Tag archive for ‘UK’
A Greek Tragedy or a European Farce? Time to Re-Write the Script
In the official account of the unfolding Greek tragedy the villain is readily identified, the plot is clear, and the dénouement inevitable, tragic, but ultimately both just and morally uplifting.
The villain of the piece is Greece itself: a bloated and inefficient public sector, rampant corruption, and decade-long fiscal incontinence partially shielded from public scrutiny by [...]
The EU must act on a Tobin Tax
Have Gordon Brown, Nicholas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel and other EU leaders dropped their support for a Tobin tax, or will they press home the idea in the near future? This question is crucial, particularly now that there are widespread plans for ‘budget cuts’ amongst EU member states, including possible rises in VAT in the UK.
A [...]
What now for Social Democracy in Europe?
Only social democratic solutions are capable of addressing the crises we face.
I was listening to a French trade unionist recently who started his speech by saying ‘there is not one crisis, there are three crises’ – and then added, rather cheerfully, ‘at least’. He was referring to the economic crisis, the environmental crisis and the [...]
Where now for Trident?
Sometimes, things that you expect still take you completely by surprise. The tangible electricity in the air as applause erupted around me at the Scottish National Party (SNP) Conference with First Minister Alex Salmond’s call for the Trident replacement to be scrapped, was one of them.
Such a response is to be expected after all from [...]
Icelandic Worries continue – Even with EU Membership on the Horizon
Euractiv reports about the political struggle in Iceland of how to deal with the country’s overwhelming exposure to the financial crisis and its debt to the UK and the Netherlands in particular:
The plan calls for Iceland to make payments over 15 years, with an initial 7-year grace period. Some 2.3 billion pounds ($3.8 billion) paid [...]