Interesting Links for 17-03-2025

[andrewducker]

1. Major electricity cable work in Edinburgh's Grange 2025-26

(tags:electricity infrastructure Edinburgh )

2. A thought experiment on Canada and the EU

(tags:Canada Europe )

3. Can we power the world with only clean energy?

(tags:electricity renewables thefuture video )

4. Justice Department Official Fired After Opposing Mel Gibson's Gun Rights Restoration

(tags:guns usa corruption )

Comments

[fanf]

Interesting to compare the description of the electricity works with https://openinframap.org/#12.04/55.92964/-3.20683

[andrewducker]

Ooh, interesting!

I had long wondered about the large metal pipes under the bridge there. Good to know I can look up similar things in the future!

[movingfinger]

2. St Pierre and Miquelon are, naturellement, already in the EU

A thought experiment on Canada and the EU

[jack]

Huh. It's odd to read because I would have assumed that if both sides *wanted* it to happen, the EU could easily change the constitution, and we wouldn't need fudging. I guess, if there's 90% support it could be a lot more awkward. But I assumed DAG knew more about this than me.

And yeah, I think more EU-Canada *something* is probably good, but I assume there are already negotiations for *improved* trade, and like DAG I assume that the distance is too far to make an actual economic union plausible.

I'm also like, yeah, I think it probably is necessary for western nations other than America to figure out where they want to be on the world stage. But what sort of "90% of EU and Canada and a couple of others" organisation is *possible*? Most of the most important economic things, aren't they unable to negotiate separately to the EU? Defence, isn't that basically NATO with a lot of awkward side-eyeing the most important member? What things COULD it do?

[armiphlage]

And Canada shares a land border with Denmark (dividing Tartupaluk in half).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Island

Re: A thought experiment on Canada and the EU

[andrewducker]

I think you're right on economic things. The supportive nations can't change economic policy without unanimity. On defence it would be largely a replacement for NATO. But it's probably a good thing that Europe stop depending on the US for defence.

And yes, definitely too far. The point about Europe is that you're trading locally without all of those borders getting in the way. Shipping things too/from Canada is a whole extra level of cost/effort that just automatically means less of it happens.