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April 8, 2016
I’m going to set aside my views about the rights and wrongs of Britain staying in the EU for a moment, and instead focus on the way the Remain campaign is trying to make its case. This is especially relevant today after the Dutch expressed their vague frustration towards the EU in their Ukraine referendum… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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blogactiv, Brexit, David Cameron, EU Politics, UK EU referendum |
I have made the case for why progressives and federalists outside the UK ought to advocate Brexit (for the sake of the political integration of the rest of the EU), and I have also tried to examine in a bit more depth how the outcome of the vote might have implications for Cameron’s successor as… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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Andrew Duff, blogactiv, Brexit, David Cameron, EU Politics, Featured, UK EU referendum |
March 30, 2016
So Jackie Ashley is angry I tell you. Angry! We need to be “brutally honest” that the “remain campaign is failing” she writes. Well, what a sodding surprise. A campaign entitled “Britain Stronger in Europe” was never going to light anyone’s fire, was it. Run by Will Straw, relying on the strategic advice of Peter… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
I’m in Brussels today (Thursday 24.3.2016), two days after the Brussels attacks at Zaventem and Maelbeek. STIB, the Brussels public transport network (operator of buses, trams and metro) is operating a limited service today for security reasons. A screenshot explaining the situation is here. Brussels however has one peculiarity – the so-called Prémetro. These lines… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
Over a beer with some academic friends yesterday, conversation turned to Brexit. Boris Johnson will only become Tory party leader if Britain exits the EU was the consensus among my friends. It’ll be Osborne otherwise. I expressed my doubts yesterday, and have been pondering this more since, and have come to the conclusion that Boris… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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blogactiv, Brexit, David Cameron, EU Politics, George Osborne, UK EU referendum |
March 22, 2016
If you read ex-PM John Major’s Telegraph piece from Saturday about the dangers of Brexit you’d think all is generally well in the fine and pleasant land of England. Our pick and choose with regard to the EU has worked, he argues, and “we have the best performing economy in Europe“, and he happily states… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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blogactiv, Brexit, David Cameron, EU Politics, George Osborne, UK EU referendum |
March 7, 2016
The standard way of looking at the UK’s EU referendum in other capitals around Europe, and indeed within the EU institutions in Brussels, is that – often a bit grudgingly – people feel it would be better for the EU if the UK does not leave. In this blog entry I am going to look… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
March 1, 2016
People who work in European Union politics in some way often bemoan the EU’s communications problem. Their classic diagnosis goes something like this: If only people would search out the facts about the European Union, people would better understand that the European Union does work in their interests, and that it is not some sort… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
Matteo Renzi has an idea: train Eurocrats in Italy, as a way to boost Italy’s influence in the EU. Possibly a good idea. He wants that place to be Santo Stefano. That’s a really bad idea. Yes, nearby Ventotene was where Altiero Spinelli was imprisoned, and where he penned the Ventotene Manifesto with Ernesto Rossi… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
For the first time in the academic year 2015-16 I am a member of the faculty of the politics department at the College of Europe in Bruges. My own MA is from the College of Europe (in 2003-04) and it is good to be back there as a teacher this time. The College operates a… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
January 27, 2016
At the height of the Eurozone bailout crisis, Alexis Tsipras went to address the European Parliament. Why bother with that? was the cry of sceptical journalists who have never paid attention to the European Parliament. 887000 viewers of Guy Verhofstadt’s response show that this was a worthwhile political exercise – rather the rumour, and counter-rumour,… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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blogactiv, Brexit, David Cameron, democracy, EU Politics, Guy Verhofstadt |
January 22, 2016
Obergrenze. It’s the word of the moment in Germany – namely should Germany set an upper limit on the number of refugees that it can take in 2016. CSU leader Seehofer wants to set it at 200000. The Austrians have agreed one (but there are questions if it can work), and CSU General Secretary says… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
Ska Keller retweeted this from Spiegel Online journalist Markus Becker earlier: Polish government requested names of all accredited journalists from @EUparliament https://t.co/2ofkNXxq2k #PiS #Poland — Markus Becker (@MarkusBecker) January 21, 2016 The insinuation is that – having purged the Warsaw press, the government of Poland is about to try to do the same in Brussels.… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
January 14, 2016
Charlie Hebdo has everyone up in arms with their latest cartoon. People have variously said they are enraged, that it is racist, that it is disgusting. For me it most definitely is not funny, but it encompasses such complicated contradictions in one image, in such a painful way, that I see it as masterful provocation.… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
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blogactiv, Charlie Hebdo, EU Politics, refugees, Robert Fico |
December 7, 2015
With the date for the UK’s EU referendum not yet set, it still feels like the Remain and Leave campaigns are in their early, pre-preparation phases. The logos for the campaigns are above – Britain Stronger In Europe (the official Remain campaign), and Labour In For Britain and European Movement on the Remain side, and… » read more
Posted by Jon Worth Euroblog
