100 posts
Shaped by social media? Not yet, but it’s coming!
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Number of View: 367A few days ago at the Commission’s first Digital Competence Day event, I issued a call to exchange best practices and experiences in the field of modern e-technologies. Neelie Kroes was the first to respond. No surprise...
Papal exit: The Van Rompuy Code?
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The politics and rituals surrounding the selection of a new pope are even more opaque and mysterious than the back-room negotiations over a long-term EU budget (a recent source of obsession at the Brussels Blog). Herman Van Rompuy, the European counc...
How to say goodbye to Brussels - officially
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I am sad to say that I have left Brussels. I am excited to say that I am now in Paris and blogging here.I will keep posts at EUforUS as up-to-date as possible. Brussels is not quick to change, so, for the most part, I think you can trust the content...
Reading suggestion #11: Swedish snus and the “Dalligate”
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In a recent post on the blog Diritti Comparati (Compared Laws) Alberto Alemanno analyses the circumstances of Commissioner Dalli’s resignation, entitling his post “The Snus’ Trap“, published on 10 December (in English). He arg...
Three men and a Nobel
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On Monday 10th December, Herman Van Rompuy, José Manuel Barroso and Martin Schulz went to Oslo (Norway) to receive the Nobel Prize awarded to the European Union (EU). In addition to the Presidents of the main EU political institutions, some …...
Who is Captain Europe?
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For two years, Brussels has grappled with a mystery that has taken on a sort of legendary aura – who is Captain Europe? Tonight, I may finally be able to discover the answer.The caped crusader – pictured right – appears suddenly at various even...
Commissioners on Twitter: how are they doing?
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The European Commission, and Commissioners themselves, have progressively taken to Twitter over the past couple of years as a way of communicating with (at?) EU citizens. So how are they doing? This blog entry gives a quick summary. My starting point...
Echoes of Buttiglione as nomination of Maltese Borg draws criticism
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Back in 2004 the European Parliament made waves by preventing the Barroso I Commission from entering office, mostly due to the views of one nominee – Rocco Buttiglione. The problem was with Buttligione’s views on homosexuality and the rol...
How Tony Blair could be elected President of Europe.
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Tony Blair recently made a speech (here) where he spoke about the need for a directly elected President of Europe. Not surprisingly, as soon as he made the speech, the usual suspects made their remarks about how Blair was pretty much advocating a job...
Malala Yousafzai: Trotskyist hero(ine)
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Malala Yousafzai: Trotskyist hero(ine) In Shiraz Socialist’s coverage of the cowardly shooting by Taliban fascists of this 14 year-old hero(ine), we have not so far mentioned the fact that she is a Trotskyist sympathiser. Here is a statemen...
‘Snusgate’ Spotlights EU Lobbying
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Real Time Brussels has been doing some old-school document chasing on the EU’s biggest corruption scandal in years.
Remembering Mike Harskin
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A dozen or so of us gathered in the Guest Room at the House of Lords this evening, courtesy of Lord (Chris) Rennard, to celebrate the memory of Mike Harskin, former editor of Liberal Demorat News, who died at a tragically young age 20 years ago. My...
Belgium’s Premier Blunderer
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Belgium’s former prime minister Yves Leterme made a fresh Twitter blunder Thursday morning when he accidentally sent a personal message to all his 55,100 followers. Mr. Leterme is so well-known for his gaffs that the Flemish coined a term in his ho...
Erkan’s Berlin/Germany trip starts tomorrow (22-28 October)
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I will attend a workshop that I am really excited about. The first part took place two years ago in Istanbul, Boğaziçi University and now comes the part 2 at Humboldt University at Berlin, Department of European Ethnology and Collaborative Research...
Jerry Blaskovich M.D.
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Reblogged from Croatia Business Report: The great Croatian-American, Jerry Blaskovich passed away on 8 October. Born on 20 April 1934, Jerry was a humanist who served both the United States and Croatia. A Korean War veteran, he had studied medici...
Chávez: what would Trotsky say?
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The Chávez victory in Venezuela’s presidential election last week, has been greated with unbridled enthusiasm by some on the Stalinist-influenced left, and by a quiet gnashing of teeth and subdued wailing on the right. Others have taken a mo...
Putin: "I don't deny myself anything."
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The Wall Street Journal reports that dictator "Vladimir Putin marked his 60th birthday by granting reporters from Russia's NTV network what was billed as an unprecedented inside look at his presidential routine".The hour long prime-time report surpri...
"There's nothing boring 'bout me" says Juncker
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After European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi this week inadvertently confessed on-mic that his press conference was 'boring,' BM has launched a video campaign for the now-overlooked eurozone chairman Jean-Claude Juncker. Who isn't boring.
Remembering Neal Chubb
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When Neal Chubb went out canvassing in Waltham Forest I often wondered what people who opened their doors made of him. The cravat must have been the first thing that caught their eye — even in Chingford golf clubs that is a rare piece of male a...
R.I.P: Eric Hobsbawm, the great British Marxist historian, public intellectual…
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Eric John Ernest Hobsbawm, CH, FBA, FRSL (9 June 1917 – 1 October 2012) was a British Marxist historian, public intellectual, and author. His best known works include the trilogy about the long 19th century: The Age of Revolution: Europe 1...
Eric Hobsbawm dies
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Born (Vienna) 9 June 1917; died (London) 1 October 2012 The great historian and political commentator Eic Hobsbawm died earlier today, aged 95. Like many others, I have highly ambivalent feelings about him: on the one hand an undoubtably fine histor...
Bob Dylan – senility blowing like it never blowed before
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There’s no doubt that Bob Dylan stands high among the greats of rock-and-roll history and that his songs will continue to inspire millions with their poetic imagery, but his latest interview for the Rolling Stone magazine (September 27, 2012 issu...
Liddle: “I could not remotely conceive of not trying to shag the kids”
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Rod Liddle is one of those people, like Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Littlejohn, about whom I rarely comment, here or anywhere else. Partly because such people are such utter cocks that comment is generally otiose. Also because getting lefties an...
Herbert Lom, Ladykiller
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Herbert Lom, actor. Born 11 Sept 1917, died 27 Sept 2012 Lom was one of the great character actors of post-war British cinema who rarely played leading roles but regularly stole the show from better-known stars. In his younger days, especially, his s...
R.I.P. Jadranka Fischer
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“Jadranka Fischer, 65, of Devon, who worked to increase awareness of the war in her native Croatia during the 1990s and raised money to support about 10 Croatian children orphaned during the war, died of lung cancer Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Paoli Hosp...
Nigeria: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Declines WTO High Post
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Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria's Finance and Co-ordinating Minister of the Economy is not interested in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) top job. Pascal Lamy will retire soon and there's been speculations that Okonjo-Iweala may seek to r...
In praise of the Iron Lady
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Daniel Hannan reminds us about the greatness of the Iron Lady, who still is hated by so many Lefties: Now and again, we are reminded of the sheer nastiness of a certain kind of Leftie. Not, let me stress, all Lefties: I have Labour friends who a...
Obituary of my partner Chris Underwood
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Below is an obituary which appeared in today’s copy of the Times of my beloved partner, Chris Underwood. If you are a subscriber you can also read the article from the Times website here. Last week the Press Gazette also … Continu...
Juan Cole on Libya, Egypt and the butterfly effect
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From Juan Coles’s Informed Comment blog: The late science fiction writer Ray Bradbury authored a short story about time travelers. They were careful, when they went back to the Jurassic, not to change anything, but one of them stepped on a butt...
‘Sam Bacile’ not Israeli, not Jewish: letters to Guardian and Morning Star
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To the Morning Star: Dear Morning Star, Your article ‘US ambassador killed in wave of Islamic protests’ (M Star September 13) was highly distateful in its gloating tone and attempt to draw a moral equivalence between Christopher Steven...
Salma Yaqoob resigns from Respect
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…not just as leader… Dear friends It is with deep regret that I have decided to resign from Respect. The last few weeks have been extremely difficult for everyone in the party. I feel necessary relations of trust and collaborative working...
Can Tony Blair make a comeback with a top EU job?
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Tony Blair is after one of the top European Union jobs, according to the Brussels rumour mill - Justin Stares asks if the former British prime minister has what it takes to see off a field of hungry contenders...
Neville Alexander, RIP
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By Martyn Hudson of Workers Liberty Neville Alexander passed away from cancer following a long period of ill-health on 27 August 2012, aged 75 A descendant of East African slaves and an inmate with Nelson Mandela on Robben island, Neville Alexander s...
Charlotte Green’s greatest moment
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As the nation mourns the departures of Harriet Cass and Charlotte Green from Radio 4, let us remember Ms Green’s greatest broadcasting moment, the “Abby Mann” incident, allegedly caused by fellow Today programme presenter James Nau...
Wolfgang Hager
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Tonight we were at a most enjoyable dinner party where the guests around the table gradually discovered an extraordinary number of mutual acquaintanceships, many of them to do with the networks of the College of Europe, Bruges, and the European Unive...
In memoriam: Lin Tabak
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It is with great sadness that we announce the decease of Lin Tabak. Lin has been the driving force behind our Individual Supporters’ Network, which she coordinated with great enthusiasm and passion. Lin was a European green in her essence: thro...
Lin Tabak
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Once upon a time, I swam in the Baltic Sea with Lin Tabak. As in many other moments that my memory relates to Lin, this happened in a european political meeting, a council of the European Green Party. We gathered in Talin and I intended to make a div...
Nicolas Sarkozy, the indispensable friend
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While the French Socialist Party was holding its summer school at La Rochelle the last week-end, the UMP also did its political come-back at Nice, not with a summer school (due to budgetary reasons) but a rally of “Les Amis … Continue reading...
The improbable come-back
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To come back or not to come back? Since several days, speculations are increasing regarding a probable come back of Nicolas Sarkozy, three months after he was defeated to the French presidential election by François Hollande, if we refer to …...
François Hollande, Man of Mystery?
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The French have never been passionate about François Hollande, their new president. A professional politician, never a government minister, he has been engaged in the machinations of the Socialist Party for most of his career. Thus starts the boo...
The art of dissenting. A few words on Judge Tulkens’ legacy
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The Strasbourg Observers are delighted to post this tribute to Judge Tulkens by Professor Julie Ringelheim, Université catholique de Louvain. I warmly thank the team of Strasbourg Observers for this opportunity to highlight the remarkable contributi...
Francis Jacobs in the Valchiavenna
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I have written several posts about the way further studies result in further ‘diasporas”. I last met my good friend, Francis Jacobs, currently Head of the European Parliament’s Dublin office, in Dublin in May, as this post records.
Housekeeping Slobs Unite
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Phyllis Diller has died. As someone who cleans the kitchen floor when my feet stick to it, I always liked her anti-housewife routines. Housework can’t kill you, but why take a chance? Most children threaten at times to run away from home. Thi...
L’affaire Gäfgen c. Allemagne comme prétexte à quelques mots d’hommage à Françoise Tulkens
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The Strasbourg Observers are delighted to post this tribute to Judge Tulkens by Professor Ann Jacobs, University of Liège. La jurisprudence de la Cour européenne des droits de l’homme est riche et foisonnante, personne ne le contestera. Elle est...
The Prime of Ms. Angela Merkel
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On the hottest day of the Berliner summer, hundreds of people waited patiently in long lines and submitted their bags to search and passed through metal detectors just to get a look at German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
It's Time for Europe to Thank Richard Lugar
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Putin's Russia is not easy to deal with but the United States and Europe have to cooperate with Moscow to continue Richard Lugar's work.
Hugh Grant for EU President!
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Last June European Parliament President Martin Schulz received actor Hugh Grant in his Brussels office. Hugh Grant, famous for films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral and Notting Hill, recently gained notoriety in a completely different field. The...
Today is the Feast Day of St. Maximilian Kolbe
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Spare a moment’s thought to the life and trials of St. Maximilian Kolbe who died at Auschwitz. Ten men were to be put to death as a result of a prisoner’s escape. He spared another man’s life by taking the place of another in that reprisal.
Bob Hoskins, who (with Dennis Potter) brought us Pennies From Heaven
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One of my favourite actors, Bob Hoskins, is retiring due to ill-health. He starred in probably the best-ever Brit gangster film (far better than any of Guy Ritchie’s crap) , The Long Good Friday, the gut-wrenching thriller-romance Mona...
Solace, for Marvin Hamlisch
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Marvin Hamlisch, film-score composer and arranger, born June 2 1944, died August 6 2012 From the Telegraph obit: A classic moment in Academy Awards history occurred in 1974 when, aged 30, Hamlisch picked up three Oscars in one evening — two (fo...
Learn the Word, Bro
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The Atlanticist reminds your correspondent that CFO jobs don’t grow on trees. So morally repugnant Chic-Fil-A motorist and bullier of the 99% Adam Smith should probably learn the following phrase, now that he’s been fired from medical supplies m...
Good-Bye, Friend: RIP John Keegan; Keegan's Perspective on the Iraq War
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John Keegan has died (cheers to Instapundit), the military historian who is best known for The Face of Battle (I still treasure my college course book copy), although my own favorite is Warpaths: Travels of a Military Historian in North America: Mili...
