Igor Merheim-Eyre

Transatlantic security, freedom & democracy; Research Fellow @UniKentPolitics; formerly @IRIglobal & @Europarl_EN

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Switching default search engines must be the most underwhelming tech sovereignty push in history.

[Reuters @Reuters]

EU Parliament to switch to French search engine from Google in tech sovereignty push https://t.co/D6jFfCBesx https://t.co/D6jFfCBesx

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

What utter tosh.

1. You don’t cut defence spending because of global instability, you boost it.

2. Higher spending isn’t unaffordable because of the Iran War, but because of conscious failures of the government to reign in welfare or ensure energy security

[Politics UK @PolitlcsUK]

🚨 NEW: Keir Starmer is considering cutting the planned £18bn increase in defence spending to £15bn over fears the Iran war makes it unaffordable

[@thetimes]

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Word out on the street has it that the EU is set to join Pax Silica. What is this? Why does this matter?

Read my first ever Substack article to find out more:
https://t.co/lqst8eMBFX

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Exactly. Innovation and competitiveness will be achieved through technological neutrality, not by the Commission telling companies what they should produce and consumers what they should buy.

If China dominates in EVs, let’s empower our strengths, not China’s.

[ECR Group @ecrgroup]

We cannot destroy Europe's automotive industry to enrich China's. ⚠️

Banning combustion engines without a realistic alternative risks exporting jobs, investment and manufacturing capacity out of Europe.

The current proposal to revise the CO₂ standards is not the final destination, but it is a crucial first step towards correcting the mistakes of the last mandate.

"We need technological neutrality and support for European industry, not policies that keep feeding the Chinese monster," warns MEP @AlexandrVondra.

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

The King of the North already trying to settle in

[Guido Fawkes @GuidoFawkes]

Some frustration amongst Downing Street security this morning.

Someone has tried to order Burger King to No10 five times already today, all using different names.

Each delivery driver turned away at the gates. Much confusion.

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

We all know Labour will eventually have to U-turn in on this. The fact that they are dragging their feet only harms the British economy.

[The Telegraph @Telegraph]

Wes Streeting has urged Labour to ramp up oil drilling in the North Sea to boost the economy.

Here are some of the arguments he's laid out👇
https://t.co/VIUGydD0o9

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

The CCP is using the economic security language of the EU to justify tighter controls Chinese investments.

But let’s not fall for this, it’s not the same: the EU is trying to de-risk & protect key sectors, the PRC is trying to further control investments to coerce 3rd countries

[Global Times @globaltimesnews]

Notably, the regulation also outlines countermeasures targeting unfair foreign business practices. Should foreign entities or individuals undermine China’s sovereignty and development interests, arbitrarily cut business ties with Chinese firms or impose discriminatory restrictions on Chinese outbound investors, relevant central authorities may impose restrictive measures. These include curbing their China-related import and export and investment activities, barring Chinese parties from striking deals with them, and limiting entry, work and residence rights of their relevant staff.

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Imagine the protests and outrage from activists and Irish politicians if this alumina was exported to Israel….

So much for Ireland’s neutrality…and double-standards

[Caolan @CaolanReports]

Every day, ships leave this russian owned factory in Ireland straight for St Petersburg carrying thousands of tonnes of raw alumina for the war machine.

There’s corruption everywhere. Locals tell me politicians are bought by oligarchs.

Ireland is no longer militarily neutral.

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Cancelling this event is kowtowing to extremists.

It’s they who should have been cancelled instead of a celebration of Jewish culture and heritage.

The only consolation is that Jews & Jewish culture have survived and flourished for thousands of years. Their enemies haven’t.

[George Osborne @George_Osborne]

Worth reading before speculating https://t.co/9hdM6j6A4P

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Why not also consider banning the ‘European Left’?

Communism is fundamentally against freedom and democracy and, like their far-right chums, ‘The Left’ have sold out to our enemies in Moscow, Beijing and Tehran.

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

EXCLUSIVE: The far-right Europe of Sovereign Nations party — home of Alternative for Germany — could be outlawed for failing to uphold EU values.
https://t.co/sSG1ZFPa4S

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Economically illiterate Labour MPs and wannabe leaders bang on about inequality.

But wealth creators are not the problem, the factors neatly outlined by Kemi below are.

[Kemi Badenoch @KemiBadenoch]

Labour entered government and
⬇️hiked employers National Insurance
⬇️hiked the minimum wage
⬇️loaded new regulations on businesses

The result? Employers stopped hiring young people.

@Conservatives will listen to business, back more apprenticeships and reduce tax and red tape.

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

This is a good piece from @RichardGCorbett although, like much of this debate, it rests on many Ifs.

I’d only add that I don’t see major pitfalls for the UK rejoining with much of the old opt-outs in place given MS dynamics in many of these areas. MFF would be a different issue.

[Richard Corbett @RichardGCorbett]

Rejoining the EU quickly is not impossible :
https://t.co/5rZQqPtcld

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

The PM is likely to face a leadership challenge, there is political uncertainty, and no vision for what the UK actually wants to achieve out of the reset.

Holding a UK-EU Summit at this stage makes no sense and would likely achieve very little.

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

The lack of a date for the next U.K.-EU summit is starting to raise eyebrows — and questions about the state of the Brexit reset.

🔗 https://t.co/2kJlkooXLl

[Andrea Čepová @AndreaCepova]

“America’s outperformance began decades ago, but in the 2020s it has become vast. And it is likely to last. The latest IMF forecasts show American growth besting the rest all the way to 2030 and beyond….”
Do not bet on 🇺🇸 decline!

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

@raalcom You are right of course. But even the V4+ format always depended on the whim of whoever happened to be in power the V4 and the ambitions they fostered

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Such V4+ formats have existed for well over two/three decades and have been used regularly when there was willingness and interest from V4 leaders

[Radu Albu Comănescu @raalcom]

Thanks, @magyarpeterMP, for validating the main ideas of my latest book 😉

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

The only thing Merkel built is the Far Right’s popularity

[Roberta Metsola @EP_President]

For the people who build Europe 🇪🇺

#EuropeanOrderofMerit

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

@AndreaCepova Please report back, I’m curious but doubtful 😀

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

The one thing I learnt about Merkel (and her 700-page autobiography confirmed) is that she’s absolutely incapable of irony, self-reflection or learning from past mistakes.

She would just as happily impose Minsk II on Ukraine today as she did in 2015, giving Russia a mere respite

[POLITICOEurope @POLITICOEurope]

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel hit out at the EU today for not using its diplomatic clout to help end Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. https://t.co/eYgG2eu6D3

[Igor Merheim-Eyre @MerheimEyre]

Not quite sure it’s this simple.

First, the UK would have to figure out what mountain it actually stands on.

Second, it would need to formulate a clear idea re: why it is rejoining.

Both UK and the EU have moved on since 2019. Simply rewinding the clocks is not an option.

[Anthony LaMesa @ajlamesa]

Brexiteers don't want to hear it, but the EU would enthusiastically welcome the UK back and move mountains to make it happen.