How the ‘power or prison’ dynamic gate-crashed our liberal consensus
Or, What Biden’s pardoning of Hunter augurs for late-stage liberalism — and what we can learn about it from Poland Here at The Blind Spot we’ve long highlighted that the “you’re either in power or in prison” dynamic, while largely alien to postwar Western states, is and always has been a feature of weak political […]
Israeli stonewalling threatens West Bank financial collapse, Europe’s big three warn (POLITICO)
By Ben Munster · Nov 28, 2024 Israel is risking economic collapse in the West Bank by refusing to commit to an agreement that ensures Palestinians have access to banking services, the governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom warned on Thursday. “This disappointing decision prolongs uncertainty and endangers the Palestinian economy,” the three […]
Britain’s art-loving elite fumes at money laundering crackdown (POLITICO)
By Eleanor Myers · Oct 23, 2024 LONDON — At London’s annual Frieze art fair, attendees trickle into a fake sauna. Inside, a screen shows a person dressed as a pink alien in fuchsia lingerie, gyrating in an abandoned swimming pool. Thumping techno accompanies the spectacle. An employee speaks over the deep bass to lament […]
Digital euro sparks sovereignty battle between EU governments and ECB (POLITICO)
By Giovanna Faggionato, Ben Munster · Oct 24, 2024, BRUSSELS — A battle is brewing between Europe’s most powerful nations and the European Central Bank (ECB) over control of a new monetary tool that both sides fear could destabilize the continent’s banking system if mismanaged. At the heart of the conflict lies the digital euro […]
In the Blind Spot (In defense of forward deployed engineers)
SNEAK PEEK — Is spytech contractor Palantir miscast as the source of all evil? As the company takes control of the U.K MoD’s contracting review, Izzy considers the counter-narrative. — U.K. Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ National Wealth Fund announcement invited more questions than answers. We look at what we know for sure. — There’s a […]
Quickfire blind spots (We’re starting a new type of update!)
SUBSCRIBER UPDATE Good morning subscribers! We had a few technical issues with the send-out of our newsletter again this week. If you were expecting it and it didn’t land in your inbox, it was published on Sunday and is available here. To avoid these issues, we will shortly be moving to a new content […]
In the Blind Spot (Mario Draghi’s great reformation)
SNEAK PEEK — NOT TO BE MISSED: Mario Draghi is set to reveal his big plan to save the EU from near-certain stagnation. Weirdly, almost nobody outside Brussels knows about it.— What the revelation that Russia is paying off influencers tells us about the murky world of independent media . — Dario catches you up […]
Germany’s Bundesbank is fighting an increasingly lonely battle on immigration (POLITICO)
By Johanna Treeck, Nette Nöstlinger · Sep 4, 2024 The far right’s landmark victory in a regional German election at the weekend wasn’t just a slap in the face for the federal government in Berlin. It was a severe blow to those trying to stop Germany’s economic decline. Like much of the country’s economic establishment, […]
Draghi report: Brussels should give defense firms carte blanche access to EU funds (POLITICO)
By Antoaneta Roussi, Sep 2, 2024 Defense companies should have no restrictions when it comes to accessing European Union funding and mergers between companies should be permitted regardless of competition concerns, according to a draft chapter the competitiveness report of former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi seen by POLITICO. Draghi is finalizing his much-anticipated […]
In the Blind Spot (Two-sided markets in software and hospitality)
SNEAK PEEK — Do waterspouts ever strike twice? A boating incident in Lake Maggiore in 2023 suggests yes. — Izzy argues that the software industry is and always has been plagued by a ‘market for lemons’ problem, and that’s why the business is fundamentally two-sided. — If the bosses of social media platforms are […]