What should we do about the power of multinationals? Fresh analysis, comment and reflection from across civil society. Non-profit. https://criticaltakes.org To get the latest in a short monthly email: https://criticaltakes.org/newsletters/https://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mkxjmqxwlk2fHow Glencore has dragged out a £1.5 billion tax dispute with the UK involving payments to Switzerland. Showing how the fine details of tax regulation can have massive revenue effects. In this case, the UK's odd willingness to let multinationals take tax cases to secretive foreign arbitration. [contains quote post or other embedded content]03 May 2026 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkxjmqxwlk2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mkpszlitxk2gThis is a really ambitious and significant report. I'm going to write about it on Critical Takes soon - it has important things to say about corporate power, but they're not all said in the same place and I think they need to be. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Apr 2026 14:26 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkpszlitxk2ghttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mkpmyj2v7k2tThe new Critical Takes on Corporate Power newsletter is out! Resisting Big Tech, alternatives to the dominance of multinationals and what's next for Critical Takes. Read here: criticaltakes.org/newsletters/30 Apr 2026 12:38 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkpmyj2v7k2thttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mkdu5bkidc2rA good conversation in London today on what to do about Big Tech. Cory Doctorow offers a lucid, funny explanation of his term "enshittification" (14:00 onwards) And a powerful response from Sofia Scasserra (49:00 onwards). "We can't afford to lose this battle because it's the battle of our times." [contains quote post or other embedded content]25 Apr 2026 20:14 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mkdu5bkidc2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mjwdzqrlwc2zAn excellent, very informative discussion of asset managers and rentierism between @fairness.bsky.social and @brettchristophers.bsky.social Recommended reading! It starts with the UK property market and broadens out. https://www.faircomment.co.uk/p/a-brief-history-of-rentierism20 Apr 2026 11:21 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjwdzqrlwc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mjolvpkh3222How to take on the power of Big Pharma and democratise the global supply of medicines. Nick Dearden, author of "Pharmanomics", explains. Listen or read here: https://criticaltakes.org/society-and-nature/alternatives-to-corporate-power-medicines/17 Apr 2026 09:20 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjolvpkh3222https://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mjokhhk2ts2dMicrosoft now writing EU policy on data centres, according to this. [contains quote post or other embedded content]17 Apr 2026 08:55 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjokhhk2ts2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mjm5nwndkc2zNew on Critical Takes on Corporate Power: Alternatives to Big Pharma. @nickdearden.bsky.social talks about why the concentrated power of Big Pharma is a problem and what a public-led system for supplying medicines would look like. Listen or read here: https://www.criticaltakes.org/society-and-nature/alternatives-to-corporate-power-medicines/ 1/216 Apr 2026 10:00 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjm5nwndkc2zhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mjh5dhj2n22kBig Pharma in a nutshell in this story. [contains quote post or other embedded content]14 Apr 2026 10:11 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mjh5dhj2n22khttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mj4uhvxdxk2dHere are this month's takes on alternatives to the dominance of corporate power: 1. Farming https://criticaltakes.org/society-and-nature/alternatives-to-corporate-power-farming-and-food-production/ 2. Financing https://criticaltakes.org/society-and-nature/alternatives-to-corporate-power-public-development-banks/ Coming up soon: alternatives to Big Pharma and Big Tech. What other alternatives would you like to hear or read about?10 Apr 2026 08:06 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj4uhvxdxk2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mj2cucwlh222A useful reminder that when we talk about "Big Oil" we're talking, among other things, about a small number of immensely rich and arrogant men whose actions show that they don't give a damn about anyone else on the planet. [contains quote post or other embedded content]09 Apr 2026 07:45 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mj2cucwlh222https://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3miywtuzmgs2cExcellent! A very useful paper which cites numerous authorities to describe "Bigness" - the concentrated power of Big Finance, Big Tech and Big Agriculture, in its various forms. Definitely worth a read. 1/2 [contains quote post or other embedded content]08 Apr 2026 18:38 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3miywtuzmgs2chttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3miycaxn22k2oNew on Critical Takes on Corporate Power: Why agroecology offers a more just and sustainable alternative to industrialised Big Agriculture. @tammois.bsky.social talks to Critical Takes. Listen or read here: https://criticaltakes.org/society-and-nature/alternatives-to-corporate-power-farming-and-food-production/08 Apr 2026 12:29 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3miycaxn22k2ohttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3milhqv7zx22tCritical Takes on Corporate Power is two years old today! Forty-six articles and interviews with interesting thinkers from across civil society on human rights, tax justice, monopoly power, food and farming, tech and many other topics. Read them all here: criticaltakes.org/our-takes/03 Apr 2026 10:03 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3milhqv7zx22thttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mibkm4qfpk2yWar, corporate power and food prices. Plus optimistic takes on public banks and the UN tax convention. Critical Takes Newsletter No. 21 is out! criticaltakes.org/newsletters/ If you like what you read, please share it.30 Mar 2026 11:27 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mibkm4qfpk2yhttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mibc3mx2dc2pA very good report here on what a UN binding treaty on business and human rights would do, and why it's needed. Such a treaty would be a vitally important curb on human rights abuses by big business and everyone who is critical of corporate power ought to support it. But ... 1/3 [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Mar 2026 08:55 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mibc3mx2dc2phttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mhxy6whirc23Climate change is real but it isn't our fault, says Big Oil. (The word forming in your head right now is probably not polite) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/mar/26/fossil-fuel-companies-accept-climate-crisis-just-not-their-role-in-it?CMP=share_btn_url26 Mar 2026 16:04 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhxy6whirc23https://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mhvhhisbg22iSo much for timber certification ... That's the weakness of certification schemes - they have incentives to get bigger, which means lowering the barriers to entry and raising the barriers to getting kicked out. https://rainforestactionnetwork.substack.com/p/that-fsc-logo-on-your-ikea-bookshelf?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=52gvf&triedRedirect=true25 Mar 2026 15:59 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhvhhisbg22ihttps://bsky.app/profile/criticaltakes.bsky.social/post/3mhulcvksv22jDismantling concentrated corporate power is a vital part of protecting global food supplies. But as @georgemonbiot.bsky.social points out, that's very hard to do given the grip of corporate power over the global economy and the minds of policymakers. 1/2 https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/mar/25/big-corporations-global-food-system-war-iran25 Mar 2026 07:35 +0000at://did:plc:mem2hrjiuysf5czccxcicoy5/app.bsky.feed.post/3mhulcvksv22j