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
[email protected]
Past stints in Paris, Mumbai, London. Français. Personal feed.
Bio 👇. https://medium.com/@spignal/stanley-pignal-bio-2acd9b705ceb
[email protected]
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Perfect Tom Stoppard story from DTel obituary:
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
November 29, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Perfect Tom Stoppard story from DTel obituary:
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
His response to a letter from Harold Pinter canvassing support for a proposal to have the Comedy Theatre in London rechristened the Pinter Theatre, “Have you thought, instead, of changing your name to Harold Comedy?”
RIP Tom Stoppard – a dazzlingly original voice in theatre. I got to meet him at a couple of Czech functions in London in the 2000s (he was born in the same Moravian town as my grandfather) and he was an absolute gentleman to boot.
November 29, 2025 at 7:12 PM
RIP Tom Stoppard – a dazzlingly original voice in theatre. I got to meet him at a couple of Czech functions in London in the 2000s (he was born in the same Moravian town as my grandfather) and he was an absolute gentleman to boot.
Jeremy Corbyn's party now had more factions than members. Not even Monty Python dared go that far.
Chaos has engulfed the first 24 hours of the inaugural 'Your Party' conference in Liverpool, with Zarah Sultana boycotting the first day of the event, Jeremy Corbyn facing "witch-hunt" allegations, and an entryism row
@siennarodgers.bsky.social & @tomscotson.bsky.social report from Merseyside
@siennarodgers.bsky.social & @tomscotson.bsky.social report from Merseyside
“End The Witch-hunt”: The First 24 Hours At The Chaotic ‘Your Party’ Conference
Chaos has engulfed the first 24 hours of the inaugural conference of ‘Your Party’, the new political party being founded by Jeremy Corbyn, Zarah Su...
www.politicshome.com
November 29, 2025 at 7:08 PM
Jeremy Corbyn's party now had more factions than members. Not even Monty Python dared go that far.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Muscular Christianity.
“Wear some headphones, kid. And put your shoes back on”
“Wear some headphones, kid. And put your shoes back on”
November 29, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Muscular Christianity.
“Wear some headphones, kid. And put your shoes back on”
“Wear some headphones, kid. And put your shoes back on”
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
My Charlemagne column this week on the unintended consequences of peace (one day, hopefully soon!) in Ukraine. War on its doorstep brought the EU together. Can this hard-won unity endure after the fighting ends?
If the fighting ends in Ukraine, the infighting in Europe will begin
Beware Europe’s great de-galvanisation
www.economist.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:44 PM
My Charlemagne column this week on the unintended consequences of peace (one day, hopefully soon!) in Ukraine. War on its doorstep brought the EU together. Can this hard-won unity endure after the fighting ends?
COME ON THIS HAS TO BE A SPOOF
November 28, 2025 at 7:13 AM
COME ON THIS HAS TO BE A SPOOF
My Charlemagne column this week on the unintended consequences of peace (one day, hopefully soon!) in Ukraine. War on its doorstep brought the EU together. Can this hard-won unity endure after the fighting ends?
If the fighting ends in Ukraine, the infighting in Europe will begin
Beware Europe’s great de-galvanisation
www.economist.com
November 27, 2025 at 9:44 PM
My Charlemagne column this week on the unintended consequences of peace (one day, hopefully soon!) in Ukraine. War on its doorstep brought the EU together. Can this hard-won unity endure after the fighting ends?
Journalists often complain about audiences not understanding the difference between news reporting and opinion. But sometimes we really don't make it easy for them. Guardian pieces out this morning (left) and then at lunchtime (right)
November 27, 2025 at 2:11 PM
Journalists often complain about audiences not understanding the difference between news reporting and opinion. But sometimes we really don't make it easy for them. Guardian pieces out this morning (left) and then at lunchtime (right)
The entire Instagram "influencer" model is basically dead. Why bother posing in a hipster coffee shop when the AI can gin up the image for free in two minutes?
this image was generated with google's latest nana banana pro tool. we have no idea how bad it is about to get.
November 27, 2025 at 8:49 AM
The entire Instagram "influencer" model is basically dead. Why bother posing in a hipster coffee shop when the AI can gin up the image for free in two minutes?
At a time when everyone is plagiarising off ChatGPT, it's refreshing to have Witkoff copy Russian talking points word-for-word in "his" "peace" "plan" instead.
November 26, 2025 at 11:02 AM
At a time when everyone is plagiarising off ChatGPT, it's refreshing to have Witkoff copy Russian talking points word-for-word in "his" "peace" "plan" instead.
Great map of European soil -- so many different things to pick up on.
November 25, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Great map of European soil -- so many different things to pick up on.
Tired: I read vintage Playboy for the articles
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
I'm in a vintage store with a bunch of old Playboy magazines from the '80s.
A vision of the beauty of long-gone ages.
That is, the damn things are an inch thick, packed with full-page ads. Journalism was so lucrative
A vision of the beauty of long-gone ages.
That is, the damn things are an inch thick, packed with full-page ads. Journalism was so lucrative
November 23, 2025 at 7:16 PM
Tired: I read vintage Playboy for the articles
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
Wired: I read vintage Playboy for the ads
From iPhone "holiday boom" to "disappointing early sales" in three weeks.
November 23, 2025 at 7:47 AM
From iPhone "holiday boom" to "disappointing early sales" in three weeks.
Marjorie Taylor Greene is the American Prigozhin: a distasteful outgrowth of the establishment, whose brief insurrection offers hope to the regime's opponents until it becomes clear they've overplayed their hand.
November 22, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Marjorie Taylor Greene is the American Prigozhin: a distasteful outgrowth of the establishment, whose brief insurrection offers hope to the regime's opponents until it becomes clear they've overplayed their hand.
National heroes' written accounts of how prison changed them. Essential reading.
November 21, 2025 at 4:09 PM
National heroes' written accounts of how prison changed them. Essential reading.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
“The unprecedented step which I hastily took which triggered a minor geopolitical crisis was obviously the right thing to do, which is why I’m reversing it”
The Dutch have handed chipmaker Nexperia back to China following a state visit.
In a statement, economic affairs minister Vincent Karremans said the move was a "show of goodwill."
In a statement, economic affairs minister Vincent Karremans said the move was a "show of goodwill."
November 19, 2025 at 9:20 AM
“The unprecedented step which I hastily took which triggered a minor geopolitical crisis was obviously the right thing to do, which is why I’m reversing it”
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
November 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
November 17, 2025 at 8:16 PM
A reminder to journalists: just because you don't name someone in an article doesn't mean they can't sue you for libel. If you make it easy for the person to be identified - eg by linking to articles which, taken alongside yours, means they are easy to identify - you are very much in legal hot water
My Saturday morning liberal humanist trifecta.
November 15, 2025 at 9:52 AM
My Saturday morning liberal humanist trifecta.
Best Tory beer content since William Hague claimed to have downed 14 pints a day in his youth.
November 14, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Best Tory beer content since William Hague claimed to have downed 14 pints a day in his youth.
NYT articles are just a jumbled mess. Rarely more than 100 words of text before an ad or picture. Constant skipping
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November 14, 2025 at 7:06 AM
NYT articles are just a jumbled mess. Rarely more than 100 words of text before an ad or picture. Constant skipping
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Reposted by Stanley Pignal
What a sentence.
November 13, 2025 at 9:22 PM
What a sentence.
The EU is cracking down on issuing visas to Russians. On one hand that's common sense, for security and moral reasons. But don't lose sight of the argument that there is something dangerous about blaming the crimes of a regime on a people themselves living in a dictatorship.
My Charlemagne:
My Charlemagne:
Europe is cracking down on Russian tourists
That is partly necessary—and partly alarming
www.economist.com
November 13, 2025 at 6:49 PM
The EU is cracking down on issuing visas to Russians. On one hand that's common sense, for security and moral reasons. But don't lose sight of the argument that there is something dangerous about blaming the crimes of a regime on a people themselves living in a dictatorship.
My Charlemagne:
My Charlemagne:
I can no longer send emails to my wife because Gmail (either on her end or mine, not clear) deems it "unsolicited mail".
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
November 13, 2025 at 5:19 PM
I can no longer send emails to my wife because Gmail (either on her end or mine, not clear) deems it "unsolicited mail".
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Some great AI at work there, fellas.
Reposted by Stanley Pignal
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round
November 11, 2025 at 11:00 AM
Love being reminded to do this every year. It's a win/win all round