The Church of England’s General Synod voted to consecrate women as bishops but not by enough for the measure to become law. The vote was a matter of doctrine, not equality. The all-male bishops were more strongly in favour than the mixed laity.
By Anna Sonny On Thursday 11th October the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced its rather controversial decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union. The prize, first awarded in 1901, is one of the most prestigious in the world and is presented to individuals or organisations that have carried out extensive work to… [Read More]
In 2009 the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive set a number of targets to encourage EU member states to implement greener energy policy, including an obligation for member states to have 10 per cent renewable energy in their transport fuel mix by 2020. Biofuels, particularly first generation biofuels which are developed from food crops, are the most… [Read More]
By Anna Sonny According to a new proposal to be put forward by the EU next month, companies will face sanctions unless their boardrooms are represented by at least 40 per cent women. EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding drafted the legislation to speed up what she called the ‘very slow’ progress towards gender equality in… [Read More]
By Anna Sonny The controversial dismantling of Roma settlement camps in France has sparked fresh outrage from the EU. Over the past week, French police have evicted hundreds of Roma people residing in makeshift camps near Lille, Lyon and Paris. Around 240 Eastern European Roma were flown back to Bucharest voluntarily, after being given over… [Read More]
‘You never want a serious crisis to go to waste’ – Rahm Emanuel, Chief of Staff for President Obama Although it may be scant solace for politicians, businesses and, above all, those suffering financially from the current economic malaise, one benefit of the economic crisis and ensuing recession has been the growth of heterodoxy.
By Anna Sonny On July 1, Cyprus officially took over the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a position that makes Cyprus the driving force of the EU’s legislative and political decision-making process for the next six months. Joining the EU in 2004, this will be the first time that the island… [Read More]
Guest post by Dr Marianna Koli Department of Economics, University of Birmingham We add to Nick Cowen’s previous response to Richard Garside’s Police, Prisons and Crime Rates. We thank Richard Garside for his comments. However, from a methodological standpoint we would like to respond to some of his concerns.
The most interesting and strident response to our recent crime analysis so far has come from Richard Garside. He claims that our report is ‘a rather flaky argument’ that is ‘built on hopelessly shaky foundations’. While he picks up on some important points regarding how to interpret our results, I don’t think they amount to… [Read More]
By David Conway Drugs are a menace of that there can be little doubt. With considerable personal experience of their downside, Neil Young made it the subject of many of his songs. One of these songs was ‘Keep Rockin’ in the Free World’ from his 1989 album Freedom. Sadly, its deep and bitter irony was… [Read More]