Holger Hestermeyer
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hhesterm.bsky.social
Holger Hestermeyer
@hhesterm.bsky.social

Professor of Int’l & EU Law, Diplomatic Academy Vienna. Past: Prof., founding Director CIGAD at King's College London, specialist adviser House of Lords EU Select Committee, Référendaire CJEU

Political science 58%
Business 20%

The withdrawals from the ECT continue.

Tesla does not seem to care very much about the safety or life of its customers. It is quite astonishing how it rarely seems to be liable or responsible for anything. The standards of an internet company ("this is just a beta version"), but operating a car. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
US investigates Tesla’s ‘Mad Max’ high-speed driver assistance mode
Some drivers say vehicles using new version of full self-driving system can travel above speed limits
www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Holger Hestermeyer

‼️Commission urges remaining EU member states to withdraw from Energy Charter Treaty, threatens infringement proceedings
👉 to read in @contexte.com today

www.contexte.com/eu/news/ener...
Scoop — Commission urges remaining EU member states to withdraw from Energy Charter Treaty, threatens infringement proceedings - Contexte
Scoop — Commission urges remaining EU member states to withdraw from Energy Charter Treaty, threatens infringement proceedings - Contexte
www.contexte.com

Reposted by Robert Wolfe

A very readable piece about scholars and the press. I am still not sure whether I agree fully, but I certainly agree enough to have given up on some outlets.
My old pal Pete Coviello — one of the best writers and thinkers I've ever known — wrote the piece of the moment

lithub.com/maybe-dont-t...
Maybe Don’t Talk to the New York Times About Zohran Mamdani
It’s remarkable, the people you’ll hear from. Teach for even a little while at an expensive institution—the term they tend to prefer is “elite”—and odds are that eventually someone who was a studen…
lithub.com

The UK needed and needs 10s of thousands of civil servants to manage the red tape Brexit created. Farage‘s rank incompetence might well create many more red tape jobs. And he is still unwilling to learn.
Nigel Farage says Reform would “reduce the size of the bloated state” by seizing Brexit opportunities to deregulate

@jreland.bsky.social points out in @the-independent.com that this creates a dilemma - the more the UK does things differently to the EU, the more work there is for British bureaucrats

I assume if you read this the fact that the contribution of women to science has been systematically ‘overlooked‘ will not be news for you.

Some takeaways: 1) she would have deserved the Nobel prize 2) in science, we build so much on the knowledge of others - and our love for crediting one or two with the discovery/invention leads to a dramatically erroneous perception of the process

Reposted by Margot C. Finn

As we remember the discover of the double helix, it is worthwhile to read nature‘s article on Rosalind Franklin www.nature.com/articles/d41...
What Rosalind Franklin truly contributed to the discovery of DNA’s structure
Franklin was no victim in how the DNA double helix was solved. An overlooked letter and an unpublished news article, both written in 1953, reveal that she was an equal player.
www.nature.com

Plus when Germany was dependent on Russian gas, noone had any sympathy. Now suddenly it is "listen to Hungary"? bsky.app/profile/nina...
Uitgeleverd aan Poetin

The way in which we present who buys Russian oil and gas is irritating. When Germany got its gas from Russia, we all said "Germany". Now, strangely, in statistics it is "the EU". But it is not the EU. The largest buyers are 1) Hungary, 2) Slovakia, 3) France, 4) Belgium. www.russiafossiltracker.com
Russia Fossil Tracker – Payments to Russia for fossil fuels since 24 February 2022
www.russiafossiltracker.com

Reposted by Holger Hestermeyer

Uitgeleverd aan Poetin

The charges originally brought were so outrageous that in the end nothing stuck. Enjoy your sandwich

Reposted by Holger Hestermeyer

The former DoJ employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Trump’s law enforcement surge in DC has been found not guilty of assault. wtop.com/dc/2025/11/m...
Man who threw sandwich at federal agent in Washington is found not guilty of assault charge - WTOP News
A former Justice Department employee who threw a sandwich at a federal agent during President Donald Trump’s law enforcement surge in Washington was found not guilty of assault.
wtop.com

Yes, my friends, it's yet another day in the sandwich case.
“This case, ladies and gentleman of the jury, is about a sandwich.”

Closing arguments from the defense in the DC sandwich guy case are now underway.

To boldLe go ...
Nigel Farage says Reform would “reduce the size of the bloated state” by seizing Brexit opportunities to deregulate

@jreland.bsky.social points out in @the-independent.com that this creates a dilemma - the more the UK does things differently to the EU, the more work there is for British bureaucrats

Hint to advocacy students: if a justice explicitly states that ‘you talk so fast’ it’s time to slow down.

Reposted by Steve Peers

The tradition that governments tell contradictory stories to the court and to the public continues in the tariff case: the government argued before Scotus that the ieepa tariffs are regulatory, not revenue raising tariffs. To the public, Trump argues the opposite.

The word ‘lead’ when applied to countries has become rather meaningless in political discourse.

Reposted by Holger Hestermeyer

And the transcript is here: www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
www.supremecourt.gov

I do not want to rub it in too much, but could not help but notice "The UK Supreme Court’s commitment to diversity and inclusion is deeply rooted in its values. We recognise that diversity brings richness to the judiciary and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds."

Kudos to the FT for finding someone named Noble to write this.
In related news, the Nobel Committee is awarding a 2026 Ballon d'Or

Reposted by Holger Hestermeyer

In related news, the Nobel Committee is awarding a 2026 Ballon d'Or

I am quite annoyed by one of the opening arguments about how the Trump deals are all built on his IEEPA interpretation - so court, uphold the administration's interpretation. Because the clear argument against this is that maybe you shouldn't base your whole trade policy on powers you don't have.

The Scotus hearing on the Trump tariffs is available here: www.supremecourt.gov/oral_argumen...
Oral Argument - Audio File
www.supremecourt.gov
“This case, ladies and gentleman of the jury, is about a sandwich.”

Closing arguments from the defense in the DC sandwich guy case are now underway.

Sorry, I could not resist: he was originaly charged with a felony, but the jury would not buy it, so it's now misdemeanour (assaulting, resisting, opposing, impeding, intimidating and interfering with a federal officer)

BLT.

The sandwich guy trial is… a thing to behold. Was there mustard? Onions? Was the sandwich hurt in the process? How can this be real?
Back for Day 2 of Sandwich Guy’s trial. In government opening statement: “This case is about the fact that you can’t go around throwing stuff at people when you’re mad.”