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brainburnnow.bsky.social
Brain Burning 🔥🧠🔥
@brainburnnow.bsky.social
Pebble fan! Cat lover. Academic. Sufferer of insatiable curiosity.
Were aspiring to become an immigrant, and have, since early 2024, succeeded.
Pinned
Been back from vacation for, oh Gods, two weeks now.

The time just before start of semester (and academic year) usually tend to be busy, bordering on hectic, but this year it's been something else entirely.

It's even eaten up most of my BlueSky browsing time! How rude!

Hope it settles down soon.
Reposted by Brain Burning 🔥🧠🔥
𝗟𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗚𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗮𝗿'𝘀 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗻

Very interesting Washington Post article on Gib's new treaty status. Comments on the article to follow, but first, what should campaigners in the UK take from this?

A 🧵
September 15, 2025 at 11:13 AM
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So, paper I missed a week ago from @davidheniguk.bsky.social on UKG's accepting and embracing the Brussels Effect.

Firstly, he's right about UKG accepting the situation, as it's costly and wasteful, and best to get some political value out of it.

1
August 7, 2025 at 11:59 AM
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To be clear, at various stages the UK threatened not to honour its commitments to European citizens, to Ireland, and to the European budget.

So Europe pointed out the consequences would be Britons' having to get visas to go to Quinta do Lago or Majorca.

The UK relented.

1
Don't forget, Europe was forced to put removal of Britons' visa waiver (meaning Britons would need visas) to push UKG to honour the WA

If the UK could sign bilateral agreements with say France and Portugal, that would have been impossible

We need this unity in dealing with the UK

@ottocr.at
Apart from this remember, phasing out grandfathered bilaterals is part of unity.

Having a single visa waiver allows us to move in unison against bad actors on the global stage.

And that is a very good thing.

Ends

@qaid-e-azam.bsky.social
@andyinafield.bsky.social

www.consilium.europa...
August 3, 2025 at 7:08 AM
OOO: On vacation next 2w.

Family get-together in a rented house by a lake, so will be eating plenty of lightly charred meats and grilled veggies in the company of several children and small animals:

🧒🍖🐶🌽👶🍗😽🥔🧒🍔🐕🍼🚼🥦🐈🥩👶🦜

Friendly chaos, basically. 😂😍🥳

I'll need a vacation after, to recover. 😬
August 2, 2025 at 3:41 PM
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The third account set up pretending to be my husband. Misogynistic, creepy, stalker behaviour. @bremaininspain.com I would appreciate it if you could screenshot this post and share it as some of your followers who have blocked me have liked and shared other fake accounts set up by this weirdo.
July 29, 2025 at 10:46 AM
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So I've been engaging a lot with exceptionalists in the last few days on the LDs and others attempts to blame Europe for Britons being subject to 90/180 controls at our borders as third-country citizens

The responses are around "consenting" to the changes

It's all very "Freemen of the Land"

1
July 29, 2025 at 8:08 AM
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I can’t understand why this hasn’t had any traction in the media - it’s a BIG thing . Anyone and everyone travelling by road needs this in 4 weeks on paid work .

Any they’ll also need an EU EORI ..

And guess what

Hardly anyone here is prepared

Read it . It’s a headfuck

Brexit eh ..
Import Control System 2
Advance cargo information system designed to improve security in the international transportation of goods and supply chain operations.
taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu
July 29, 2025 at 5:27 PM
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Worth reposting, as the myth that there is such a rule is quite prevalent.
July 25, 2025 at 8:48 AM
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Note to exceptionalists:

When we say it’s better with you in the room, that is not an invitation for you to exploit us.

When we say we want closer ties, that is not a sign to expect exceptions.

When we say it'd be better if you came back, that’s not at the expense of what we have already.

1
July 23, 2025 at 6:42 AM
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Jonty Bloom qualifies these moves by UKG as "common sense".

I agree. This is the UK acting as a more normal third country, swimming with the tide of the Brussels effect, rather than, out of Brexit pique, trying to oppose everything with "euro" in the name.

1

www.thenewworld.co.uk/jonty-bloom-...
We are becoming more European
A new report shows that Britain is aligning itself with more European rules and standards – but there are two exceptions
www.thenewworld.co.uk
July 23, 2025 at 9:53 AM
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We should thank @stevepeers.bsky.social for this post. For four reasons.

Firstly, a UK gov official said to me a few months ago that Ireland's position was not rational on this specific issue.

Quite clearly it was rational and, more pertinently, it remains rational

1


Again - the reason the Irish government/nationalists in Northern Ireland wanted a reference to the ECHR in the Good Friday Agreement is that the European Court of Human Rights had held the UK accountable for human rights abuses in NI - whereas "domestic UK and common law principles" had not
One does not simply... rewrite the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement.

😅😅😅😅😅...😭
July 22, 2025 at 8:04 AM
So... It seem the USA has decided to start charging visitors a "Visa Integrity Fee" of at least $250 dollars, as part of the Big Beautiful Bill.

Details still sketchy - duh, Trump - but includes tourists, students, etc.

Just in time for sportsball 2026, hurrah!
www.nbcnewyork.com/news/busines...
Travelers to the US must pay a new $250 'visa integrity fee' — What to know
The fee will be at least $250, is on top of other visa fees, and may be reimbursable.
www.nbcnewyork.com
July 22, 2025 at 2:57 AM
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Would James Bond have voted for Brexit?

I'm in two minds.

Firstly, biography, he's Scottish and mixed parentage.

But his mother (Monique Delacroix) was 🇨🇭, a traditional anti-🇪🇺 state.

A 🧵

Yes, I look forward to the next time James Bond gets the ferry to 🇪🇺 and is queuing for days, with lorry drivers defecating in the ditches, and European citizens sailing through

jamesbondlocations.blogspot.com/2014/02/hove...
July 21, 2025 at 7:26 AM
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I am somebody who watches a lot of popcorn films 🍿

Last night I watched Land of Bad, which is a dreadful title for a film, but is actually not a bad action thriller.

It concerns a rescue operation performed by US special forces with a USAF guy in tow

But something was off in the movie.

A 🧵
July 20, 2025 at 8:22 AM
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For UK to "take back control" it meant UK having to build vast new border facilities (ICDs away from Dover & Holyhead as no port space for main driver accompanied RoRo aerial routes) & find, adequately train & mentor additional "50,000" customs agents, 5000 customs officers & 2000 vets/PH inspectors
July 20, 2025 at 2:23 PM
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These astute points from @seanconnorswrites.bsky.social neatly demonstrate why Europe is not going to relent on commitment to the euro for applicant states

And it comes down ti that much abused phrase "single market"

A 🧵

(Apologies @brainburnnow.bsky.social + @andrewbrook.bsky.social forimages)
July 17, 2025 at 8:31 AM
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Is this the kernel of the problem? Is it the unwillingness to acknowledge that Europe is a legitimate world actor. At this point, it's a hang-up

And is that reflex rejection what is actually stopping the UK moving towards Europe?

The history is interesting.

A 🧵
July 5, 2025 at 7:58 AM
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Early on in his thoughtful essay on the ECHR, @rolandmcs.bsky.social states that that court can "overturn, constrain, or neuter parliament’s will"

Put a 📌in that. We're going to come back to it.

Initially, consider this debate from a non-British perspective

A 🧵
rolandmcs.substack.c...
Breaking Convention
Where did hostility to the ECHR come from? Could it be valid?
rolandmcs.substack.com
June 17, 2025 at 9:33 AM
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Euro-Esp-UK deal over Gibraltar.

First thing to say, this is not a bad deal for the parties, in the main.

The second thing to note is this could have been done years ago with more realism in Gib and less pricking around in London.

1

www.bbc.com/news/article...
UK agrees post-Brexit deal over Gibraltar
Talks on rules governing the border of Spain and Gibraltar have been ongoing since Britain left the EU.
www.bbc.com
June 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM
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Ping to you lot whom I most often interact with here! Today I am ashamed and fearful. It's a bit pathetic, but Niemöller's poem rings extra true today. In principle, I am an ally of the trannies. But I am no tranny, so I never spoke up. Quite the opposite. I kept my head down.
This is devastating. And heartbreaking.

Jonathan Joss
Born December 22, 1965, San Antonio, TX

Dead (assassinated) June 1, 2025, San Antonio, TX

Joss had married his husband Tristan on Valentine's Day in 2025.

R.I.P.
June 3, 2025 at 10:14 AM
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This is devastating. And heartbreaking.

Jonathan Joss
Born December 22, 1965, San Antonio, TX

Dead (assassinated) June 1, 2025, San Antonio, TX

Joss had married his husband Tristan on Valentine's Day in 2025.

R.I.P.
June 3, 2025 at 7:58 AM
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Long pièce by @anandmenon.bsky.socialin thé FT, which is well worth your time.

Firstly this: Brexit has failed to deliver (that doesn't mean it's dead) ; and the European relative position is much improved.

(who would have though Europe would respond so brilliantly to this crisis?)

A 🧵
May 25, 2025 at 7:47 AM
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@chrisgrey.bsky.social's summary of the Brexit reset talks success on the UK side.

You can quibble about the degree (I would say more at the lower end of the scale, given UKG's own stated goals) but the general point is well made - a lot done, a lot more to do.

A 🧵
May 23, 2025 at 2:57 PM
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Good point from @jmolofsson.bsky.social (worth a follow, incidentally).

WM pols are programmed to look for deals that treat them differently to others.

And now they are scrabbling every which way to find another equilibrium.

They'll try everything before they do the right thing (≈ Efta)
Several prominent British names (e.g. Anand Menon) have repeatedly argued that a Norwegian outcome would be unstable for Britain.

I don't know about the UK. But I'm fairly certain it would be the intersection of our _common_ interests, the sweet spot where the costs and benefits are most favorable.
May 21, 2025 at 6:17 AM
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Euro-UK summit today, which is bringing hope to a lot of people.

However, sometimes you have to wonder if everyone who seems on the European side is acting in the best interests of join.

Take this site that has been promoted over the weekend linked to the reset.

A 🧵
May 19, 2025 at 9:02 AM