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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Niall nails the fundamental problem with the British “rejoin” debate: Britons talking to Britons about what Britain wants assuming Europe will oblige. As Brexit was exceptionalism dressed as sovereignty; rejoin cannot be exceptionalism dressed as Europhilia.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

For a nation renowned for its modesty and reserve, self-identifying as “not a minor member” is deliciously ironic. Perhaps nothing better captures the peculiar British relationship with Europe than the assumption that one’s own importance should be both self-evident and consequential.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 09/08/2026

Lewis, I respect you enormously as a journalist, but this perfectly encapsulates the British misconception of the EU: that being a “major member” somehow entitled Britain to special treatment. That sense of entitlement is precisely why Britain, and the EU, are better off apart.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

You're hiding behind semantics because you can't challenge the point. He clarified it several replies ago, yet you're still pretending this is about wording rather than democracy. If that is all you've got left, you've already lost the argument.

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Dmitry Grozoubinski @explaintrade.com · 21/07/2026

Ah, once again someone has confused Clausewitz with the Marquis de Sade.

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Peter Kay @theonlypeterkay.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Farage’s narcissism has handed Clacton a once in a century chance to make history: A chance to establish itself as a beacon of British good sense, humour and democracy by electing Count Binface. The World and his wife know who Farage is. Clacton voters will be derided forever if they reelect Farage.

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Luigi di Angeli @luigidiangeli.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

Hove actually

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

And their argument I expect will be something along the lines that this proposal does not compromise Schengen

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Mark Purchase 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 🇪🇸 🇪🇺 @markpurch.bsky.social · 22/07/2026

If this really was about “restoring the dream of retiring to Spain” these people would be lobbying Spain to change the requirements of the NLV, the visa specifically for retirees But of course it isn’t, it’s just another ludicrous attempt to pull Schengen apart in order to have long vacations

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Cogent and well reasoned as always Niall. Encouraged to note MG's engagement. We need more of this kind of engagement.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

That is a UK problem to address. The EU / Europe has far too many pressing issues to deal with rather than assuaging fragile British egos.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

That is a UK problem to address. The EU / Europe has far too many pressing issues to deal with rather than assuaging fragile British egos.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

The bottom line is that whilst Norway et al have remained outside the EU and it's structures, they respect and accept their (EU & structures) primacy and do not have a history of trying to undermine them. Unlike the UK. In short there is a mutual respect that is lacking in the UK's dealings.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

It's right to be cautious. The UK is one election away from its own Trump-style government. That's exactly why Europe values durable institutions over the promises of individual politicians. There is already a framework. The real question is whether Britain is prepared to work within it.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

I don't think Niall is criticising defence cooperation. He's questioning the instinct to present bespoke UK–Europe arrangements as preferable to the institutional frameworks Europe already has. One of Brexit's more enduring habits has been treating institutions as optional.

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Paul Guinnessy @paulguinnessy.bsky.social · 12/07/2026

Pretty classy message by the Norwegian Embassy. #WorldCup

Thank you message from the Norwegians to America for hosting them during the World Cup

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

www.koreatimes.co.kr/economy/poli... It says something when Korea and Japan whose history is incomparably darker than Britain's relationship with Europe can contemplate EU-style integration. England still treats cooperation as humiliation. Emotional maturity is evidently unevenly distributed.

koreatimes.co.kr

70% of Koreans back pursuing EU-style economic community with Japan: survey - The Korea Times

Nearly 70 percent of Koreans support pursuing an EU-style economic community with Japan, while 60 percent of Japanese respondents agreed, according...

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The Liberal BoJack @thelibbojack.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Two observations from the World Cup; Fifa should be disbanded USA should never be allowed to host it again

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Anne Applebaum @anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 07/07/2026

Americans are now so used to their president cheating and breaking rules that many of them seem genuinely not to understand why the world was rooting for Belgium.

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Cethan Leahy @cethanleahy.com · 07/07/2026

Bluesky this morning:

Tintin and Snowy in a parade where everyone is cheering. (Still from Tintin in America)

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Martín Roberts 🇪🇺 🇪🇸 🇬🇧 🚲 @madridcorro.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

In Spanish we call this wanting to swim while minding your clothes (querer nadar y guardar la ropa).

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Vossfox @vossfox.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

In German it's: give me bath, but don't make me wet

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Duncan Robinson @duncanrobinson.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Starmer saying it’s impossible for a prime minister to spend less time on foreign affairs has got me thinking that we need a cabinet position dedicated to foreign policy. Ideally they’d have their own department.

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Ian Black @balmachreuchie.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

England needs to be brought to the painful but necessary realisation that the EU isn’t applying to join England, it’s the other way round. Lots of imperial balloons need to be burst.

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Pascal (Miner for truth and delusion) 🇪🇺 🇬🇧 🇫🇷 @pascalr57.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

As far as I know, she's not financing European far right. Those are the billionaires we should be worried about.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

The arrogance is breathtaking. When Britain left many Brexit advocates openly predicted and actively hoped that would precipitate the EU's disintegration. To now demand a decision-shaping role is the same old exceptionalism dressed up as pragmatism.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

We have an expression too. "Having your cake and eating it." We simply elevated it to a constitutional doctrine.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

The tragedy is that Britain keeps treating each negotiation as though history began yesterday. Brussels remembers.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

The UK's problem isn't just Brexit. It's the persistent belief that the rules should bend for Britain. That mindset poisoned the Withdrawal Agreement and now the reset. Until it changes, negotiations will remain harder than they need to be.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

www.theguardian.com/politics/202... Self-determination was never a principle that could be reserved exclusively for England. If Westminster chooses an increasingly English nationalist path, Scotland and Ireland are entitled to choose different futures.

theguardian.com

Celtic nations begin to plan for breakup of UK in event of Reform election win

Politicians brace for constitutional turmoil if Nigel Farage’s party end up in government – or even as a strong opposition

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Another Brexit dividend. A movement that spent years sneering at experts, universities and "people with qualifications" has now made it harder and more expensive for British children abroad to study in the UK. Yet another opportunity sacrificed on the altar of anti-intellectual populism.

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Graham Simpson @grahambs.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

The UK wanted a "decision-shaping" role in the rules that Britain has agreed to follow. But the EU Commission says it’s not feasible as it would give the UK more rights than countries such as Norway and Iceland that pay into the EU budget and participate fully in its Single Market. -Rejoining would!

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Luigi di Angeli @luigidiangeli.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

Brussels rebuffs UK request for ‘decision-shaping’ role in EU - Another collision with reality. The UK wanted sovereignty over shared decision-making. It got it. What it didn't get was a say over everyone else's decisions. giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/... via @FT

giftarticle.ft.com

Brussels rebuffs UK request for ‘decision-shaping’ role in EU

Deal to reset post-Brexit relations with bloc has been further delayed

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The EU would be clinically insane to have the UK back. Who needs a cuckoo in the nest?

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Increasingly, yes. There is now broad recognition that Europe's competitiveness problem is real. The debate is no longer whether Draghi was right, but how much of his prescription governments are prepared to implement. The diagnosis has largely been accepted. The treatment is the hard part.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

www.politico.eu/sponsored-co... This is the conversation that matters. Not yesterday's arguments over Brexit, but tomorrow's questions of connectivity, resilience, competitiveness and strategic autonomy.

politico.eu

The connectivity choices Europe must now make

A true Single Market for connectivity is essential to unlock investment, support security, and enable scale

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

From a European perspective, this is straightforward: protect the Single Market, manage overcapacity, and apply the rules to third countries. If car plants in Brexitshire suffer c'est la vie. This is precisely what happens when a country votes to leave the system that cushioned them.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

One theme runs through many of these contributions: the UK is simply too important for the EU to ignore. Perhaps. But history has a habit of moving on. As the years pass, the EU will continue to adapt without Britain, and Britain's significance in Brussels will inevitably diminish.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The EU has indeed dodged a bullet. That doesn't mean Brexit was "good" - it was damaging for both sides. The silver lining is that it did leave the EU as a more coherent political project, no longer constrained by Britain's perpetual exceptionalism and reluctance to integrate.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Ah, the joys of “Global Britain”. Leave the EU, chase a US trade deal, then discover the price may be higher drug costs, pressure on the NHS and worse health outcomes. Still, at least no one can say we weren’t warned. Again. And again. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com

US-UK drug deal could result in 229,000 excess deaths in England, analysis suggests

Analysis reveals extent of impact on NHS of placating Donald Trump over price of British medicine exports

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

They affect them exactly as you'd expect. If you're outside the EU, you don't get to benefit from industrial policies designed to support EU industry. The UK is lobbying for exemptions precisely because it is no longer a Member State. That's one of the practical consequences of Brexit.

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

The EU is designing industrial policy for its own market and its own manufacturers. The UK, having chosen to leave, now finds itself on the outside asking for exemptions. That isn't punishment. It's what "taking back control" looks like. www.theguardian.com/business/202...

theguardian.com

EU urged to exempt UK from car rules that could be worst Brexit impact yet

Bloc’s ‘made in Europe’ regulations risk shutting out British manufacturers in ‘most spectacular own goal in history’

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(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam @qaid-e-azam.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

There is a long tradition on parts of the political right, of sneering at experts and treating intelligence or expertise as something suspect. The irony is that reality remains stubbornly indifferent to anti-intellectualism. Expertise doesn't disappear because you mock it. Neither do consequences.

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Luigi di Angeli @luigidiangeli.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Brexit didn't abolish economic gravity. The UK still needs access to the EU market; the EU merely has the leverage to decide on what terms. This agreement is another reminder that cooperation beats slogans every time. www.reuters.com/world/uk/bri...

reuters.com

UK raises planned steel import limits to soothe businesses' cost concerns

Britain on Thursday ‌said it would allow more tariff-free imports of steel than previously planned when it introduces new measures to protect its domestic industry next month, after businesses said in...

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Luigi di Angeli @luigidiangeli.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

A good place to start would be disengaging from disingenuous actors like Hesselden and making an honest, unapologetic case for European integration. That means embracing European values in their entirety, not cherry-picking the bits you fancy. The Single Market, Schengen and, ultimately, the euro.

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Kierkegaarden Cop @joshsteich.bsky.social · 26/06/2026

“We voted to slam our dicks in a door. We didn’t vote for it to hurt.”

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