Stanley Pignal
@spignal.bsky.social
Charlemagne columnist & Brussels bureau chief, The Economist.
Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed.
Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb
Charlemagne@economist.com
Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed.
Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb
Charlemagne@economist.com
Ah wait it turns out that Germany was tapping Obama... just as it was complaining vociferously about America tapping Merkel.
(Not clear who authorised what, mind you).
(Not clear who authorised what, mind you).
German intelligence for years intercepted Obama's calls from Air Force One, @holgerstark.bsky.social reveals.
So Germany has been a more mature country than it pretended to be ("Ausspähen unter Freunden geht gar nicht"). A pity we didn't have grown-up debate on the Snowden stuff back then.
So Germany has been a more mature country than it pretended to be ("Ausspähen unter Freunden geht gar nicht"). A pity we didn't have grown-up debate on the Snowden stuff back then.
January 4, 2026 at 9:07 PM
Ah wait it turns out that Germany was tapping Obama... just as it was complaining vociferously about America tapping Merkel.
(Not clear who authorised what, mind you).
(Not clear who authorised what, mind you).
Now that's what is called a "pivot"
Elon Musk, Feb 2025: "America should mind its own business rather than push for regime change all over the place.”
Elon Musk now:
Elon Musk now:
January 4, 2026 at 6:36 PM
Now that's what is called a "pivot"
"We will not be anyone's colony" says the Venezuelan regime's new spokesman, Comical Ali
‘We will not be anyone’s colony’: Caracas government seeks to reassert control ft.trib.al/Y7Pzkaz
‘We will not be anyone’s colony’: Caracas government seeks to reassert control
Maduro regime maintains grip on streets of capital after US raid
ft.trib.al
January 4, 2026 at 12:42 PM
"We will not be anyone's colony" says the Venezuelan regime's new spokesman, Comical Ali
Here's a post of mine from two days ago that has aged... oddly
Spare a thought for duty editors at news organisations as they enter the last weekend of the new year break. All the "2025 in review" pieces ran long ago. No articles left by correspondents in December remain unused. There is little fresh news. It's the grimmest weekend of the year.
January 4, 2026 at 12:32 PM
Here's a post of mine from two days ago that has aged... oddly
EU is recycling language used after coup d'états. "Support a peaceful and democratic transition" in Venezuela... without noting the circumstances in which the transition has happened.
Rather odd to talk about a "solution" without commenting on, you know, "the problem"?
Rather odd to talk about a "solution" without commenting on, you know, "the problem"?
Following very closely the situation in Venezuela.
We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition.
Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.
We stand by the people of Venezuela and support a peaceful and democratic transition.
Any solution must respect international law and the UN Charter.
January 3, 2026 at 1:24 PM
EU is recycling language used after coup d'états. "Support a peaceful and democratic transition" in Venezuela... without noting the circumstances in which the transition has happened.
Rather odd to talk about a "solution" without commenting on, you know, "the problem"?
Rather odd to talk about a "solution" without commenting on, you know, "the problem"?
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
You want answers? This week, we're watching A Few Good Men, and asking the big questions: did Lieutenant Kendrick's podcasting career get him the job of Secretary of War, and is Col Jessup now a White House adviser, or a Fox News talking head?
champ.ly/1X717cOc
champ.ly/1X717cOc
January 3, 2026 at 9:47 AM
You want answers? This week, we're watching A Few Good Men, and asking the big questions: did Lieutenant Kendrick's podcasting career get him the job of Secretary of War, and is Col Jessup now a White House adviser, or a Fox News talking head?
champ.ly/1X717cOc
champ.ly/1X717cOc
Nicolas Maduro didn't need ammo, he went for an involuntary taxi ride instead.
January 3, 2026 at 9:35 AM
Nicolas Maduro didn't need ammo, he went for an involuntary taxi ride instead.
Spare a thought for duty editors at news organisations as they enter the last weekend of the new year break. All the "2025 in review" pieces ran long ago. No articles left by correspondents in December remain unused. There is little fresh news. It's the grimmest weekend of the year.
January 2, 2026 at 6:29 PM
Spare a thought for duty editors at news organisations as they enter the last weekend of the new year break. All the "2025 in review" pieces ran long ago. No articles left by correspondents in December remain unused. There is little fresh news. It's the grimmest weekend of the year.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
"When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message 'Legacy Media Lies'."
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X reut.rs/498SoUk
Grok says safeguard lapses led to images of 'minors in minimal clothing' on X
Elon Musk's xAI artificial intelligence chatbot Grok said on Friday lapses in safeguards had resulted in "images depicting minors in minimal clothing" on social media platform X and that improvements were being made to prevent this.
reut.rs
January 2, 2026 at 2:47 PM
"When contacted by Reuters for comment by email, xAI replied with the message 'Legacy Media Lies'."
Good FT story on Christine Lagarde’s pay, which is 50% higher than disclosed by ECB.
I don't think Lagarde earns too much - she's on par with a Big 4 audit firm partner. But it is crazy that ECB pay disclosures are well short of what any listed company has to report.
www.ft.com/content/c7cd...
I don't think Lagarde earns too much - she's on par with a Big 4 audit firm partner. But it is crazy that ECB pay disclosures are well short of what any listed company has to report.
www.ft.com/content/c7cd...
Christine Lagarde’s pay is 50% higher than disclosed by ECB
Europe’s top central banker earns almost four times more than Fed chair Jay Powell, FT analysis shows
www.ft.com
January 2, 2026 at 8:30 AM
Good FT story on Christine Lagarde’s pay, which is 50% higher than disclosed by ECB.
I don't think Lagarde earns too much - she's on par with a Big 4 audit firm partner. But it is crazy that ECB pay disclosures are well short of what any listed company has to report.
www.ft.com/content/c7cd...
I don't think Lagarde earns too much - she's on par with a Big 4 audit firm partner. But it is crazy that ECB pay disclosures are well short of what any listed company has to report.
www.ft.com/content/c7cd...
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Spain and Portugal joined the European Community 40 years ago today. Feliz aniversario!
Hard as it is to believe, France said for years flatly that they would never join: they were too poor, and would undercut European (read "French") workers and farmers. They had some support from Italy and Greece
Hard as it is to believe, France said for years flatly that they would never join: they were too poor, and would undercut European (read "French") workers and farmers. They had some support from Italy and Greece
January 1, 2026 at 10:32 AM
Spain and Portugal joined the European Community 40 years ago today. Feliz aniversario!
Hard as it is to believe, France said for years flatly that they would never join: they were too poor, and would undercut European (read "French") workers and farmers. They had some support from Italy and Greece
Hard as it is to believe, France said for years flatly that they would never join: they were too poor, and would undercut European (read "French") workers and farmers. They had some support from Italy and Greece
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
I had a family friend who was, shall we say, serious about his drinking, probably saved a couple of local bars just by himself. And he flatly refused to go out on New Year's Eve. He called it "amateur night". The true measure of a dedicated drinker was being at the bar on 1 January.
December 30, 2025 at 2:16 PM
I had a family friend who was, shall we say, serious about his drinking, probably saved a couple of local bars just by himself. And he flatly refused to go out on New Year's Eve. He called it "amateur night". The true measure of a dedicated drinker was being at the bar on 1 January.
Some American news makes zero sense to Europeans. What is this "medical debt" you speak of?
Arizona cancels medical debt for almost half-a-million residents
www.knau.org/knau-and-ari...
www.knau.org/knau-and-ari...
Arizona cancels medical debt for almost half-a-million residents
Gov. Katie Hobbs' office says it's partnered with a nonprofit to erase $642 million in medical debt owed by almost half-a-million Arizonans.
www.knau.org
December 30, 2025 at 8:28 AM
Some American news makes zero sense to Europeans. What is this "medical debt" you speak of?
What is the best alternative to Spotify? Need good selection, ok pricing and interface. I am guessing it is a pain to switch but now properly fed up.
December 29, 2025 at 8:29 PM
What is the best alternative to Spotify? Need good selection, ok pricing and interface. I am guessing it is a pain to switch but now properly fed up.
Sunset on Visingsö, an island on a lake in southern Sweden.
In 1831, in a far-sighted bit of planning, it was decided to plant oak trees for the Swedish navy to one day build ships. A forest of 300,000 trees resulted.
By the time the trees were ready in 1975, the navy politely declined them.
In 1831, in a far-sighted bit of planning, it was decided to plant oak trees for the Swedish navy to one day build ships. A forest of 300,000 trees resulted.
By the time the trees were ready in 1975, the navy politely declined them.
December 29, 2025 at 3:23 PM
Sunset on Visingsö, an island on a lake in southern Sweden.
In 1831, in a far-sighted bit of planning, it was decided to plant oak trees for the Swedish navy to one day build ships. A forest of 300,000 trees resulted.
By the time the trees were ready in 1975, the navy politely declined them.
In 1831, in a far-sighted bit of planning, it was decided to plant oak trees for the Swedish navy to one day build ships. A forest of 300,000 trees resulted.
By the time the trees were ready in 1975, the navy politely declined them.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Zelensky lands in Miami. Not a single US official is on hand to greet him. In the language of diplomacy this send an unequivocal message of coldness and hostility. Compare it with the lavish pomp and red carpet shown to Putin when he landed in Alaska a few weeks ago.
December 28, 2025 at 6:40 PM
Zelensky lands in Miami. Not a single US official is on hand to greet him. In the language of diplomacy this send an unequivocal message of coldness and hostility. Compare it with the lavish pomp and red carpet shown to Putin when he landed in Alaska a few weeks ago.
Here's a tip if you want to look all intellectual reading classics, but actually you're indulging in high-society soap opera: pick up an Edith Wharton novel.
Last book of the year from one my favs.
Last book of the year from one my favs.
December 27, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Here's a tip if you want to look all intellectual reading classics, but actually you're indulging in high-society soap opera: pick up an Edith Wharton novel.
Last book of the year from one my favs.
Last book of the year from one my favs.
Proper Swedish plate.
The eel at the top is from the Baltic fishery of Hånsa Olofsson, now in his 39th year of catching and smoking them. I'd gone along for a fishing trip for a piece I wrote on eels a few years back.
The mysterious life and times of eels
www.economist.com/christmas-sp...
The eel at the top is from the Baltic fishery of Hånsa Olofsson, now in his 39th year of catching and smoking them. I'd gone along for a fishing trip for a piece I wrote on eels a few years back.
The mysterious life and times of eels
www.economist.com/christmas-sp...
December 25, 2025 at 2:17 PM
Proper Swedish plate.
The eel at the top is from the Baltic fishery of Hånsa Olofsson, now in his 39th year of catching and smoking them. I'd gone along for a fishing trip for a piece I wrote on eels a few years back.
The mysterious life and times of eels
www.economist.com/christmas-sp...
The eel at the top is from the Baltic fishery of Hånsa Olofsson, now in his 39th year of catching and smoking them. I'd gone along for a fishing trip for a piece I wrote on eels a few years back.
The mysterious life and times of eels
www.economist.com/christmas-sp...
The 60 Minutes debacle reminds me why I've enjoyed reading—and writing for—The Economist. We speak to all sides but are under no pressure to "balance" a credible source with some nut job. We don't write "experts say x" if it's patently clear that x is true.
Looking for a good Xmas gift? Buy a sub.
Looking for a good Xmas gift? Buy a sub.
December 24, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The 60 Minutes debacle reminds me why I've enjoyed reading—and writing for—The Economist. We speak to all sides but are under no pressure to "balance" a credible source with some nut job. We don't write "experts say x" if it's patently clear that x is true.
Looking for a good Xmas gift? Buy a sub.
Looking for a good Xmas gift? Buy a sub.
Counterpoint: Thierry Breton's 2024 letter to Elon Musk suggesting that EU rules should interfere with an American citizen interviewing a former American president vying for election in America was *completely insane*.
The visa ban is obviously MAGA stupidity, but... yeah. The letter was bonkers.
The visa ban is obviously MAGA stupidity, but... yeah. The letter was bonkers.
December 24, 2025 at 8:37 AM
Counterpoint: Thierry Breton's 2024 letter to Elon Musk suggesting that EU rules should interfere with an American citizen interviewing a former American president vying for election in America was *completely insane*.
The visa ban is obviously MAGA stupidity, but... yeah. The letter was bonkers.
The visa ban is obviously MAGA stupidity, but... yeah. The letter was bonkers.
Finally, some good news for the world's columnists!
No, you can’t tell when something was written by AI - www.ft.com/content/b2eb...
No, you can’t tell when something was written by AI - www.ft.com/content/b2eb...
No, you can’t tell when something was written by AI
Context matters as much as content in determining whether text is machine generated or not
www.ft.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:28 AM
Finally, some good news for the world's columnists!
No, you can’t tell when something was written by AI - www.ft.com/content/b2eb...
No, you can’t tell when something was written by AI - www.ft.com/content/b2eb...
Cocoa is roughly between silver and uranium in terms of global commodities by value, barely scraping into the top 20. But it's probably top 5 in terms of news coverage.
At a guess cocoa ($10bn a year) gets as much news coverage as coal ($800bn a year)?
At a guess cocoa ($10bn a year) gets as much news coverage as coal ($800bn a year)?
Melting chocolate prices are a festive gift for the sweet-toothed ft.trib.al/n2kM9BW | opinion
Melting chocolate prices are a festive gift for the sweet-toothed
Cocoa prices have not been this low in two years
ft.trib.al
December 23, 2025 at 4:16 PM
Cocoa is roughly between silver and uranium in terms of global commodities by value, barely scraping into the top 20. But it's probably top 5 in terms of news coverage.
At a guess cocoa ($10bn a year) gets as much news coverage as coal ($800bn a year)?
At a guess cocoa ($10bn a year) gets as much news coverage as coal ($800bn a year)?
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
🎄 Hungary’s “pro-family” PM Viktor Orbán called an unexpected pre-Christmas cabinet meeting and joked that the real reason was so his all-male government wouldn’t have to stay home and help with cleaning.
Someone then remarks that Orbán is speaking from a wealth of life experience... 👀
Someone then remarks that Orbán is speaking from a wealth of life experience... 👀
December 23, 2025 at 2:23 PM
🎄 Hungary’s “pro-family” PM Viktor Orbán called an unexpected pre-Christmas cabinet meeting and joked that the real reason was so his all-male government wouldn’t have to stay home and help with cleaning.
Someone then remarks that Orbán is speaking from a wealth of life experience... 👀
Someone then remarks that Orbán is speaking from a wealth of life experience... 👀
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
MAGA: Sweden is in the midst of civil war, on the cusp of civilisational erasure
Swedes: on your paid holiday, please borrow some free skates so you can enjoy our public rink in the middle of the idyllic square in the heart of our walkable city.
Swedes: on your paid holiday, please borrow some free skates so you can enjoy our public rink in the middle of the idyllic square in the heart of our walkable city.
December 22, 2025 at 5:38 PM
MAGA: Sweden is in the midst of civil war, on the cusp of civilisational erasure
Swedes: on your paid holiday, please borrow some free skates so you can enjoy our public rink in the middle of the idyllic square in the heart of our walkable city.
Swedes: on your paid holiday, please borrow some free skates so you can enjoy our public rink in the middle of the idyllic square in the heart of our walkable city.