“Obama taught us one major thing in how to use the net for politics: done the right way, online activism can be a great way to engage and motivate people who are already – largely – on your side. The
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Tag: Labourlist
LabourList | Helmer’s defection to UKIP ultimately the result of Tory confusion about selection processes
“At one level I can’t get very worked up about Roger Helmer MEP defecting from the Tories to UKIP today. Helmer has long held views on the EU-phobic right of the Conservative Party, in many ways closer to UKIP, so
Continue reading LabourList | Abolishing an elected European Parliament is no way forward – a response to Jack Straw
“I don’t know what annoys me more – that a high-level Labour politician can have such misguided ideas, or that the outcome of an event is reported in such a one-sided manner in the press. I am referring to The
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Why there’s no LabourList column from me today
It seemed like an excellent opportunity – to write a weekly column for LabourList, one of the biggest left-leaning blogs in the UK. Take EU matters to a new, wider audience. So I thought. In the second half of 2011
Continue reading LabourList | 2011: the year of Polish leadership in the EU
“If last week was the week of Cameron’s walk out, this week has been the week of recriminations, with newspaper column inches full of talk of Nick Clegg involved in spats with Tories and France. While in some way it
Continue reading LabourList | A summary of this week’s shenanigans in Brussels
“If you are in favour of the UK remaining a Member State of the European Union, this week’s summit was a disaster. If you want Britain to leave the EU there are some reasons to rejoice. It’s that simple. The
Continue reading LabourList | The Eurozone summit: a fissure in the UK’s relationship with the EU
“No-one can have expected the fissure in the UK’s relationship with the EU to come so soon, but the stormy discussions at the European Council in Brussels last night confirm a parting of ways that has probably been inevitable. The
Continue reading LabourList | Helmut Schmidt: the grandfather addresses the SPD
“7000 attendees, more than 500 delegates, dozens of well known German and European politicians, and one notable elderly man in a wheelchair – Helmut Schmidt. Today is the start of the SPD Partietag in Berlin (live news in German here),
Continue reading LabourList | There’s something intriguing about UKIP
“This week I was invited to speak at Exeter University Debating Society, opposing the motion “This house believes Britain is better off out of the European Union.” I had agreed to participate before knowing the identity of the two speakers
Continue reading LabourList | The runners for the next President of the PES
“Poul Nyrup Rasmussen has today announced he is standing down as President of the PES. Over a period that has been one of relative decline for the left across Europe, Poul has been a voice of determination and reason; I’m
Continue reading LabourList | Time for a values-based discussion of Labour’s EU policy
“When I joined the Labour Party as a wide-eyed 16-year old I’m pretty sure it was not with the aim of just being pragmatic. It was because governments of Thatcher and Major had made a mess of the town where
Continue reading LabourList | Douglas Alexander’s ‘Tory light’ EU policy is not right for Labour
“On the day before Labour Party Conference, Ed Miliband announced a policy that Labour would restrict student fees to £6000 rather than the Tories’ £9000 level. Everyone shrugged. Here was a short term, tactical announcement that made no effort to
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