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Breffni Michael O’Connor

@breffnioc.bsky.social
139 followers 336 following 140 posts

Book evangelist. Head of marketing at politybooks.com. Cultivating my own garden. Specifically veg.

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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
Sonia Silva ❤️ @vallygirl.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Countries with public executions: • Iran • North Korea • Somalia • Afghanistan • Saudi Arabia • Yemen • United States of America Let that sink in!!
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
Analysis: Trump's shock Russia deal highlights mounting pressure to curb fuel prices www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Trump's shock Russia deal highlights mounting pressure to curb fuel prices
The US president hopes to ease his party's pain before next month's midterm elections, writes the BBC's North America correspondent.
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
Lit Hub @literaryhub.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
"Russia has been targeting presses and publishing houses across Ukraine for the past month, in a campaign that’s increasingly concerned with decimating Ukrainian culture." buff.ly/0lb6C1o
buff.ly
Russia has destroyed “one third of all the books printed in Ukraine this year.”
On September 25, The New York Times reported that Russian drones hit a plant on the edge of Kyiv. That plant was home to a printing press, and millions of children’s books. This attack is but…
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
RTÉ News @news.rte.ie · 26/09/2026
Visits to public libraries around Ireland have increased by two million in the last two years. New figures show that almost 16 million visits were made to Ireland's libraries in 2025, compared with nearly 14 million in 2023
rte.ie
Public library visits increased by two million nationwide
Visits to public libraries around Ireland have increased by two million in the last two years, new figures show as National Public Libraries Open Day takes place nationwide.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
share.google/xmNAnPlYRcFD...
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Ekurhuleni killings: Grim discoveries of murdered women spark fear in South Africa
Dineo Motapane is one of nine recent victims whose deaths have left a nation traumatised over the level of violence against women.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Ben Delo: Reform receives record £36m donation from cryptocurrency billionaire
Ben Delo's donation, the biggest single sum ever given to a political party in the UK, comes amid scrutiny of Reform's finances.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Secret systems used by Israel in mass killings of Gaza civilians revealed in new film
Testimony from Israeli military insiders involved in surveillance and remote killings features in documentary produced by the Guardian
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
UK announces sanctions on West Bank settlements prompting furious Israeli response
Britain's foreign secretary accuses settlers of carrying out the "ethnic cleansing" of Palestinians, as Israel responds by shutting the UK consulate in East Jerusalem.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/202...
churchtimes.co.uk
James Orr stands down as head of policy for Reform UK after Channel 4 investigation
Footage appears to show theologian discussing ways to accept funding from American donor
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
UN to vote on adopting new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
Togo-sponsored resolution calls to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Palestinian teens killed during settler attack on West Bank village, officials say
Al-Mughayyir's council says they were trying to stop settlers stealing sheep, but the Israeli military says they threw stones at its troops.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Revealed: Toby Young free speech group crowdfunded over £60,000 for legal case fought by pro-bono lawyer
Staff members said Free Speech Union would ‘need to explain’ how it spent money donated by its supporters
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City Lights Booksellers & Publishers @citylightsbooks.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Walking around with your head in the clouds, makes no sense at all . . . photo by Dennis Sullivan
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Gray Matthews @grayhiker.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
Wonderful book. Wonderful, too, to simply consider one’s own tonality in thinking as a living being. More to come...
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Polity @politybooks.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
Is capitalist democracy ill-equipped to tackle climate change? As a heatwave sweeps across Europe, Jens Beckert is on the @prospectmagazine.co.uk to discuss his book How We Sold Our Future: The Failure to Fight Climate Change. Listen here: www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/podcasts/pro...
prospectmagazine.co.uk
Jens Beckert: Democracy won’t beat climate change
From profit maximisation to short term limits, is capitalist modernity equipped to tackle climate change?
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Polity @politybooks.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
"Schake’s superb historical overview demonstrates the resiliency of America’s civil-military structure throughout the history of the republic. In that, there is hope for the future.” —Claremont Review of Books review The State and the Soldier by Kori Schake claremontreviewofbooks.com/officers-and...
claremontreviewofbooks.com
Officers and Gentlemen - Claremont Review of Books
Officers and Gentlemen
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Vatican excommunicates conservative SSPX followers
Around 600,000 followers of the Society of Saint Pius X, a Catholic sect, are affected.
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity @politybooks.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
"Every passing day in today’s world reminds us that imperialism is constantly renewing itself (did you say rare earths? Greenland? cobalt? Congo?)." Read Denis Cogneau's piece for our blog: www.politybooks.com/blog-detail/...
politybooks.com
Empire on the cheap, decolonisation to complete - Polity
by Denis Cogneau Every passing day in today’s world reminds us that imperialism is constantly renewing itself (did you say rare earths? Greenland? cobalt? Congo?). It also reminds us that North–...
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
Polity @politybooks.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
“…an accessible treatment that simplifies Big Ideas without being simplistic. Chris Coyne and Abby Hall have delivered.” @theceme.bsky.social review Austrian Economics: An Introduction by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall. theceme.org/book_review/...
theceme.org
‘Austrian Economics: An Introduction’ by Christopher J. Coyne and Abigail R. Hall - Centre for Enterprise Markets and Ethics | CEME
Caleb S. Fuller reviews an elegant introduction to Austrian economics with a clarity of prose that does credit to the important ideas it contains.
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Polity @politybooks.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
“a vital work. It is a book that reminds us that while the past may be another country, the present bears its contours.” - @historytoday.com review 'The German-Russian Century: History of a Tangled Relationship' by Stefan Creuzberger Read more: www.historytoday.com/archive/revi...
historytoday.com
‘The German-Russian Century’ by Stefan Creuzberger review
From Rapallo to the Zeitenwende, The German-Russian Century: History of a Tangled Relationship by Stefan Creuzberger discovers the dynamic that defines Europe.
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BISA - British International Studies Association @mybisa.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
📣 Come and take a look at our #BISA2026 day 1 afternoon panel 📣 🌟 'Shaping a Discipline- The Legacy of Groom, Mayall and Spence in British International Relations' with our incredible panel Nicholas Wheeler, Christopher Hill, Cornelia Navari, Chris Brown, Barry Buzan and Kimberly Hutchings 🌟
A panel of six individuals seated in a row on stage, engaged in discussion with notes and lanyards visible.
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
BISA - British International Studies Association @mybisa.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
BISA War Studies have kicked off their War Studies keynote this afternoon at #BISA2026 entitled 'Waging war, making peace from South Africa to Northern Ireland, the Middle East to Ukraine: an IR perspective' 🌍
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
Are hardback books things of 'great beauty' or a dying art?
Readers, publishers, shops and libraries share their thoughts on the hardback's future.
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Reposted by Breffni Michael O’Connor
integervitae.bsky.social @integervitae.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
For decades, the IRS has been required to audit every sitting president annually; a critical safeguard to ensure no president has a secret financial stake in betting against the American people they swore to serve. Every president accepted those audits without question. - Until now.
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The Associated Press @apnews.com · 22/05/2026
Hundreds of people in Ireland are calling for justice after the death of a Congolese man restrained by security guards in Dublin. Here are some things to know about the incident.
bit.ly
What to know about the death of a Congolese man in Ireland
Hundreds of people in Ireland are calling for justice after the death of a Congolese man restrained by security guards in Dublin.
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 19/05/2026
‘Refusing help to a friend who has betrayed us does not entail an assumption that he is ultimately responsible for his character. It is just a natural consequence of his destruction of our friendship.’ Thomas Nagel on T.M. Scanlon’s moral philosophy. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Thomas Nagel · I’m not sorry: Should we punish?
Whether the causal order of nature is deterministic or partly random, people do not create themselves. So how can it...
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
The American epoch of oil is collapsing. What comes next could be ugly | Jonathan Watts www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-i...
theguardian.com
The American epoch of oil is collapsing. What comes next could be ugly | Jonathan Watts
China is dominating the energy transition with astonishing result, while fossil fuel fascists in the US try to turn back the clock
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Ian Malcolm @iannmalcolm.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
Adam Kadlac, author of The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life, in the LA Times: www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
latimes.com
Contributor: We shouldn't treat Disney adults like cultural abominations
Seeking an escape at one of Mickey's parks isn't any worse than checking out by playing video games, watching sports or reading smutty novels.
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Ian Malcolm @iannmalcolm.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Wonderful! Thomas Nagel in the LRB on T.M. Scanlon's new book: I’m not sorry www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Thomas Nagel · I’m not sorry: Should we punish?
Whether the causal order of nature is deterministic or partly random, people do not create themselves. So how can it...
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 01/05/2026
share.google/Vbh79LhrNIKZ...
share.google
Fertiliser boss says Iran war puts 10 billion meals a week at risk
A shortage of fertiliser due to the Iran conflict could reduce crop yields and push prices higher, says the boss of Yara.
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Unite the union @unitetheunion.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
Iran war helps BP double profits to nearly $3.2bn in the first three months of 2026! While ordinary people pay huge price hikes at the pumps. “Ministers must take steps to halt unfettered profiteering now while there is still time to stop it hurting working people” urges @unitesharon.bsky.social
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The Bookseller @thebookseller.com · 28/04/2026
The Gibert group of French booksellers is set to ask the Paris economic activities tribunal to place it in receivership, as it moves its focus to selling second--hand books 👇 #BookSky
ebx.sh
France's Gibert booksellers requests receivership as it moves into second-hand books
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 28/04/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
bbc.co.uk
BP profits more than double as Iran war sends oil prices higher
The energy giant said it had seen an
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Mark Hamill @markhamillofficial.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
Congratulations to @stephenking.bsky.social for this well-deserved honor!👍 (Novels/Novellas: Approximately 65 to 67 Non-fiction books: 5 books. Short Stories: Over 200 Pseudonyms: 7 novels were published as Richard Bachman. Frequency: He has published at least one book almost every year since 1974)
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
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The insider trading suspicions looming over Trump's presidency
The BBC has found a pattern of spikes in trades ahead of public announcements by the US president.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 18/04/2026
To date, €33m in redress payments have been made to survivors, the money was provided by the Irish government, the religious orders have for the most part declined to contribute. www.theguardian.com/books/2026/a...
theguardian.com
The Fallen by Louise Brangan review – an enraging account of Ireland’s Magdalene laundries
The horrifying story of the Catholic-run institutions that incarcerated thousands of women and girls
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 15/04/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
UK to call for end to Sudan bloodshed at Berlin talks on third anniversary of war
British aid to double as 19m people face acute hunger, but summit unlikely to end conflict amid Saudi-UAE tensions
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
share.google/t9plPyn2wzVJ...
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Hungary election: Viktor Orbán concedes with opposition on course for landslide election win - follow live
Hungary's prime minister has been ousted after 16 years in power, with Péter Magyar set to be the country's new leader.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
Republicans silent as Democrats call on US cabinet to oust Trump over Iran www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
theguardian.com
Republicans silent as Democrats call on US cabinet to oust Trump over Iran
Lawmakers call for use of 25th amendment after president brazenly threatens to commit war crimes in Iran
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
He spent years investigating Opus Dei, a Catholic group accused of a vast conspiracy of abuse. Then Pope Leo asked to meet www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
He spent years investigating Opus Dei, a Catholic group accused of a vast conspiracy of abuse. Then Pope Leo asked to meet
Gareth Gore’s 2024 book Opus alleges decades of manipulation, which the group has denied. He believes the pope wanted to send a clear message
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
As a business founder and as a man, I regret the decades I spent confined by masculinity.Far from being a weakness, emotional literacy – kindness, openness, empathy, compassion – makes us so much stronger. | Guy Singh-Watson www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
theguardian.com
As a business founder and as a man, I regret the decades I spent confined by masculinity | Guy Singh-Watson
Making women more powerful in my farm business and closing the gender pay gap was not just the right thing to do – it has brought commercial benefits, says Riverford founder Guy Singh-Watson
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London Review of Books @lrb.co.uk · 02/04/2026
‘The careful selection process employed in the days of Operation Wrath of God is a distant memory; victims in the tens of thousands have been selected and located with the aid of AI systems.’ Andrew Cockburn on Mossad’s assassination strategy and its legacy. www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...
lrb.co.uk
Andrew Cockburn · Beware the mattress: Mossad’s Kill List
Mossad relied heavily on assorted European security agencies for intelligence on Palestinian activities. Not only did...
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
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His Grace’s Hills: Lismore and the Scandal of Absentee Ownership | The Burkean
The dispute in Lismore, County Waterford, has rightly provoked anger. Hill farmers, some of whose families have worked the same ground for generations, are facing proposed rent increases that in some ...
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...
bbc.co.uk
Oil traders bet millions minutes before Trump's Iran talks post
Traders bet hundreds of millions of dollars on oil contracts just minutes before US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that the US would postpone strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure.
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
www.ft.com/content/16c5...
ft.com
Belgian aristocrat to face charges over murder of Congo’s first premier
Étienne Davignon, 93, is the only surviving former official accused in connection to Patrice Lumumba’s death
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...
theguardian.com
Jürgen Habermas, German philosopher and sociologist, dies aged 96
Habermas’ political consensus-building theory argued formation of public opinion vital for democracies to survive
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Breffni Michael O’Connor @breffnioc.bsky.social · 14/03/2026
An expat in Dubai has a startling revelation: the Stephen Collins cartoon www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
theguardian.com
An expat in Dubai has a startling revelation: the Stephen Collins cartoon
Reality check …
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