How are they going to get out of this one? Looks like the European Parliament are trying to veto the Italian Commissioner’s appointment after all. If they can’t get Italy (i.e. Buttiglione’s mate Berlusconi) to withdraw the nomination and choose … Continue reading →

The two somewhat put-upon politicians gave a joint press conference yesterday, taking in a range of European issues but – perhaps unsurprisingly, throwing out little that was controversial or new. Barroso once again defended the Commission’s new Mr Controversy, Rocco … Continue reading →

Blogging Labour MEP Richard Corbett, who is also one of the contributors to UKIP Watch, has got the UK Independence Party in a bit of a huff with his pamphlet 25 Things You Didn’t Know When You Voted for UKIP … Continue reading →

The consipracy theories about the sinister right-wing group who supposedly plotted the ousting of Saddam Hussein as far back as 1997, and who are the puppetmasters behind the Bush presidency, have been knocking around for a while. Rarely have they … Continue reading →

Not quite, and it’s pretty close, but still… As I noted the other day, there was a fair amount of opposition already, but it still didn’t look like anyone would seriously oppose Rocco Buttiglione’s appointment as such a move could … Continue reading →

Just realised I never did anything on the most recent Bush/Kerry clash. It seems a bit late now, and when it’s already been summed up so effectively, there doesn’t seem much point any more… 22 days to go, predictions are … Continue reading →

I thought it was the European Union he wanted to wreck, not the UK Independence Party? In an interview with the Telegraph over the weekend (registration required) Kilroy’s rabid arrogance seems to have finally slipped beyond his limited control. Having … Continue reading →

So, farewell then, Jaques Derrida, who has died aged 74. The quote, from Jaques Chirac, is almost an understatement. Derrida’s ideas on phenomenology and contributions to the “post-modernist” and post-structuralist movements (with the likes of Michel Foucault, Roland Barthes, Jaques … Continue reading →

Thus spake EU Parliament Chief Josep Borrell about the proposed new EU Commissioner for Justice, Rocco Buttiglione. For why? Well, largely because he’s a traditionalist Italian Catholic (plus friend of both the Pope and the rabidly corrupt Italian PM Silvio … Continue reading →

According to Sky News Well done, Tony. Edit: The Guardian has more and leaves some room for hope. Saturday update: So much for hope… It was pretty much inevitable once he had been captured, and there wasn’t much that the … Continue reading →

So, how much are MP’s worth? Well, Tony Blair’s �15.75, Michael Howard’s �10.48, while the blogging MP for Grimsby (and good-egg) Austin Mitchell is a bargain-bucket �1.72. Just came across Polidex – apologies if this is old news. Pick up … Continue reading →

So a brief calm between the policy-fest of the conference season and the fluster of the Commons being back in session. The findings of the Iraqi Survey Group. Blair, predictably, has said that war was still justified and – much … Continue reading →

It’s a moderately catchy quote, and spot on. Shame the same can’t be said for the rest of David Davis’ speech today at the Tory Conference. The decision to launch the meaningless “War on Crime” by showing a video of … Continue reading →

“Vote Blair get Brown” is being hinted at as a key phrase in the Tories’ forthcoming election campaign. Of course this seems to ignore the obvious riposte from LAbour (or indeed anyone else): Vote Howard, get Howard.