Social Progress There are many views and differing priorities on how society can be improved but there are two ends to the spectrum. The first is a plan formulated to address today’s problems, intended to leap or progress rapidly towards an ideal model. The second is a process of continual tinkering to adapt to current … More Shorties-5
On its website the EU outlines, among other things, its current ten priorities for the future. Here is one of them: The Commission’s work on completing the Economic and Monetary Union builds on the Five Presidents’ Report. Here’s how the Commission sees its main policy areas under this priority: A genuine Economic Union that ensures … More They think they can do better
Reporting for the BBC, Kamal Ahmed says that Lord King, the former governor of the Bank of England, believes that the UK should be “self-confident” about leaving the European Union. He argues that there are real opportunities for economic reform and new trade deals, which means that Brexit could be successful. “I think the challenges … More King Dismisses Euro
The Economist has a collection of videos here, in one of which several worthies speculate on what would happen if, to ensure a win in the coming French presidential election, and a defeat for Marine Le Pen, the candidates had to offer to hold a referendum on France’s continuing membership of the EU. One participant … More Brexit Contagion?
It’s good to pause at the end of the year and remind ourselves of some of the fractures the UK Referendum revealed, not least between young and old. There was a clear divide between older (55+) and younger voters. Some of the youngsters seemed to think we oldies should have been disenfranchised, because: “Once again … More Older, and wiser? The old, old story
Representatives on behalf of the London School of Economics recently interviewed Joseph Stiglitz, formerly Chief Economist at the World Bank, about his book, The Euro: And its Threat to Europe. The interview is published here: His conclusion is that “The cost of keeping the Eurozone together probably exceeds the cost of breaking it up”. Here … More Euro: zone in or zone out?
Perhaps it’s time we looked more closely at the reasons so many people support the EU, notably its benefits. We haven’t been able to find a convincing argument ourselves so we offer a few ideas from well-known sources. We begin with some praise for the most obvious achievements. The EU has, by its own lights: … More Benefits of the EU Project
We follow up our recent post, To veto or not to veto, with more discussion on democracy and the EU (see also Discontented Democrats). Meanwhile here is the definition of the term ‘democratic deficit’ from the EU’s own glossary: “‘Democratic deficit’ is a term used by people who argue that the EU institutions and their … More Democratic Deficit
Today it is exactly six months since the UK Referendum, in which a majority of those who voted chose that Britain should leave the EU. We celebrate this half-anniversary with a long post on an issue – democracy – that goes to the heart of what’s wrong with the EU today. The Electoral Reform Society … More Discontented Democrats
The EU, stung by criticism of its “democratic deficit”, tried to improve control over its unelected Commission. It hasn’t worked. Two academics, one German and one American, have published a review of legislative procedures in the EU. Their article can be found on a website of the London School of Economics: http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/europpblog/2016/10/25/a-dearth-of-legislative-vetoes/ “Several reforms have … More To Veto or not to Veto?
This EU Won't Work 