December 31, 2006
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
These poor little buggers have been all but worn out over the last 12 months – let’s give them a break for a while, and use some alternatives, eh? 5) “Tory Leader David Cameron” – Surely it’s becoming increasingly apparent … Continue reading
December 28, 2006
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
The EU’s going to be having a hard time once again in 2007 – but will it be enough to finally kick off the radical reforms that are needed? Although the Economist notes that “in 2006 the large continental economies … Continue reading
December 28, 2006
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Good find in the Fifteenth Century Bookshop in Lewes (a few doors down from Tom Paine‘s house, and up the hill from the best brewery in the country) yesterday: Not bad for a little over a tenner – and it’ll … Continue reading
December 24, 2006
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Christmas, eh? Goodwill to all men? Bollocks, more like – not historically, at any rate. And let’s face it, Herod’s massacre of the innocents was hardly a great start, was it? Following that, we had this little lot: 800 – … Continue reading
December 23, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Thanks (really, you shouldn’t have…) to Rachel for tagging me with the “Seven best things of 2006” thing – seems to be “best things you’ve done”, so makes it rather tricky. Had this been “Seven best things of 2005” it … Continue reading
December 22, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Handy forward-planning article from Cafe Babel, worth a gander.
December 22, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Turkmenbashi death follow-up
Following yesterday’s welcome news of the death of a dotty dictator, lots of people have begun to realise that the potential for this to be very important news indeed is really rather high. This from the Washington Post neatly explains … Continue reading
December 21, 2006
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
2006 – a good year for dead dictators, first Pinochet, now Saparmurat Niyazov, self-styled “Turkmenbashi” and president for life of Turkmenistan. He’s the one who renamed the months and days of the week after his friends and family,ordered an ice … Continue reading
December 21, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The EU and data retention
(Yep a contender for “most exciting post title of the year”…) Via the EU Law blog, a PDF of an article due to appear in the Spring 2007 edition of the Chicago Journal of International Law by Professor Francesca Bignami … Continue reading
December 20, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Via Erkan, the World Economic Forum‘s Lisbon Review 2006 (1 meg PDF) – “Measuring Europe’s Progress in Reform” – is out, seeing how far the EU has got with the Lisbon Strategy, six years in to the ten year plan. … Continue reading
December 19, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
“All non-Europeans already in the UK will also have to register biometrics, such as fingerprints or iris scans, from 2008 not just new arrivals.”
December 19, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Blair’s foreign policy: the aftermath
I done gone done a post over at The Sharpener based on the latest Chatham House report on Blair’s foreign policy legacy. Word of warning – get yourself a thermos of tea ready before you start… It’s a long ‘un…
December 18, 2006
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
The BBC has a handy press summary of Europe-wide reactions to the EU’s mind-numbingly tedious and unproductive summit last week (which, like DJ Nozem, I simply couldn’t bring myself to pay any attention to, I’m afraid). EU Observer has a … Continue reading
December 16, 2006
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Political union (and Belgian confusion)
Eurozone watch runs over the benefits of closer European political integration, while Kosmopolit and Crooked Timber have the lowdown on the political breakup of Belgium earlier in the week.