debating progressive politics in Europe and beyond
The Slovakian left won an historic victory in Saturday’s elections. The party Direction – Social Democracy (SMER – SD), led by former PM Robert Fico, gained 44,41% of the vote, giving them 83 out of the 150 parliamentary seats. Below I reproduce an interview with Dr Lubos Blaha, a Slovakian political scientist who has become an [...]
Slovakia has recently seen the largest public demonstrations in many years. Last Friday, some 30.000 people took to the streets in several cities and during the dramatic finale in front of the parliament building, the police used water cannons against the hard core of demonstrators for the first time since 1989, when the “Velvet Revolution” [...]
We all have the feeling that the EU is distancing itself more and more from its citizens. Not only the recent spread of the ‘occupy’ movement to EU countries reflects this, but also prior demonstrations in Athens, Madrid, Reykjavik and other cities highlight the disenchantment citizens feel. This is not only due to the actual [...]
Political corruption is nothing new in Eastern European countries (and indeed elsewhere) but a new case in Slovakia, revealed ahead of the general election in March, has raised new questions over the extent of this persistent problem. The information contained in a leaked file code-named ‘Gorilla’ could have serious repercussions for Slovak politics. Euractiv reports [...]
The world is drowning in corporate fraud, and the problems are probably greatest in rich countries – those with supposedly “good governance.” Poor-country governments probably accept more bribes and commit more offenses, but it is rich countries that host the global companies that carry out the largest offenses. Money talks, and it is corrupting politics and [...]
Yet another in a long line of scandals has hit the European Parliament. This time it is allegations that three MEPs agreed to receive payments for submitting amendments to legislation. The anti-European press have had a field day and for once their outrage is justified. I can imagine the feelings of most MEPs who despite [...]
The next few years will be crucial. The political and social climate of the entire EU is becoming locked into cultural debates on immigration and protectionism, neither of which offers EU citizens a vision of a Good Society. It’s a recipe for institutional stasis, economic decay and social strife, against a background of environmental problems [...]
Just when Europe’s economic future has deteriorated Africa’s is looking more promising than for many decades. That promise is underpinned by global commodity prices, high despite the world recession, and by years of gradual reforms. The revenues from resource extraction are going to increase massively. This is because Africa is the last frontier for resource [...]
How should aid be provided? Aid appears to be at its best when it is designated to finance beneficial projects. If aid finances a school or a health clinic then surely it is useful. Unfortunately, this is often an illusion for the simple reason that such projects may well have been undertaken by the government [...]
Achieving attainable goals is more convincing that proclaiming great visions. It seems that Europe has always been at a turning point. Our current status quo appears ominous because of the financial crisis and the fall of social-democratic governments throughout Europe. But in reality there never was a ‘golden age’ for social democracy, and it is [...]
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