Continuing their series about Sweden, BBC News Online has published a new article about Swedish public health. Read it here. This article is more detailed than the other ones they have posted on the website. It looks in depth about how the decentralised nature of Swedish healthcare might be better […]
It’s not too often that you stumble across so much useful and interesting research, but the EU seems to have managed that feat this week with its Urban Audit. It basically amounts to a vast survey of all aspects of quality of life in different European cities. The only problem […]
Facing the possibility that no budget deal will be agreed at the European Council 15-16 December, the UK Presidency has woken up to the fact that the European Parliament should also agree to any deal. The response – complaining about their democratic mandate! From this article from EUObserver: "Own resources […]
The dust has barely settled after his leadership victory and David Cameron has already walked into a storm on that old issue that has blighted the Tories for so long: Europe. Prior to his victory, Cameron had pledged to withdraw the Tory MEPs from the European People’s Party / European […]
An entry at Eric Sundstr√∂m’s blog started me thinking about the comparisons between the leaders of the UK’s two main parties now David Cameron has taken over as leader of the Tories, and the situation in Sweden where Fredrik Reinfeldt is up against Goran Persson. Other than giving the opportunity […]
Less and less and less… That seems to be the tale of the negotiations over the EU budget. According to numerous reports (see this from the BBC), Tony Blair is dashing around Europe to shore up support for a 1.03% of GNI limit to the EU budget, down from the […]
Not too long after their article about biogas (see this post), BBC News Online today has another article about Sweden – this time about healthcare and how the Swedish model might be one we could aspire to in the UK – you can read the article here. As ever, the […]
I think there is some common theme emerging on this blog… The more I get concerned about issues in the UK, the more I look elsewhere, and especially to Sweden, for optimism! The good news from yesterday is that Maryam Yazdanfar (pictured) was selected at position number 10 on the […]
May 1997 and the euphoria of Tony Blair’s election victory feels a very long time ago. Blair suffered his first parliamentary defeat a few weeks ago over 90 day detention of terror suspects, and it seems that the tensions inherent in that debate are likely to burst forth still further […]
It has been quite a cold week, and in Cornwall and Wales there was even some snow – see the picture to the right – a road on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall. But as ever, the British have proven to be totally incapable of coping with it. The snowfall was […]
I find myself a bit shocked to be saying this, but I was actually quite impressed by the way that new German Chancellor Angela Merkel approached her first visit to London. The approach was cooperative and practical, and above all else, non-macho. Her approach is summed up quite well by […]
So once more we have a potential clash between the EU and the Swedish social model. A few weeks ago it was Commissioner McCreevy complaining about collective wage bargaining agreements, and now the Swedish state alcohol monopoly fears that it is going to be under threat from legislation to open […]
