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
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Royal’s speech needs polish, and some better policies too
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
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First impressions of the Congress: materials, wine and smoking
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.
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I wish it wouldn’t rain down
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
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Blogging: real citizen journalism
Part of my task as a blogger at the PES Congress is to demystify what is going on there for those that are unable to be present on the spot. Yet it’s also worth spending a moment to demystify the
Continue readingJohn Reid, Monty Python, and the European Constitution
“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 –
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Delving into Pär Nuder’s visions of political leadership
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
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Blogging the PES Congress in Porto
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
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How hard is it to pay Council Tax in Southwark? – the story goes on
I’m an honest person. I pay my taxes. Well, I do when I can. Or when I’m asked. It however seems that Southwark Borough Council does not really want any money from me. As soon as I moved to Villa
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OUSU dumbing down
I happened to be looking for something related to my time at Oxford and wondered how Oxford University Student Union is getting on. I used to serve on the Exec there, and also was the OUSU Webmanager for a year
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Living life with professional passion
I’m really struggling on the blogging front at the moment. I have so much work to do – both in the office and in my ‘free’ time – that it’s extremely hard to get my thoughts in order to write
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Crashes, coffee, and a mind like a sieve
Hell, what a week. First of all, after the masses of work invested to get the Speak Up Europe website online by yesterday morning, the server it’s running on then was not accessible for the entire evening due to a
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