Latest posts
Review: The Top 100 NGOs 2013 according to the Global Journal
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Last week Pambazuka News, one of my regular web sources, reprinted an article by Fairouz El Tom on non-governmental organisations (See Diversity and inclusion. Do NGOs practice what they preach?). Inspired by an ongoing discussion about the role of t...
The military exception
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The participants of the DEMOCRACY INTERNATIONAL Summer Academy (Burgas, Bulgaria, 12.-15.07.2012) underlined that the future of the European Union must not be decided only by representatives of governments, the central bank and other executive instit...
Jean-Marie Matagne perseveres
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In the southern French town of Saintes, Jean-Marie Matagne, aged 68, the President of Action des Citoyens pour le Désarmement Nucléaire (ACDN), began a hunger strike on 15 May 2012 to obtain a referendum on nuclear weapons. The goal of Matagne and...
Without disarmament, there will be no sustainable development
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The Trade Union Assembly statement from Rio is "an important step forward", writes Norwegian social activist Asbjörn Wahl to the mailing list of the European Social Forum. And I agree. In their statement, the workers "embrace the caus...
Without disarmament, there will be no sustainable development
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The Trade Union Assembly statement from Rio is "an important step forward", writes Norwegian social activist Asbjörn Wahl to the mailing list of the European Social Forum. And I agree. In their statement, the workers "embrace the cause of a soci...
Pour une Union Européenne sans armes nuclèaires (For a EU without nuclear weapons)
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This entry was inspired by the hunger strike of Jean-Marie Matagne, which has by now lasted 21st days. I thought it was a good idea to try and write it in French... Pour une Union Européenne sans armes nuclèaires Pourquoi l'union européenne ne s'e...
Pour une Union Européenne sans armes nuclèaires (For a EU without nuclear weapons)
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This entry was inspired by the hunger strike of Jean-Marie Matagne, which has by now lasted 21st days. I thought it was a good idea to try and write it in French... Pour une Union Européenne sans armes nuclèaires Pourquoi l'union europ&...
The hunger strike of Jean-Marie Matagne
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Jean-Marie Matagne, an anti-nuclear militant living in the town of Saintes of Southwestern France, went on hunger strike last Tuesday. Matagne, a 68-year doctor of philosophy, is calling attention to the nuclear omertà, that is, the shameful silence...
Summary
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Dear forum goers, hope you will have a good meeting. I cannot make it to Brussels today. Below, please find a short summary of my thoughts: There is a necessary connection between any new constitution and the military strategy. To finish with the so...
Occupy the Spinelli Building, continued.
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Dear members of the Forum permanent de la societé civile, how do we figure the Convention 2012, for which we are preparing? My own first associations are to 'something like the Congress of India, and even to Gandhi's 'Hind swaraj'. My second thought...
Occupy the Spinelli Building, continued.
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Dear members of the Forum permanent de la societé civile, how do we figure the Convention 2012, for which we are preparing? My own first associations are to 'something like the Congress of India, and even to Gandhi's 'Hind swaraj'. My second t...
Occupy the Spinelli Building
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On December 6, which was Finland's 94th National Day, my compatriot friends got one of those long email messages which most people have to delete or move to the "read later" folder. Here, I shall omit the introduction and the stories about...
Democratic sovereignty?
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From the email list of the European Social Forum (ESF), http://lists.fse-esf.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/fse-esf Dear all, It is interesting to compare and to complete Yannis Almpanis' analysis "Papandreou government will probably fall until Fr...
Can alterglobalization endure and grow without doing away with the official myth about 9/11?
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Some rapid comments and questions upon reading the article "Elbowed Out of Spotlight by 9/11, Anti-Globalization Movement Endures" by Mark Engler: 1. What if the official account is false and 9/11 was orchestrated by leaders of the military...
We need Eurobonds and a new charter for Europe, but is it possible without ...
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Susan George, in a recent interview, asks the Europeans to end the financial control of their governance, to issue Eurobonds, and to ceate a new charter for Europe. Read the interview at the Transnational Institute, here! If we were to use our possib...
We need Eurobonds and a new charter for Europe, but is it possible without ...
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Susan George, in a recent interview, asks the Europeans to end the financial control of their governance, to issue Eurobonds, and to ceate a new charter for Europe. Read the interview at the Transnational Institute, here! If we were to use our possib...
Letter to Elizabeth
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Dear Elizabeth, today is Mother's Day here in Finland. Do you have children? If yes, I hope they come and see you, or send you greetings. If no, I wonder if your own mother is around still so that you can go and see her, or send her greetings. If you...
The Finnish book-entry register, or 'ceterum censeo tributum commercii esse delendum'
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This entry is about an issue in the the up-coming parlamentary elections in Finland. It should be the key issue, but it is not. The Finnish book-entry register (also known as nominee registration of securities; fi hallintarekisteri; sv förvaltarregi...
The Finnish book-entry register, or 'ceterum censeo tributum commercii esse delendum'
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This entry is about an issue in the the up-coming parlamentary elections in Finland. It should be the key issue, but it is not. The Finnish book-entry register (also known as nominee registration of securities; fi hallintarekisteri; sv förvaltar...
Libyan war and human (in)security
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In OpenDemocracy, Mary Kaldor analyses the ongoing Libyan war. The best scenario is that Gaddafi is removed and democracy is established, but a more likely scenario is a freezing of the current division between east and west Libya. A third possibiity...
