Gavinsblog.com

Category: European Politics

  • Juan Cole on Mark Steyn

    Juan Cole does a far better job taking Mark Steyn’s argument apart than I could hope to. Here’s a nice exerpt: Steyn wants to create a 1300-year struggle between Catholic France and the Muslims going back to Tours. This way of thinking is downright silly. France in the 19th century was a notorious ally of…

  • Wake up, Europe, you've a war on your hands

    So says Mark Steyn in today’s Chicago Sun Times. As usual he starts by patting himself on the back Ever since 9/11, I’ve been gloomily predicting the European powder keg’s about to go up. ”By 2010 we’ll be watching burning buildings, street riots and assassinations on the news every night,” I wrote in Canada’s Western…

  • On Brian Crowley

    After chatting with Brian Crowley briefly last week I am still puzzled and perplexed by some of the arguments in favour of the Common Agricultural Policy. This is mainly because he argued about it in a way I had not read or heard before. He mentioned the three current pillars of CAP, and I can…

  • Election turnout in Poland

    The Poles have elected a center right government, after years of left-wing parties in power, the populist Law and Justice and the free-market Civic Platform agree on the need to cut taxes, deal with bureaucracy and make a clean break. But turn out was incredibly low as the Economist notes: Three-fifths didn’t bother to vote…

  • EU okays Croatia membership talks

    Jaysus that was quick. Only earlier today I was speculating that negotiations would start as soon as Croatia was found to be cooperating. Croatia for entry in…?

  • Croatia gets tribunal thumbs-up

    It looks like Turkey won’t be the only country coming to the negotiating table. The biggest sticking point for Croatian talks was that the EU believed they were being uncooperative in relation to war crimes investigations. Croatia must be keen.

  • Turkey

    Looks like an agreement has been reached. The BBC seem to have withdrawn that. It’s back on but Austria want the option of ‘privileged membership’ left open. but the ceremony for talks to begin appears to have been delayed. I hope Turkey can gain entry within the decade.

  • Russia's population

    Frank pointed to something I meant to post about last week. Russia really looks like it’s in a bad way doesn’t it? I am pasting the whole article for my own archives: IN THE two days since Lisa Petrachkova was born, Russia’s population has dropped by an estimated 2,000 people. By the time she is…

  • Tense EU drive for Turkish deal

    Will they, won’t they? In my own humble opinion Europe needs Turkey, there are many good reasons to bring Turkey into the EU fold. Austria has the most reservations it seems. Update: Richard weighs in with pretty much the same view.

  • Kuchma 'behind reporter's kidnap'

    Who would you believe? Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kuchma was one of the organisers of the abduction of a prominent reporter, a parliamentary commission believes. Georgiy Gongadze disappeared in September 2000 and his headless body was found in a wood two months later. The head of the commission probing the murder, Grygoriy Omelchenko, told MPs…