UKIP news review
Given it was the UKIP Spring Conference yesterday it is no surprise that there are a number of articles in today's press. They range from brief, explanatory to frankly unhinged.So I shall start with unhinged. And thus I take you the Telegraph's cover...
The case of the disappearing Brussels journos
Take a good look at the Brussels press corps, because in a few years it may have disappeared into thin air. That's at least the concern running through the EU capital at the moment, as the number of accredited journalists in the city plummets.Today I...
Do Brussels reporters live in a fantasy land? - updated
Leigh Philips of the EUobserver has continued the story on the declining number of correspondents in Brussels, revealing a significant loss of reality of the API journalists."[T]he reporters considered calling on the institutions to make press releas...
The Lapland experience
Finnish foreign minister Alexander Stubb has drawn up quite a useful metaphor for Catherine Ashton in her job as EU foreign policy chief. She is akin to a football club manager. She has to deal with 27 foreign policy egos or players – “27 Ronaldo...
The incredible shrinking EU press corps
The answer is not tax breaks, or semi-official status...
Bosnia like Nagorno Karabakh, Serbia and Kosovo like FRG and GDR?
I was quite impressed by the statement made by Hido Biščević, secretary-general of the Regional Cooperation Council for South Eastern Europe (RCC) in an interview, that the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is “extremely worriso...
The Week in Bloggingportal: March 8th – March 14th 2010
Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of The Week in Bloggingportal, our weekly round-up of the best of the Euroblogosphere! This week’s edition has been written by Joe Litobarski and Julien Frisch. First up, let’s introduce a new sect...
No Cancer Drugs for Bulgarian Kids
I became recently aware of a really worrying problem: it appears that the Bulgarian National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has stopped the delivery of some drugs against cancer for children under 18 years. Let me repeat: we don’t deliver some drugs...
Tories make nice with Europe, but is it genuine?
When William Hague starts making nice with Europe, you know the Tories are getting very worried about their falling poll numbers. Over the past week the Conservatives have been bending over backward to rebut an increasingly successful line of attack...
Another UKIP MEP in trouble following anti-Ashton rant and childish hissy fit
Less than two weeks after Nigel Farage, the UKIP party leader in the European Parliament, was fined €3,000 for his outburst before Herman van Rompuy, another of his political party members has made a scene, launching a tirade against the EU Represe...
Diane Wallis: Autocrat, tin pot liberal dictator
Here we have another example of the complete lack of any concept of free speech in the European Parliament. In the President's chair for this part of the debate sits Diana Wallis, Lib/Dem MEP for Yorkshire (and how those words mean nothing in any sen...
Greece: not a simple fable about ants and crickets
Greece is a real country, with tough politics and grim history...
Geert Wilders: The first truly European politician?
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. Y...
The forgotten Trio
Among the institutional changes brought about by the Lisbon Treaty, some have been more present in the media and public debate than others. Three months after the Treaty entered into force, we can still read at least a couple of articles a day about...
The Week in Bloggingportal: March 1st – March 7th 2010
Hello, and welcome to the first edition of The Week in Bloggingportal. This will hopefully be the first in a series of posts from the Bloggingportal editorial team that adds some context to our front-page choices and serves as a place for public disc...
