Jean-Claude Juncker said some remarkably candid things to the European parliament yesterday. His role as the chair of the Eurozone group of countries has given him limited scope to speak freely to date. Indeed he’s someone who is quoted as saying ‘I’m for secret, dark debates‘. Now that he’s about to step down, he’s madeContinue reading “Home truths about the Euro crisis”
Author Archives: JamesPCross
Another German problem?
Europe’s ‘German problem’ may not be simply about how to channel its preeminent power in directions that ensure the vitality and cohesion of the Union (see my recent post), but also about the political style of its leader, suggests Dan O’Brien in his commentary in today’s Irish Times.
Brigid Laffan honoured for accomplishments on Europe
Professor Brigid Laffan, a DEI fellow and member of the UCD School of Politics and International Relations, has received the 2012 THESEUS Award for her research on European integration and her contributions to the promotion of European studies. Bravo!
Does the EU have a German problem?
For many decades, geostrategists commented that Germany was too big to live comfortably with its neighbours but too small to control them. After the Second World War, though, and especially after the creation of the EU and NATO, it appeared that Germany had adjusted its identity, its ambitions and its behaviour to the new realityContinue reading “Does the EU have a German problem?”
Back to the future, again: Jews as a “national security risk”
Is this 2012 or 1932? As reported by CNBC, the leader of Hungary’s third largest party has just used a televised session of parliament to call on the government to compile a list of all Jews in the country because, he says, they pose a “national security risk.” Does this sound familiar? Even today, respect for the most basicContinue reading “Back to the future, again: Jews as a “national security risk””
Another look at ‘Europe’s New Fascists’
This recent story from The New York Times offers several chilling illustrations of the growing threat that extremist groups pose to democracy and human rights in Europe. As I have written in earlier posts, the protracted nature of the current economic crisis inevitably broadens and deepens public support for extremist agendas. The answer is notContinue reading “Another look at ‘Europe’s New Fascists’”
The real spectre haunting Europe
How safe is democracy in Europe? Observers of extremist political movements have sometimes described them as “self-disqualifying” — that is, the louder they shout, the less they are heard (or at least listened to) by mainstream voters and parties. If this were true, and established democracies really have such a built-in circuit breaker, we wouldContinue reading “The real spectre haunting Europe”
It’s time to stop digging
If Europe wants to get out of its current hole, it must first stop digging. Over the past four years, economic crisis management in Europe has been dominated by a narrow obsession with fiscal discipline. The narrowness of this approach reflects in large part the German political elite’s misinterpretation of Europe’s current crisis as aContinue reading “It’s time to stop digging”
And you thought QMV was complicated…
Voting systems in the European Union often attract criticism and/or debate. Complex voting systems are not the sole prerogative of the EU however. The US system for electing its President also has its complications, as both the campaign and past election results have shown. Nobody will count electoral chickens before they hatch in the presentContinue reading “And you thought QMV was complicated…”
Scottish independence – it really matters
With all the attention given to who said what at the EU’s latest ‘crisis summit,’ it would have been easy to miss the news that Alex Salmond and David Cameron have agreed the basic details of a referendum on Scottish independence to be held in 2014. But even if you didn’t miss it, you couldContinue reading “Scottish independence – it really matters”
The Brussels Insider 