Europe

An uncomfortable truth: Every byte uploaded to AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud isn’t just data—it’s cloud capital. Coined by economist Yanis Varoufakis, the term captures how tech giants transform your digital activity into privatised infrastructure. It’s not merely about hosting files; it’s about hoarding power. And right now, the United States holds the keys, turning Europe into a lodger in its digital manor. But there is an alternative: cloud-on-prem—a return to digital self-sufficiency—and European providers like Hetzner, who offer control, compliance, and a way to starve the beast. Think of it less as going backwards and more as refusing to pay rent to your colonial landlord. ...

Content Warning: May cause acute frustration in readers who (a) remember when politics had more than two settings, or (b) still believe electoral systems are designed to represent people. Being a Thoroughly Unimpressed Examination of Political Labels, Their Stubborn Persistence Despite Overwhelming Evidence of Uselessness, and Why We’re All Arguing in the Wrong Bloody Language. Recommended for Recovering partisans Citizens who’ve noticed the emperor has no clothes Anyone who’s ever muttered, “There has to be a better way” The political spectrum of left vs right is one of the most enduring, yet increasingly obsolete, frameworks in modern discourse. Its origins are surprisingly mundane, dating back to the French Revolution (1789), when members of the National Assembly physically divided themselves. The revolutionaries, who favoured democracy and equality, sat on the left, while the monarchists, clinging to tradition and hierarchy, sat on the right. ...

The received wisdom—trotted out at Davos panels, EU Commission summits, and in the more sentimental columns of the Financial Times—is that Europe, having learned its lessons from two world wars, has spent the past eight decades basking in a glow of enlightened tranquillity. No more trenches, no more blitzes. Just a polite consensus of democratic cooperation, cross-border trade, and the occasional fracas over mackerel quotas. How charming. And how utterly wrong. ...

Neoliberalism crept into Europe wearing a sharp suit and talking about efficiency. It promised a leaner, meaner state, less red tape, more growth, and a brighter future. What it delivered was stagnant wages, crumbling services, and Jeff Bezos in a rocket. For Europe, the cost has been clear: growing inequality, weakened public institutions, and a sense that someone, somewhere, has sold the family silver—and is now renting it back to us with interest. ...

European democracy, once sold to us as government for the people, increasingly resembles government for the shareholders. The slogans haven’t changed—“freedom”, “fairness”, “choice”—but behind the scenes, the boardroom has quietly replaced the ballot box as the place where real decisions are made. It’s not that politicians have stopped caring what the public thinks. It’s just that donors, lobbyists, and corporate advisors tend to shout louder—and arrive with champagne. This isn’t a conspiracy. It’s a business model. ...

When European leaders speak of “security”, it’s worth asking: security for whom, exactly? Not for the millions navigating crumbling health systems or housing crises. Not for those struggling to afford heating or fresh food. No, the current drive to rearm Europe has little to do with public safety and far more to do with shareholder satisfaction. As Grace Blakeley has sharply noted, the sudden rediscovery of defence budgets has less to do with strategic necessity and more with economic opportunity—for the right kind of people, of course. Not your neighbour. Not your nurse. But certainly your nearest weapons manufacturer. ...

For decades, European politics has resembled a Punch and Judy show, only with fewer laughs and more austerity. On one side, the market-worshipping neo-liberals clutching their spreadsheets and “fiscal responsibility.” On the other, vaguely embarrassed centrists who occasionally tut at inequality but still vote for trade deals written by Exxon lawyers. The stage is well-lit. The audience, increasingly, is not impressed. But while corporate power has captured institutions from Westminster to Brussels, it hasn’t silenced resistance. Across the continent, citizens, thinkers, activists and even the odd rogue economist are challenging the capture—not just with slogans, but with blueprints for change. This isn’t about utopia. It’s about damage control, dignity, and doing better than a system that currently functions like a vending machine for billionaires. ...