Geert Wilders: Connecting with many Europeans. I don’t like Geert Wilders, because, whereas I do agree with some of his conclusions, I’m loath to pigeonhole any group of people because of their religion. Muslims are no more all anti-democrats than Irish Catholics are all pedophiles. Yet here we are, discussing a Dutch politician who may be the next prime minister of the Netherlands. Can anyone name any other Dutch politicians? That’s not a reflection on Dutch politicians (I have a bit of a liking for the Democraten 66 party myself) as I doubt many Dutch people could name many Irish politicians short of Gerry Adams either. But Wilders is building a pan-European profile because he is a) a brilliant self publicist, and b) talking about things which, whether you agree or... Similar posts

This is one of the suggestions for dealing with Greece’s debt made by two members of the parties that form the German government. Comparing Greece to a bankrupt forced to sell his/her possessions, they called on Greece to sell some of its 6,000 islands as well as stakes in national treasures such as the Acropolis. I have been on the English-language version of the Bild website but can’t find the story there. There are however a couple of other stories reflecting tensions between the Germans and the Greeks here and here. It’s hard to know without seeing the original whether there was an element of tongue-in-cheek in all this, though I suspect there might have been. Equally, they may have been serious. What it does reflect though is the correctness of the concerns of the... Similar posts

” I cannot apologise for the fact that Belgium is a completely artificial construction and a mistake ” Nigel Farage, Sinn Fein/Coir ally and defender of national sovereignty, decides to tell 11 million Belgians that they are a non-country. Considering that the Belgian state is both more populous and older than the Irish republic(1830, and approx 11 million, just in case you’re wondering), isn’t it a good thing that we have people of the calibre of Deputy Farage to go about telling us who belongs to a genuine nation, and who doesn’t. Once again, he’s walking proof why small and medium sized nations need the European Union: To protect us from the Nigel Farages of the... Similar posts

eBay has really evolved over the years and has quickly become my favourite place to shop online. It should no longer be considered a place for second hand junk or bidding wars, it’s now a place of true commerce with options to “buy it now” or to even haggle with a seller by “making an offer”. Instead perhaps consider eBay as a gigantic 24hour outlet mall that’s filled with stores like Schuh, that are just desperate to get rid of last season’s Converse. It’s also populated with independent retailers, that can’t afford the online high street rents but compete with the larger stores like Amazon by offering you brilliant price reductions on new products. Then there are the niche stores/individuals that sell really rare or unique items like the HP battery I got for my 5 year... Similar posts

Image via Wikipedia This arrived in my inbox today. It may be of interest to some readers! You may wish to be aware that Mr. Micheál Martin, T.D., Minister for Foreign Affairs, has announced details of the 2010 Communicating Europe Initiative. Applications for funding are invited from voluntary organisations and education bodies who are interested in raising awareness about how the European Union matters in their community. Consideration will also be given to proposals for events, large or small, that are organised to celebrate Europe Day. Europe Day, which takes place on 9 May each year, is an opportunity for citizens throughout Europe to celebrate the EU’s achievements and to reflect upon the Union’s aim to promote peace, its values and the well-being of its...... Similar posts

Image via CrunchBaseIf you've been following the EU vs. Microsoft over the last few years this latest titbit should interest you.From the beginning of March 2010 (ie. tomorrow) Microsoft will be rolling out a new update to its users which will give them a choice of browser.While users have always been able to install alternative browsers to the default Internet Explorer the software company will now make that choice more explicit and obvious.Have Microsoft suddenly changed tack? Not really. They're only doing this it would appear as a result of the EU's pressure on them.More details on the Microsoft legal and policy site.Will this have much impact on browser usage?Related articles by ZemantaMicrosoft's EU browser ballot approved, arrives March 1 (arstechnica.com)Details Emerge On EU-Only... Similar posts

Another brilliant nugget from my favourite...... Similar posts

"Let Europe arise!" Winston Churchill’s famous 1946 Zurich speech where he calls for a federal United States of Europe with a common European citizenship. Admittedly, he did not expect the UK to join, but nevertheless, pretty embarrassing for British eurosceptics. Nearly as embarassing as the fact that only one British prime minister brought Britain into the anteroom of the euro, the EMS: Margaret Thatcher. The same Margaret Thatcher who agreed to the abolition of the national veto in the Single European Act. Two facts that are airbrushed out of Tory eurosceptic history these days. ” Yet all the while there is a remedy which, if it were generally and spontaneously adopted by the great majority of people in many lands, would as by a miracle transform the whole scene... Similar posts

And it's goodbye from them. A British television studio. Intro: “ Good evening, I’m Martin Imaldahay. One year ago, the member states of the European Union, at a summit in Gdansk, yielded to two years of public demonstrations and the overwhelming rejection of the Treaty of London in nine referendums across Europe. The EU was over, dissolved, and unceremoniously dumped in the dustbin of history.” Cut to footage of small but enthusiastic crowds cheering and demonstrating in London, Paris and Copenhagen. Cut to footage of  a young, very pretty blonde Danish girl: Danish girl: “ This is a great day for all Europe. No more Brussels telling us all     what to do.” Return to Martin in the studio. Martin: “ One year on, has it worked? Has the abolition of the EU freed Europe... Similar posts

The Euro: Worth saving. Eurosceptics are right about one thing, and that is that maintaining a currency union without a central treasury is leaving a crucial control open to abuse. It’s like putting an extra accelerator on the outside of the car, where the driver can’t reach it. If the Euro is worth saving, and I believe it is, then we need to ensure its credibility, and that means stopping member states from being reckless. The easiest way to do that is to bar member states, by law, from borrowing, and instead only having borrowing done at EU level. This will remove a key ability of a reckless member state to thrash the currency. Now, don’t get me wrong: This is a massive ceding of national sovereignty, and the effective beginning of a United States of Europe. Some... Similar posts

Apparently, a deal has been agreed by EU heads of State to save the Greeks from bankruptcy, with the attendant consequences that would have to the stability of the Euro. I’m with Larry Kudlow on this one, in that action on the matter is a practical necessity to protect the Euro. It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that the single currency was one of the greatest political follies of our time. It cannot be unwound without creating a massive mess, and it cannot be sustained without the structural problems identified by Paul Krugman (with whom I agree, for, I think, the first time ever). From a political perspective, the precedent this sets is disturbing. Governments and Nations should pay a price for their own irresponsibility. That includes our own Government. We seem... Similar posts

Again this year DG Enlargement are running the European Young Journalist Award 2010. (post on last years competition is here). Its simple, if your aged between 17-35 you can enter the competition. All you need to do is send them a copy of your published work and your in the competition. The work must be published between the 1 October 2007 to 28 February 2010. This means you can still get stuff done for it. The 28 February is also the dealine for submissions. The competition is open to citizens of the 27 EU Member States, Candidate Countries (Croatia, Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), or Potential Candidate Countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia andKosovo under UNSCR 1244/99) and Iceland and the must be written / presented in an official... Similar posts

Where does Europe End, is one of the often asked questions when talking about the enlargement of the European Union.  With the current negotiations with Turkey progressing (albeit slowly) the next challenge will be where next? Will the accession of Turkey see Syria (Middle East) or Armenia (Western Asia) applying for membership? That is of course dependent on Turkey being integrated into the EU’s structures as that itself will involve reform of the institutions. Turkey if its joins will be the second largest EU member state in terms of population, second only to that of Germany. This will mean that voting weights and seats in the European Parliament will have to be moved around to satisfy the older member states. The accession, or possible accession of, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia,... Similar posts

What starts as a debate about Turkey may end up being about the EU itself. There are very good reasons for letting Turkey join the European Union. Turkey is an important country, a developing democracy, a vital cultural link to the Islamic world and a physical link in terms of running pipelines to the middle east free from the clutches of Moscow. We would benefit from having a Muslim member of the EU, and helping Turkey avoid becoming Iran is in our interest. Despite all that, letting them in will destroy the EU. Yes, destroy it, and here’s why: There’s huge public opposition to it from amongst ordinary Europeans. I know people of moderate opinion, who have no interest in politics, who suddenly become aggrieved at the idea. Is it racism? No doubt, many opposed to Turkey are... Similar posts

A few months ago, I posted an item entitled Directors’ remuneration: A few long videos with links to a set of videos from a roundtable that the European Commission held last March. Judging by the brevity of commenting (not helped by my failure to follow-up Worldbystorm’s question in the third comment), I guess few people might have watched the videos. I certainly didn’t send encouraging signals when I said of them “I think it is amazing how little attention is given to the the issue of social justice“. If you had told me before this week’s conference in Davos that a debate at the World Economic Forum would be more — much more — positive from a Left perspective than one organised by the guardians of “Social Europe“, I would not have... Similar posts

Image via Wikipedia Talktoeu.ie have a great idea. To learn about Europe Explore it! To help with that two lucky people will be picked to take a Eurotrip this spring and the catch, do tasks! Starting in Helsinki and finishing Brussels you will travel through 16 countries. This is something I was sent from talktoeu Having spent the last 7 months engaging Irish Citizens in EU politics and answering their questions, we thought it would be a good idea to put into practice a lot of what the EU preaches. We are aiming at the 18-30 demograph since they have been shown to be the least interested in politics. So, we’ve decided to engage them on their own turf via a campaign fueled and documented by social media. We can’t give away much on the tasks or route for now, but... Similar posts

I just remembered – we were supposed to have seen loads of JOBS by now, right?... Similar posts

Image via Wikipedia So Fine Gael’s Senator Eugene Regan made a formal complaint to the European Commission about NAMA. He claims the ‘scale and scope’ of the scheme is disproportionate to the size of the Irish economy, transfers too much risk from the banks onto the Irish taxpayer and does not contain sufficient safeguards that Irish depositors and borrowers will not be forced to pay for the huge mistakes by Irish banks. Now I think most people would agree with that, but why go crying to the EU now? I thought the Government claimed they cleared this with the EU? Then again they never produced the proof. The submission can be read here (PDF) “Fine Gael has grave concerns about the NAMA scheme and the implications it will have for each and every citizen of the Irish... Similar posts

I think that this article in the European Voice deserves a wider readership, so I’m doing my bit. The hook for the story is simple enough: One of the biggest tobacco manufacturers in the world led a group of chemical, food, oil, pharmaceutical and other firms in a successful long-term lobbying strategy to shape European Union policy making in their favour, a new study says. That tobacco company is BAT. The mechanism for this was an item in the Amsterdam Treaty on impact assessments. The form of impact assessment pushed in this period by BAT [...] – and the one ultimately embraced by the EU via changes to the EU Treaty in the Treaty of Amsterdam – was so desired, according to the survey, because they believed that it would hamper the introduction of public smoking... Similar posts