EU Politics

10.04.2006 EU Politics

Is this the end of Berlusconi’s political career? Let’s hope so!

The exit polls in the Italian election look quite promising – graphics from Corriere della Sera here. It seems that Prodi’s Unione is about 5% ahead for both the Camera and the Senato. While we all know Prodi has his

06.04.2006 EU Politics

Italy & Terrorism: was it a real threat?

First impressions are sometimes quite revealing. I saw the headline a few moments ago on BBC News Online Italy foils election terror plot. My first thought: what is Berlusconi’s government trying to do now to blur the facts? The BBC

06.04.2006 EU Politics

Inadvertently being kind to a Jehovah’s Witness

Sometimes it takes you a bit of time to digest the full significance of an event that happened to you. Such was the case this evening on Tremadoc Road, just a few streets away from Aristotle Road where I live

04.04.2006 EU Politics

The concours farce

Wednesday last week I headed off to Wembley Conference Centre to sit the ‘pre-selection’ tests to become an EU civil servant – the dreaded concours. I’ve written a bit about it on the blog before. True to form, the tests

04.04.2006 EU Politics / UK Politics

So you are embroiled in a conflict? Call for a change in the rules!

John Reid used to have a reputation as Tony Blair’s firefighter. The person to send into a government department to sort it out. Then after the 2005 election, the macho Scot was given the macho job in government – Minister

21.03.2006 EU Politics

So who is against monopolies now?

The only thing about the French attitude to competition to appear in this blog in recent times has been the discussion of the GDF/Suez merger in the energy sector, a merger that has largely been seen as a case of

21.03.2006 EU Politics

The sad life of a computer geek

The blog has been quiet over the last few days as – once more – I have been trying to nurture a webserver back to life. I don’t know where the thing even is exactly – it’s somewhere in Germany

21.03.2006 EU Politics / UK Politics

Polly Toynbee on Sweden again

Polly Toynbee is on about Sweden again in her column in The Guardian today – read it here. The column is not her best argued effort, but this did make me smile: No, Brown will not turn Swedish in one

15.03.2006 EU Politics

Lord Haskins at the UACES lecture: preaching to the converted

I went along to the 2nd annual UACES lecture this evening, with Lord Chris Haskins, Chair of the European Movement. The title of the lecture was “CAP Reform: A Watershed for the European Union?” and details of the lecture can

15.03.2006 EU Politics

Walking on the EU

No, despite the title I have not suddenly become a eurosceptic wanting to walk over the EU. This is far more literal. On the way to Stockwell underground station today – the first time I have walked that way for

13.03.2006 EU Politics

So did they kill him? I doubt it, but it’s dangerous

I don’t want to write much about the death of Milosevic here as plenty of valuable analysis has taken place elsewhere – it is clear to me that the man was evil, and sadly he will not face justice. I

12.03.2006 EU Politics

Demography matters, and now the concerns have a blog

I have today come across this excellent multi-author blog about demography – Demography Matters. For anyone that is concerned about the ageing populations in Europe, what to do about birth rates, family stuctures etc., this should be a worthwhile read.