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Reposted by Fergal

Rónán Hession @ronanhession.bsky.social · 2d

Congratulations to the winners of the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, which is not a Nobel Prize.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

The admin of my Nabakov book club is digging his heels in, says that changing the name would be almost like an admission of guilt, but a lot of the members are pushing to stop calling it "the Lolita express"

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

Camus knew a thing or two about despair. Almost all his work starts with it. But it doesn't end with it. He said - after a World War, by the way - that what we need are "anti-Alexanders to tie together the Gordian Knot of civilization cut by the sword"

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

This is why taboos are important. You actually need to be out there (naively, cringily) saying "but you can't say that!", even when all you get back is "watch me".

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

But is that what you want? The winner is the guy who comes along with a big fucking sword?

There are no guarantees in life. Maybe bad people will always be bad, maybe you can't save them. But alright people can be saved. They'll go along with the good just as easily as they went along with the bad

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

This story can be read two ways: He was a boor, using mindless violence instead of skill or intelligence, or; He was a genius, he saw through pious pretense and showed that power alone rules. And it's obviously tempting to take the latter view, because it makes you feel all hard-nosed and realistic

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

So Alexander the Great came to town, took out his sword and cut the knot. I imagine he turned around and said some ancient Greek variation on "how d'you like them apples?"

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

The myth of the Gordian Knot: The City of Gordium had this famous knot. I guess it was a gimmick the Chamber of Commerce came up with or something. People would travel from all over to try to untie it, for it was said that if you could, you were destined to rule all of Asia

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

You're not doing it to persuade bad people to be good, that's obviously a dead loss. You're doing it for the rest of the audience, people who need to hear a norm asserted. You're rebuilding a sense of decency by acting as if it exists.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

Saying "he's right, there are no rules, you liberal dumbasses! Power alone matters!" is not the win you think it is.

With a heavy heart I am beginning to think that you may need to appeal to people's sense of decency, even when you're pretty sure they don't have one.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

Trump's stroke of evil genius was realising that none of those things are enforceable. He discovered that you can just do terrible things - people say "but you can't do that!!" and he just asks them what they're gonna do to stop him.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 3d

I'm increasingly of the opinion that if we want to get anywhere, politically speaking, we're going to have to embrace a lot of really cringe lib shit. Norms, decency, civilized debate, the whole nine yards.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 4d

It's done

Gavan Reilly @gavreilly.com · 4d

#Aras25 poll: Business Post/Red C
(October 1-7, MoE 3%)

ℹ️ Sampling began before Gavin’s withdrawal

Connolly 36
Humphreys 25
Gavin 12
undecided 27

After Gavin eliminated:
Connolly 39
Humphreys 31

W/o undecideds:
Connolly 56
Humphreys 44

www.businesspost.ie/article/red-...

Red C Poll: Connolly leads but Heather gains from Gavin exit

www.businesspost.ie

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 5d

Increasingly frustrated that I couldn't access my daughters Nintendo account. Then I realised after multiple failed attempts that I was trying to log into the PlayStation site, because in my head they are "the same thing"

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 5d

I expect they deliberately avoid any hint of razzle dazzle on principle in that genre, but yes.

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 5d

This looks like a LinkedIn post by a major Irish law firm announcing their new partners

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 6d

A Wodehouse Aunt maybe

Dr Mary McAuliffe @drmarymcauliffe.bsky.social · 6d

Well this is just jawdropping - have a listen, the smear campaign by FG on Catherine Connolly is really their only tactic. Also has anyone (other than a niece/nephew) ever called Heather Humphreys ‘Auntie Heather’? #speirgorm #aras25

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 6d

This is my annual Nobel Prize for Literature post

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 6d

László Krasznahorkai's announcement as winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature will come as no surprise to those of us who are familiar with his work

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 6d

This "anecdote" was printed as fact in the Irish independent when Haughey died

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 7d

Good gag you can do now if canvassed for the Presidential Election is "I'll keep you in mind for a second preference" feel free to use it sure you have to laugh these days don't you

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 8d

Probably already qualifies for Peace

Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 8d

You start looking into the views of the European intelligentsia in the first half of the 20th Century, things get uncomfortable pretty fast

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 8d

I mean if we paid them enough money would they lend their prestige to a Nobel Prize for Posting on Bluesky?

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Fergal @fergalc.bsky.social · 8d

The Nobel Prize for Economics was invented in 1968 by the Central Bank of Sweden, they pay the Nobel Foundation to award it. This is one of those facts which I think should be commented on more often.

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