Latest posts
German angst over immigration
I am in Germany, preparing a profile of the Pope - but all the talk is about a politician and banker who has caused outrage by his comments on immigration. Thilo Sarrazin has written a book called Germany Abolishes Itself....
Sarkozy's return
For the French president "la rentree" has arrived; he returns from vacation today and holds his first cabinet meeting. This is also the start of two months that will define his presidency and his chances of re-election. Nicolas Sarkozy's pe...
The Roma repatriation
It is a desperate way to survive. In many European cities you can find women begging for money. Many of them are Roma. They squat on the Champs Elysees. They stand by the Brandenburg gate in Berlin or in the...
Growth papers over Europe's cracks
As we entered summer the mood in Europe lifted. The threats to the euro seemed to have passed. It was easier and less expensive for governments to raise money. The banks were put through their stress tests and most of...
Europe's dog days
Europe's dog days are here. Not those sultry, cloying, enervating weeks of the Washington summer. Not the oppressive stillness. But the sparseness of Brussels's streets, the absence of traffic, the empty tables where only weeks ago they doled out mou...
Where does Turkey's future lie?
In Ankara today David Cameron made an impassioned pitch for Turkey to become part of the European Union. "I'm here," the British Prime Minister said, "to make the case for Turkey's membership of the EU. And to fight for it"....
Iran: Tightening the screw
As each month passes the moment draws closer. No one knows precisely when it will be, but the day is coming when either Iran abandons its uranium enrichment programme or it develops a nuclear bomb or it is attacked. There...
How stressful was it?
So how stressful was it? Seven banks failing the stress test was fewer than many had expected. Some thought the figure would be closer to 10 or 12. As expected, the heart of the problem lies with Spain's regional savings...
Something is out there: Europe's banks
For a long time Europe's banks and officials have been haunted by the fear that something is out there. They have not been able to identify the monster alien but, like in the science fiction TV series, they are convinced...
Can Greeks escape defaulting?
It is another day in Greece. There is by now a ritual quality to it. Flights are grounded, hospital workers are striking, tax collectors and customs officials are sitting on their hands. Hundreds of thousands of civil servants are staging...
Criminalising women behind the veil
So the French lower house has voted to ban the burka or niqab in a public place. It was by a massive majority: 335 to 1. The Greens and some of the Socialists abstained. There are still hurdles to be...
The gap between Spain and Germany
In the aftermath, the verdict. Spain, masters of possession. Germany squeezed out of the game. They had hoped to hurt the Spanish with fast counter-attacks but they couldn't. It was predicted Spain would play that way in the World Cup...
The weakening of Sarkozy
It may be that the scandal swirling around French President Nicolas Sarkozy is unmasked and shown to be little more than smear and innuendo. Even so, damage will have been done. There seems to be a slow weakening to President...
Banning the burqa
France moves closer to banning the full-face veil today when its parliament begins debating a law that would outlaw the wearing of the burqa or the niqab anywhere in public. It is a measure that seems popular with the public....
Brits seek to influence Europe
"Say No to" is always an easy form of campaigning. "Say No to the euro" and everyone knows instantly what you're about. "Say No to bull-fighting" and you don't need to explain. You've made your point. Quite a few voters.
Merkel: A wounded leader
In the end Angela Merkel's candidate won: Christian Wulff, a party insider from the centre-right, is the new German president. But he only got it on the third and final round. It is rare in Germany's post-war history that...
Merkel dented by presidential vote
Round 2 After a second round of voting Germany still does not have a president. It is a further wound to the reputation of the Angela Merkel, the German chancellor. Her candidate Christian Wulff gained an extra 15 votes, but...
Merkel and a nail-biting election
It was a Berlin summer party. A Monday evening, with the city sweating. There was a guest list of 4,000. The smoke from the hog roasts and the Spanferkel drifted between the tents serving champagne and beer. A high school...
Deficits: You can go your own way
It is always easier to get unity in the early days of a crisis. Fear concentrates the minds of leaders. After the G20 meeting in Toronto the great dividing argument over whether cutting deficits now risks damaging the recovery remains...
The New Spartans head to Canada
The Europeans are the New Spartans. They head to the G20 in Toronto in their hair-shirts, newly frugal and stern in their attitude towards debt. The G20, which includes the developing countries, has become the body to co-ordinate the global...
