“Scotland has been part of the United Kingdom since 1707 and the old cultural ties to the rest of the British Isles are one of the main arguments made against independence in tomorrow’s referendum vote. Yet if the Yes to
Continue reading
Category: EU Politics
David Cameron EU Referendum Speech 2017 (find-replace from Aberdeen 2014)
Fast forward to 2017, and somehow David Cameron is still Prime Minister, and the UK (or rUK?) is facing its referendum on remaining in the EU. The polls show a clear lead for keeping the UK in the EU (the
Continue reading
Rehn is more than an “expert”, and Tusk and Mogherini are not “diplomats”
When Blair was rumoured to want the job, the President of the European Council position was branded President of the EU by the British Press. Now Donald Tusk has been appointed to the position The Guardian went the other way,
Continue reading
Live stream: So was anything different? Europa-Nævnet København
Today I’m speaking at Europa-Nævnet in Copenhagen at their conference entitled “Is it any different?” (programme here) that looks at what happened in the 2014 EP elections in Denmark and more widely. The slides I am using are below, and
Continue reading
Vacuum cleaners: EU law to solve a market failure so as to use less energy. What’s wrong with that?
So the British tabloids, and plenty of folks on Twitter, have been having a rant about vacuum cleaners, and the EU EcoDesign rules that came into force this week banning the sale of vacuum cleaners rated at more than 1600W.
Continue reading
EU enlargement, the UK and immigration – a recap, and a call to move on
Nick Clegg has today joined the race among UK political parties to sound tough on immigration to the UK from the EU, and Mark Leonard (someone who ought to know better) has written a piece for the Fabian Society advocating
Continue reading
OKFestival Keynotes Day 2
After the success with the improvised stream yesterday, we’re at it again today! The OKFestival 2014 keynotes now broadcasting live. Your browser does not support iframes. Here’s how we’re doing it.
Continue reading
Candidates for the new European Commission – where we stand 15.7.2014
So Juncker is now certain. 26-2 in the Council, 422 of 751 in the European Parliament. I have analysed the High Rep and President of the European Council positions at the LSE EUROPP blog here. But who has been nominated
Continue reading
LSE EUROPP | The next President of the European Council and High Representative for Foreign Affairs: a final look at the candidates
“As members of the European Council look forward to their next meeting on Wednesday 16 July, one of their major tasks is to come up with names to succeed Herman Van Rompuy as President of the European Council, and Catherine
Continue reading
How Juncker shines the light on Britain’s problematic, unitary pro-Europeanism
I am not a fan of Jean Claude Juncker, the person and the politician. I am a lefty, he is a christian democrat, and he – ideologically – stands for a future of the European Union that I, as an
Continue reading
Reinfeldt, Merkel, Cameron and Rutte in a boat – a roundup
So embattled Swedish PM Reinfeldt invited Merkel, Cameron and Rutte to Harpsund and took them out in a small rowing boat (news summary here), and let photographers take pictures of this. Here’s the original: The Junckermonster – my own effort
Continue reading
What does “EU reform” actually mean?
A tweet by Philip Oltermann caught my eye: https://x.com/philipoltermann/status/475592040278138880 David Cameron is doing his best to spin himself, and his opposition to Jean Claude Juncker as Commission President, as being the ‘reformer’ versus a defender of the status quo, or
Continue reading