May 29, 2012
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Germany’s economic ideology
Long, catchily-titled briefing paper from the European Council on Foreign Relations looks to be well worth a read in full as we start heading towards next year’s German federal elections amidst ever-increasing frustration with Merkel’s apparent lack of flexibility on … Continue reading
May 28, 2012
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
The New Yorker highlights the primary point that advocates of the “being able to devalue their currency would have saved Greece” / “they should just return to the drachma” / “let’s abolish the eurozone” crowd have yet – that I’ve … Continue reading
May 27, 2012
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Much to agree with here – an important piece worth reading in full: “Is the euro really worth saving? Even the single currency’s diehard backers now acknowledge that it was put together badly and run worse.” But: “the people who … Continue reading
May 27, 2012
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on A right-wing American history of the euro
A right-wing American take on the history of the EU and euro with which I don’t entirely agree. Except on this point – it’s mostly France’s fault, and mostly due to French national interest. (Which was why the Americans wanted Britain to join and be active in the first place, of course – to keep France in check…)
The question is, following this hypothesis, can the new French president change this pattern of repeated slow failure? Worth a read, if you’re not familiar with the classic US take on the EU.
May 27, 2012
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
When Declan Ganley first started to appear on the scene with his Libertas party/pressure group a few years back – not to be confused with UKIP defector Robert Kilroy-Silk’s Veritas party – it was all too easy to dismiss it … Continue reading
January 5, 2012
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
Site’s still screwed (some kind of issue in the database, by the look of things – a legacy of this place having been around too long), but thought I’d try and cobble something together, what with 2011 – with just … Continue reading
October 24, 2011
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
Ahead of today’s Commons vote on a possible EU referendum, some basic points that many are overlooking (originally posted as a comment over at Jon Worth’s place): Referenda have a decidedly unclear position within the UK constitution. The people are … Continue reading
October 9, 2011
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
Just insanely busy in the real world. For ongoing EU / eurozone crisis comment (etc.) from me, your best bet is to follow me on Twitter. That said, this post’s original, short title (“Not dead, honest”) could refer to the … Continue reading
July 2, 2011
by Nosemonkey
19 Comments
The way the (pro-EU) Guardian portrays it, he might well be with his speech as Poland took over the rotating EU presidency* yesterday: Assuming the rotating presidency of the EU for the first time, Donald Tusk rounded on the leaders … Continue reading
June 21, 2011
by Nosemonkey
12 Comments
Random thoughts – because, let’s face it, no one knows what’s going to happen and most economic predictions over the last few years have proven utterly mistaken. To note: I’ve always been euro-sceptic. Yes, that was deliberately hyphenated: I’ve never … Continue reading
May 27, 2011
by Nosemonkey
63 Comments
“Let’s leave the EU and join the EEA or EFTA – Norway and Switzerland are doing fine without EU membership!” It’s a perennial argument of a surprisingly large number of anti-EU types, and I’ve been meaning to do a proper … Continue reading
May 25, 2011
by Nosemonkey
46 Comments
Alerted by a rather simplistic, often factually inaccurate article over on Liberal Conspiracy, I’ve ended up checking out the new British campaign for a referendum on continued British membership of the EU, The People’s Pledge. More to the point, I’ve … Continue reading
May 8, 2011
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
Forgive me, father, for I have sinned – it has been pretty much three months since my last post. This is the longest I’ve gone without updating this place since mid-2004. Why? Mostly the real world – I’ve just got … Continue reading
February 1, 2011
by Nosemonkey
14 Comments
Just found an interesting response to my UK-EU trade post from a couple of months back, from what is a new blog to me, Brittopic. It’s worth reading in full to see a few objections and some issues raised – … Continue reading