December 17, 2008
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
My full answers to some questions from a French newspaper for an article due to appear tomorrow, as France’s time at the EU helm draws to a close. (And no, I never heard another word about the “bloggers panel” that … Continue reading
November 21, 2008
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Following the progress made on Common Agricultural Policy reform the other day (and it was progress, even if not as much as many would have liked), there remains much confusion. As CAP Health Check asks, who voted for what? The … Continue reading
July 1, 2008
by Nosemonkey
8 Comments
Today marks the start of the French presidency of the EU. Sarkozy’s task as president? To guide the union from the post-Irish referendum confusion into a fresh new dawn of harmony and mutual appreciation, to an EU both truly united … Continue reading
November 15, 2007
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
For a largely foreign policy-focussed blog, Gordon Brown’s offered little of any interest since becoming Prime Minister. He simply doesn’t seem to have much interest in the rest of the world, happily ignoring both the EU and the US for … Continue reading
January 19, 2007
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Despite some people making useful suggestions, elsewhere in the EU it seems all but impossible to shake of the spectre of that damned [tag]EU constitution[/tag]. Current European Union president Angela Merkel keeps on bringing the bloody thing up, repeating the … Continue reading
March 16, 2006
by Nosemonkey
1 Comment
Proper posting will resume as and when I find a spare five minutes, so nothing on Harriet Harman’s resignation, Blair’s prevarication over calls for new party funding systems, Charles Clarke continuing to be a twat or French students reminding us … Continue reading
October 10, 2005
by Nosemonkey
3 Comments
Looks like the balance of power in europe has shifted – Angela Merkel to take over the German Chancellorship. So, the left(ish) anti-war, pro-France leader of Europe’s largest economy is replaced with a right-wing, pro-war, pro-Busher who has hinted at … Continue reading
May 31, 2005
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
Well, that didn’t take long… The Guardian: Europe’s shattered dream: Blair to challenge Chirac Amid surprise that Paris and Berlin appear determined to press ahead with the ratification process after a 55% no vote, Mr Chirac will be asked in … Continue reading
May 24, 2005
by Nosemonkey
7 Comments
The French press, unsurprisingly considering their hard-fought referendum is due at the end of the week, has been analysing the EU like never before, with major newspapers Le Monde and Le Figaro devoting reams of copy to dissecting that damned … Continue reading
April 15, 2005
by Nosemonkey
5 Comments
I hadn’t spotted EU Rota before, and it seems to be literate, which makes a nice change. It has a couple of interesting posts on the French constitutional referendum, especially here, which makes some points I’ve been pondering: Regardless of … Continue reading
April 12, 2005
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
The difficulties of a French “No” vote in their upcoming referendum are nicely summarised by Netlex, though sadly in French, and I don’t have time to do a full translation. You could try and make do with Babelfish, but it’s … Continue reading
April 7, 2005
by Nosemonkey
4 Comments
For a good overview of the various problems facing the Yes campaign in France, you could do worse than check out this post by J�r�me � Paris at Moon of Alabama. Alternatively, for an optimistic take from a French “Yes” … Continue reading
November 14, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on “Abracadabrantesque” – Chirac and the future of France
There’s a good article in the Sunday Times today that neatly summarises the state of modern France, ahead of Jacques Chirac’s state visit to London this week. Once he has gone – likely in a couple of years – there … Continue reading
August 31, 2004
by Nosemonkey
Comments Off on The French “headscarf ban”
A bizarre one, this. The controversy has been knocking on for a while, since it was announced a few months back. Should the French state ban religious iconography from its schools? The muslims have been the most vocal in their … Continue reading