twp Berlin on LinkedIn: It was good to meet with so many long-term friends and colleagues at the… (2024)

Light at the end of the tunnel? Perhaps, but there are still potential roadblocks and not a lot of time before the January 19th deadline.All in all, it looks like Congressional leaders have agreed to $1.66 trillion in discretionary spending (factoring in supplemental spending) for FY24, about $52 billion below the FY23 level.I'll be monitoring developments to see how this deal will affect Federal R&D budgets at NSF, NIH, DOD, DOE, NIST and others.#federalfunding #researchanddevelopment #researchandinnovation https://lnkd.in/da52Ajw4

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MORAWIECKI STEPS INTO ENDPOSEMateusz Morawiecki, our immortal prime minister, has once again appeared on the political stage, ready to promise us the moon and a land flowing with milk and honey. His latest speech is a true masterpiece in the realm of political fantasy. But we all know by now that politics is a world of illusions, where reality revolves around promises and polished words.Let's start with Morawiecki's brilliant idea to end the Polish-Polish war. Because all it takes is to say, "Friends, let's end the quarrel!" and everything will get better. Perhaps Morawiecki will organize workshops on "How to Stop Fighting and Start Liking Each Other"? Surely, this will dispel all political conflicts, as we all bow down to the authority of the prime minister.Modern public services and culture for export. After all, Poles have always dreamed of having media libraries and community centers in every county, where they can enjoy high-level culture. I can already see the lines forming at the media libraries, where crowds of culture-thirsty Poles will eagerly await access to modern public services. Of course, it's a magnet that attracts investors—who wouldn't want to invest in a country full of media libraries?And what about demographic policy? Morawiecki has discovered that times are changing, and our wives, daughters, and granddaughters want to live differently. What a groundbreaking observation! But don't worry, because the prime minister has a remedy for this: more apartments, a secure 2% loan, and kissing mothers' hands. Indeed, Mr. Prime Minister, the most important thing is kissing mothers' hands—it will surely increase fertility in the country.Now let's talk about prosperous Poland. Because prosperity means "working less and living better." And who wouldn't agree? But do we really have to hear about it at every turn? Prosperous Poland is also Solidarity Poland, because someone has to deal with those lazy, idle, and drunkards. Oh, and the average salary will be 10,000 PLN gross—what a paradise on earth!Finally, the five fundamental values according to Morawiecki. Human, self-determination, ambition, the Union, and of course, Prosperous Poland. Because every politician must have their list of five values that sound proud but, in reality, mean nothing specific.Morawiecki's speech is another dose of promises deserving a place in the political fairy tale. Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for the entertainment, I look forward to more tales from the land of electoral promises!

With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy making a surprised unannounced visit to London, there is no better time to discuss British PM Rishi Sunak’s ability to steer the United Kingdom on a long-term foreign policy trajectory.The UK, under Boris Johnson, had decisively taken the lead in providing financial and military aid to Ukraine. While Sunak has shown that he is willing to continue to take this leadership, sometimes independently of the US, he is still hampered by lingering effects of the pandemic, Brexit, and economic issues inherited from Liz Truss.Regarding his government’s foreign policy, his office has only noted that the Prime Minister’s immediate focus is to “call out Putin’s regime” while collaborating with partners by “cementing relationships”.“If this is all Sunak is presenting in foreign policy, he risks repeating a reactionary approach [to foreign affairs] adopted by previous Conservative PMs, hindering the pursuit of Global Britain.”If Sunak is unable to adequately address domestic issues, the image of ‘Global Britain’ risks remaining an unrealised dream and a mere propaganda tagline of Brexiteers instead of a return to British grandeur.Thank you to the Young Diplomats Society for publishing this piece, and I encourage everyone to take a look at the YDS’ 2022 Year in Review !#UKFP #foreignpolicy #geopolitics #rishisunak #sunak #ukraine #globalbritain #brexit #truss #johnson

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The inaugural Atlantic Economic Forum got underway on Monday night, with opening remarks from not one, but two prime ministers.Learn more ➡️***#HuddleToday#Antigonish #NovaScotia #BrianMulroney #JustinTrudeau #AtlanticEconomicForum #AtlanticLoop #AtlanticCanada #AEF2023 #MulroneyInstitute #StFX

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Friday Briefing – The New York TimesNetanyahu cast doubt on a two-state solutionIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to rule out a postwar peace process that would lead to the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state, rebuffing calls from the U.S. to start working toward that ultimate goal. He vowed not to compromise on the goal of “total victory” over Hamas and urged the public to prepare for long months of fighting.“Israel must have security control over all the territory west of the Jordan,” he said, referring to an area that includes occupied territory that Palestinians hope will one day become their independent state. “This clashes with the idea of sovereignty. What can you do?” He said he had told as much to the U.S., a key ally to Israel.Matthew Miller, a U.S. State Department spokesman, reiterated the Biden administration’s position, saying that there is “no way” to rebuild the Gaza Strip and provide lasting security and establish governance there without establishing a Palestinian state, and stressing that this position had been put to top Israeli officials.Security concerns: The Israeli president, Isaac Herzog, said that Hamas’s Oct. 7 surprise attack — which Israeli officials have said left 1,200 dead — had made most Israelis fear for their safety. “Every Israeli wants to know that he will not be attacked in the same way from north or south, or east,” he said.In other news from the war:Germany is at an economic ‘standstill’The German economy contracted 0.3 percent, official figures showed this week, meaning that the largest economy of the 20 countries that use the euro is also the worst performing. Industrial production has fallen five months in a row.Since it was rebuilt after World War II, Germany has been Europe’s main driver of economic growth, becoming an industrial powerhouse known for vast factories and fine-tuned engineering. But its automakers are struggling to keep up with those in China, and it must compete with the U.S. to attract tech giants.Last year, Germany faced a fiscal crisis largely because of a 17-billion euro ($18.5 billion) gap in the budget. The discrepancy was driven by the country’s so-called debt brake, a law enshrined in its constitution to keep public deficits low. Those restrictions are preventing badly needed investment in public infrastructure.Quotable: “The economy is at a standstill in Germany,” said Siegfried Russwurm, the president of the Federation of German Industries. “We don’t see any chance of a rapid recovery in 2024.”Iceland scrambles to shelter volcano evacueesThousands of people were evacuated from Grindavik, a fishing town of about 3,700 people in southwestern Iceland, after volcanic eruptions, and experts consider it uninhabitable in the near future. The authorities are now working to house the residents — around 1 percent of the nation of 400,000 people — and help to contain their financial losses.Some displaced residents are now l...

Are conservative gov’t’s being reasonable & adult on the climate file - or are they protecting their donors & influencers to retain power in the short term?The link below is a very well presented counterpoint to the #AbPoli talking points. It’s from the EU, complete with facts about the costs of delaying and slow walking climate action, and the benefits of accepting the challenge.https://lnkd.in/gVnzNv9f

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📰 Read all about it - Dewi Knight and Catherine Miller have been creating bar-charts mapping out the length of service of the Heads of governments in the UK and Ireland by numbers of day in office (hint - not very long). 🙋🏾♀️ If this gets you thinking about being election-ready why not read our recent blog on the importance of including comparative policy research for all new and current governments. https://lnkd.in/gJaafMZA

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PM RISHI SUNAK – THE PROS AND THE CURVEBALLS PM Rishi Sunak must be commended for wisely and courageously handling the UK’s response to the atrocities of Hamas in Israel on Saturday 7 October and the ongoing war Israel is fiercely waging against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. It is perhaps a cliché but Rishi Sunak seems to confirm the adage: “cometh the hour, cometh the man”.Arguably, Rishi has proven to be the great leader that the UK requires in this season that is fraught with economic vagaries and global tensions spawned by Russia’s brutal and unjust invasion of Ukraine, Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas, and the ricocheting consequences of these on community policing, the tensioning of community relations and the fractured focus on post-pandemic recovery policies. Those are the curveballs, what are the pros?Mr Sunak is a resilient and dogged player with a keen foresight. He has this unobtrusive calmness that comes handy when chaos seems to be the order of the day. He has a natural ingenuity that his opponents often find easy to dismiss or trample on only to find out afterwards that they are dealing with a dark horse with incredible self-belief. Sir Keir Starmer, the Leader of Opposition, is no doubt poised to maximise the misfortunes of the Conservative Party and the public’s seeming appetite (considering recent by-election wins for the Labour Party) to ditch the Tories at the next General Elections for what will only be - arguably - misplaced expectations that a Labour Administration will revitalise the economy and rebuild trust in good governance.Based on his performance so far, Sir Keir Starmer has an irresistible allure, but the Labour Party is a leopard that can never change its spots. A Labour Administration? Expect public finances to balloon, surging levels of taxation, and policies promising the poor and the marginalised unimaginable utopia. Those are Labour’s standard franchise. Come 2024 General Elections, it is my hope that the UK voting public will realise that Mr Sunak deserves another term. Let’s hope that before then the Tories do not descend into some party imbroglios and ditch such a worthy flag bearer. WE ARE LIVING HOPE!

London Tech Week kicking off yesterday + naming the UK capital the number one city for global tech investment + Rishi Sunak’s visit to the US last week - at the moment, it feels like we are on such a steep curve, not only of technological innovation, but of government funding announcements, program launches, and new partnerships. We have to remember though, a special relationship between the UK and US is not the answer to #quantum innovation – it will take a collection of like-minded countries – at least two plus the FVEYs.Sunak, speaking at London Tech Week yesterday morning, said, "at a moment like this, when the tectonic plates of technology are shifting - not just in AI, but in quantum, synthetic biology, semiconductors, and much more - we cannot rest, satisfied with where we stand ... Right now, there is an opportunity for human progress that could surpass the industrial revolution in both speed and breadth".In the UK, we are sitting at the frontier of technological innovation; it will take supportive governments, conscientious investment from VC funds, and partnerships between several like-minded countries to ensure that this next technological revolution changes all our lives and societies for the better – including saving the planet in the process. This is a must.#Tech #Investment

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