Paul Chilton
@paulchilton.bsky.social
European. Internationalist. Humanist. Retired Prof of Linguistics, affiliated to Oxford, Warwick, Lancaster. Can’t stop thinking, reading, writing.
My latest book is a political one: “Brexitspeak: Demagoguery and the Decline of Democracy”.
My latest book is a political one: “Brexitspeak: Demagoguery and the Decline of Democracy”.
I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...
The Government must reveal all details of Peter Mandelson’s links to Palantir - Foxglove
Sign the petition for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm?
www.foxglove.org.uk
February 6, 2026 at 4:51 PM
I just signed a petition calling for an urgent investigation into Peter Mandelson's dealings with Palantir. Did he use his position as UK Ambassador to benefit the US spy tech firm? Sign now: www.foxglove.org.uk/campaigns/ma...
If/when Trump destroys democratic elections half or more of Americans will or should be on the streets. Then civil war would be in sight. Let’s hope peaceful protest will prevent that.
February 3, 2026 at 3:49 PM
If/when Trump destroys democratic elections half or more of Americans will or should be on the streets. Then civil war would be in sight. Let’s hope peaceful protest will prevent that.
It is now abundantly clear Americans are e with fascist characteristics. Demolishing democratic elections. Racist deportations. Pursuit of “enemies within”. Censorship. And more.
February 3, 2026 at 3:44 PM
It is now abundantly clear Americans are e with fascist characteristics. Demolishing democratic elections. Racist deportations. Pursuit of “enemies within”. Censorship. And more.
So Trump wants the Republicans to “take over” elections and “nationalise” them. Sounds like nazify them to me.
February 3, 2026 at 12:13 PM
So Trump wants the Republicans to “take over” elections and “nationalise” them. Sounds like nazify them to me.
Trump NEVER CHICKENS OUT. Psychopathic egos don’t do that, they simmer and seek revenge all the more
January 25, 2026 at 9:21 AM
Trump NEVER CHICKENS OUT. Psychopathic egos don’t do that, they simmer and seek revenge all the more
Does Trump want to be Big Brother Orwell’s all-powerful techno-superlord, ruling over a world empire divided into three superstates? He controls minds through language — Newspeak— and constant surveillance. Beware, Big Bro Is watching You!
January 22, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Does Trump want to be Big Brother Orwell’s all-powerful techno-superlord, ruling over a world empire divided into three superstates? He controls minds through language — Newspeak— and constant surveillance. Beware, Big Bro Is watching You!
It’s likely Trump will not give up wanting to own Greenland. He’s a megalomaniac obsessed with this idea. He has all the signs of cognitive rigidity, a clinical symptom typical of authoritarians. He has dementia too #but if he dropped dead tomorrow there are worse ideologues waiting in the wings.
January 18, 2026 at 3:19 PM
It’s likely Trump will not give up wanting to own Greenland. He’s a megalomaniac obsessed with this idea. He has all the signs of cognitive rigidity, a clinical symptom typical of authoritarians. He has dementia too #but if he dropped dead tomorrow there are worse ideologues waiting in the wings.
Trump’s threat to Europe over Greenland is mind-boggling and incredibly destructive of the world order we’ve been used to. Even if he chickens out, Europe is squeezed between one dictatorial imperialist and an aspiring one. The European public better get it into their heads.
January 18, 2026 at 1:03 PM
Trump’s threat to Europe over Greenland is mind-boggling and incredibly destructive of the world order we’ve been used to. Even if he chickens out, Europe is squeezed between one dictatorial imperialist and an aspiring one. The European public better get it into their heads.
Several European countries, including the UK, have now sent their military and/or their military representatives to Greenland, in response Trump’s threat to invade. It is indeed a threat. Looks like the battle lines are being drawn up. See also my recent post on his language on Substack.
January 15, 2026 at 9:50 AM
Several European countries, including the UK, have now sent their military and/or their military representatives to Greenland, in response Trump’s threat to invade. It is indeed a threat. Looks like the battle lines are being drawn up. See also my recent post on his language on Substack.
Is anyone on langsky doing linguistics-based discourse analysis regarding urgent world issues? My recent Substack post applies Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Trump’s threats to Greenland.
January 15, 2026 at 9:15 AM
Is anyone on langsky doing linguistics-based discourse analysis regarding urgent world issues? My recent Substack post applies Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Trump’s threats to Greenland.
The Trump regime’s outages are coming thick and fast. We get increasingly Orwellian justifications from Trump’s department of Homeland Propaganda. What’s really going on?
January 11, 2026 at 2:52 PM
The Trump regime’s outages are coming thick and fast. We get increasingly Orwellian justifications from Trump’s department of Homeland Propaganda. What’s really going on?
Is it a coincidence? Venezuela attacked, Greenland and Europe threatened, then ICE killing an observer of a protest in Minneapolis. An external enemy one day, an enemy within the next. Misrepresentations and lies in both cases. Is this not typical of dictatorial regimes? We must all resist!
January 8, 2026 at 3:24 PM
Is it a coincidence? Venezuela attacked, Greenland and Europe threatened, then ICE killing an observer of a protest in Minneapolis. An external enemy one day, an enemy within the next. Misrepresentations and lies in both cases. Is this not typical of dictatorial regimes? We must all resist!
Reposted by Paul Chilton
White House: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options…utilising the U.S. military is always an option” Stephen Miller:“Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland.” Speech acts in context: threat. Implicature: NATO and Europe won’t react. But we must!
January 8, 2026 at 1:12 PM
White House: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options…utilising the U.S. military is always an option” Stephen Miller:“Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland.” Speech acts in context: threat. Implicature: NATO and Europe won’t react. But we must!
White House: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options…utilising the U.S. military is always an option” Stephen Miller:“Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland.” Speech acts in context: threat. Implicature: NATO and Europe won’t react. But we must!
January 8, 2026 at 1:12 PM
White House: “The president and his team are discussing a range of options…utilising the U.S. military is always an option” Stephen Miller:“Nobody is going to fight the United States militarily over Greenland.” Speech acts in context: threat. Implicature: NATO and Europe won’t react. But we must!
An extraordinary oratorical operation
substack.com/@paulchilton...
substack.com/@paulchilton...
An extraordinary oratorical operation
Trump’s statement on Venezuela
substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 9:51 PM
An extraordinary oratorical operation
substack.com/@paulchilton...
substack.com/@paulchilton...
Experts may be right in saying that Trump will not in fact use military force against Greenland. But the force of words has already done its work. The threat of doing so has been implied in speeches, interviews and texts. If you’re on the receiving end, you can’t ignore the possibility.
January 7, 2026 at 8:34 PM
Experts may be right in saying that Trump will not in fact use military force against Greenland. But the force of words has already done its work. The threat of doing so has been implied in speeches, interviews and texts. If you’re on the receiving end, you can’t ignore the possibility.
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”, says Stephen Miller. That’s not just a statement but a boast and a warning. “Don’t you dare, you’ve just seen what we can do! We’ll take what we want!”
January 6, 2026 at 9:22 PM
“Nobody’s going to fight the United States militarily over the future of Greenland”, says Stephen Miller. That’s not just a statement but a boast and a warning. “Don’t you dare, you’ve just seen what we can do! We’ll take what we want!”
Reposted by Paul Chilton
Was, wenn genau das durch Trump verursacht werden soll, damit sein Chef im Kreml gleich zwei große Probleme auf einmal loswird?
Währenddessen können sich Trump und seine Kumpane die Taschen vollstopfen.
bsky.app/profile/psyc...
Währenddessen können sich Trump und seine Kumpane die Taschen vollstopfen.
bsky.app/profile/psyc...
Wohin es geht steht fest. Die Frage ist nur, ob es die NATO zerreißt, wenn ein NATO-Land ein anderes angreift und wie lange es die EU noch geben wird, sollten sich EU-Staaten weigern, ihrer militärischen Beistandspflicht nachzukommen.
Trump-Berater: Niemand wird mit USA um Grönland kämpfen
Stephen Miller, einer der wichtigsten Berater von US-Präsident Donald Trump, ist überzeugt, dass es keinen militärischen Widerstand von europäischer Seite gegen eine Annexion Grönlands durch die USA g...
orf.at
January 6, 2026 at 10:02 AM
Was, wenn genau das durch Trump verursacht werden soll, damit sein Chef im Kreml gleich zwei große Probleme auf einmal loswird?
Währenddessen können sich Trump und seine Kumpane die Taschen vollstopfen.
bsky.app/profile/psyc...
Währenddessen können sich Trump und seine Kumpane die Taschen vollstopfen.
bsky.app/profile/psyc...
The Logic of Destruction
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
I have posted a piece on Substack that includes a similar argument about Trump’s strategy of the external enemy and the enemy within. Based on a linguistic analysis of his recent speech about his attack on Venezuela.
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
I have posted a piece on Substack that includes a similar argument about Trump’s strategy of the external enemy and the enemy within. Based on a linguistic analysis of his recent speech about his attack on Venezuela.
The Logic of Destruction
And how to resist it
open.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 2:56 PM
The Logic of Destruction
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
I have posted a piece on Substack that includes a similar argument about Trump’s strategy of the external enemy and the enemy within. Based on a linguistic analysis of his recent speech about his attack on Venezuela.
open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...
I have posted a piece on Substack that includes a similar argument about Trump’s strategy of the external enemy and the enemy within. Based on a linguistic analysis of his recent speech about his attack on Venezuela.
@charlotteent.bsky.social This research sounds extremely interesting. Do you include cognitive rigidity? I think your work be interesting also to political psychologists.
January 5, 2026 at 2:39 PM
@charlotteent.bsky.social This research sounds extremely interesting. Do you include cognitive rigidity? I think your work be interesting also to political psychologists.
…The board’s open letter stated that review criteria were improperly influenced by applicants’ positions on topics such as climate change, race, and gender.” [Wikipedia]
December 28, 2025 at 1:45 PM
…The board’s open letter stated that review criteria were improperly influenced by applicants’ positions on topics such as climate change, race, and gender.” [Wikipedia]
…The board, which provides oversight for the international Fulbright exchange program, alleged that political appointees at the U.S. Department of State blocked or delayed awards for the 2025–26 academic year and subjected more than 1,200 foreign finalists to unauthorized ideological screening.
December 28, 2025 at 1:42 PM
…The board, which provides oversight for the international Fulbright exchange program, alleged that political appointees at the U.S. Department of State blocked or delayed awards for the 2025–26 academic year and subjected more than 1,200 foreign finalists to unauthorized ideological screening.
The board, which provides oversight for the international Fulbright exchange program, alleged that political appointees at the U.S. Department of State blocked or delayed awards for the 2025–26 academic year and subjected more than 1,20…
December 28, 2025 at 1:34 PM
The board, which provides oversight for the international Fulbright exchange program, alleged that political appointees at the U.S. Department of State blocked or delayed awards for the 2025–26 academic year and subjected more than 1,20…
On June 11, 2025, eleven of the twelve members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned in protest, citing what they described as "unlawful" political interference by the Trump administration…
December 28, 2025 at 1:33 PM
On June 11, 2025, eleven of the twelve members of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned in protest, citing what they described as "unlawful" political interference by the Trump administration…
If any academic is considering applying for a grant, be aware: “In February 2025, the Trump administration initiated a funding freeze on State Department programs, including the Fulbright Program… The suspension impacted over 19,000 participants…” [Wikipedia].
December 28, 2025 at 1:30 PM
If any academic is considering applying for a grant, be aware: “In February 2025, the Trump administration initiated a funding freeze on State Department programs, including the Fulbright Program… The suspension impacted over 19,000 participants…” [Wikipedia].