December 23, 2004
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Following the confirmation that Russia is not a free country after ongoing rumours of dodgy dealings in the run-up to the Russian presidential election, allegations of cover-ups to prevent knowledge of the true nature of the Beslan tragedy spreading, and … Continue reading
December 21, 2004
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Everyone I’ve spoken to recently has been doing the same old “if you’ve done nothing wrong…” arguments, usually followed by the “so what’s the big deal?” line. Normally, after a five minute rant, I manage to convince them that this … Continue reading
December 21, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Oooh, those Russians
Russia reaches lowest state of ‘freedom’ since collapse of USSR. This is according to Freedom House – a non-profit, non-partisan body which has monitored global democracy for some sixty years. Their accompanying press release marks Russia as the only country … Continue reading
December 20, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Ukraine TV debate
So, Yuschenko and Yanukovych are going to slug it out on TV, are they? I’m desperately trying to work out the point, as the whole rhetoric of the last few weeks seems to be made up almost exclusively of personal … Continue reading
December 17, 2004
by Nosemonkey
9 Comments
Hey, it was predictable, right? The Lords is only the highest court in the land – why the hell should the government listen to them when they vote 8 to 1 that the detention without charge of terror suspects is … Continue reading
December 15, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on “Politically incorrect, xenophobic, racist and who knows what else”
Nope, not the usual UKIP suspects, but – supposedly – European politicians’ real reactions to the proposed Turkish accession to the EU: Even after 40 years of attempts to get closer, Brussels and Ankara are still strangers. That could be … Continue reading
December 11, 2004
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Eurosavant reckons that Ukrainian NATO membership is simply not on the cards, while Elmar Brok, chairman of the European Parliament�s foreign policy committee, has said explicitly that “Ukraine belongs to Europe… Over the last few years we have given the … Continue reading
December 6, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Ukraine crisis – EU implications
A well-considered and interesting article on the impact the Ukrainian election crisis has had on the EU: “while the western establishment failed quickly to grasp the import of the Kiev events, the rapid engagement of Polish politicians in the unfolding … Continue reading
December 3, 2004
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
Via Tulipgirl, it sounds like the right result seems to have been achieved: The Supreme Court has ruled that: 1. The election from November 21 is invalid. 2. There will be another run-off election, between Yushchenko and Yanukovich. 3. The … Continue reading
December 3, 2004
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
Now don’t get me wrong here. I’m genuinely just wondering how else it is possible to interpret his announcement yesterday that re-running the elections would not be fair. Yushchenko himself argues that the last round was rife with corruption and … Continue reading
December 2, 2004
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
Still busy. Sorry. More posts soon. For now, a quickie: There looks to be a friendly disagreement between (pro-EU) Toby of Straight Banana and (anti-EU) EU-Serf of The Road to Euro Serfdom over the merits and bias of that mighty … Continue reading
December 1, 2004
by Nosemonkey
6 Comments
Le Sabot Poste-Moderne is reporting that a compromise has been reached. There will apparently be a re-vote, and both sides have renounced violence. Let’s hope this is not another of those false starts, of which there have been so many … Continue reading
December 1, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Nations Reunited?
The invasion of Iraq saw the UN in both good and bad lights. Kofi Annan doggedly trod a middle path in an attempt to appease the American desire for conflict, so the eventual condemnation he dished out had real moral … Continue reading
November 28, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on Ukraine crisis continued – one week on
For a chronology of events and a by-the-minute look at the boom in global coverage over the last week: one, two, three , four, five, some analysis, and six – between them these provide a chronology of events and coverage … Continue reading