(Pundit) Abu Qaid-e-Azam
@qaid-e-azam.bsky.social
Anthropologist | London-born, Haarlem resident.
Interests: Sufi music and poetry, Rumi’s philosophy, Sanskritic traditions, European political history, legal systems, and security studies.
"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit" Gibran
Interests: Sufi music and poetry, Rumi’s philosophy, Sanskritic traditions, European political history, legal systems, and security studies.
"Life without liberty is like a body without spirit" Gibran
Some fail to realise the UK always paid before Brexit, but those payments bought influence as well as access. Today and tomorrow’s payments will just buy access on EU terms. Same, or higher cost, fewer rights.
November 23, 2025 at 5:33 PM
Some fail to realise the UK always paid before Brexit, but those payments bought influence as well as access. Today and tomorrow’s payments will just buy access on EU terms. Same, or higher cost, fewer rights.
Mr Hesselden’s ignorance isn't unique to him alone: it reflects a wider truth: the UK was in the EU but never truly part of it. For decades it saw membership as a deal, not a shared project. That failure to grasp the EU’s logic of pooled sovereignty in part explains a why Brexit was inevitable.
November 23, 2025 at 12:10 PM
Mr Hesselden’s ignorance isn't unique to him alone: it reflects a wider truth: the UK was in the EU but never truly part of it. For decades it saw membership as a deal, not a shared project. That failure to grasp the EU’s logic of pooled sovereignty in part explains a why Brexit was inevitable.
“Tinkering harder isn’t the answer” - a most succinct and accurate observation…
November 23, 2025 at 11:46 AM
“Tinkering harder isn’t the answer” - a most succinct and accurate observation…
Thanks for the kind words.
IMHO tension can be healthy when it leads to real debate. Subsidiarity vs supremacy e.g. ECtHR shows how principles + local definition can coexist. Even separation of powers needs tension. The key is making it constructive.
IMHO tension can be healthy when it leads to real debate. Subsidiarity vs supremacy e.g. ECtHR shows how principles + local definition can coexist. Even separation of powers needs tension. The key is making it constructive.
November 22, 2025 at 7:34 PM
Thanks for the kind words.
IMHO tension can be healthy when it leads to real debate. Subsidiarity vs supremacy e.g. ECtHR shows how principles + local definition can coexist. Even separation of powers needs tension. The key is making it constructive.
IMHO tension can be healthy when it leads to real debate. Subsidiarity vs supremacy e.g. ECtHR shows how principles + local definition can coexist. Even separation of powers needs tension. The key is making it constructive.
That was my thought…….
If my terms were broader Cleverly could also be added to the mix.
If my terms were broader Cleverly could also be added to the mix.
November 22, 2025 at 1:29 PM
That was my thought…….
If my terms were broader Cleverly could also be added to the mix.
If my terms were broader Cleverly could also be added to the mix.
I checked out when it became clear he misunderstands political agency at such a basic level that further engagement is pointless. Serious discussion is only possible if all parties grasp of how politics actually works in the real world.
November 22, 2025 at 8:14 AM
I checked out when it became clear he misunderstands political agency at such a basic level that further engagement is pointless. Serious discussion is only possible if all parties grasp of how politics actually works in the real world.
There’s no contradiction in the EU having agency and being bound by treaties: that’s how every serious political system works. Rules don’t erase agency; they channel it. The EU’s limits are precisely what give it cohesion. Treat that as a flaw, and you’re negotiating with your imagination.
November 21, 2025 at 9:55 AM
There’s no contradiction in the EU having agency and being bound by treaties: that’s how every serious political system works. Rules don’t erase agency; they channel it. The EU’s limits are precisely what give it cohesion. Treat that as a flaw, and you’re negotiating with your imagination.
Brexit logic: leave the EU, lose influence over EU decisions, then act shocked when the EU makes decisions without you. Genius strategy. 🤦♂️🤣
November 20, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Brexit logic: leave the EU, lose influence over EU decisions, then act shocked when the EU makes decisions without you. Genius strategy. 🤦♂️🤣
Spot on. The sooner the UK understands it’s negotiating with a unified EU system, not inside it, the sooner progress can be made. Respecting the EU’s agency isn’t a concession; it’s the starting point for any serious talks.
November 20, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Spot on. The sooner the UK understands it’s negotiating with a unified EU system, not inside it, the sooner progress can be made. Respecting the EU’s agency isn’t a concession; it’s the starting point for any serious talks.
Absolutely: the failure to accept and acknowledge collective responsibility is breathtaking: not everyone voted for Brexit, but whether they like it or not everyone is bound by the consequences
November 20, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Absolutely: the failure to accept and acknowledge collective responsibility is breathtaking: not everyone voted for Brexit, but whether they like it or not everyone is bound by the consequences
Cont.
• Migration weaponised vs free movement
• Pushback on EU defence cooperation
• NI Protocol agreed, then attacked
• Internal Market Bill to override EU law
• Post-Brexit refusal of structured dialogue.
• Migration weaponised vs free movement
• Pushback on EU defence cooperation
• NI Protocol agreed, then attacked
• Internal Market Bill to override EU law
• Post-Brexit refusal of structured dialogue.
November 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Cont.
• Migration weaponised vs free movement
• Pushback on EU defence cooperation
• NI Protocol agreed, then attacked
• Internal Market Bill to override EU law
• Post-Brexit refusal of structured dialogue.
• Migration weaponised vs free movement
• Pushback on EU defence cooperation
• NI Protocol agreed, then attacked
• Internal Market Bill to override EU law
• Post-Brexit refusal of structured dialogue.
Hard to argue the UK didn’t try to undermine the EU for years:
• Opt-outs from core EU policies
• Vetoes & blockages on deeper integration
• Budget threats & rebate demands
• “Take Back Control” framing of EU as enemy
• Foreign policy outside EU channels.....
• Opt-outs from core EU policies
• Vetoes & blockages on deeper integration
• Budget threats & rebate demands
• “Take Back Control” framing of EU as enemy
• Foreign policy outside EU channels.....
November 20, 2025 at 5:53 PM
Hard to argue the UK didn’t try to undermine the EU for years:
• Opt-outs from core EU policies
• Vetoes & blockages on deeper integration
• Budget threats & rebate demands
• “Take Back Control” framing of EU as enemy
• Foreign policy outside EU channels.....
• Opt-outs from core EU policies
• Vetoes & blockages on deeper integration
• Budget threats & rebate demands
• “Take Back Control” framing of EU as enemy
• Foreign policy outside EU channels.....
No you did something a lot worse......
November 20, 2025 at 3:45 PM
No you did something a lot worse......
Very astute points. But the irony is clear: those who wanted to weaken the EU are now aghast it won’t grant the UK bespoke privileges. The inability to cherry-pick isn’t punishment, it’s the lesson. Membership has value.
November 20, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Very astute points. But the irony is clear: those who wanted to weaken the EU are now aghast it won’t grant the UK bespoke privileges. The inability to cherry-pick isn’t punishment, it’s the lesson. Membership has value.
Hard to disagree with Peter Ricketts, and who can blame the Europeans? If the UK wants back into EU schemes there’s a price to pay. The indignation over cost just exposes the pomposity: access isn’t a birthright, it’s a bill: no pay, no play. It's the UK's call.
November 20, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Hard to disagree with Peter Ricketts, and who can blame the Europeans? If the UK wants back into EU schemes there’s a price to pay. The indignation over cost just exposes the pomposity: access isn’t a birthright, it’s a bill: no pay, no play. It's the UK's call.
If you bothered to read the article you'd know the payments in question relate to access to the energy market and SAFe. Nothing to do with FoM.
If you don't want to be part of the Energy market & SAFe - don't bother trying to negotiate access.
If you don't want to be part of the Energy market & SAFe - don't bother trying to negotiate access.
November 20, 2025 at 3:29 PM
If you bothered to read the article you'd know the payments in question relate to access to the energy market and SAFe. Nothing to do with FoM.
If you don't want to be part of the Energy market & SAFe - don't bother trying to negotiate access.
If you don't want to be part of the Energy market & SAFe - don't bother trying to negotiate access.
A masterful use of understatement Sir
November 20, 2025 at 1:08 PM
A masterful use of understatement Sir
Happy to help the afflicted — but not by tossing aside the principles and treaties we agreed to. Compassion means working within the rules, not pretending they don’t exist.
November 20, 2025 at 12:44 PM
Happy to help the afflicted — but not by tossing aside the principles and treaties we agreed to. Compassion means working within the rules, not pretending they don’t exist.
Young Brits used to have automatic, visa-free access to EU countries. They (the UK) voted it away. That’s why it’s gone.
Complaining now is like cutting off your Wi-Fi… then getting angry the internet doesn’t work.
Complaining now is like cutting off your Wi-Fi… then getting angry the internet doesn’t work.
November 20, 2025 at 12:28 PM
Young Brits used to have automatic, visa-free access to EU countries. They (the UK) voted it away. That’s why it’s gone.
Complaining now is like cutting off your Wi-Fi… then getting angry the internet doesn’t work.
Complaining now is like cutting off your Wi-Fi… then getting angry the internet doesn’t work.
Reeves may have made history as Chancellor, but evidence so far suggests she’s been promoted well beyond her competence. She’s no Gopinath, Sapienza, or Schoar, Nor is she in the league of Yellen or Lagarde, or even Svantesson or Sitharaman.
November 20, 2025 at 10:12 AM
Reeves may have made history as Chancellor, but evidence so far suggests she’s been promoted well beyond her competence. She’s no Gopinath, Sapienza, or Schoar, Nor is she in the league of Yellen or Lagarde, or even Svantesson or Sitharaman.
Why should "we" pay? Because "we" left. "We" ended free movement. You don’t quit the club and still demand member perks for free. If "we" don’t like paying, the choice is simple: don’t take the access.
November 20, 2025 at 9:49 AM
Why should "we" pay? Because "we" left. "We" ended free movement. You don’t quit the club and still demand member perks for free. If "we" don’t like paying, the choice is simple: don’t take the access.
Obviously deeper access to the single market has a price tag attached. That’s how participation works. What’s “news” is the shift from theory to formal expectation: real numbers, real sectors, real politics. Brexit rhetoric meets practical reality.
November 20, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Obviously deeper access to the single market has a price tag attached. That’s how participation works. What’s “news” is the shift from theory to formal expectation: real numbers, real sectors, real politics. Brexit rhetoric meets practical reality.
Says it all: the UK sees European security as optional. If you claim to be a partner, you need to act like one: not pick and choose when to show up.
November 19, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Says it all: the UK sees European security as optional. If you claim to be a partner, you need to act like one: not pick and choose when to show up.
EU citizens do empathise with Brits hurt by Brexit. But it’s difficult continue doing so when some Brits expect special treatment by undermining our treaties and legal framework.
November 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
EU citizens do empathise with Brits hurt by Brexit. But it’s difficult continue doing so when some Brits expect special treatment by undermining our treaties and legal framework.