Posts Tagged democracy
Greek Expectations
Posted by Natalie Hamill in European Union on 02/11/2011
If there is one thing we should learn from the Eurozone crisis it is to expect the unexpected and, whatever you do, don’t breathe a sigh of relief too soon. With every hard-negotiated plan to keep the euro area afloat another twist emerges; for who could have predicted that Greece – given a lifeline just a week ago after an eleventh hour summit – would be so ready to cut its own rope and potentially take the rest of Europe down with it. Mere days after the markets bounced back and headlines declared there was ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ the Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has left many in the EU horrified by his decision to put the latest bailout package to a Greek referendum.
AV: It’s that button on the TV remote, right?
Posted by Nick Cowen in Politics on 23/03/2011
By Tom Shakhli
Here’s a question: what event of national significance is coming up in the next six weeks?
Now, be honest – what came to your mind first, Prince William marrying Kate Middleton, or the referendum to change the Westminster voting system to the Alternative Vote (AV)? Now another question: which one do you know more about? I ask this because while the media informs us about every detail of the Royal Wedding, unless I’ve missed something, the public don’t have a say in the matter (though it would be quite fun). On the other hand, the issue that we do have the opportunity to influence through our vote is the one that we appear to know less about.
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Dictators and Democracy
Posted by Natalie Hamill in European Union on 24/02/2011
Last week’s EU blog considered the limitations of the EU’s European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in light of the recent Tunisian and Egyptian revolutions. As events in North Africa have continued to deteriorate, it seems appropriate to consider the EU’s response to Libya’s revolutionary efforts. Whereas Tunisia was the benchmark of stability in the South Mediterranean, Colonel Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya has never harboured sincere commitment to democratic reform. This begs the question: why has the EU compromised a catalogue of its most fundamental values – democracy, the rule of law, human rights protection – to pander to a volatile dictator?
Everybody needs good neighbours
Posted by Natalie Hamill in European Union on 17/02/2011
Democracy is frequently trumpeted as one of the EU’s core values and its promotion is a prominent feature throughout EU policy. This is all the more evident in the EU’s relations with third states, particularly the bilateral partners of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). But, with Tunisia’s pro-democracy revolution followed swiftly by Egypt and then several other countries active in the ENP, it seems that, in this particular field, the EU policy may be failing.
Representing the Unrepresented
Posted by David Conway in European Union on 26/01/2009
More foreboding. The run-up to the summer European Parliamentary elections has officially started. Some disquieting new findings were released last week (courtesy of YouGov): writes Lara Natale …