The Guardian: Suck it up, Britain: now you know how to negotiate with the EU

By giving in to each and every EU demand, the May government is showing that it is finally learning to behave like the junior partner it is. Brussels and EU member states are far too polite and constructive to say so out loud, but for the next decade or so the default position for Britain in its dealings with the EU is simple: you suck it up. [...]

So far, EU member states have shown a degree of unity that is often described as “remarkable”. But how remarkable is it really to keep one’s ranks closed when all Britain does is talk to itself about itself, leaving it entirely unclear what kind of Brexit it intends to pursue? Now that the actual talks are about to begin, the May government will be forced to choose between the options for a future relationship that the EU is offering, from a “soft Brexit” where Britain loses all political influence in Brussels but remains a member in all but name, to a “hard Brexit” where Britain assumes the same status as Canada or Turkey, a so-called “third country” with or without some sort of free trade agreement. [...]

There is no wish to “punish” Britain; why would you punish somebody for cutting off their own arm? Feelings of denial, shock or anger in Europe seem largely gone, too, and, these days, sentiment in EU corridors is perhaps best described as genuine pity. You wish this degree of helplessness on your enemies only. And in spite of all the insults, blackmail, hostility and ineptitude over the past few years many in Europe still see the British as friends.

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Quartzy: The global dominance of white people is thanks to the potato

This phenomenon wasn’t confined to Ireland. As The Wealth of Nations went to press, across Europe, the potato was upending the continent’s deep demographic and societal decline. Over the next couple centuries, that reversal turned into a revival. As the late historian William H. McNeill argues, the surge in European population made possible by the potato “permitted a handful of European nations to assert domination over most of the world between 1750 and 1950.” [...]

In short, by the 1600s, the continent was already plunged deep into demographic decline. “Europe could not, with the agriculture it possessed, feed her lower classes and also support the high-flown schemes of her upper classes,” writes eminent historian Alfred Crosby in Germs, Seeds and Animals. Precedent suggests that this should have spelled long-term doom for European civilization. [...]

It’s probably no coincidence that the man who once said “an army travels on its stomach” was Europe’s first head-of-state tater-booster. So effective was the crop that Frederick the Great of Prussia ordered his government to distribute free seed potatoes and planting instructions throughout his kingdom. That proved smart: Prussian peasants survived French, Austrian, and Russian invasions in unprecedented numbers. [...]

With Europe’s food supply suddenly more abundant, nutritious, and secure, peasants lived longer and had bigger families. The population leapt from 126 million in 1750 to 300 million by 1900 (and that’s not counting mass emigration). When the population grew bigger than the number needed to toil in the fields, this time peasants didn’t die of mass starvation. They simply moved to the cities. The potato accounts for around a quarter of the population growth and as much as a third of increased urbanization between 1700 and 1900, according to an earlier paper (pdf) by Qian and Nunn.

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Jacobin Magazine: More Free Time — for Everyone

Currently, one in five jobs in Europe are part-time. The phenomenon is most pronounced in the Netherlands, where over three in four working women and one in four working men hold a part-time job. So the thirty-hour workweek is a reality in this country — but again, only on average.

The problem is that the growth of part-time jobs across Europe risks reinforcing existing economic and gender inequalities rather than fighting them. Figures show that the “choice” of part-time work is rarely completely free, but rather determined by job availability and family obligations. Many take up part-time jobs because there’s no full-time work available, while for many others it’s the only way they can combine caring tasks with work.

Meanwhile, this kind of working-time reduction is paid for entirely by individual employees, with both their wages and pension suffering. Part-time jobs also offer poorer career prospects and are often insecure, meaning not only are the workers’ current earnings lower, but their future income is jeopardized as well. Finally, since it’s mostly women who are in part-time jobs, this sort of working-time reduction is unlikely to create a more level playing field between the sexes. [...]

Rather than “on average” cuts in hours, generated through an increase in part-time work, we should reduce working time for everybody. The examples above show that there’s no one best way of doing so, and these kinds of changes don’t always come without compromises. But they all share an approach based on parity and fairness in how the reduction was implemented and show how positive results can be achieved through an organized, collective approach.  

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Haaretz: How Lebanon Emerged From Saudi Arabia's Hariri Crisis With Iranian Influence Even Stronger

Hariri revoked his resignation on Tuesday, drawing a line under the crisis caused by his announcement from Riyadh. Lebanese officials say he was put under house arrest before French intervention led to his return home. Riyadh and Hariri deny this. [...]

Hariri has identified possible Gulf Arab sanctions as a major risk to the Lebanese economy. Analysts also see a risk of another war with Hezbollah's old foe, Israel, which is alarmed by the group's strength in Lebanon and Syria. [...]

One senior Lebanese politician said the experience had "left a big scar" on Hariri, once the "the spiritual son of Saudi Arabia". "After this, it will not be easy to have a normal relationship again."

Meeting on Tuesday for the first time since the resignation, Hariri's government indirectly acknowledged Saudi concerns over Hezbollah's role outside Lebanon. At Hariri's behest, it reaffirmed its policy of staying out of Arab conflicts. [...]

Hariri's willingness to compromise with Hezbollah was a factor behind the Saudi move against him and has drawn criticism from within the Sunni community. His status as Lebanon's most influential Sunni will be put to the test in parliamentary elections next year.

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RSA: Raoul Martinez on The Myth of Responsibility

Are we wholly responsible for our actions? We don’t choose our brains, our genetic inheritance, our circumstances, our milieu – so how much control do we really have over our lives? Writer, artist and award-winning filmmaker Raoul Martinez argues that no one is truly blameworthy. Our most visionary scientists, psychologists and philosophers have agreed that we have far less free will than we think, and yet most of society’s systems are structured around the opposite principle – that we are all on a level playing field, and we all get what we deserve.