August 16, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
For the last few months I’ve been working insanely hard on a couple of real-world projects, one of which has just fallen through (through precisely no fault of my own). I haven’t had even a single night out of London … Continue reading
August 8, 2007
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
So, I’ve been slowly chugging through the tediousness that is the EU’s draft Reform Treaty. Packed with boredom and predictability, with no real surprises and very few really important changes to the way the EU currently works, it’s one of … Continue reading
July 19, 2007
by Nosemonkey
11 Comments
Well, now that the EU has lent its collective support to the UK’s efforts, and with Gordon Brown heading off to meet Nicholas Sarkozy tomorrow (where the Russia dispute will almost certainly be raised), it’s no doubt past time to … Continue reading
July 18, 2007
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
What with the ongoing spat with Russia (hyped out of all proportion, I reckon, and hope I’m not proved wrong), the fact that our dear new Prime Minister has made his first overseas jaunt while in office seems to have … Continue reading
June 27, 2007
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
The argument that the EU political elite take a patronising tone towards the electorate is an easy one to make. There has long been a tendency in Brussels to ignore or brush over the opinions of the little people, and … Continue reading
June 26, 2007
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
That dear Mr Blair (today’s his final full day in office, don’tchaknow?) has outright rejected a referendum on the new EU treaty is no surprise. What is rather entertaining is the sheer gall of the man, arguing that a referendum … Continue reading
June 25, 2007
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
Our dear Eurosceptic friends have long been preparing themselves to make the argument “if it looks like a constitution, sounds like a constitution, then it’s a constitution”. Now that the replacement treaty is (almost) there, it’s time to see if … Continue reading
June 23, 2007
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
I wasn’t expecting that. Not in a month of dodgy backroom discussions, bad compromises, and shoddy short-term attempts at political face-saving. Yep – they’ve actually struck a deal on a new EU treaty. However, I’ll have to reserve judgement on … Continue reading
June 18, 2007
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
So, according to a poll for the Financial Times, a decent majority of Europeans want the chance to vote on whatever treaty / constitution eventually emerges for the future of Europe. We’ve now got everyone from the full-on eurosceptic UKIP … Continue reading
June 11, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Since the initial expansion to 25 member states back in 2004, the future of the EU has been wildly uncertain. The constitution was supposed to sort everything out but, as we all know, that little project has failed dismally. For … Continue reading
May 23, 2007
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The UK’s current EU policy: nonexistent
A revealing interview with Geoff Hoon in Le Figaro (in English) has confirmed something I’ve suspected for quite a while now – the UK simply does not have an EU policy. Hoon, following his poor showing with the Defence portfolio … Continue reading
May 14, 2007
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
You see, the thing about the EU is that it’s first and foremost supposed to promote and facilitate free trade. Of course, as not every country in the world is a member of the EU, what it’s ended up being … Continue reading
May 9, 2007
by Nosemonkey
10 Comments
Well THERE’s a surprise – the European Commission has announced that the Imperial system of weights and measures can continue to be used indefinitely. This was always going to be the outcome – though it would have been nicer if … Continue reading
April 25, 2007
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Presidential problems – France and Romania
At one end of Europe, the invective is beginning to rise again in the French elections, as today is the day third-placed centrist Francois Bayrou is expected to announce who – if anyone – he’s going to throw his support … Continue reading