I’m an intensely political person and it has been that way for a long time. I joined the Labour Party in the UK as a 16 year old, before I was even old enough to vote. This means I have spent more than half my life in the Labour Party,...
So we’ve organised a whole bunch of EU Tweetups in Brussels. But two of the three of us that started it in Brussels, Anne Laumen and I, now live in Berlin. So why not bring #EUtweetup to Berlin too? Hence do come along to the first #EUTweetup, Berlin, from 1800...
Social Bar in Berlin
“The PES has selected a candidate for Commission President. That’s good news. However, the entire process falls short of the “democratic and transparent process” that was promised November 6th 2013, with a press release and press conference and rather little fanfare, may nevertheless mark an important step for the future...
Today in Berlin I bought a bike. With cash. Yes, with a wad of €50 and €20 notes. Why? Because the bike store accepted only the German EC-Karte debit card, and not credit cards. On Thursday I will need to buy some furniture in IKEA and, as confirmed on their...
I’m back. Today is my first full day back living in Berlin since leaving here in March 2002. Then I had spent 6 months living in the city as a 21-year old recent graduate from the UK, trying to scrape together a living. I left for Brussels, and resolved one...
2014 is the big change-over year in the EU institutions. A new European Parliament will be elected in May 2014, and a new European Commission will take office in late autumn 2014. Some Commissioners will stay on, but probably with new portfolios, and others will not return after 2014. Some...
I’m moving to Germany at the end of this month, and – as ever with this sort of move – I need to work out how to get the best deal on mobile phones and home internet. But before looking at the available packages from different operators, what do I...
Everyone’s favourite Europhile with a British passport Anthony Zacharzewski (@anthonyzach) is in Brussels on 14th October. So we will run an #EUtweetup that evening, to show him that Brussels is not all just grey corridors and committee meetings. Anthony also runs The Democratic Society in the UK, so people interested in...
🚨 This blog post – and the guide “How to find a flat in Berlin” – are now over 6 years old. And I am now looking for a new flat in Berlin. You can read about that here. And a whole new guide will be written at the end...
At 1747 on Saturday October 26th my train will pull into Berlin Hbf and I will be arriving at the place I hope I will be able to call home. Since a short period living in the German capital between October 2001 and March 2002 I have longed to return,...
So the UK has lodged a legal challenge with the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on new EU rules on pay in the banking sector, specifically about bankers’ bonuses (framed as “Osborne to take EU to court” (see FT for example)). The Gov.uk news story about it is here. There...