Latest posts
3 years of BloggingPortal.eu
Today marks 3 years of our little blogging project – BloggingPortal.eu It started as a conversation between Stefan, Andreas and I, and all the coding work was done by Stefan. The inspiration for it came from this blog post I … Continue re...
So that was a Presidency Press Trip. I’m feeling rather empty.
At one level it has been a privilege to attend the Danish Presidency Press Trip for the past four days. I’m the first blogger ever to have been allowed to attend, and hopefully not the last. But the whole experience … Continue reading ...
Why Nick Archer’s blog doesn’t work
I’m just back from the Presidency Press Trip in Copenhagen. It has resulted in numerous blog entries from me (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6), a set on Flickr, and masses of activity on Twitter. The FT blog has a … Continue reading →...
Avedøre Power Station
Part of the Danish Presidency Press Trip is a tour of Avedøre Power Station. It’s a remarkable place – both in terms of its efficiency as a CHP plant, and in terms of its design. A set of photos (CC … Continue reading →...
As a national parliamentarian, why would you bother with EU matters?
The first briefing today is from the EU Affairs Committee of the Danish Parliament. This committee has the reputation as being the toughest of the 27 national parliaments when it comes to holding national ministers to account before they head …...
How much does a Presidency cost?
The only point of genuine contention in the first session of the Danish Presidency press trip with Europe Minister Nicolai Wammen was a debate about the cost of running a Presidency. What – a Polish journalist asked – is the … Continue read...
So who attends a Presidency press trip?
One of my questions before arriving in Copenhagen was: who are the others who are attending the Danish Presidency press trip? Now I have the answer – albeit only on paper. This is a picture of the pages from the … Continue reading →...
Why there’s no LabourList column from me today
It seemed like an excellent opportunity – to write a weekly column for LabourList, one of the biggest left-leaning blogs in the UK. Take EU matters to a new, wider audience. So I thought. In the second half of 2011 … Continue reading U...
Danish Presidency Press Trip
Sometimes unexpected doors open thanks to blogging, and next week is one of those circumstances. I am spending four days (Monday-Thursday) in Copenhagen on the Danish Presidency Press Trip. Did you even know Presidencies organise press trips? I didn&...
Even if the EU became a functioning representative democracy tomorrow it’s not going to solve its ills
What do you do when one of the fundamental things you’ve believed in for years, have spent ages working towards, is actually not anywhere near as desirable as you previously thought? That’s basically the predicament I find myself in these...
Thoroughly non-plussed by politics
Today has been a normal sort of day for me online, in that I’ve stumbled across a couple of really fascinating things, stuff that’s brilliant. Today it was the Lytro camera, and an examination of the design work of Dieter Rams. … C...
LabourList | 2011: the year of Polish leadership in the EU
2011: the year of Polish leadership in the EU.
LabourList | A summary of this week’s shenanigans in Brussels
A summary of this week’s shenanigans in Brussels.
LabourList | The Eurozone summit: a fissure in the UK’s relationship with the EU
The Eurozone summit: a fissure in the UK’s relationship with the EU.
IPPR | The SPD: helping the political pendulum back towards the left in Germany
The SPD: helping the political pendulum back towards the left in Germany...
LabourList | Helmut Schmidt: the grandfather addresses the SPD
Helmut Schmidt: the grandfather addresses the SPD.
LaborList | There’s something intriguing about UKIP
There’s something intriguing about UKIP.
A generalised explanation of the decline of political leadership
Political leaders in the EU are incapable of leading us out of the current multiple crises we face. I think that’s generally understood. But what we’ve been incapable of explaining is why is leadership in such a bad way? Where is …...
Cameron, Vickers, the EU and the recapitalisation of banks
It sounded a bit far-fetched – that the UK wants to set higher standards for its banks than the EU would allow. But these are Cameron’s words in his statement on Monday [from Hansard here]: To those who say that … Continue reading &...
A simplified conversation between David Cameron, and Merkel and Sarkozy
Take a deep breath. Step aside from your preconceptions about the UK and the EU, and your views on David Cameron, Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sakozy. I’m trying to do that when writing this blog entry. Follow the steps of … Continue reading...
