Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \ also @chrisgeeuk.bsky.social

Human, enjoys debate, 🤘 rock gigs, humour, 🏊‍♂️, ⛷️, 🤿, 🍴 & 🐺 FC. Citizen of 🌍, 🇮🇪, 🇪🇺 & 🇬🇧. Work @Oakfnd.
Les vues ici sont les miennes.

[The New Statesman @NewStatesman]

As Ed Davey reveals MI6 tried to recruit him as a spy,
@willydunn shares his conspiracy theory about Lib Dem sleeper agents.

[Gandalv @Microinteracti1]

JD Vance took time this week to explain to the British that the murder of 18-year-old student Henry Nowak was actually about immigration.

Justice Secretary David Lammy apparently rang Vance to set the record straight. “You’re wrong about this,” Lammy told him. Which must have been an uncomfortable conversation for a vice-president who has built an entire political career on being confidently incorrect about things happening in other people’s countries.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, England’s football squad was busy preparing for the World Cup in Kansas City, Missouri. Nine people were shot near England’s planned training facility and hotel on Troost Avenue at four in the morning. Police arrived to find a large crowd scattering. A second shooting the same evening, just miles away on Troost Avenue, left two people dead. 

The Kansas City Police were quick to reassure everyone that the incident “did not occur near a World Cup venue or anything else World Cup-related.”  Which is technically true, in the same way that a house fire next door isn’t technically in your living room.

The Americans are hosting a World Cup. They have strong opinions about immigration and British crime statistics. They would just like everyone to ignore the bit where nine people get shot near the visiting team’s hotel before breakfast.

Gandalv / @Microinteracti1

[Ben Page @Benpagelondon]

Well - 10 years on from #brexit some 52% now want to rejoin and 33% stay out. (Personal prediction - the 52% will need to be nearer 70% before it happens )

[Arnaud Bertrand @RnaudBertrand]

Good take by @adam_tooze in the FT.

I think a good analogy to use is this: imagine Saudi Arabia offered to sell their oil wells at 80% off, and you could somehow ship them home. You'd call any leader who refused that deal a complete fool.

Well that's pretty much what China is doing with solar panels.

That's what people fail to understand: there's such intense competition and so much supply in China - the so-called "involution" phenomenon - that it's YOU, as a customer, who's getting subsidized when you buy solar panels. This is literally China paying your energy bill.

And it's like oil wells because, once it's installed, there's no dependency. You buy it once, and for three decades (the average lifespan of a solar panel) you're extracting energy from your own sun, just like an oil well extracts from your own ground. It's one of the most sovereign energy asset you can buy.

The rational response when you see this is to buy as many as you can, as fast as you can. All the more when you're Europe and you have massive energy supply problems (and no solar industry of your own to protect).

But no, we scream "overcapacity" and put up tariffs. We're so deep into geopolitical brainworms that we can't recognize the best deal in the history of energy.

Src for the article: https://t.co/BMB8wBJEAm

[Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \ also @chrisgeeuk.bsky.social @chrisgeeuk]

@poll_checker A good time to re-watch Borgen.

[Prof. Steve Keen @ProfSteveKeen]

This is extremely important. Later this year the world will suffer two simultaneous disasters: the collateral damage of Trump and Netanyahu’s stupid war, and the biggest El Niño ever.

[New Direction AFRICA @Its_ereko]

🚨 THE DEATH OF THE DOLLAR IN EAST AFRICA? 🇹🇿 💵

​If you think dedollarization is just a theory, think again. Tanzania just officially locked the U.S. Dollar out of its domestic economy.

​As detailed in the legal breakdowns the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) has completely banned the use of USD and other foreign currencies for local transactions. The one-year grace period for existing contracts officially ended this month (June 2026).

​Here is what is now strictly ILLEGAL inside Tanzania:

​❌ No USD Pricing: You cannot quote, display, or advertise prices in USD or EUR. Everything must be in Tanzanian Shillings (TZS).

​❌ No Foreign Cash for Local Deals: Accepting or forcing payments in foreign currency for local goods/services is a criminal offense.

​❌ No Rejecting Shillings: Refusing to accept the local currency is officially a punishable crime.

​Why does this matter:
This isn't a temporary rule—it is fully codified under Government Notice No. 198. The government is aggressively moving to protect and strengthen the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) by forcing every single local business, hotel, and supplier to drop the greenback.

​Is this the blueprint for the rest of the continent? 👇🏿

[PoliticsHome @politicshome]

Lib Dem MP Layla Moran tells PoliticsHome: "There's definitely a frustration that it feels like [the party has] been talking about the same things and that just felt like we weren't really moving forward"

As the Lib Dems come under pressure to remain relevant, a strategy "rethink" is now underway at the top of the party, PoliticsHome can reveal

https://t.co/dq5ckMxPPO

[Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \ also @chrisgeeuk.bsky.social @chrisgeeuk]

@ElectionMapsUK Is it yime to re-watch Borgen?

[Andy Fitchet @AndyFitchet]

The constant banging on about DEI is an infuriating American import into the UK.

In the UK we call it EDI. And EDI training is essentially summed up like this:
‘Don’t be a knob to other people, and realise some people face barriers you don’t.’

It’s not some woke conspiracy.

[Fraser Nelson @FraserNelson]

It's not just the exploitation of a tragedy.

JD Vance's picture of Britain - where migrants have led to a crime surge - is the opposite of the truth.

https://t.co/y5El5FUj7v

[Plastic Pollutes @PlasticPollutes]

Don’t bottle it now, FIFA!

⚽ Just a week before the World Cup begins, FIFA has reversed its decision to allow fans to bring empty, transparent reusable bottles into stadiums. The governing body cites safety concerns for the players as the reason behind the change, but critics claim that the last-minute decision may have more to do with wanting increased revenue and could have negative health consequences for fans.

FIFA hasn’t been clear about how fans will be able to access water at the different venues. With high temperatures expected, staying hydrated will be critical to avoid heat exhaustion and heat stroke. 🥵

Now, FIFA says fans can buy plastic bottled water at the stadiums. But this is costly for fans’ wallets, their health, and the planet. Water is a human right, and should be safe and accessible for everyone. Fans should be able to bring their own bottle and refill in the stadium.🚰

It’s time we kick the plastic habit, and make the goal safe water access for all!

#PlasticPollutes #WorldCup #BreakFreeFromPlastic

[Packaging Europe @PackagingEurope]

.@FIFAcom has made a last-minute decision to ban reusable bottles in stadiums during the World Cup 2026, sparking debate over whether fan safety is coming second to shareholder profit

Link below👇

[Nicholas Kristof @NickKristof]

Trump, Musk and Rubio slashed aid and scoffed that it was woke nonsense. Now they're seeing that it not only saved one life every 10 seconds but also protected us from diseases like Ebola. Their actions constituted a security failure as well as a moral one.
More broadly, their fecklessness contrasts with the courage and humanity of doctors and aid workers in Congo and Uganda, lacking adequate PPE but still risking the virus to care for fellow humans.
Trump, Musk and Rubio might learn something from them. https://t.co/kPKj7fqJFZ

[FAO Newsroom @FAOnews]

#Antimicrobialresistance poses a significant long-term threat to food security, livestock production and human health.

A new @FAO report warns that global antimicrobial use in livestock is projected to increase by nearly 30% by 2040 under current trends.
https://t.co/uqiOjxGWqk

[Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \ also @chrisgeeuk.bsky.social @chrisgeeuk]

@ESWolves_star @LiamKeen_Star 18+ sponsor so kids can't wear.the same shirt as their heroes yet again.

[Geoffrey Lean @GeoffreyLean]

Wanting growth. Go green! CBI report shows Britain’s green economy growing by ten per cent a year, as are green jobs, now totalling over a million, paying better and more productive than others. Scrapping net zero would be economic madness.

https://t.co/31rbt1Cixn

[The News Agents @TheNewsAgents]

The World Cup host country usually sees a huge boost in its tourism – but in America, hotel rooms remain empty, and stadium seats un-booked.

Greed? The war in Iran? Or, is the Donald Trump effect putting people off America?

@maitlis | @jonsopel

https://t.co/M5ysPHhwtD

[Alex Wickham @alexwickham]

Bloomberg News exclusive:

Vladimir Putin has been told by senior Russian officials that the war in Ukraine is becoming unaffordable, the most serious sign of internal division in Moscow since the full-scale invasion began

https://t.co/gpk6OChdlC

[Chris Gee / ◣ ◢ \ also @chrisgeeuk.bsky.social @chrisgeeuk]

BBC News - Dorset Council has 'no plans' to use Portland Port incinerator - BBC News
https://t.co/SPHWGrR582