EU Politicians’ Ministry of Truth ‘Forgets’ to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of Europe’s Democracy
NEW
Did Europe’s politicians forget? Today 10 September 2012 is the sixtieth anniversary of the first assembly of the European Parliament. Guess who was the first president? None other than Paul-Henri Spaak. Yes, the same one after whom the Paul-He...
Step Up for a Stronger Europe!
NEW
The Committee’s services are busy preparing for a conference on another theme dear to our President, the Europe 2020 Strategy, where he has been working closely with the EESC’s Europe 2020 Steering Committee, Joost Van Iersel. The 25 Sept...
The Closer
NEW
ROUND-UP FT markets round-up: “Wall Street’s S&P 500 retreated from its best close since January 2008 on Friday, and ended the session 0.6 per cent lower. The benchmark...
Rockstar Soros
NEW
George Soros does not need an introduction, but his latest article “The Tragedy of the European Union and how to resolve it” maybe does. Soros has established himself as a man, that when he talks, you listen! He attacks Germany’s de...
Banking union forces Britain to revisit its role in the single market
NEW
David Gow Monday, 10 September 2012 It would have been good to be a fly on the wall at Monday's late-night discussions among ten EU ambassadors from "out" countries about banking union. On Super Wednesday José...
The Entire DNCC in 25 Tweets
NEW
"God is dead." - Nietzche."Nietzche is dead." - God."Let's take a vote." - DNC— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) September 5, 2012 E-nough's Damien recaps the entire Democratic National Committee Convention in 25 Tweets… of which here are two…New: B...
In praise of … Bedford's Italians | Editorial
NEW
It is hard not to regret the Italian government's decision to close its special consular facilities in the town at the end of this monthIt would be hard to deny that Italy, with a public sector debt of more than £1 trillion, needs to trim its public...
Lucrece Still Lives
NEW
Further to my last post, the attitudes towards rape as shown in the poem The Rape of Lucrece are still prevalent in many parts of the world. Sixteenth century England was an “honour” culture. In Turkey, outside big cities, social life c...
Inserting Lucrece
NEW
I have been away on holiday, and have only now got the time to write a piece about Camille O’Sullivan’s performance of The Rape of Lucrece, which was part of the Edinburgh International Festival’s main programme. O’Sullivan has fo...
Putin: Russian Protesters Are Weak
NEW
At the conclusion of the 2012 Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Russia, the host president, Vladimir Putin, likened the birds that had not following his motorized glider south to the Russians who did not follow him. “Only the weak ones,...
The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Al Qaeda
NEW
Eleven years after its defining attack, Al Qaeda is a defeated organization, yet in two ways the legacy of Al Qaeda constitutes a tangible threat for the international peace and stability.
The Rise and Fall (and Rise?) of Al Qaeda
NEW
Eleven years after its defining attack, Al Qaeda is a defeated organization, yet in two ways the legacy of Al Qaeda constitutes a tangible threat for the international peace and stability.
Dean Spielmann New President of the European Court
NEW
The judge elected on behalf of Luxembourg, Dean Spielmann, has today been elected by his peers as the successor to the Court's current President, Nicolas Bratza. The latter's term of office as judge at the European Court of Human Rights is due to exp...
In between
NEW
“Psychologists have likened a crowd to a series of intermeshing behavioral cells. Each cell is comprised of a small group of surrounding people, with limited communication between them. Cell members do not have a broad view of what is occurring in...
Sterlisation (or not) in Brazil
NEW
As the ECB’s OMT threatens to maybe start, Jonathan Wheatley over at the FT’s beyondbrics has picked up on an interesting case of sterilisation going awry.From Wheatley:...
Euromyth Monday: UK immigration policy is controlled by the EU
NEW
Apologies for the week-long gap, getting back into the work routine (aren’t we all?)In the continuation of my Euromyth Monday series, today we’re addressing ‘the EU controls UKimmigration policy’.This is partially true, partially false.We’l...
Hungarian Parliament Accused of Burying Debate on Domestic Violence
NEW
Women’s rights group accused Hungary’s parliament of trying to skirt genuine debate on domestic violence by scheduling discussions on the topic for the middle of the night.
An idea better kept in reserve
NEW
Yichuan Wang had a spectacular, wonky post trying to adjudicate a debate about interest on excess reserves that I’ve been having with David Beckworth and Dan Carrol.I’ve...
Banking Union Part II – now for the safeguards
NEW
Here’s the continuation of the EU banking union saga – the document (also leaked, see here) that sets out how the single market and banking union are meant to fit together. A crucial point for the UK and others. As we noted on Friday, the Commiss...
Relevant Goals As To Exactly Why Working Out Is Important
NEW
While each of us is aware of the value of having a regular exercise when it comes to maintaining good health, it just cannot be denied that most people find exercise at home to be boring and annoying. These people cannot be blamed in thinking this wa...
Slaying the myths of NATO's Balkan Odyssey
NEW
Bare-chested on a hot afternoon, a young man tiptoes along the edge of the Mostar bridge. Tourists are asked to give him cash; once he has collected 25 euros, he will leap into the Neretva river beneath. By taking this frightening plunge, he will –...
Breaking a sovereign-bank loop
NEW
Chart du jour from the IMF staff’s Article IV report for Ireland — forecasting the path for Irish debt to GDP if a deal is reached with the ECB to reschedule those promissory notes,...
Five reasons Glencore/Xstrata mega-merger is important | Phillip Inman
NEW
The takeover by commodities trader Glencore of mining giant Xstrata has turned unfriendly. But why does this merger matter?Like former Barclays chief executive Bob Diamond, the bosses of Glencore and Xstrata are a breed apart. These mining and commod...
The EESC’s Liaison Group with European civil society organisations and networks
NEW
The European Economic and Social Committee is composed of representatives of civil society organisations in the member states. In order to help bridge the gap between such member-state-based organisations and pan-European organised civil society, the...
Can Asia avoid the middle-income trap?
NEW
The thesis that the Asian boom is past its best is not new, but when we come across a particularly well-argued note on the topic, we like to share.We’ve already given you...
A Love Triangle Gone Dangerously Public
NEW
If you believe the French weekly Le Point, Thomas Hollande, the 27-year-old lawyer and son of President François Hollande and his former partner, Ségolène Royal, blasted his father’s current partner in an interview for “putting private lif...
The 'swindle' of welfare privatisation in Europe
NEW
Mikael Gustafsson MEP argues that Europe's welfare state faces disintegration as the economic crisis reinvigorates a neo-liberal zeal for privatisations – and it is time to stop the madness...
Not the last video
NEW
The Boss and two of his angels left us for another Directorate. Although they'll be physically just two floors ahead ours, it feels like we'll now live continents apart. That's the price you have to pay when you have the good fortune to work on an Is...
Bart: A Belgian Lightweight
NEW
A prominent Belgian politician spills the beans on how he lost 60 kilograms.
