The sloppiness of Henry Porter's research makes one despair of the Sunday Times
Here.
Labels: EU
Are eurosceptics unrealistic in their expectations?
If Dan Hannan matures from his present rather aloof juvenile lead mode to be a plausible, and warm, leader then that might be possible in the next 10 years.
Yes, I think they might be.
Labels: EU
News and opinion
It's interesting to see that the
Daily Telegraph has scrapped the idea that news should be unbiased and is now editorialising in news articles. I know newspapers always do this to some extent but it's still a bit surprising to see how far the D.T has gone. Headline today:
Lisbon Treaty: more of Britain's powers surrendered to Brussels
This is on the web version,
Private Eye noted this week that the
Daily Mail now has different headlines and (perhaps) story angles on its website than the print version - think this is a risky business.
Labels: EU, Telegraph
Lisbon
The Lisbon Treaty has now been ratified by all signatories, and although it is not yet law it appears the Eurocrats have taken no time in imposing their will on our once proud country. Nosemonkey is
liveblogging it, but highlights are:
The EU flag has been raised over the Houses of Parliament

Buckingham Palace has been nuked by a European Air Force

Winston Churchill's statue is - well it appears only to have been half done - being replaced by Jean Monnet's.

Labels: EU
EU politics
The Economist this week seems to argue both that the EU has become too powerful vis-a-vis national governments, and that it needs Tony Blair as President in order to give it clout on the world stage. But surely Tony Blair in giving it clout would have to ride over national government wishes?
Labels: Blair, EU
A Tory landslide
If the opinion polls remain as they are the Conservatives are likely to have a larger majority than Labour did in 1997. Most of the Conservative MPs will be very anti-European, and it seems possible, if still not likely, that the UK will leave the European Union. Which got me wondering - does out 'Citizenship of the European Union' automatially end if we were to leave, or could we have dual citizenship? The concept wasn't around when Greenland left, which is the only example of a country leaving (I think). The
Wikipedia page is not that helpful in answering this question, and I imagine even if the UK government was happy the other countries wouldn't be. But as individuals do we have a say (of course the UK government could say they were incompatible, in which case presumably most people would renounce their EU citizenship).
Labels: EU, Tories
Euroscepticism gone bonkers
Rather unlovely imagery
here.
Labels: EU
The EU Treaty
An interesting report
here on yesterday's pro-referendum march. The march wasn't a success, which gives some evidence to my view that is not an issue that people really care about. Anthony Wells had some good polling evidence on this score. That doesn't necessarily mean they don't want a referendum, many people presumably will say they want a referendum merely on the grounds that referendums seem jolly good things to have.
The blog post and commenters take the line, it seems, that English must free ourself from th EU (or 'interfering foreigners' in the blog's lingo) in order to continue to be allowed to create such a horrible country.
Labels: EU
Ambrose Evans Pritchard
If the French people chose to accept this disgraceful rehash after already having voted No, shame on them. I am not sure I wish to share a Union with a nation that proves itself so supine, and so unwilling to defend its democracy.
Here's one for the lawyers. Is there a way Ambrose Evans Pritchard could leave the EU, whilst the rest of us remain in it? I don't like sharing a Union with him.
Labels: EU