johnspringford.bsky.social - Profile | ThreadSky | a Reddit-style client for Bluesky

All I keep thinking and hoping in the midst of extraordinary noise, is that Starmer, Macron, von der Leyen, Merz et al are all seeing the world as is and adjusting to that strategic reality. We are moving to a post-post-WWII world where liberal democracies must hold ground outside of Atlanticism.

submitted 6 hours ago • 3 comments

John with a powerful sally for Europes liberal order. Europe has all the resources to rapidly rearm and stand on its own two feet - the urgency could not be greater as the US abandons NATO. Will EU leaders please stand up.

submitted 6 hours ago • 0 comments

Interesting piece, but has anyone done a proper ex post analysis of the Elizabeth line's benefit-cost ratio compared to forecast? www.theguardian.com/business/202...

submitted 6 hours ago • 3 comments

Girl on a space hopper, 1971, Byker series, Newwcastle, UK , by Finnish photographer Sirkka-Liisa Konttinen #womensart #FridayFeeling

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

The US won't have an official govt delegation at an upcoming, key UN climate science meeting next week. (Story led by @mccuri.bsky.social ) **Whether this signals a broader federal disengagement from int'l climate research is not yet clear... www.axios.com/2025/02/20/u...

submitted 1 day ago • 6 comments

Oh god, not another Substack. This will be occasional, when I want to respond to something quickly. Here's a post about why we must see Trump as a strategic competitor in Europe, not a chaotic interlude, and act accordingly. open.substack.com/pub/jspringf...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Please spread the word - a great opportunity for an early-career researcher with an interest in foreign, security and defence policy to work with @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social's outstanding team, getting exposure to experts & policy-makers in London, Brussels & Washington.

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

The lies are the point: Ukraine is a battle for objective reality iandunt.substack.com/p/the-lies-a...

submitted 1 day ago • 22 comments

So a proposal for a 'billionaire tax' (popularly known as the impôt Zucman after its proponent @gabrielzucman.bsky.social ) was carried in French National Assembly last night. (It still needs to go to the Senate.) 1/3

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

Oh god, not another Substack. This will be occasional, when I want to respond to something quickly. Here's a post about why we must see Trump as a strategic competitor in Europe, not a chaotic interlude, and act accordingly. open.substack.com/pub/jspringf...

submitted 1 day ago • 0 comments

Down with comparative advantage! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

submitted 1 day ago • 5 comments

This is a shame. Sam was unusually independent minded about Brexit, and has done interesting, provocative work on housing and planning. But this is naive.

submitted 1 day ago • 3 comments

It's better to think about institutions supporting social welfare than 'deregulation' raising growth. 20-somethings firing bureaucrats will be destructive. Institutions that are at arm's length from political, business and labour interests might do better. www.ft.com/content/679c...

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

The EU is stronger in clean tech than commonly assumed. The bloc leads in production of specialised machinery such as wind turbines and hydro energy machinery. 🆕 @centreeuropeanref.bsky.social policy brief by @sandertordoir.bsky.social and @elisabettaco.bsky.social Read here: buff.ly/3QoalFM

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

Movies you've watched more than six times, gifs only

submitted 2 days ago • 68 comments

Very happy to see this paper with my colleague and Berlin-based macro whiz @sandertordoir.bsky.social come online! Our key messages 🧵

submitted 3 days ago • 1 comment

In fact I’d describe it as completely & utterly inadequate to the moment.

submitted 2 days ago • 10 comments

The priority is to give Ukraine the resources to reject a Trump-Putin deal. There's no peace to keep.

submitted 2 days ago • 1 comment

Wrote column on why Britons are so happily hawkish on Russia www.economist.com/britain/2025...

submitted 2 days ago • 6 comments

"I, a professional political commentator, was so excited about Trump persecuting minorities and trashing the climate that I was completely oblivious to his obvious sympathy with Putin. Please pay me for my political analysis." I mean, rejoice over every sinner who repents and all that, but come on

submitted 2 days ago • 35 comments

Leopards/face latest:

submitted 2 days ago • 107 comments

This is a very helpful set of birds-eye views. Small-l liberals in the west need to see the Trump admin as a strategic competitor - as @fromtga.bsky.social says, Vance's Munich speech was designed to strengthen Europe's far-right, and as Margaret MacMillan says, UK-as-bridge is not going to happen

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

An apt moment for a remarkable piece of journalism, documenting Russia’s seemingly systematic murder of Ukrainian PoWs. (By @christopherjm.ft.com @joesinft.ft.com & the visual investigations team) on.ft.com/4gLNn61

submitted 2 days ago • 3 comments

Washington post’s top two stories 1. Trump wants to shift the US towards Russia 2. Trump admin to cut defence budget by 40% over next five years. Is this policy made in Moscow and Beijing or what?

submitted 2 days ago • 8 comments

The rupture in the transatlantic alliance would surely justify Labour raising taxes despite its pledges. But the higher defence spending goes the more important it is that taxes are carefully designed to minimise the damage. That means land (ie, council-tax reform) and VAT

submitted 2 days ago • 4 comments

Ah yes, a tone of knowing realism, combined with no cliche left unreached for, rising to the moment.

submitted 2 days ago • 0 comments

I hear Nigel Farage is declining interview requests. First time for everything, I suppose. I suspect he’ll eventually speak to whoever is least likely to challenge him properly.

submitted 2 days ago • 341 comments