state wrestles to contain an outbreak that has sickened more than 110 people.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
This entire article is positive about Trump Gold Cards. It contains positive quotes about it from Trump, Lutnick and a CEO. It contains no quotes from the many critics of the program. This is sandwiched between 6 posts about Erika Kirk. CBS is lost.
December 12, 2025 at 12:08 PM
This entire article is positive about Trump Gold Cards. It contains positive quotes about it from Trump, Lutnick and a CEO. It contains no quotes from the many critics of the program. This is sandwiched between 6 posts about Erika Kirk. CBS is lost.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
It's my turn.
I quote from these two books in my new book out this week.
The first (from 2005) was too optimistic about Europe. The second (from 2013) was too pessimistic.
I've endeavoured to give a realistic assessment of the promise and peril of where the EU is in 2025.
www.TheOwnedContinent.eu
I quote from these two books in my new book out this week.
The first (from 2005) was too optimistic about Europe. The second (from 2013) was too pessimistic.
I've endeavoured to give a realistic assessment of the promise and peril of where the EU is in 2025.
www.TheOwnedContinent.eu
December 12, 2025 at 2:12 PM
It's my turn.
I quote from these two books in my new book out this week.
The first (from 2005) was too optimistic about Europe. The second (from 2013) was too pessimistic.
I've endeavoured to give a realistic assessment of the promise and peril of where the EU is in 2025.
www.TheOwnedContinent.eu
I quote from these two books in my new book out this week.
The first (from 2005) was too optimistic about Europe. The second (from 2013) was too pessimistic.
I've endeavoured to give a realistic assessment of the promise and peril of where the EU is in 2025.
www.TheOwnedContinent.eu
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
"When liberalism is bedrock, good journalists can do great things when they get corporate-scale resources. And whatever marginal independence they lack might be worth the sacrifice. But in illiberal times, it’s a foolish, dangerous trade."
Trump and the Oligarchs Are Killing Corporate Media
The oligarchs only care about money. The dictator only cares about power. They can make that arrangement work.
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 12, 2025 at 9:00 AM
"When liberalism is bedrock, good journalists can do great things when they get corporate-scale resources. And whatever marginal independence they lack might be worth the sacrifice. But in illiberal times, it’s a foolish, dangerous trade."
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
From FT Europe Express newsletter. Outrageously biased anti-trade opinions masquerading as news. Which is pretty weird really, but shows how easy it is to accept protectionism, as this is.
Not a loophole, but was a deliberate policy to encourage trade by small companies.
Not a loophole, but was a deliberate policy to encourage trade by small companies.
December 12, 2025 at 8:36 AM
From FT Europe Express newsletter. Outrageously biased anti-trade opinions masquerading as news. Which is pretty weird really, but shows how easy it is to accept protectionism, as this is.
Not a loophole, but was a deliberate policy to encourage trade by small companies.
Not a loophole, but was a deliberate policy to encourage trade by small companies.
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
The Winter 2025 edition of Heritage Ireland Magazine is now out.
This issue features conservation stories, heritage research, OPW apprenticeships, & a look inside sites including Emo Court & Roscrea Castle.
🔗 https://www.gov.ie/en/office-of-public-works/news/heritage-ireland-ezine-winter-2025/
This issue features conservation stories, heritage research, OPW apprenticeships, & a look inside sites including Emo Court & Roscrea Castle.
🔗 https://www.gov.ie/en/office-of-public-works/news/heritage-ireland-ezine-winter-2025/
December 12, 2025 at 9:05 AM
The Winter 2025 edition of Heritage Ireland Magazine is now out.
This issue features conservation stories, heritage research, OPW apprenticeships, & a look inside sites including Emo Court & Roscrea Castle.
🔗 https://www.gov.ie/en/office-of-public-works/news/heritage-ireland-ezine-winter-2025/
This issue features conservation stories, heritage research, OPW apprenticeships, & a look inside sites including Emo Court & Roscrea Castle.
🔗 https://www.gov.ie/en/office-of-public-works/news/heritage-ireland-ezine-winter-2025/
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Is the tide turning? New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Renewed talk of a customs union may well come to nothing, but rapidly changing geo-politics mean the UK needs urgently to face up to the failure of the entire Brexit ‘strategy’: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...
December 12, 2025 at 7:23 AM
Is the tide turning? New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Renewed talk of a customs union may well come to nothing, but rapidly changing geo-politics mean the UK needs urgently to face up to the failure of the entire Brexit ‘strategy’: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
Reposted by Colin Wrafter
For four years Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been Ukraine’s commander and communicator in chief during its struggle against Russia's genocidal invasion
I tried to convey some of his character and challenges in this short video broadcast on Irish TV during his historic visit last week
Part 2 in comments
I tried to convey some of his character and challenges in this short video broadcast on Irish TV during his historic visit last week
Part 2 in comments
December 12, 2025 at 9:06 AM
For four years Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been Ukraine’s commander and communicator in chief during its struggle against Russia's genocidal invasion
I tried to convey some of his character and challenges in this short video broadcast on Irish TV during his historic visit last week
Part 2 in comments
I tried to convey some of his character and challenges in this short video broadcast on Irish TV during his historic visit last week
Part 2 in comments