Poul was re-elected as leader of the PES in Porto. This has allowed him to make plenty of speeches on the podium. It’s the first time I have seen Rasmussen perform in the flesh, and he’s actually quite impressive. He comes across as honest, as expressive, and almost emotional in […]
A quick check of Google News this morning maybe explains why Ségolène Royal’s speech yesterday was 100% in French. Searching Google News – French Version – for ‘Ségolène Royal’ gives more than 20 articles about her speech in Porto, with titles such as ‘Ségolène Royal ovationnée au Portugal’ – do […]
The Polish government has been roundly criticised for its stance on a number of EU issues recently – the veto of the EU-Russia Treaty for example. I had perhaps naively assumed that the problems stemmed largely from the positions of the Law & Justice Party that is currently predominant in […]
Somehow the hopes of a continent’s Social Democrats seem to be embodied by Segolene Royal. She gives a reason for hope that somehow a different politics is possible, that the French PS can emerge from the shadows, that the centre-left can re-assume its place as the predominant political family in […]
I’m now sat writing from the Alfandega conference centre – a sprawling old building beside the Douro river. Clearly plenty of cash has been spent on this Congress – huge banners and signs are to be found at every corner. The Delegate Bags are no exception; they come complete with […]
It’s 9.30 on the first day of the congress. Only I’m not there yet. I’m sat in cafe beside the River Douro, escaping the driving rain. However the cafe has a whole Phil Collins CD playing, and the track that’s just been playing was “I Wish It Would Rain Down” […]
“The constitutional treaty is no more – it is a diseased dead parrot.” So said Home Secretary John Reid after the 4th December JHA Council in Brussels (article from EUObserver). Now, I’m not the greatest fan on John Reid – I think his views on law and order are repulsive, […]
I went along to a round table discussion this evening, organised by Policy Network and CER. Former Swedish Finance Minister Pär Nuder and UK Minister for the Third Sector Ed Miliband were speaking. The debate was interesting enough, but more importantly it started me thinking about Pär Nuder’s political ideology […]
I have the great privilege of having been chosen as one of the PES Activists to write a blog on the Party of European Socialists Website about the PES Congress taking place 7-8 December in Porto. The blog can be found here. However the functionality of the system there is […]
Excellent news – Segolene Royal has won the vote in the French Socialist Party to become their candidate for the Presidential elections in the spring of 2007. Stories from EUObserver and BBC. She won a resounding 60.62% of the vote with Dominique Strauss-Kahn on 20.83% and former prime minister Laurent […]
The Court of Auditors did not agree to sign off the EU’s accounts for the 12th year running. Oh no, everyone screams, the EU is as corrupt as ever. Well, probably not actually. The House of Lords (who take a lot more care of EU matters than the House of […]
It’s never pleasant to be without electricity, and especially not if it is as a result of systemic failings or incompetence. This is what seems to have been the cause of yesterday’s blackout in parts of Germany and France – see EUObserver and the BBC for the details. While not […]
