David Harris
@cellsatwork.bsky.social
Made of cells, many of them. Interests are politics, econ, culture, chess, books, etc...
Reposted by David Harris
My hunch is Euro responses to Russia's latest escalation will:
1. Lead to short term moves within social media news cycles that will be widely condemned as inadequate
2. Initiate long term structural shifts in policy and posture that intensify confrontation between Russia and EU/UK
1. Lead to short term moves within social media news cycles that will be widely condemned as inadequate
2. Initiate long term structural shifts in policy and posture that intensify confrontation between Russia and EU/UK
September 10, 2025 at 12:18 PM
My hunch is Euro responses to Russia's latest escalation will:
1. Lead to short term moves within social media news cycles that will be widely condemned as inadequate
2. Initiate long term structural shifts in policy and posture that intensify confrontation between Russia and EU/UK
1. Lead to short term moves within social media news cycles that will be widely condemned as inadequate
2. Initiate long term structural shifts in policy and posture that intensify confrontation between Russia and EU/UK
Reposted by David Harris
Economic problems again feature heavily in today’s Russian papers: “More & more regions of Russia are facing a shortage of petrol” ▪️ “Devaluation of the rouble is inevitable” ▪️ “Russians have less and less money left over.” #ReadingRussia
"More & more Russian regions facing petrol shortage" says Russian paper
YouTube video by Steve Rosenberg
youtu.be
September 10, 2025 at 8:52 AM
Economic problems again feature heavily in today’s Russian papers: “More & more regions of Russia are facing a shortage of petrol” ▪️ “Devaluation of the rouble is inevitable” ▪️ “Russians have less and less money left over.” #ReadingRussia
Reposted by David Harris
This is utterly beautiful. As a small, very vocal bunch of far right assholes hog the headlines, eagerly egged on by a complicit media, a reminder of what it really means to be British. Feels a little late for hay-fever season, but my eyes are a little raw for some reason.
September 3, 2025 at 9:21 PM
This is utterly beautiful. As a small, very vocal bunch of far right assholes hog the headlines, eagerly egged on by a complicit media, a reminder of what it really means to be British. Feels a little late for hay-fever season, but my eyes are a little raw for some reason.
Reposted by David Harris
Because I'd worked with Truss I knew there really was nothing there at all. But it was so hard to get people to accept it. "She must have something because she's about to become PM". Nope, not at all. That's not how it works.
April 9, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Because I'd worked with Truss I knew there really was nothing there at all. But it was so hard to get people to accept it. "She must have something because she's about to become PM". Nope, not at all. That's not how it works.
Reposted by David Harris
I have tariffed
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island
and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods
forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island
and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods
forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold
April 3, 2025 at 7:45 PM
I have tariffed
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island
and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods
forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold
the penguins
that are on
Heard Island
and which
you were probably
assuming
did not export goods
forgive me
they were taking advantage of us
so cunning
and so cold
Reposted by David Harris
From interview of Lee Bollinger, 1st Amendment scholar who served as dean of @UMichLaw, president of @UMich, and president of Columbia University.
www.chronicle.com/article/were...
www.chronicle.com/article/were...
March 15, 2025 at 7:17 PM
From interview of Lee Bollinger, 1st Amendment scholar who served as dean of @UMichLaw, president of @UMich, and president of Columbia University.
www.chronicle.com/article/were...
www.chronicle.com/article/were...
Reposted by David Harris
MAGA isn’t just a movement, it’s a personality. Trump’s grip isn’t about politics; it’s about identity. So, how is the spell broken? How do we pull people back without pushing them further in? The answer isn’t what you think. Read this before it’s too late.
open.substack.com/pub/jasonege...
open.substack.com/pub/jasonege...
The MAGA Exit Strategy: Why Trump’s Followers Can’t Leave—And How We Can Break His Spell
It’s easy—comforting, even—to believe that Trump’s most ardent supporters are simply political extremists, swept up in a wave of bad faith and worse ideas.
open.substack.com
March 8, 2025 at 11:11 PM
MAGA isn’t just a movement, it’s a personality. Trump’s grip isn’t about politics; it’s about identity. So, how is the spell broken? How do we pull people back without pushing them further in? The answer isn’t what you think. Read this before it’s too late.
open.substack.com/pub/jasonege...
open.substack.com/pub/jasonege...
Reposted by David Harris
Being a historian, people ask me if I think the US is living through Germany 1933.
I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.
I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.
March 7, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Being a historian, people ask me if I think the US is living through Germany 1933.
I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.
I answer no, analogies are always imperfect but to me it feels more like Russia 1999: a blatant theft of state assets and liberals in a fugue state, refusing to believe the arc of progress is bending against them.
Reposted by David Harris
Yes. NB - UK held no general election from November 1935 to July 1945. The election that should have been called by Nov 1940 was postponed till the war in Europe was won.
With respect, no country that tries to hold an election with 20% of its territory under occupation and 30%+ of its population displaced while under persistent bombardment will remain a healthy democracy for long.
And no healthy democracy should subvert its constitution in the service of expediency.
And no healthy democracy should subvert its constitution in the service of expediency.
⚡️'Healthy' democracies can hold elections in wartime, Kellogg says.
"You're gonna reach a point where they're gonna have to have elections ... That doesn't mean Zelensky should leave," Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
"You're gonna reach a point where they're gonna have to have elections ... That doesn't mean Zelensky should leave," Trump's special envoy Keith Kellogg said.
February 14, 2025 at 10:39 AM
Yes. NB - UK held no general election from November 1935 to July 1945. The election that should have been called by Nov 1940 was postponed till the war in Europe was won.
Reposted by David Harris
For the uninitiated, this Elon Musk video game thing is like if he'd bragged he's one of the top chess players worldwide, went live on YouTube using a Chess.com account with a top ten global ranking, and then spent 5 minutes calling his knights "horsies" while trying to move them in straight lines.
January 16, 2025 at 10:26 AM
For the uninitiated, this Elon Musk video game thing is like if he'd bragged he's one of the top chess players worldwide, went live on YouTube using a Chess.com account with a top ten global ranking, and then spent 5 minutes calling his knights "horsies" while trying to move them in straight lines.
Reposted by David Harris
Obvs none of us has yet seen the detail of the gov's AI plans, so I will restrict myself to a couple of points. First, there's more to AI than the big public LLMs that produce shit images and make stuff up. There are useful things it can do: I use it to record, transcribe and summarise calls
January 13, 2025 at 10:32 AM
Obvs none of us has yet seen the detail of the gov's AI plans, so I will restrict myself to a couple of points. First, there's more to AI than the big public LLMs that produce shit images and make stuff up. There are useful things it can do: I use it to record, transcribe and summarise calls
Reposted by David Harris
Wow. The current scene outside the Russian Embassy in London.
Syrians gathering to celebrate the imminent fall of the Assad regime.
They have been chanting: “Freedom for Syria, down with Assad, down with Putin.”
#Syria 🇸🇾
(🎥Credit: Idlibie)
Syrians gathering to celebrate the imminent fall of the Assad regime.
They have been chanting: “Freedom for Syria, down with Assad, down with Putin.”
#Syria 🇸🇾
(🎥Credit: Idlibie)
December 7, 2024 at 2:54 PM
Wow. The current scene outside the Russian Embassy in London.
Syrians gathering to celebrate the imminent fall of the Assad regime.
They have been chanting: “Freedom for Syria, down with Assad, down with Putin.”
#Syria 🇸🇾
(🎥Credit: Idlibie)
Syrians gathering to celebrate the imminent fall of the Assad regime.
They have been chanting: “Freedom for Syria, down with Assad, down with Putin.”
#Syria 🇸🇾
(🎥Credit: Idlibie)
Reposted by David Harris
1) It misses the point.
Civil servants are not slow, risk-averse or inexpert because they choose to be.
They are slowed down by 5 layers of people signing off their work. They are risk-averse because mistakes mean headlines and ministers don’t always back them to innovate.
Civil servants are not slow, risk-averse or inexpert because they choose to be.
They are slowed down by 5 layers of people signing off their work. They are risk-averse because mistakes mean headlines and ministers don’t always back them to innovate.
December 6, 2024 at 4:31 PM
1) It misses the point.
Civil servants are not slow, risk-averse or inexpert because they choose to be.
They are slowed down by 5 layers of people signing off their work. They are risk-averse because mistakes mean headlines and ministers don’t always back them to innovate.
Civil servants are not slow, risk-averse or inexpert because they choose to be.
They are slowed down by 5 layers of people signing off their work. They are risk-averse because mistakes mean headlines and ministers don’t always back them to innovate.
Reposted by David Harris
There’s an intriguing speech up (still?) on Chinese social media by a chap called Gao Shanwen who’s gone rogue on what one’s allowed and nor alleged to say about China’s economy. Very revealing… here’s a synopsis 1/5
December 4, 2024 at 5:50 PM
There’s an intriguing speech up (still?) on Chinese social media by a chap called Gao Shanwen who’s gone rogue on what one’s allowed and nor alleged to say about China’s economy. Very revealing… here’s a synopsis 1/5
Reposted by David Harris
👇👇👇
there was a brieft moment post-FTX that should've been a wakeup call
of course something that is being used by every criminal organization in the world, every hostile government and every kind of money launderer grifter is going to have a lot of well-financed, committed defenders
of course something that is being used by every criminal organization in the world, every hostile government and every kind of money launderer grifter is going to have a lot of well-financed, committed defenders
November 29, 2024 at 8:06 AM
👇👇👇
Reposted by David Harris
Not many are covering this interesting story of a spate of incidents of extreme violence: China suffers eruptions from its simmering discontents 1/3
www.economist.com/china/2024/1...
from The Economist
www.economist.com/china/2024/1...
from The Economist
China suffers eruptions from its simmering discontents
Amid random violence and increasing protests, fears mount for social stability
www.economist.com
November 28, 2024 at 10:24 PM
Not many are covering this interesting story of a spate of incidents of extreme violence: China suffers eruptions from its simmering discontents 1/3
www.economist.com/china/2024/1...
from The Economist
www.economist.com/china/2024/1...
from The Economist
Reposted by David Harris
People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change
November 27, 2024 at 6:22 AM
People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change
Reposted by David Harris
Hard not to be bullish on UK growth *if* you think govt will
match rhetoric to action. Heathrow is the totemic issue for me. They’re not serious about growth if they let it drag on. If they are serious they get behind the 3rd runway. And if they’re deadly serious you demand a 4th too.
match rhetoric to action. Heathrow is the totemic issue for me. They’re not serious about growth if they let it drag on. If they are serious they get behind the 3rd runway. And if they’re deadly serious you demand a 4th too.
November 23, 2024 at 12:10 PM
Hard not to be bullish on UK growth *if* you think govt will
match rhetoric to action. Heathrow is the totemic issue for me. They’re not serious about growth if they let it drag on. If they are serious they get behind the 3rd runway. And if they’re deadly serious you demand a 4th too.
match rhetoric to action. Heathrow is the totemic issue for me. They’re not serious about growth if they let it drag on. If they are serious they get behind the 3rd runway. And if they’re deadly serious you demand a 4th too.
Reposted by David Harris
THIS
👇This is why I've quit my job, and this is what America needs to learn from Hungary's experience.
"There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources."
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
👇This is why I've quit my job, and this is what America needs to learn from Hungary's experience.
"There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources."
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
I Watched Orbán Destroy Hungary’s Democracy. Here’s My Advice for the Trump Era.
To dismantle the machinery of autocracy, you first need to understand how it works.
www.politico.com
November 25, 2024 at 2:38 AM
THIS
👇This is why I've quit my job, and this is what America needs to learn from Hungary's experience.
"There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources."
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
👇This is why I've quit my job, and this is what America needs to learn from Hungary's experience.
"There need to be news channels and media outlets for getting messages across to non-metropolitan areas dominated by far-right news sources."
www.politico.com/news/magazin...
Reposted by David Harris
in england, they don't say i'll kick your ass, they say i'll see you on the
November 25, 2024 at 11:24 AM
in england, they don't say i'll kick your ass, they say i'll see you on the
Reposted by David Harris
Ok, a couple of thoughts here.
First, it's not an either/or. People keep framing this "choice" between the EU and the US like the UK will be asked to pick a favourite parent.
That's not how trade policy works and no one can adequately explain what "choosing" would look like.
First, it's not an either/or. People keep framing this "choice" between the EU and the US like the UK will be asked to pick a favourite parent.
That's not how trade policy works and no one can adequately explain what "choosing" would look like.
November 24, 2024 at 10:51 PM
Ok, a couple of thoughts here.
First, it's not an either/or. People keep framing this "choice" between the EU and the US like the UK will be asked to pick a favourite parent.
That's not how trade policy works and no one can adequately explain what "choosing" would look like.
First, it's not an either/or. People keep framing this "choice" between the EU and the US like the UK will be asked to pick a favourite parent.
That's not how trade policy works and no one can adequately explain what "choosing" would look like.
Reposted by David Harris
Great thread.
"For the angry people, the EU is the burial place of Britain as a great power; a daily reminder of loss."
"For the angry people, the EU is the burial place of Britain as a great power; a daily reminder of loss."
A hypothesis on what was wrong with UK/EU relations:
The shape & meaning of the EU/EEC and of UK-EU relations were and are in the eye of the beholder.
While this is true to some extent for life in general, the EU and UK/EU relationship went further in this regard. Thread.... /1
The shape & meaning of the EU/EEC and of UK-EU relations were and are in the eye of the beholder.
While this is true to some extent for life in general, the EU and UK/EU relationship went further in this regard. Thread.... /1
November 25, 2024 at 6:18 AM
Great thread.
"For the angry people, the EU is the burial place of Britain as a great power; a daily reminder of loss."
"For the angry people, the EU is the burial place of Britain as a great power; a daily reminder of loss."
Reposted by David Harris
Here’s a cute cheerleader authored by a consulting firm w/ bug China interests arguing critics outside China cant understand all the +ive things going on. Well. Quelle surprise! The reality is that its the author who is self- servingly obfuscating 1/3 www.horsten.be/the-myth-of-...
The myth of the collapsing China market - Horsten
In the past years there was a lot of negativity about China in the mainstream media and the public opinion. As usual, a lot of the sentiments about China are put out of context or based on a lack of k...
www.horsten.be
November 23, 2024 at 9:40 AM
Here’s a cute cheerleader authored by a consulting firm w/ bug China interests arguing critics outside China cant understand all the +ive things going on. Well. Quelle surprise! The reality is that its the author who is self- servingly obfuscating 1/3 www.horsten.be/the-myth-of-...