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Karlo Basta

@karlobasta.bsky.social
1.4K followers 616 following 597 posts

Senior Lecturer in Comparative Politics, University of Edinburgh. Nationalism, the state, capitalism, socialism, in a blender. Wrote The Symbolic State: tinyurl.com/3jb7juez. Writing Capitalists against Nationalism. www.karlobasta.com

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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The bit on electoral reform gives Labour way too much credit. Besides, he wins the next election with majority of seats, watch him backtrack in no time. Like Trudeau in Canada
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Big money to be made off poor people
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
nytimes.com
Timothy Mellon, a G.O.P. Billionaire, Pulls Back His Money From Senate Republicans
Timothy Mellon, one of the party’s biggest donors in 2024, has so far withheld his midterm donations for Republican senators because he is unhappy about the failure to pass a key Trump priority.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Gove, Sturgeon, Mordaunt and, wait for it, Scaramucci. This looks to be as hilarious as it is embarrassing
youtube.com
The Wargame | Official Trailer | Sky
YouTube video by Sky TV
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
First it was ‘move fast and break things’. Now it’s ’slow down and protect the valuation’
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Facebook going hat in hand to European bond markets should be getting way more coverage than it has been
bloomberg.com
Meta Meets With European Credit Investors in Non-Deal Roadshow
Meta Platforms Inc. has been speaking to bond investors in Europe as part of a non-deal roadshow for at least a week as hyperscalers look to tap different global debt markets to fund the AI boom.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Watching Burns' American Revolution & found it really flat and dull (loved his Vietnam War, its flaws notwithstanding). But got me thinking of a more interesting docu-series on another revolutionary & independence movement, the Yugoslav Partisans. Unfortunately, no English subs youtu.be/CWIYYs-mQcE
youtu.be
Partizani - 1. epizoda: Komunisti
YouTube video by Al Jazeera Balkans
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
You know you're diminished in standing and power when even your scandals are about tiny amounts of money
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Reposted by Karlo Basta
Thor Benson @thorbenson.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
I wrote about the renewable energy industry starting to punch back in the political arena for @rollingstone.com. (featuriing @leahstokes.bsky.social)
rollingstone.com
Renewable Energy Is Starting to Spend Big on Elections. It's Working, Too
The renewable energy industry is spending big on elections, including through the Invest in Tomorrow Coalition PAC. It's getting results.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
A great piece on an unusual aspect of Britain's state (in)capacity
ft.com
How Burnham can curb Britain’s tax-dodging shops
The prime minister is missing a simple trick in his campaign to revive high streets: enforcing the basic laws of doing business
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
The message is the medium?
nytimes.com
China Wants Its Data to Power the World’s A.I.
China is exporting more than A.I. models. It wants its data to influence the world’s chatbots, raising fears that Beijing’s narratives will spread with the technology.
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Reposted by Karlo Basta
David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
I've written an essay for @ippr.org about why democratic reformers need to expand their horizons beyond trying to finish the work of Charter 88, and should now shift their focus towards rebuilding the public sphere and confronting private power 1/4
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Against Private Power: A Democracy Agenda Beyond Charter 88
Since Charter 88, democratisation efforts in the UK have focused on constitutional reform to change the internal structures of the Westminster state. Today, however, the major challenge for democracy...
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
So far he's focusing on high profile low-hanging fruit. With vape shops, also an ever-so-slight dogwhistle too. Much, much smarter than that last guy (but let's see)
ft.com
Andy Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops in bid to boost British high streets
Councils will be given extra powers to curb unwanted retailers and ‘bring town centres back to life’
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Nobody ever remembers anything, really
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 26/07/2026
nytimes.com
Blockbuster I.P.O.s Are Creating New Millionaires. Philanthropies Want a Cut.
As start-ups like Anthropic and OpenAI prepare to go public, nonprofits are hoping for a secondary giving windfall from the new tech ultrawealthy.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
I once made a mistake of watching a Christopher Nolan movie and nearly died of boredom. I then made another mistake of watching another, not knowing it was his and ended up on life support. I swore never to repeat that mistake. Fool me twice...
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
Beyond hilarious
giftarticle.ft.com
Wise’s US bank licence bid rejected over compliance ‘deficiencies’
Regulator raises concerns over fintech’s anti-money laundering checks and understanding of banking law
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
It's all fine & good for journalists, pundits (and academics) to be pointing to how the media has been giving Farage an easy pass, but why is it that it goes unnoticed that the man behind Starmer's rise to power has only been interviewed *for the first and only time* once he got the boot?
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Natural monopolies should not be private companies. Rightmove seems a natural monopoly.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
In case you were wondering what's going on in Venezuela
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
That's not a bad tactical play by Farage. Turn the byelection into a sort of referendum on how much people care about the money, and if he wins, he's right. He loses, he doesn't have to spend any time in parliament *at all*. So for him, win-win
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Cool project on AI fuckups incidentdatabase.ai
incidentdatabase.ai
Welcome to the Artificial Intelligence Incident Database
The starting point for information about the AI Incident Database
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
Apple flexing its muscle against Trump admin in the end after all. They may kiss his ass but profit is profit
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
Best I can tell, the biggest knock against Miliband as treasury secretary is that he's too competent. Hilarious. If Burnham picks him, the political reason for bringing in Purnell will be clear.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 26/06/2026
nytimes.com
Investors in Public Companies Are Losing Their Voting Rights
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
No kidding they reject it. 10 years of adjustment to an entirely new institutional and regulatory environment, why would they want to go through it again?
ft.com
UK businesses reject calls to rejoin EU, says CBI chief
Rain Newton-Smith says companies acknowledge costs of Brexit but do not want to ‘reopen the debate’
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Of all the irritating leakages of tech-nerd jargon into every-day speak, 'compute' (as noun) has to be even worse than 'stack'.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Anyone harping on UK’s return to EU is either delusional or cynical. Europeans would be insane to let us back in
giftarticle.ft.com
UK would be blocked from rejoining ‘wounded’ EU, says Jean-Claude Juncker
Former Commission president says other countries would ‘cold-shoulder’ Britain because of its closeness to the US
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 11/06/2026
There we go, its set in motion
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 07/06/2026
Just the latest iteration of century long property-owning democracy scam
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
I love that Mary Poppins soundtrack has hits like 'A British Bank' and, even better, 'Fidelity Fiduciary Bank'.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
Having seen Trudeau the Younger renege on a clear and explicit platform promise of electoral reform once he snuck into government again back in 2015, I'll believe this when I see it.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Political economy of property on Croatian coast can tell you more about socialism and capitalism than tomes of economics books. It is the most fascinating issue I can think of that no academic is writing about.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
That Blair piece was bad for more important reasons, but it was also really poorly written.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Another year of this and people will be ruefully watching Idiocracy where the idiots in government were at least smart enough to get average Joe to come in and solve a problem. Or where AI was actually accurate and socially useful.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
Tell me more about that exclusive territoriality thing. But don't tell me about the rules-based international order please.
nytimes.com
In Iraqi Desert, Two Israeli Outposts Were Kept Secret for Months
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
Have British journalists not had enough of saying 'the people want change' on repeat for 10 years?
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Input legitimacy, Venetian Republic style
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
Always a good day when you get to recommend Harold Innis to a grad student.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
ft.com
Inside the German state trying to break free from Microsoft
Schleswig-Holstein’s radical tech overhaul offers Europe a live experiment in ending dependence on US Big Tech
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 31/03/2026
Yes! We need more billionaire money in institutions of public importance! Yay!
ft.com
Billionaire Chris Rokos donates record £190mn to Cambridge university
Gift from hedge fund boss will fund new school of government
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I don't mind delegating all the bullshit jobs to AI so we can all go do small scale farming
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Reposted by Karlo Basta
Centre on Constitutional Change @ccc-research.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Our event on @ryan-griffiths.bsky.social's new book, The Disunited States, is fast approaching. Join Ryan and panelists @erinjenne.bsky.social and @karlobasta.bsky.social next Monday, March 30, at 3pm BST. Register/info: edin.ac/40MwMcG
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
Finishing off my class on economic nationalism and business power tmrw with this remarkable document from 2000. its techno-optimism, belief that markets tend to strengthen democracy, and more broadly the embrace of the doux commerce perspective are all jarring... archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes....
archive.nytimes.com
Full Text of Clinton's Speech on China Trade Bill
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
In a few years we'll know whether unserious politicians destroy more lives than serious politicians.
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 23/03/2026
UK truly is its own planet
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Reposted by Karlo Basta
Centre on Constitutional Change @ccc-research.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
The Disunited States - Online Event Join author Ryan Griffiths and our panel to discuss his new book, The Disunited States, in which he examines what a project of American secession would look like, and why America is ill-suited for a peaceful national divorce. Register/info: edin.ac/40MwMcG
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Reposted by Karlo Basta
Mark McGeoghegan @markmcgeoghegan.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Ryan's work on secessionism over the past decade has been seminal, this is a must-attend for those of us interested in secessionism and self-determination:
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 18/03/2026
Join @ryan-griffiths.bsky.social @erinjenne.bsky.social and me for a book panel on Ryan's The Disunited States: Threats of Secession in Red and Blue America, and Why They Won't Work. All details below 👇 @uoe-sps.bsky.social @edinburghpir.bsky.social
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Karlo Basta @karlobasta.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
Cherry on top is the title: 'ideological orientation of social science research'
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