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lrharrold.bsky.social
UK intellectual property lawyer living in Italy
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What happened in the Oval Office with Zelensky reminds me of being in settlement negotiations when the other side has realised they don’t like the deal on the table and want to get out of it so they start personal attacks and storm out. Vance/Trump simply didn’t want to sign the deal 🤷‍♀️

This article makes the point which needs answering: it’s not just that you expect Russia to break a ceasefire (they will eventually) but they lead the world in hybrid war which they’ll be rolling out on day one. on.ft.com/3DfwKlu

US envoy to Ukraine and Russia.👇🏽 Quite a change of language. And this readout - more than 24hrs after the meeting - will have been approved. ~AA

The Trump plan for Ukraine is like the Trump plan for Gaza, Greenland or Panama: ownership, exploitation and extraction. America is no longer our ally, it is turning into an exploitative imperial power. archive.is/P30En

'Ukraine has bought Europe time by standing as its first line of defence. Enough of that time has already been squandered through refusal to recognise the danger. History may never forgive the current generation of European leaders if their procrastination continues' www.ft.com/content/f268...

“I don’t need applause, I need enough military and financial support to stop Russia…”

Have written about JD Vance’s Munich speech. In what may prove to be the biggest week for European security since 1991, it’s time Europe listened to what Trump and his Vice President are telling us. open.substack.com/pub/goodalla...

If McSweeney decides Starmer shouldn’t attend the Macron emergency Ukraine summit because of red wall voters or a US trade deal or some other bs reason, can someone please explain to him what’s at stake historically?

There is an alternative vision for the world- a reformed version of the post WW2 international order with a green energy agenda. A customs and defence agreement with EU. Sadly we need to spend more on Defence but it should generate some jobs and stability if we create an effective deterrence re WW3.

In terms of Labour’s message, I find it inconsistent- we want growth but we won’t consider customs agreement with EU. We want green energy but we are building a new runway. We want to be a world leader in AI but we won’t attend international conference or sign up to code that even China agrees to.

Is this right? There is certainly tax on many many goods coming from UK to Italy…not just non-tariff barriers.

Bad decision. Government needs to “take tough decisions” and move FAST to improve the economy. Also business confidence in them will fall further if they refuse good offers.

We can’t grow without reducing trade barriers with EU. If we don’t grow, Labour could lose next election. We need a customs union and a youth mobility agreement as a minimum.

Now might not be a great time to appoint an Assad ally to a sensitive intelligence role. Just my thoughts.

He’s turning into a Bond villain… only unfortunately for the world, he’s definitely not fictional.