June 14, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Could be interesting (if by “interesting” you mean “one of the worst things that could possibly happen to Europe, and not too hot for Russia either”): “Mr Putin, so the theory goes, would not stand again when his second four-year … 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
June 7, 2007
by Nosemonkey
16 Comments
As the G8 seems to be trying to focus on cutting emissions and the like, I’m going to set out my take on climate change, point by point. I imagine it’s different to what most people would expect, what with … 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 21, 2007
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The Cutty Sark
First dibs on breaking the arms, legs and face of the bastard who set the old girl on fire, if it does turn out to be arson. (On which note, I’d also happily break this Wikipedia user‘s face for their … 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 12, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Les Fatales Picards are a work of absolute genius. That bald guy – perfect! Sadly no cheerleaders during the live finals, but still. Fantastic stuff – they’ve single-handedly revived my interest in pop music: Update: Actually, sod that – maybe … Continue reading
May 11, 2007
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
The aftermath of the collapse of Yugoslavia hardly needs much repeating, considering the more violent parts of it were on our tellies throughout the 1990s. What’s surprising, however, is the differing fates of the three largest countries to have emerged … Continue reading
May 10, 2007
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Where’s a Francis Urquhart when you need one?
In honour of Blair’s little announcement (and Ian Richardson’s untimely death earlier this year), I’ve just started watching the superb House of Cards again. It really is excellent – and wonderfully timeless. Here’s a transcript of the opening monologue, with … Continue reading
May 10, 2007
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
The version on the Labour website is slightly different to that emailed out to the “Labour supporters network”, the latter seeming to be a transcript of what was actually said, rather than merely the notes. Still, a couple of interesting … 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
May 7, 2007
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Well, Sarkozy’s in, John Reid’s out, and this is a day late. My bad. Let’s try it country by country this time, for the sake of clarity… Armenia You’d think they had enough to worry about with Turkey, but now … Continue reading
May 5, 2007
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
I was a bit wrong in my premature analysis, it would seem: The SNP did rather better than I thought, as did the Tories. Labour still did a lot better than everyone was expecting, though. Apart from the Scottish situation … Continue reading
May 4, 2007
by Nosemonkey
2 Comments
Slight winners? Labour, I’d say. In real terms, at least. They’ve still got the Scottish Parliament (despite – or perhaps because of – dire warnings about the rise of the SNP). They’ve still got the Welsh Assembly. In both cases, … Continue reading