Rupert Cocke
@rupertcocke.bsky.social
Barcelona-based journalist for Mergermarket. Views my own. You can see my free weekly blog on thinking critically about the news at https://sharpenyouraxe.substack.com/ If you want to start a debate with me, please ask first!
This week's free essay on my personal blog is based on a question to lukewarm MAGA supporters. Where are your personal red lines? Please check it out after the jump!
Red Lines for Lukewarm MAGA Supporters
What would it take for you to drop your support of President Trump?
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
January 24, 2026 at 8:38 AM
This week's free essay on my personal blog is based on a question to lukewarm MAGA supporters. Where are your personal red lines? Please check it out after the jump!
Political corruption in Spain often has its roots in the need to fund parties. This then tends to spin out of control. Please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog to see more.
A Theory of Spanish Political Sleaze
Orwelliano, my friend from the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter, suggests that we need two models to understand corruption in Spanish politics
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
January 17, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Political corruption in Spain often has its roots in the need to fund parties. This then tends to spin out of control. Please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog to see more.
Spanish hard-right party Vox faces a fork in the road. Does it want to howl at the moon in opposition? Or be a junior partner in coalitions with PP? Or split the difference by abstaining while staying in opposition? Please see my thoughts on the dilemma in the free essay on my personal blog.
A Fork in the Road for Vox
The Spanish hard-right party has to decide which game it is playing
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 8:09 AM
Spanish hard-right party Vox faces a fork in the road. Does it want to howl at the moon in opposition? Or be a junior partner in coalitions with PP? Or split the difference by abstaining while staying in opposition? Please see my thoughts on the dilemma in the free essay on my personal blog.
Emiliano García-Page, the Socialist leader of Spain's Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community, has said that the Socialist government should call a general election before trying to force through a controversial new financing deal for Catalonia [In Spanish]
Page estalla contra el nuevo modelo de financiación autonómica y pide que se celebren elecciones generales
¿Qué ha dicho?: "Yo prefiero que antes de que avance un atropello de esta naturaleza a lo que somos como país, y que decidan los independentistas cómo se reparte la riqueza de España, de esa España qu...
www.lasexta.com
January 9, 2026 at 1:13 PM
Emiliano García-Page, the Socialist leader of Spain's Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community, has said that the Socialist government should call a general election before trying to force through a controversial new financing deal for Catalonia [In Spanish]
The jobs that have fared best in the AI era combine quantitative abilities with interpersonal skills like social perceptiveness, co-ordinating ability, persuasiveness and negotiation [Paywalled]
How to AI-proof your job
The data suggests soft skills more than quantitative competency equal success in a rapidly changing labour market
www.ft.com
January 9, 2026 at 7:20 AM
The jobs that have fared best in the AI era combine quantitative abilities with interpersonal skills like social perceptiveness, co-ordinating ability, persuasiveness and negotiation [Paywalled]
Links between the populist-left regime in Venezuela and Spain's Socialist party should be seen as the wildcard in Spanish politics. Please read an extra free essay on my personal blog for more information.
Venezuela: The Wild Card in Spanish Politics [Extra Essay]
The arrest of the owner and CEO of Plus Ultra in December for allegedly using bailout funds to launder Venezuelan cash received much less interest from the international press than it should have done
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 1:52 PM
Links between the populist-left regime in Venezuela and Spain's Socialist party should be seen as the wildcard in Spanish politics. Please read an extra free essay on my personal blog for more information.
Although social media often encourages extremism, we can also use it to organise small groups of like-minded people interested in improving the neighbourhoods where we live. For more, please see this weeks' free essay on my personal blog.
Small Upgrades
Social media can be a force for the good if we use it for neighbourhood action
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:38 AM
Although social media often encourages extremism, we can also use it to organise small groups of like-minded people interested in improving the neighbourhoods where we live. For more, please see this weeks' free essay on my personal blog.
Politicians should always try and tackle the largest problems in society first. This week's free essay on my personal blog looks at what a pragmatic manifesto to change Spanish society, based on this general principle, would look like.
How to Change Spanish Society for the Better
A modest manifesto suggestion for the next election
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
December 27, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Politicians should always try and tackle the largest problems in society first. This week's free essay on my personal blog looks at what a pragmatic manifesto to change Spanish society, based on this general principle, would look like.
Happy Christmas, everyone!
Bad Religion - O come, O come Emmanuel live by Stone “stonesour29” Sour
Listen now on your favorite streaming service. Powered by Songlink/Odesli, an on-demand, customizable smart link service to help you share songs, albums, podcasts and more.
song.link
December 24, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Happy Christmas, everyone!
Ex-minister Jordi Sevilla plans to launch a new non-populist manifesto next month to help Spain's Socialist party backtrack from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's unpopular dealmaking with populists (Paywalled and in Spanish)
Primer paso para suceder a Sánchez: Jordi Sevilla lanza un manifiesto para construir la alternativa
El exministro de Zapatero reúne a una decena de caras conocidas que "tire del carro", canalice el descontento en el PSOE y sirva de base para ganar las primarias cuando el presidente del Gobierno salga de Moncloa
www.elconfidencial.com
December 23, 2025 at 7:30 AM
Ex-minister Jordi Sevilla plans to launch a new non-populist manifesto next month to help Spain's Socialist party backtrack from Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's unpopular dealmaking with populists (Paywalled and in Spanish)
Centre-right PP is winning regional elections in Extremadura (Spain) with 65% counted. It is on ≈29 seats, short of 33 needed for majority. The big news is the collapse of the centre-left Socialist opposition to ≈18 vs 28, while hard-right Vox grows to ≈12 vs 5. Hard-left Podemos up to ≈6 vs 4.
December 21, 2025 at 8:42 PM
Centre-right PP is winning regional elections in Extremadura (Spain) with 65% counted. It is on ≈29 seats, short of 33 needed for majority. The big news is the collapse of the centre-left Socialist opposition to ≈18 vs 28, while hard-right Vox grows to ≈12 vs 5. Hard-left Podemos up to ≈6 vs 4.
While Aaron Beck was trying to make Freudian psychiatry more scientifically sound in the middle of the 20th century, he made an important discovery: we combine our emotions with stories that sit just below our consciousness. To see more, please see this week's free essay on my personal blog.
The Stories We Tell Ourselves
Aaron Beck created cognitive therapy after using scientific protocols to test Freudian psychoanalysis
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
December 20, 2025 at 8:47 AM
While Aaron Beck was trying to make Freudian psychiatry more scientifically sound in the middle of the 20th century, he made an important discovery: we combine our emotions with stories that sit just below our consciousness. To see more, please see this week's free essay on my personal blog.
If you want to understand contemporary Spanish society, the economic growth and tourism industry of the 1960s are more pertinent than the civil war and repression of the 1930s. For the full argument, please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog!
The 1960s Was a Transformative Decade for Spain
Technocrats liberalised the economy, but the regime was unable to keep a lid on the modernising forces that it had unleashed on society.Many Spaniards are still nostalgic about the boom years.
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
December 13, 2025 at 8:41 AM
If you want to understand contemporary Spanish society, the economic growth and tourism industry of the 1960s are more pertinent than the civil war and repression of the 1930s. For the full argument, please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog!
This week has seen police raids on two Spanish ministries, the post office, and the state-owned investment company. The CEO of an airline that was bailed out has been arrested. So has the official who used to run the investment company. Why is the international press not running this story? Strange!
December 12, 2025 at 11:35 AM
This week has seen police raids on two Spanish ministries, the post office, and the state-owned investment company. The CEO of an airline that was bailed out has been arrested. So has the official who used to run the investment company. Why is the international press not running this story? Strange!
Please check out my mate Duncan's excellent jazz and world music radio show!
School Of Wax
More schooling...
www.mixcloud.com
December 6, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Please check out my mate Duncan's excellent jazz and world music radio show!
Sharpen Your Axe is five! Please check out links to the free essays I have published on my personal blog every week over the past year after the jump.
Sharpen Your Axe Is Five!
An index of last year's essays
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
December 6, 2025 at 8:39 AM
Sharpen Your Axe is five! Please check out links to the free essays I have published on my personal blog every week over the past year after the jump.
"Frenemies," a word popular in Silicon Valley, can help us understand the attitude of friendly rivalry that lies at the heart of non-populist politics. Please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog to find out more!
On Friends, Enemies, and Frenemies
Populists take the natural impulse to divide the world into friends and enemies too far. What should we do instead?
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
November 29, 2025 at 8:38 AM
"Frenemies," a word popular in Silicon Valley, can help us understand the attitude of friendly rivalry that lies at the heart of non-populist politics. Please check out this week's free essay on my personal blog to find out more!
The Lost Planet That Gave Birth to the Moon May Have Been Earth’s Next-Door Neighbor
The Lost Planet That Gave Birth to the Moon May Have Been Earth’s Next-Door Neighbor
Scientists trace the moon’s parent planet to the inner solar system.
www.zmescience.com
November 27, 2025 at 10:07 AM
The Lost Planet That Gave Birth to the Moon May Have Been Earth’s Next-Door Neighbor
The essence of constitutionalism is based on letting our enemies live as they see fit so that they let us live as we like. Please check out the free weekly essay on my personal blog after the jump!
Rawls vs Schmitt
Using the original position to defend institutionalism against populism
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
November 22, 2025 at 8:41 AM
The essence of constitutionalism is based on letting our enemies live as they see fit so that they let us live as we like. Please check out the free weekly essay on my personal blog after the jump!
Spain’s top court convicts an attorney general for first time
Spain’s top court convicts an attorney general for first time | Euractiv
Álvaro García Ortiz is found guilty of leaking confidential data in a case that has shaken Spain’s political landscape
www.euractiv.com
November 20, 2025 at 5:36 PM
Spain’s top court convicts an attorney general for first time
European deal multiples rebound from second-quarter tariffs-related dip – Dealspeak EMEA
European deal multiples rebound from second-quarter tariffs-related dip – Dealspeak EMEA
European M&A multiples returned to their historical averages in 3Q25, shaking off a second-quarter slump following the announcement of far-reachingREAD MORE
ionanalytics.com
November 19, 2025 at 1:16 PM
European deal multiples rebound from second-quarter tariffs-related dip – Dealspeak EMEA
ECM update: US shutdown ends, UK budget on the horizon, AI bubble possible – podcast
ECM update: US shutdown ends, UK budget on the horizon, AI bubble possible – podcast
With the longest government shutdown in US history coming to an end, IPO listings could rise in response. The timingREAD MORE
ionanalytics.com
November 18, 2025 at 8:42 AM
ECM update: US shutdown ends, UK budget on the horizon, AI bubble possible – podcast
A leak from the Spanish police suggests that Socialist Party organiser Santos Cerdán asked builders for illegal commissions worth 2% for public works contracts (Paywalled and in Spanish)
La trama del PSOE tenía una tarifa del 2% por obra amañada y quería pactar con el PNV para mantener su negocio
Los investigadores sostienen que la mano derecha de Pedro Sánchez en el PSOE hasta el pasado junio utilizó varias sociedades para ocultar sobornos de constructoras y desviarlos posteriormente a personas de su confianza
www.elconfidencial.com
November 17, 2025 at 3:22 PM
A leak from the Spanish police suggests that Socialist Party organiser Santos Cerdán asked builders for illegal commissions worth 2% for public works contracts (Paywalled and in Spanish)
Anger is a dangerous emotion. Please check out this week's visual essay on my personal blog.
Anger: A Visual Essay
Lessons from Goya
sharpenyouraxe.substack.com
November 15, 2025 at 8:36 AM
Anger is a dangerous emotion. Please check out this week's visual essay on my personal blog.
The investigative unit of Spain's Civil Guard has searched the offices of construction company Acciona as part of its probe into graft allegations against top Socialist politicians (In Spanish)
La UCO registra sedes de Acciona y otras empresas en Madrid, Bilbao y Sevilla por el 'caso Koldo'
Acciona aparece en múltiples ocasiones en el informe de la UCO que provocó la dimisión de Santos Cerdán
www.vozpopuli.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
The investigative unit of Spain's Civil Guard has searched the offices of construction company Acciona as part of its probe into graft allegations against top Socialist politicians (In Spanish)