Constitutionalizing the European Union (European Union Series) (The European Union Series)
Times Online (Free subscription) | 3 hours ago
Germany is governed by hidden rituals. On November 11, St Martin’s Day, German omnivores always eat goose and red cabbage. The following day they start to organise their summer holidays.
Les Bonner (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
Government figures show that British motorists pay at least 12p a litre more than in other European countries. According to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, fuel duty and VAT account for 66% of the total retail price at the pumps. In some other EU countries, these taxes make up only 42% of the retail [...]
Samizdata.net (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
Mark Wallace of the TaxPayers' Alliance, writes, at Devil's Kitchen, thus: Part of the problem for eurosceptics has been that we have too often only engaged in one half of the argument. To be fair, we've all made a pretty good case that the EU is a costly, harmful, antidemocratic monstrosity - so much so that the public are in great majority convinced of that. It is the second half of the argument...
France24 (Free subscription) | yesterday
British media say former prime minister Tony Blair has launched a last ditch attempt to revive his flagging campaign for the presidency of the European Union, amid reports Belgian premier Herman Van Rompuy has emerged as the frontrunner.
Solomonia (Free subscription) | yesterday
Just one of those artsy-fartsy events, scattered around various locations locations througout Jerusalem. No big deal right? One catch: No Jews allowed. Peace without dialogue? Impossible ... last weekend I duly RSVP'd to a guests-only invitation to the Al-Quds Underground,...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 31 minutes ago
Been rather neglecting Defence of the Realm . Making up for lost time, though, a long post here .
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | yesterday
Belatedly picked up from Reuters is news of the South African Air Force cancelling its $5.2 billion contract to buy eight Airbus A400M transports. Government spokesman Themba Maseko cites rising costs and delivery delays, while defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu says: "We have terminated the contract with Airbus but we've not terminated our quest to ensure we have the necessary capabilities. That...
Mark Mardell's Euroblog (Free subscription) | yesterday
The president's jubilation at passing a health care bill in the House of Representatives is understandable. It suggests the endgame is on. But it is not going to become law as it stands. It doesn't stand a prayer of passing in the Senate. Joe Lieberman who is an independent with a habit of flirting with both parties, says he will join a filibuster to prevent anything with a public option getting through....
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | yesterday
Twenty eight years and 91 days, the Berlin Wall lasted. But today, on the 20th anniversary of its fall, we are but days away from the erection of a new wall, with the coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December. The most difficult thing we confront is the fact that the wall is invisible – it exists in the "hearts and minds" of our rulers, who have erected near-impenetrable...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
A partial explanation for the light blogging. The Defence Debate over in Jersey. From the left, General Sir John Wilsey, President of the Royal British Legion – Jersey Overseas Branch, Air Marshal Philip Sturley, President of The Royal Air Forces Association, Peter Troy, chairman, yours truly, and Canon Dr Peter Williams, Vicar of Gouray. Interestingly, I met an Army Captain today, who had been...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
The Independent on Sunday records a senior Tory MP saying yesterday that Mr Cameron would have to move quickly in the first year and a half of his premiership and had to show "real progress" on his promises. The MP said: "I don't think a promise of a referendum on Britain's relationship with the EU in more than five years will sit very well. He [Cameron] needs to make progress, within...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
The Sunday Telegraph is amongst several newspapers who link the erosion of democracy with Remembrance Day, and thence to the point we made recently about the paradox of fighting for "democracy" in Afghanistan, when we have given away our own. Our ancestors fought for our freedom, and the current generation is fighting and dying in Afghanistan for the same cause. Yet it is indisputable that...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
"Amid all the detailed argument about the Lisbon Treaty and referendums, it is easy to ignore a basic truth about Cameron's EU strategy and the trajectory upon which he is now set. This will be the first unequivocally Eurosceptic government of modern times." So says Matthew d'Ancona in The Sunday Telegraph . Thus, following in the footsteps of Daniel Finkelstein and Benedict Brogan , he is...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
With Tom Wise awaiting sentencing for fraud, after changing his plea to guilty last week, Daniel Foggo in The Sunday Times gives the background to the case. Neither Wise nor UKIP come out well. Not least, as Daniel is now able to record, UKIP – contrary to its claims – went to great lengths in an attempt to cover-up Wise's criminal activities. This segment from his article makes particularly...
EU Referendum (Free subscription) | 08/11/2009
The EU has achieved the goal it has worked stealthily towards for so long - a supra-national government which is now beyond our recall, writes Booker in his column today. He finds it appropriate that, as the trap has snapped shut, he politician who finally let the EU get its constitution should have been Klaus, the veteran anti-Communist. It was he that predicted, just before the Czech Republic joined...
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