Posts Tagged European Union
Curing British procurement
Posted by Stephen Clarke in Economics, European Union, Politics on 20/06/2011
Although the business press concentrated on Greece’s economic woes over the weekend, more attention should’ve been paid to the British economy and news that train-maker Bombardier is to review its UK operations. It is speculated that the reason for the review is the failure of the firm to win a major contract to build carriages for the Thameslink project. Does the decision suggest it’s time to rethink the Government’s procurement strategy?
Rewriting History
Posted by Carolina Bracken in Education, European Union, Political Correctness, Politics on 07/04/2011
In 2008, MEPs gave the green light to a new museum, designed to showcase the “common historical memory” of the European Union and “bring Europe’s history alive”. Set to open in 2014, this Brussels-based “House of European History” (HEH) will sprawl over an acre and has an expected price tag of several million euro. However, while its construction has yet to begin, the project is already riddled with controversy.
Car Crash Justice
Posted by Carolina Bracken in Civil Liberty, Economics, European Union, Human Rights, Politics on 03/03/2011
First the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), then the UK Supreme Court, now the European Court of Justice (ECJ); it seems that no court is free from attack. However, whilst the ECtHR should be criticised for its creeping expansionism, and the Supreme Court should not have been criticised at all, the ECJ’s latest ruling warrants rebuke for simply defying common sense.
A slippery problem
Posted by Stephen Clarke in Economics, European Union, Politics on 21/02/2011
It was reported over the weekend that the Icelandic President Olafur Grimsson, has called for a national referendum on the new plan for repaying British and Dutch loans made as a result of the ‘Icesave’ fiasco. The two countries loaned Iceland €4 billion to bail out the country’s deposit insurance scheme, which could not afford to compensate British and Dutch depositors, when the Icesave savings scheme collapsed. Aside from the political ramifications of the on-going dispute, it raises wider issues about international financial supervision and insurance schemes, as well as a more pressing problem about financial responsibility.
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.
The price of freedom: now denominated in Euros
Posted by Stephen Clarke in Economics, European Union, Politics on 31/01/2011
Political developments had mixed effects upon global markets last week. Investors were reassured by comments on the eurozone from European leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos, then worried about the situation in Egypt and the uncertain fate of President Mubarak’s regime. These two different events, the pledges to save the Euro and the teetering regime in Egypt, both offer an interesting insight into the relationship between financial stability and democratic values.
