tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39475363341818874092012-02-17T00:54:03.941Zeuropa.eu.int european constitution european union european commission europe eu brussels red tape barmyMatthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-3670358784752490682009-05-28T15:22:00.001Z2009-05-28T15:22:10.227Z

"Maybe we need to go through this damaging experience so that next time we get true democracy in Europe." The comments of a German professor this week about the impending apathy due to strike the elections for European parliamentarians next week.So, is being cruel to be kind a good solution for Europe? There are certainly some risks.Such an approach suggests that the elections next week will

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-7782850121188626042009-05-27T16:55:00.001Z2009-05-27T16:55:52.008Z

When I read the following article, I struggled to believe it. The increased availability of prenatal ultrasounds in Vietnam appears to be behind an increase in male births, as parents choose abortions on the basis of gender. A curious and uncomfortable trend reported by the New Scientist.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-24153992096609698202009-05-18T11:45:00.000Z2009-05-18T11:46:01.266Z

Whilst it may be several months old, this fantastically effective graphic illustrates the otherwise incomprehensible amount of money spent on the Wall Street bailout last year. Via a more recent series by FlowingData of visualisations of the financial crisis.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-44328657460818057982009-04-30T09:38:00.001Z2009-04-30T09:38:11.902Z

Quote of the day today comes from Barack Obama on the dire state of Chrysler's finances:   "I don't want to run auto companies, and I don't want to run banks. I've got two wars I've got to run already - I've got more than enough to do."   He's got a point. Granted that thousands of jobs rely upon Chrysler being able to pay it's suppliers, but in the fierce automobile market, a company has to be

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-41314973522462731162009-04-28T08:27:00.001Z2009-04-28T08:27:09.991Z

The story of swine flu as told by early winners and losers on the FTSE 100.    

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-80795742355670659432007-05-15T22:48:00.000Z2007-05-16T20:06:39.283Z

The 'push' to finalise the main features of the European Constitution before the German presidency ends in June has once again stumbled. Angela Merkel has announced that it is unlikely there will be a reference to the European Christian heritage in the preamble to the Treaty. Personally, I couldn't be happier.My reasons are twofold. Firstly, such a reference is irrelevant to a union that is only

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-76893215889994274832007-05-15T11:52:00.003Z2007-05-15T12:12:04.552Z

I had never considered that the logo to celebrate the EU's fiftieth year of togetherness would appear differently in each language. In hindsight, it makes a great deal of sense ofcourse. How embarassing.But in case, like me, you haven't seen how the rest of Europe is viewing the Together logo, here is an image (190k) displaying them all, erm...together.(Source)

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com77tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-27897102698470863522007-05-14T20:50:00.000Z2007-05-14T21:25:37.575Z

If Eurovision symbolises European unity, then it is interesting how it is so divisive. For one night every year, the entire continent is transfixed by this cringeworthy spectacle. It never fails to disappoint, whether it is the curious cultural videos between songs, the driest of commentary from Terry Wogan or the acts themselves. An event that attracts the attention of 120 million viewers is

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com89tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-1739009224477998872007-05-05T10:59:00.000Z2007-05-05T11:22:23.303Z

If you are unlucky enough to meet a politician in a campaign mindset, I pity you. It is likely you will suffer a simply horrific experience. The reason is that they believe any news can be spun to be good, even if it is anything but. Elections are probably the only situation whereby quantitative analysis is the best way of understanding the story. In other words, the statistics speak for

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-73881977456560119902007-04-12T14:57:00.000Z2007-04-12T20:14:07.293Z

I know it's old news now, but Time produced a little slideshow about the EU's birthday which I missed. It's worth a read. As well as the usual major acheivements (such as freedom of movement, low cost airlines, etc.) it highlights some rather bizarre 'perks'.For example, I never thought the Common Agricultural Policy would be considered a European triumph. The success of an immaculate French

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-28974905834800428232007-04-11T20:32:00.000Z2007-04-11T21:18:49.627Z

So Europol tells us the threat from terrorism on our doorstep has never been more serious. It's surprising that following the major efforts by the Spanish PM Zapatero to bring peace to the Basque region, ETA remains one of the most threatening.ETA was responsible for the only terrorist mortalities in Europe in 2006, as well as destroying part of the Madrid Barajas T4 airport in the same attack.I

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-36487766970989872542007-04-10T20:08:00.000Z2007-04-10T20:29:42.104Z

In an attempt to mimick the supersonic capabilities of their trains, the French presidential candidates have been trying their hand at land speed records of their own.Okay, so that is a slight exaggeration, but with little to say about the French presidential race (except wondering how well Le Pen will do this time around) it is the only contribution I can muster.Sarkozy's car was caught doing

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-15861662692130076242007-04-06T09:19:00.000Z2007-04-06T09:31:59.893Z

Christian Bulzomi at BlogEuropa has proposed a fantastic way to celebrate the 50 years of the EU...and it's guaranteed to make people appreciate it.A 'non-EU day' would undo the work of the European Community just for one day and would probably be the most effective way of answering that eternally complex question 'what has the EU ever done for us?'His suggestions include to:reintroduce the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-44193767071948327262007-04-05T12:10:00.000Z2007-04-05T11:06:27.093Z

As the traditional Easter weekend engineering mess beckons for Britains rail network, it seems an appropriate time to discuss trains. As the French manage to get their train to travel so fast it arrived before it had left, you'll be lucky to get a train that will arrive anywhere in Britain before next Thursday.Whilst this article mentions the environmental benefits of replacing France's reliance

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-25155173637510232632007-04-04T20:26:00.000Z2007-04-04T21:02:09.146Z

Aren't borders just ridiculous. On the ground they are invisible lines that establish whether you are legal or illegal, a citizen or a tourist, a worker or an immigrant. Stand either side of a border and you are likely to feel very little difference. Yet the people speak differently, drive on the wrong side of the road and probably live an hour ahead. Borders are political conceptions that have

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-3981220227829487242007-04-03T18:33:00.000Z2007-04-03T18:59:48.960Z

Apple is not unfamiliar to lawsuits. If you're The Beatles, an mp3 player with a wheel on, or anything white with an 'i' in its name, it's quite likely you're being sued right now.Today the Commission has announced the way iTunes sells its music could be incompatible with fair business practices. Selling music at different prices in different countries seems to be discriminatory - and the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-20189099450931810492007-03-31T17:52:00.000Z2007-03-31T18:11:45.308Z

As the 15 captured British sailors being held in Iran face legal action for their 'mistake' I discovered this rather concerning article speculating to the exact date the US plans to attack Iran. In a week when diplomacy has entered 'a different phase' at least twice, the capture of the Royal Navy personnel following their alleged trespassing into Iranian waters has faced condemnation from Britain

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-16883670489086655582007-03-28T20:02:00.000Z2007-03-29T09:33:36.202Z

I feel a word about the link to Let's Talk Europe is necessary. Started back in September by myself (a cynical europhile) and my housemate (a humble Mac owner) our lovechild was a weekly EU podcast.Each of the seven weekly episodes dealt with some of the major (and not so major) developments in EU news. Unfortunately, due to looming deadlines, we had to pack it in.One of the reasons we attempted

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-81291360290642159872007-03-21T20:20:00.000Z2007-03-21T20:57:46.950Z

The Independent's front page has provided some important revision topics for the 'what has the EU ever done for me' question, which is bound to pop up over the next week or so.My favourite, number 50 - 'Lists like this drive the Eurosceptics mad.'The chaps from EU Referendum apparently disagree, saying that these lists don't drive them mad, just 'leave us with the sense of how pathetic and

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-34440609608896669892007-03-20T23:59:00.000Z2007-03-21T09:20:06.542Z

Moravcsik (via Kosmopolit) writes this article about Europe's big five-o.I find the phrase "Europeans are from Venus, Americans from Mars" in relation to the differences in military spending quite neat.Ofcourse, Trident should go some way to aligning the planets.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-4410294262350185862007-03-19T14:16:00.000Z2007-03-19T15:03:20.401Z

Today's survey (via FT) about the EU makes for interesting (if not slightly depressing) reading. The survey, taken in the bloc's five biggest states as well as the US concludes that just 25% believed that life had got better since their country joined the EU.From the results it is clear that the two subjects most associated with the EU are bureaucracy and the single market - democracy features

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-7770649946107328672007-03-18T23:36:00.000Z2007-03-19T00:01:28.754Z

Rather disappoiningly, it appears I've missed the 50th birthday Man Utd v Europe XI football match. To be honest, I could be easily forgiven.The match broadcast on BBC Three, meaning that not only do you need digital but extremely favourable weather conditions in order to pick up a signal. Considering the BBC allegedly broadcast the match, the match report on the BBC Sport website is laughable,

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-3528900177061709512007-03-15T20:26:00.000Z2007-03-15T20:28:31.366Z

Offsetting. Carbon neutral. National Allocation Plans. Until two years ago, these terms were reserved for those in the know; now we all speak fluent climate change.It intrigues me that despite global warming having been known to exist for pushing twenty years now, environmental hysteria has only recently enveloped politicians and governments alike. The latest offering from Mr Blair, to cut carbon

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-11435182054157724882007-03-03T16:27:00.000Z2007-03-03T16:36:20.277Z

A far less serious blog post than the subject line suggests, this week sees the launch an EU agency to fund the best scientists and researchers that Europe has to offer.A Commission report apparently shows that the EU is narrowing the brain-gap between Japan and the US, which is interesting, considering that this example of Europe's ingenuity seems pretty equal to some American inventions.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-11790450096821189532007-02-15T21:30:00.000Z2007-02-18T17:20:16.708Z

The recent Guardian article (thanks to Nosemonkey) on racial representation in the European Parliament got me thinking. Is it really such a problem that the huge majority of MEP's are white? Or (to put it differently) is it a problem that there are not more non-white MEP's?Personally, I don't believe so and I find it curious why some people do. In my interpretation, representative democracy

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-37115749004129062652007-02-08T21:00:00.000Z2007-02-08T21:38:31.692Z

In a refreshing break from the general bilge of television news, I stumbled across this cracking blog called 'UK shamed again...'. It combines all the statistics you need to know about the UK in comparison with our European counterparts.To be honest, it's pretty bleak reading (although statistics are only quoted when Britain features relatively low-down in any survey) but it highlights some of

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-18863791856840031642007-02-08T20:11:00.000Z2007-02-02T12:46:38.346Z

The European car industry is under pressure. Failure to comply with voluntary agreements that would reduce emissions from their engines has provoked the threat of European legislation. Fortunately for them, the EU has taken the feeble excuses of the car industry lying down (i.e. been walked over).Now, if further evidence were needed, proof that the Asian car industry is pulling way ahead in the

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-54841859556891642542007-02-02T12:45:00.000Z2007-02-02T12:46:38.479Z

You have to admire the response of the Environment Commissioner, following the criticisms of European car companies against proposed EU legislation that would require greener motors with lower emissions.It's suggested that he would simply snub German brands when the EU's fleet of Audis and Mercedes' are replaced in favour of more environmental, Japanese models.

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-35935345690215870562007-02-02T00:01:00.000Z2007-02-02T00:10:35.410Z

News that the EU may try to enforce a European wide smoking ban is something I've been meaning to blog about since it was announced on Tuesday.With the UK ban coming into force in July and Ireland, Sweden, Italy and Malta already having implemented some sort of smoking ban, I for one can't wait. At the national level, it's contentious enough, putting the rights of workers to work in a healthy

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-89098170041274553512007-01-25T23:58:00.000Z2007-01-26T00:02:13.971Z

Long live UKIP. Their continued clumsy politics and confused manifestos make it a joy to watch them defect and compete to see which individual can become crowned the most anti-Europe. It's just like political Eastenders. Richard Corbett MEP often picks up on the almost juvenile behaviour of UKIP in the European Parliament, though i suppose being an opposing party member, its in the job

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-19969953089265082692007-01-24T13:44:00.001Z2007-01-24T13:49:23.957Z

The debate regarding the future of Europe has yet to come to any conclusive culmination. Following the French and Dutch 'no' votes in 2004, the debate has revolved around a multitude of possible solutions. The adoption of a mini-treaty, the division into a three-speed Europe and total EU withdrawal (bah!) have all been suggested.But I've always been slightly annoyed that this can of worms was

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3947536334181887409.post-14558223981348591672007-01-23T22:02:00.001Z2007-01-23T22:02:43.578Z

The BBC are repeating the fantastic Trawlermen series that follows several Scottish fishing boats in the North Sea and Atlantic. Their continuous search for fish in freezing weather whilst trying to outsmart their rival vessels highlights the skill involved in locating fish in miles of open sea. This is all made more difficult by the EU's fishing quotas. The quota system means that each boat is

Matthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08740368031874742947noreply@blogger.com0