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syrpis.bsky.social
Professor of EU Law at the University of Bristol. On here mainly for inexpert political noodling and discussion, with occasional forays into EU law. And, puns. Sorry.
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Posts 16 Comments 34

Would be interested to know how people think Starmer ought to navigate his meeting with Trump; given his ‘bridge’ aim. In my view it’s impossible to know where Trump will be at next week, or what asks he will have of the UK. I’m very critical of Starmer’s stance, but don’t envy him this.

submitted 2 days ago • 20 comments

It's a bit like what happens when you see a big guy beating up a little guy. What you do depends on your size, on your friendship group, and on your temperament. You might a) try to help the little guy as best you can; or b) avoid the conflict as best you can. 1/3

submitted 1 day ago • 2 comments

The amount a country spends on its defence is, or should be, dependent on what threats it faces, and on the extent to which defence spending can help to mitigate those threats. The UK debate on 2.5% doesn't even begin to address those important questions. 1/2

submitted 1 day ago • 1 comment

How can Brexit Britain navigate Trump's World? New post on my Brexit & Beyond Blog. With the rapid deepening of a dangerous global divide, the UK faces hard choices. Could the latest proposals for UK-EU 'mutual recognition' be part of the answer? chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/how-...

submitted 3 days ago • 10 comments

Two Weeks In The Death Spiral Of Cardiff University, by an anonymous academic. This is truly shocking read. The Cardiff executive board should hang their heads in shame. voice.cymru/two-weeks-in...

submitted 2 days ago • 30 comments

Would be interested to know how people think Starmer ought to navigate his meeting with Trump; given his ‘bridge’ aim. In my view it’s impossible to know where Trump will be at next week, or what asks he will have of the UK. I’m very critical of Starmer’s stance, but don’t envy him this.

submitted 2 days ago • 20 comments

ICYMI: Is Trump a Populist or a Fascist? mainlymacro.blogspot.com/2025/02/is-t... Calling Trump a populist alongside people like Johnson or Farage grossly underestimates the threat he represents.

submitted 3 days ago • 7 comments

There's a theme - that the failure of 'the old world order' (economically, socially, geopolitically, etc) has opened the door to populism and autocracy. The evolution of the Ukraine war exemplifies that theme. 1/6

submitted 4 days ago • 2 comments

After three days in Munich, this piece is even more on my mind: The Limits of Coercive Power If we continue to bully and berate our allies and partners, they will eventually find other friends open.substack.com/pub/michaelm...

submitted 6 days ago • 10 comments

There's a theme - that the failure of 'the old world order' (economically, socially, geopolitically, etc) has opened the door to populism and autocracy. The evolution of the Ukraine war exemplifies that theme. 1/6

submitted 4 days ago • 2 comments

To escape the global insanity, I wrote about Bridget Jones and the inescapable global insanity. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

submitted 5 days ago • 5 comments

“Trump basically appears to be acting as though the Americans have the right to seize Ukraine’s national assets, in return for the assistance that they have given so far....It is an administration which is behaving like an organised crime syndicate.” Me in the Telegraph: www.cer.eu/in-the-press...

submitted 5 days ago • 15 comments

Taking inspiration from 'Top Trumps', what would the categories be for the 'World's Top Tyrant' or 'World's Most Dangerous Man'; and who would score most highly? 1/3

submitted 5 days ago • 1 comment

I have a sense of how Starmer’s meeting with Trump next week might go. I hope I’m wrong, but I worry that I’m not. 1/

submitted 6 days ago • 4 comments

All this talk of a backstop is taking me back to 2018/19 and Theresa May's Brexit deal. I don't want to go back there. Please make it stop.

submitted 6 days ago • 3 comments

The more I look at this quote, the more ludicrous it gets. What would this 'dealing with' look like? Does HE have to be repurposed, away from the poisoning of minds, towards the instilling of 'belief' in the 'country'? And if so, or similar, then how?

submitted 6 days ago • 4 comments