Forthcoming Events
Bruges Group Conference: How EU and Government Waste is Costing You Money
Well meaning, but misplaced, environmental policies, corruption and waste by the European Union and the British government is costing you money and threatening jobs. The Bruges Group conference will focus on those issues and discuss the solutions to the problems that the European Union is forcing upon us
Recent Events
Dinner in the Presence of Baroness Thatcher
Tonight they will argue that it is time for the principles so eloquently set out by Lady Thatcher 20 years ago to be embraced. Norman Tebbit will call on the Conservative Party to take early action when in power and resolve the European question. Calling on a Conservative Government to show ‘Thatchertite courage and determination’
The Political Economy, the Financial Crisis and Anglo-American Strategy
Andrew Roberts
Dr Irwin Stelzer
Historian and broadcaster Andrew Roberts spoke alongside Dr Irwin Stelzer who is a respected economic and political commentator
Will a Conservative Government Deliver on Europe?
Nigel Farage MEP
Simon Heffer
At the 2008 Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham the Bruges Group asked the key question of whether or not a future Conservative Government will be able and will have the will to roll-back the decades of surrendering our sovereignty to Brussels; or will it settle to be just in office but not in power?
Europe, America and Democracy
John O'Sullivan CBE
John O'Sullivan founder and Co-Chairman of the New Atlantic Initiative and Executive Editor of Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty discussing Europe, America and Democracy
Waterloo Day Meeting
Gerry Frost
Lord Willoughby de Broke
On the day of the final vote in the House of Lords on the Lisbon Treaty, Lord Willoughby de Broke spoke on the EU, the House of Lords and the Lisbon Treaty. Gerry Frost discussed the topic of Euroscepticism: Why has it failed?
Repealing the Lisbon Treaty and Independence from the EU
Douglas Carswell MP
Frederick Forsyth
Frederick Forsyth discussed continuing the opposition to the Lisbon Treaty and why the Conservative Party must hold a post-ratification referendum to repeal the Treaty. Douglas Carswell will talked about direct democracy and independence from the EU
Campaigning against the Lisbon Treaty
Bill Cash MP
John Hayes MP
Lord Pearson
Bill Cash MP, Lord Pearson of Rannoch, and John Hayes MP speak on the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty, its progress through Parliament and why there must be a referendum on the revived and renamed EU Constitution
Bruges Group Conference
Gerard Batten MEP
Christopher Booker
Bernard Connolly
Dr Anthony Coughlan
Marc Glendenning
Roger Helmer MEP
Martin Howe QC
Ruth Lea Cllr
Steve Radford
The Rt Hon. John Redwood MP
The conference showed how the EU's revived and renamed constitution threatens you and exposed what the EU plans for us next
The EU's Threat to the City of London
Professor Tim Congdon
Professor Kenneth Minogue
Professor Tim Congdon CBE delivering a eurosceptic critique of the EU's FSAP and MIFID plans. Professor Kenneth Minogue also discusses the European Union
Conservative Party Fringe Meeting 2007
Syed Kamall MEP
The Rt Hon. John Redwood MP
John Redwood MP, Champion of lower taxes and smaller government, and Syed Kamall MEP, Member of the European Parliament and trade expert, demand that the public have a say on the EU
Rally for a Referendum
Nigel Farage MEP
Daniel Hannan MEP
MEPs Daniel Hannan and Nigel Farage demand that the British people have the final say on EU integration
EU corruption and EU environmental policy
Chris Heaton-Harris MEP
Julian Morris
Chris Heaton-Harris MEP discussed, CORRUPTION AND THE EUROPEAN UNION. And Julian Morris spoke on environmental policy in the EU, discussing, DO WE NEED A EUROPEAN ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY?
The EU moving forward, but holding the world back
The Rt Hon. David Heathcoat-Amory MP
Dr Brian Hindley
David Heathcoat-Amory speaks on, THE EU - WHAT THEY ARE PLANNING FOR US. Brian Hindley talked on how the EU is holding-up trade liberalisation, discussing, THE EU AND THE COLLAPSE OF THE DOHA ROUND
Tercentenary Dinner with Lord Tebbit and Andrew Roberts
On 1st May 1707 The United Kingdom of Great Britain came into being. The time has come for us to recognise the positive influence the UK has in the world and assert our independence by celebrating our nations's 300th birthday
Bruges Group Conference
Christopher Booker
Barry Legg
John Midgley
Developing policies for a post-EU Britain
Conservative Party Fringe Meeting with Douglas Carswell MP and Christopher Booker
Christopher Booker
Radical thinker and MP, Douglas Carswell, talks alongside the acclaimed journalist and author, Christopher Booker, at the Bruges Group’s meeting titled The EU: Options for Britain
Andrew Roberts addresses the Bruges Group
Andrew Roberts
Andrew Roberts speaking on his latest book, A History of The English-Speaking Peoples Since 1900, which covers the four world-historical struggles in which the English-speaking peoples have been engaged — the wars against German Nationalism, Axis Fascism, Soviet Communism and now the War against Terror. Just as Churchill did in his four volumes, Roberts also deals with the cultural, social and political history of the English global diaspora.
Frederick Forsyth addressed the Group
Frederick Forsyth
The author and political commentator Frederick Forsyth spoke to the Bruges Group about the incompatibility between the destination of the EU and the desired destiny of the UK and he discussed when it will no longer be possible for any honest British politician to refuse to accept this
Luke Johnson and Dr Irwin Stelzer
Luke Johnson, the Chairman of Channel 4, and Dr Irwin Stelzer of The Times and the Hudson Institute spoke to the Bruges Group on Wednesday, 24th May
Christopher Booker and Lord Tebbit address the Bruges Group
Christopher Booker
Two stalwarts of the movement to protect democracy, prosperity and the British nation-state addressed the Bruges Group on Tuesday, 25th April 2006
Conference: Integration marching on
Christopher Booker
Ruth Lea
Professor Kenneth Minogue
As the EU project continues it is time to think outside the box and explore the alternatives to the EU
Fringe Meeting: The Conservative Party, Where Next?
The Rt Hon. John Redwood MP
The Rt Hon. John Redwood MP and Steve Richards, Chief Political Commentator of The Independent, debated which direction the Conservative Party should take and its future
Simon Wolfson, CEO of Next plc, addresses the Group
Simon Wolfson
Leading young businessman Simon Wolfson, the youngest CEO of a FTSE100 company, addresses the Bruges Group
Where does Europe go now?
Derek Scott, Economics Advisor to the Prime Minister, 1997-2003, examines the response of the British government and the rest of the EU to the French and the Dutch No votes
The EU Constitution: Why Britain Should say No
With the Rt. Hon Oliver Letwin, MP - Shadow Chancellor, Cllr Steve Radford - President of the Liberal Party and Marc Glendenning - Campaign Director Democracy Movement
International Conference
The ultimate question, The European Union: In or Out? Debated with the pro-integration Federal Union
European Problems and Their Non-Solutions
Vaclav Klaus
Václav Klaus, the President of the Czech Republic, speaking to the Bruges Group. Let us move to Europe of economic freedom, to Europe of small and non-expanding government, to Europe without state paternalism, to Europe without pseudomoralizing political correctness, to Europe without intellectual snobbism and elitism, to Europe without supranational, all-continental ambitions
Conservative Party Fringe Meeting
The Rt Hon. David Heathcoat-Amory MP
The Rt Hon. Lord Lamont of Lerwick
The EU and the US and Washington's view of European integration
Honorary President: The Rt Hon. the Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven LG, OM, FRS
Vice-President: The Rt Hon. the Lord Lamont of Lerwick
Co-Chairmen: Dr Brian Hindley & Barry Legg
Director: Robert Oulds MA
Head of Research: Dr Helen Szamuely
Washington D.C. Representative: John O'Sullivan CBE
Former Chairmen: Lord Harris of High Cross, Dr Martin Holmes, Professor Kenneth Minogue
Friday, October 31, 2008
Stop Israeli destruction of Jewish farms!
Dear Friends,
The letter below was written by Buddy Macy to Sallai Meridor to protest the barbaric destruction of the Federman-Tor homes. We urge all friends of Israel in the US to do the same. Each and every letter makes a difference.
In addition, for US Citizens, send letters also to:
* the Israeli Embassy (202-364.5500) or consulate nearest you
* The SD's Bureau of Democracy (202-647.4000 or 1-800-877.8339), Human Rights & Labor,
Inform them and demand an appropriate investigation. As an American citizen, you can ask the State Department to investigate these human rights violations.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ruth and Nadia Matar
--------------------
Dear Fellow Activists,
Last Sunday morning, the Israeli Government ordered the execution of appalling actions against two Jewish families in Kiryat Arba. (Click the link to learn the details directly from one of the victims - http://www.hebron.com/english/ .) I urge you to send a fax (202-364-5423) and postal letter of any length, to Sallai Meridor, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States. And, please forward this email to everyone on your list.
Here is my letter, for your reference:
October 30, 2008
The Honorable Sallai Meridor
His Excellency Ambassador of Israel
3514 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear Ambassador,
I am sure you are aware of the tragic events that took place this past Sunday morning (actually, in the middle of the night) at the Federman and Tor homes the smashing of their windows (reminiscent, dare I say it, of an event that took place 75 years ago) and forced entry by Israeli soldiers; the dragging of the startled, shocked children from their beds after being shaken awake; the beating of some children; the families' forceful expulsion from their own homes; and, finally, the crushing destruction of their homes, without them even having the opportunity to take any of their personal possessions! What type of state is it that treats its citizens in such an appalling, sickening fashion!
I am a secular Jew who has supported Israel my entire adult life. This support includes 25 years of volunteer service to my local Jewish Federation (Greater Clifton-Passaic, New Jersey) as a fundraiser, officer, and Board of Trustees and Executive Committee member, as well as numerous financial contributions to the Jewish State through Federation. IT IS OVER! Until the Israeli Government publicly apologizes to the Federman and Tor families and compensates them fully for their loss and suffering, including emotional trauma, and until Mr. Olmert and Mr. Barak are criminally charged for inciting and ordering the above inhuman behavior, I will not give one more cent to the State of Israel. And I will begin to suggest to others, some with substantial resources, to consider ceasing their Federation giving and, instead, contributing directly to specific pro-Jewish Israeli causes.
Ambassador Meridor, I hope you have the moral courage to call for such immediate action.
Most sincerely,
Buddy Macy
=============================================
Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org/
The letter below was written by Buddy Macy to Sallai Meridor to protest the barbaric destruction of the Federman-Tor homes. We urge all friends of Israel in the US to do the same. Each and every letter makes a difference.
In addition, for US Citizens, send letters also to:
* the Israeli Embassy (202-364.5500) or consulate nearest you
* The SD's Bureau of Democracy (202-647.4000 or 1-800-877.8339), Human Rights & Labor,
Inform them and demand an appropriate investigation. As an American citizen, you can ask the State Department to investigate these human rights violations.
Shabbat Shalom,
Ruth and Nadia Matar
--------------------
Dear Fellow Activists,
Last Sunday morning, the Israeli Government ordered the execution of appalling actions against two Jewish families in Kiryat Arba. (Click the link to learn the details directly from one of the victims - http://www.hebron.com/english/ .) I urge you to send a fax (202-364-5423) and postal letter of any length, to Sallai Meridor, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States. And, please forward this email to everyone on your list.
Here is my letter, for your reference:
October 30, 2008
The Honorable Sallai Meridor
His Excellency Ambassador of Israel
3514 International Drive, NW
Washington, DC 20008
Dear Ambassador,
I am sure you are aware of the tragic events that took place this past Sunday morning (actually, in the middle of the night) at the Federman and Tor homes the smashing of their windows (reminiscent, dare I say it, of an event that took place 75 years ago) and forced entry by Israeli soldiers; the dragging of the startled, shocked children from their beds after being shaken awake; the beating of some children; the families' forceful expulsion from their own homes; and, finally, the crushing destruction of their homes, without them even having the opportunity to take any of their personal possessions! What type of state is it that treats its citizens in such an appalling, sickening fashion!
I am a secular Jew who has supported Israel my entire adult life. This support includes 25 years of volunteer service to my local Jewish Federation (Greater Clifton-Passaic, New Jersey) as a fundraiser, officer, and Board of Trustees and Executive Committee member, as well as numerous financial contributions to the Jewish State through Federation. IT IS OVER! Until the Israeli Government publicly apologizes to the Federman and Tor families and compensates them fully for their loss and suffering, including emotional trauma, and until Mr. Olmert and Mr. Barak are criminally charged for inciting and ordering the above inhuman behavior, I will not give one more cent to the State of Israel. And I will begin to suggest to others, some with substantial resources, to consider ceasing their Federation giving and, instead, contributing directly to specific pro-Jewish Israeli causes.
Ambassador Meridor, I hope you have the moral courage to call for such immediate action.
Most sincerely,
Buddy Macy
=============================================
Women For Israel's Tomorrow (Women in Green)
POB 7352, Jerusalem 91072, Israel
Tel: 972-2-624-9887 Fax: 972-2-624-5380
mailto:wfit2@womeningreen.org
http://www.womeningreen.org/
Open Europe press summary: 31 October 2008
Europe
Former Irish PM calls for new Lisbon referendum;
Cowen: there may be little room for renegotiation
The Irish media reports that former Taoiseach John Bruton - now the EU's Ambassador to the US - has called for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. In an appearance at the newly formed Oireachtas Lisbon sub-committee he said that a re-run referendum needed to be preceded by a better information campaign, adding "It is fair to say that the Lisbon Treaty was written in such a fashion to make it unreadable". He said that "The timing of that [a second referendum] is a matter for fine political judgement, best made by those living in the country, and I'm not one of those." Bruton also called for the Oireachtas to pass legislation to clarify if future EU treaties would need to be put to a referendum in the first place.
Meanwhile, Brian Cowen yesterday told a business conference that there will be little room for renegotiation of the Lisbon Treaty after 26 other member states ratify it. He said, "We need to come back and say to the Irish people honestly, here is what is on offer from the European Union, do we wish to revisit this question or do we not? (European partners) indicated they can be helpful in some respects ... but they're also making it very clear they don't have an interest in re-ratifying or amending the treaty in a substantive way."
Euractiv notes that Laurent Pech, a lecturer at the EU-funded Jean Monnet Chair of EU Law at the National University of Ireland, has said that a 'Danish scenario' based on opt-outs from the Lisbon Treaty seems to be the most likely outcome of the Irish No vote. He argues that from a legal point of view, the option of passing the Lisbon Treaty via parliamentary ratification is perfectly valid, but "politically unacceptable" following the No vote. It is noted that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution is already exploring the option of passing the Lisbon Treaty via parliament. Meeting on October 23, the Committee agreed to "examine whether referendums are constitutionally required or if a supra-majority of both Houses of the Oireachtas could change the Constitution".
The Irish Daily Mail looks at how the EU is spending hundreds of millions of euros on new agencies which are only supposed to come into existence once the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. Open Europe is quoted as saying, "The EU are arrogantly assuming that they will be able to force the treaty through regardless of the Irish No vote."
Irish Independent Irish Times Reuters
EU to send ballot box into space as part of £21m PR stunt
Bruno Waterfield writes on his Telegraph blog that "Brussels spin doctors are planning to put a ballot box into orbit" in an attempt to raise the profile of next June's European elections. The stunt forms part of a £21million PR contract to come up with a "campaign concept and visual identity" for the European Parliament, which also includes adverts highlighting the EU's role in combating climate change. Waterfield also notes that a new EU body, the Inter-Institutional Group on Information, is now up and running to coordinate efforts to publicise the elections, and climate change has already been identified as the key issue for a propaganda offensive that will open in January.
Telegraph Waterfield blog Open Europe blog
French Senate urges French government to oppose EU discrimination directive proposal
Le Figaro reports that the French Senate is opposed to a draft EU discrimination directive that aims to extend existing EU discrimination regulations. The Social Affairs Committee of the French Senate, which has called upon the French government to oppose the EU proposal, is reported to be "worried" by the definition of discrimination in matters of access to goods and services. They believe that the proposed European law contravenes a fundamental principle of French law which states that differential treatment is not necessarily discrimination.
As an example, the Committee cited the fact that Friday is a holy day for Muslims and should be devoted to prayer, and that under the Directive Muslims could claim to be suffering discrimination because the opening of public services on Friday could for them constitute "a particular disadvantage".
Le Figaro
Czech Republic and Sweden reject plan to "swap" EU Presidency between the two countries
Euractiv reports that both Sweden and the Czech Republic have dismissed suggestions that their countries could exchange EU presidencies next year. The idea was first put forward by German MEP Ingo Friedrich to "minimise the risk of a weakened Czech government leading the Union when Prague takes over the bloc's helm in January".
Swedish daily Aftonbladet criticised the leadership style of current EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy following his reported claims that the Czech Republic and Sweden, are "lightweights". The paper argues: "Sarkozy is completely ignoring EU regulations and practice: the countries billed for presidency are being pushed to one side and the authority of the ECB undermined. The three dominant EU powers are setting the agenda."
Euractiv Aftonbladet
Commission accuses Italy of 'playing politics with climate change'
The European Commission is angry over Italian opposition to the EU's carbon emissions targets, reports the FT. At a summit earlier this month, Prime Minister Berlusconi threatened to veto the package, claiming it would cost Italy 18bn euros a year to implement. That figure is contested by the European Environmental Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, who claims it will cost about half that. Other members of the Commission are apparently "fuming", and consider Italy to be "playing politics" with the EU's climate change initiative.
According to Point Carbon, the Italian government has said that the EU climate package would cost Italy 40 per cent more to comply than other member states.
FT Point Carbon
Economist: state intervention could undermine "one of the greatest achievements of the European project"
The Economist has warned that increasing amounts of state aid in the wake of the financial crisis will likely benefit "politicians' favourites, not European citizens." The paper writes that increased intervention could undermine a core EU principle banning subsidies which distort competition and lead to the disintegration of the EU level-playing field, which has been "one of the greatest achievements of the European project". EU Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, has also warned of a potential "subsidy race" between EU neighbours as state aid increases.
Economist
MEPs quash debate on ending the European Parliament "travelling circus"
In the Parliament Magazine, British MEP Glenis Willmott criticises the European Parliament for stifling debate on the issue of whether to stop the £200m "travelling circus" between Strasbourg and Brussels. She said she is "dismayed by what not only appears to be the unjust treatment of those of us campaigning for a one-seat solution, but also a lack of respect for those one and a quarter million EU citizens who have so far signed the petition at www.oneseat.eu for parliament to have a single seat in Brussels. So far, requests for a serious debate on this issue in plenary have been ignored and the recently launched written declaration 75 on holding all parliament plenary sessions in Brussels has faced seemingly discriminatory measures against its promotion to MEPs."She notes that "[Last month], a poster promoting the written declaration was removed by parliament's authorities under the pretence that MEPs 'should avoid activities on parliament's premises which might be regarded as controversial'. I find this wholly ridiculous. Most dictionaries define controversial as 'causing disagreement or discussion'. Should a modern parliament such as ours really be seeking to restrict disagreement or discussion?"
Parliament Magazine Open Europe blog
Czech court postpones debate on Lisbon Treaty
The Czech Constitutional Court has postponed the discussion of the EU Lisbon Treaty by two weeks on Czech President Vaclav Klaus's request, court spokesman Michal Spacil told CTK yesterday. Originally, the judges convoked a court open meeting to debate the treaty on November 10. However, they have changed the date to November 25, at Klaus's request, Spacil said. The Czech Constitutional Court is to decide on whether the Lisbon treaty is in line with Czech legislation.
No link
Investors see widening risk of eurozone governments defaulting on debts
The front page of the WSJ notes that "Investors are upping their bets that as the $12.2 trillion euro-zone economy heads into recession, costly bank-bailout plans could drive some European governments to default on their debt." It notes that the cost of insuring the government debt of Italy and Greece has doubled in the past month. For Ireland, the cost of insuring against debt default has risen eightfold since the start of the year. The article notes that another indicator of rising investor concern is the gap between the yields on the bonds issued by Germany and countries with lower credit ratings, such as Italy and Greece. Those have widened to levels not seen in about a decade, before the launch of the euro.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard notes in the Telegraph that "The interest spread between Italian 10-year bonds and German Bunds has reached 108 basis points, the highest since the launch of the euro. Traders say it is nearing levels that risk setting off an unstable chain reaction."
WSJ Economist Telegraph Evans-Pritchard
Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he now considers a referendum in 2011 on joining the euro a possibility.
FAZ
Commission slackens stability and growth pact
FAZ has details on how the EU Commission will handle the newly reformed stability and growth pact, as several countries are certain to record excessive deficits. These are France, Italy, Portugal and Ireland. The paper says that the effective ceiling would be lifted to 3.5%, provided that the deficit is caused by cyclical factors. Otherwise, an excessive deficit procedure would commence.
FAZ
Central Europeans accuse Britain of betraying Georgia
The Telegraph reports that a "senior central European diplomat" has said that Britain has changed its stance towards Russia. In the wake of the Georgian crisis, Gordon Brown helped persuade other European leaders to punish Russia by postponing talks on a new "Partnership and Cooperation Agreement" with the EU. However, British officials are said to have privately told other governments they will back French plans to resume talks with Moscow.
The senior diplomat has reportedly said of Foreign Secretary David Miliband: "Miliband was so strongly in favour of us from the first days of the conflict. Now he is making a U-turn within two weeks just to please Sarkozy. What happened in this world that caused this change?"
Telegraph
Icelandic minister: EU membership needs to be discussed "in weeks rather than months"
The FT notes that Iceland's ruling Independence party is starting to split on EU membership after its vice-chairman broke with party policy and said the crisis-hit nation should start thinking about membership now. Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, minister of education, said an application for membership needed to be discussed "in weeks rather than months".
FT
WSJ: EU is giving with one hand and taking with the other for car industry
A leader in the WSJ argues "European taxpayers already have a meaty hunk of bank bailouts to swallow. Now they're getting something green on their plates as well. Just weeks after EU lawmakers passed strict new carbon-emission regulations despite warnings that they would cost auto makers dearly, Brussels called Wednesday for 40 billion euros in loans to the industry so that it can comply with the new rules. The EU taketh away, the EU giveth."
WSJ leader
Deutsche Bank has reported better than expected third-quarter profits, attributed to a relaxing of the EU's mark-to-market accounting rules.
IHT
Former Irish PM calls for new Lisbon referendum;
Cowen: there may be little room for renegotiation
The Irish media reports that former Taoiseach John Bruton - now the EU's Ambassador to the US - has called for a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. In an appearance at the newly formed Oireachtas Lisbon sub-committee he said that a re-run referendum needed to be preceded by a better information campaign, adding "It is fair to say that the Lisbon Treaty was written in such a fashion to make it unreadable". He said that "The timing of that [a second referendum] is a matter for fine political judgement, best made by those living in the country, and I'm not one of those." Bruton also called for the Oireachtas to pass legislation to clarify if future EU treaties would need to be put to a referendum in the first place.
Meanwhile, Brian Cowen yesterday told a business conference that there will be little room for renegotiation of the Lisbon Treaty after 26 other member states ratify it. He said, "We need to come back and say to the Irish people honestly, here is what is on offer from the European Union, do we wish to revisit this question or do we not? (European partners) indicated they can be helpful in some respects ... but they're also making it very clear they don't have an interest in re-ratifying or amending the treaty in a substantive way."
Euractiv notes that Laurent Pech, a lecturer at the EU-funded Jean Monnet Chair of EU Law at the National University of Ireland, has said that a 'Danish scenario' based on opt-outs from the Lisbon Treaty seems to be the most likely outcome of the Irish No vote. He argues that from a legal point of view, the option of passing the Lisbon Treaty via parliamentary ratification is perfectly valid, but "politically unacceptable" following the No vote. It is noted that the Oireachtas Joint Committee on the Constitution is already exploring the option of passing the Lisbon Treaty via parliament. Meeting on October 23, the Committee agreed to "examine whether referendums are constitutionally required or if a supra-majority of both Houses of the Oireachtas could change the Constitution".
The Irish Daily Mail looks at how the EU is spending hundreds of millions of euros on new agencies which are only supposed to come into existence once the Lisbon Treaty is ratified. Open Europe is quoted as saying, "The EU are arrogantly assuming that they will be able to force the treaty through regardless of the Irish No vote."
Irish Independent Irish Times Reuters
EU to send ballot box into space as part of £21m PR stunt
Bruno Waterfield writes on his Telegraph blog that "Brussels spin doctors are planning to put a ballot box into orbit" in an attempt to raise the profile of next June's European elections. The stunt forms part of a £21million PR contract to come up with a "campaign concept and visual identity" for the European Parliament, which also includes adverts highlighting the EU's role in combating climate change. Waterfield also notes that a new EU body, the Inter-Institutional Group on Information, is now up and running to coordinate efforts to publicise the elections, and climate change has already been identified as the key issue for a propaganda offensive that will open in January.
Telegraph Waterfield blog Open Europe blog
French Senate urges French government to oppose EU discrimination directive proposal
Le Figaro reports that the French Senate is opposed to a draft EU discrimination directive that aims to extend existing EU discrimination regulations. The Social Affairs Committee of the French Senate, which has called upon the French government to oppose the EU proposal, is reported to be "worried" by the definition of discrimination in matters of access to goods and services. They believe that the proposed European law contravenes a fundamental principle of French law which states that differential treatment is not necessarily discrimination.
As an example, the Committee cited the fact that Friday is a holy day for Muslims and should be devoted to prayer, and that under the Directive Muslims could claim to be suffering discrimination because the opening of public services on Friday could for them constitute "a particular disadvantage".
Le Figaro
Czech Republic and Sweden reject plan to "swap" EU Presidency between the two countries
Euractiv reports that both Sweden and the Czech Republic have dismissed suggestions that their countries could exchange EU presidencies next year. The idea was first put forward by German MEP Ingo Friedrich to "minimise the risk of a weakened Czech government leading the Union when Prague takes over the bloc's helm in January".
Swedish daily Aftonbladet criticised the leadership style of current EU Council President Nicolas Sarkozy following his reported claims that the Czech Republic and Sweden, are "lightweights". The paper argues: "Sarkozy is completely ignoring EU regulations and practice: the countries billed for presidency are being pushed to one side and the authority of the ECB undermined. The three dominant EU powers are setting the agenda."
Euractiv Aftonbladet
Commission accuses Italy of 'playing politics with climate change'
The European Commission is angry over Italian opposition to the EU's carbon emissions targets, reports the FT. At a summit earlier this month, Prime Minister Berlusconi threatened to veto the package, claiming it would cost Italy 18bn euros a year to implement. That figure is contested by the European Environmental Commissioner, Stavros Dimas, who claims it will cost about half that. Other members of the Commission are apparently "fuming", and consider Italy to be "playing politics" with the EU's climate change initiative.
According to Point Carbon, the Italian government has said that the EU climate package would cost Italy 40 per cent more to comply than other member states.
FT Point Carbon
Economist: state intervention could undermine "one of the greatest achievements of the European project"
The Economist has warned that increasing amounts of state aid in the wake of the financial crisis will likely benefit "politicians' favourites, not European citizens." The paper writes that increased intervention could undermine a core EU principle banning subsidies which distort competition and lead to the disintegration of the EU level-playing field, which has been "one of the greatest achievements of the European project". EU Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes, has also warned of a potential "subsidy race" between EU neighbours as state aid increases.
Economist
MEPs quash debate on ending the European Parliament "travelling circus"
In the Parliament Magazine, British MEP Glenis Willmott criticises the European Parliament for stifling debate on the issue of whether to stop the £200m "travelling circus" between Strasbourg and Brussels. She said she is "dismayed by what not only appears to be the unjust treatment of those of us campaigning for a one-seat solution, but also a lack of respect for those one and a quarter million EU citizens who have so far signed the petition at www.oneseat.eu for parliament to have a single seat in Brussels. So far, requests for a serious debate on this issue in plenary have been ignored and the recently launched written declaration 75 on holding all parliament plenary sessions in Brussels has faced seemingly discriminatory measures against its promotion to MEPs."She notes that "[Last month], a poster promoting the written declaration was removed by parliament's authorities under the pretence that MEPs 'should avoid activities on parliament's premises which might be regarded as controversial'. I find this wholly ridiculous. Most dictionaries define controversial as 'causing disagreement or discussion'. Should a modern parliament such as ours really be seeking to restrict disagreement or discussion?"
Parliament Magazine Open Europe blog
Czech court postpones debate on Lisbon Treaty
The Czech Constitutional Court has postponed the discussion of the EU Lisbon Treaty by two weeks on Czech President Vaclav Klaus's request, court spokesman Michal Spacil told CTK yesterday. Originally, the judges convoked a court open meeting to debate the treaty on November 10. However, they have changed the date to November 25, at Klaus's request, Spacil said. The Czech Constitutional Court is to decide on whether the Lisbon treaty is in line with Czech legislation.
No link
Investors see widening risk of eurozone governments defaulting on debts
The front page of the WSJ notes that "Investors are upping their bets that as the $12.2 trillion euro-zone economy heads into recession, costly bank-bailout plans could drive some European governments to default on their debt." It notes that the cost of insuring the government debt of Italy and Greece has doubled in the past month. For Ireland, the cost of insuring against debt default has risen eightfold since the start of the year. The article notes that another indicator of rising investor concern is the gap between the yields on the bonds issued by Germany and countries with lower credit ratings, such as Italy and Greece. Those have widened to levels not seen in about a decade, before the launch of the euro.
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard notes in the Telegraph that "The interest spread between Italian 10-year bonds and German Bunds has reached 108 basis points, the highest since the launch of the euro. Traders say it is nearing levels that risk setting off an unstable chain reaction."
WSJ Economist Telegraph Evans-Pritchard
Danish PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he now considers a referendum in 2011 on joining the euro a possibility.
FAZ
Commission slackens stability and growth pact
FAZ has details on how the EU Commission will handle the newly reformed stability and growth pact, as several countries are certain to record excessive deficits. These are France, Italy, Portugal and Ireland. The paper says that the effective ceiling would be lifted to 3.5%, provided that the deficit is caused by cyclical factors. Otherwise, an excessive deficit procedure would commence.
FAZ
Central Europeans accuse Britain of betraying Georgia
The Telegraph reports that a "senior central European diplomat" has said that Britain has changed its stance towards Russia. In the wake of the Georgian crisis, Gordon Brown helped persuade other European leaders to punish Russia by postponing talks on a new "Partnership and Cooperation Agreement" with the EU. However, British officials are said to have privately told other governments they will back French plans to resume talks with Moscow.
The senior diplomat has reportedly said of Foreign Secretary David Miliband: "Miliband was so strongly in favour of us from the first days of the conflict. Now he is making a U-turn within two weeks just to please Sarkozy. What happened in this world that caused this change?"
Telegraph
Icelandic minister: EU membership needs to be discussed "in weeks rather than months"
The FT notes that Iceland's ruling Independence party is starting to split on EU membership after its vice-chairman broke with party policy and said the crisis-hit nation should start thinking about membership now. Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, minister of education, said an application for membership needed to be discussed "in weeks rather than months".
FT
WSJ: EU is giving with one hand and taking with the other for car industry
A leader in the WSJ argues "European taxpayers already have a meaty hunk of bank bailouts to swallow. Now they're getting something green on their plates as well. Just weeks after EU lawmakers passed strict new carbon-emission regulations despite warnings that they would cost auto makers dearly, Brussels called Wednesday for 40 billion euros in loans to the industry so that it can comply with the new rules. The EU taketh away, the EU giveth."
WSJ leader
Deutsche Bank has reported better than expected third-quarter profits, attributed to a relaxing of the EU's mark-to-market accounting rules.
IHT
Shimon Peres had Yitzhak Rabin murdered
Avishai Raviv, Yigal Amir and Yitzhak Rabin's Assassination
Avishai Raviv was an Israeli government agent provocateur (whose code name was "Champagne" for the bubbles of incitement he created to tarnish the right-wing Israelis) who goaded Yigal Amir to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (although this is hotly disputed by investigative reporters like Barry Chamish) and created the fictitious right-wing group, Eyal.
Avishai Raviv has never been charged with incitement or as an accessory to the murder of Yitzhak Rabin and has disappeared from sight, undoubtedly just following orders or else.
I was NEVER involved with the extremist Jewish group "Eyal" but had met Avishai Raviv during a Temple Mount Faithful demonstration in Jerusalem when he helped me to protect Gershon Salomon (chairman, Temple Mount Faithful) during Tisha B'Av when the police carried Gershon away from the Mugrabi Gate and dropped him and he hit his head and went unconscious and the throng practically trampled him except for me trying to cover him and shouting at the people to be careful that Gershon was on the ground -- and I'm pretty sure it was Avishai who helped me keep the people from stepping on him.
Howard Grief, an attorney and member of the Temple Mount Faithful, witnessed it all and wrote The Jerusalem Post about it (we both had a letter published the same day: Howard's letter was called "Police Brutality" and mine was called "Discrimination" - The Jerusalem Post, Friday, Aug. 25, 1995).
Before that incident I had met Avishai Raviv in the office of the Temple Mount Faithful when he and someone else came there. He had invited Moshe Weissfish (Gershon Salomon's cousin) and I to his apartment in Hebron, but it was later explained to me that Avishai was a "shtinker" (informer) and that the police wanted to falsely associate the Temple Mount Faithful with such people and how he had even taken it upon himself once in Tel Aviv to have an office on campus with "Temple Mount Faithful" on the door or something like that, which Gershon immediately forbade him upon knowledge of it as he had no authority to do it and did NOT represent the Temple Mount Faithful in any manner, shape or form.
This is what I remember of the agent provocateur Avishai Raviv and his fake group "Eyal."
I might add though that after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, some female (British?) reporter (probably my age) who knew Nick Day of The Traveller, kept trying to get Avishai's phone number or have me contact him (since she heard I had met him) until I told her I wanted nothing to do with him. She was unrelenting until Nick Day told her to back off. I guess she was his friend or acquaintance.
********************
Shimon Peres came to power over Rabin's dead body
Doctors Dead For Rabin
The Vatican and Yitzhak Rabin's Assassination
Avishai Raviv was an Israeli government agent provocateur (whose code name was "Champagne" for the bubbles of incitement he created to tarnish the right-wing Israelis) who goaded Yigal Amir to assassinate Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (although this is hotly disputed by investigative reporters like Barry Chamish) and created the fictitious right-wing group, Eyal.
Avishai Raviv has never been charged with incitement or as an accessory to the murder of Yitzhak Rabin and has disappeared from sight, undoubtedly just following orders or else.
I was NEVER involved with the extremist Jewish group "Eyal" but had met Avishai Raviv during a Temple Mount Faithful demonstration in Jerusalem when he helped me to protect Gershon Salomon (chairman, Temple Mount Faithful) during Tisha B'Av when the police carried Gershon away from the Mugrabi Gate and dropped him and he hit his head and went unconscious and the throng practically trampled him except for me trying to cover him and shouting at the people to be careful that Gershon was on the ground -- and I'm pretty sure it was Avishai who helped me keep the people from stepping on him.
Howard Grief, an attorney and member of the Temple Mount Faithful, witnessed it all and wrote The Jerusalem Post about it (we both had a letter published the same day: Howard's letter was called "Police Brutality" and mine was called "Discrimination" - The Jerusalem Post, Friday, Aug. 25, 1995).
Before that incident I had met Avishai Raviv in the office of the Temple Mount Faithful when he and someone else came there. He had invited Moshe Weissfish (Gershon Salomon's cousin) and I to his apartment in Hebron, but it was later explained to me that Avishai was a "shtinker" (informer) and that the police wanted to falsely associate the Temple Mount Faithful with such people and how he had even taken it upon himself once in Tel Aviv to have an office on campus with "Temple Mount Faithful" on the door or something like that, which Gershon immediately forbade him upon knowledge of it as he had no authority to do it and did NOT represent the Temple Mount Faithful in any manner, shape or form.
This is what I remember of the agent provocateur Avishai Raviv and his fake group "Eyal."
I might add though that after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, some female (British?) reporter (probably my age) who knew Nick Day of The Traveller, kept trying to get Avishai's phone number or have me contact him (since she heard I had met him) until I told her I wanted nothing to do with him. She was unrelenting until Nick Day told her to back off. I guess she was his friend or acquaintance.
********************
Shimon Peres came to power over Rabin's dead body
Doctors Dead For Rabin
The Vatican and Yitzhak Rabin's Assassination
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fight against radical Islam
Re: Interview with Producer of Obsession
BHarold756 Says:
October 30, 2008
Thanks for this post. I’ve worked on “Obsession,” and I can’t express how important this film is. The fight against radical Islam and extremism is one that we must win, and “Obsession” truly is our blueprint for this new kind of battle - the battle between those who hate and those who value democracy and freedom.
BHarold756 Says:
October 30, 2008
Thanks for this post. I’ve worked on “Obsession,” and I can’t express how important this film is. The fight against radical Islam and extremism is one that we must win, and “Obsession” truly is our blueprint for this new kind of battle - the battle between those who hate and those who value democracy and freedom.
The Founding Fathers on redistribution of wealth
“A wise and frugal government… shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.”
— Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
May God bless Chuck Baldwin to repeat those words in his inaugural address.
David Ben-Ariel on the post "The Founding Fathers on redistribution of wealth"
— Thomas Jefferson, First Inaugural Address, March 4, 1801
May God bless Chuck Baldwin to repeat those words in his inaugural address.
David Ben-Ariel on the post "The Founding Fathers on redistribution of wealth"
Hamas Hanna and Mosques Must Go!
Re: Christian leader urges Islamic control of Temple Mount
Hanna himself is closely aligned with the Palestinian cause. He was previously dismissed from his church position after Israel accused him of directly aiding terror organizations. He has held public solidarity meetings with leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and appears regularly on Palestinian television urging children to engage in suicide attacks.
Hamas Hanna is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a tool, and he clearly aids and abets Nazi Muslim occupation of the Temple Mount - something no true Christian would ever do.
Why Israel doesn't treat Hamas Hanna like the sworn enemy of God and Israel he's proven himself to be, belies reason and betrays justice.
Shame on the Israeli authorities for enabling the Nazi Muslim occupation of Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount, to continue! Shame on the godless Israeli authorities for looking the other way as Nazi Muslim discrimination against Jews and Christians occurs daily upon the Temple Mount! Shame on the irresponsible rabbis for their woeful neglect of the Temple Mount, their miserable failure to restore the Temple Mount as the Temple Mount!
Thankfully, the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute are two witnesses against the current deplorable situation upon the Temple Mount and testify it will soon change.
A House of Prayer for All Peoples?
Jews Must Demand Rights to Temple Mount
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE RABBIS?
David Ben-Ariel posted on 2008-10-30 12:39:58 ET Reply Trace
Hanna himself is closely aligned with the Palestinian cause. He was previously dismissed from his church position after Israel accused him of directly aiding terror organizations. He has held public solidarity meetings with leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah and appears regularly on Palestinian television urging children to engage in suicide attacks.
Hamas Hanna is a wolf in sheep's clothing, a tool, and he clearly aids and abets Nazi Muslim occupation of the Temple Mount - something no true Christian would ever do.
Why Israel doesn't treat Hamas Hanna like the sworn enemy of God and Israel he's proven himself to be, belies reason and betrays justice.
Shame on the Israeli authorities for enabling the Nazi Muslim occupation of Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount, to continue! Shame on the godless Israeli authorities for looking the other way as Nazi Muslim discrimination against Jews and Christians occurs daily upon the Temple Mount! Shame on the irresponsible rabbis for their woeful neglect of the Temple Mount, their miserable failure to restore the Temple Mount as the Temple Mount!
Thankfully, the Temple Mount Faithful and the Temple Institute are two witnesses against the current deplorable situation upon the Temple Mount and testify it will soon change.
A House of Prayer for All Peoples?
Jews Must Demand Rights to Temple Mount
WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE RABBIS?
David Ben-Ariel posted on 2008-10-30 12:39:58 ET Reply Trace
CentreRight.com
From CentreRight.com -
About CentreRight
CentreRight.com is a hub for the British conservative movement.
Like the National Review's Corner in the US, it is essentially a high quality, multiple-authored blog written by some of the best conservative thinkers and commentators around.
One problem with blogs is that whilst they provide a cheap and user-friendly platform, many top thinkers and politicians realise that to build a sizeable regular readership they have to post on a daily basis - something they simply can't commit to. CentreRight has brought together a number of these people with a broad range of specialisms so that their thoughts can be heard in one regularly updated place.
Its writers include Conservative Party Shadow Ministers and directors of independent thinktanks and campaign groups (see the Writers list in the sidebar for their profiles). They all have their own accounts so that they can upload posts themselves whenever it suits them.
You'll also notice in the sidebar that there are links to centre-right thinktanks and campaign groups in the UK and abroad, and to the most recent reports produced by them. If you read CentreRight you will easily be amongst the most informed 0.5% of the country about what the latest conservative thinking is.
It goes without saying that ConservativeHome doesn't necessarily endorse what the authors write, the authors don't necessarily endorse what ConservativeHome writes, and the authors don't necessarily endorse what the other authors write!
We'd love to hear any feedback, so this is the place to give it. Feel free to email me if you have a general query.
***************
Recent Posts
The climate change bill: a futile and very costly folly
"What kind of people do they think we are?"*
British taxpayers' money is being used to fuel hatred in the Middle East
Might Brown cut taxes?
EU legislation at Westminster: time for an electoral mandate
Will the Euro re-enter British political debate?
Another victory for James McGrath?
The FT joins the tax cuts camp
Ten recent pundit predictions ...
"Positive action to help some white groups"?
****************
International centre-right organisations
American Enterprise Institute (US)
Association for Liberal Thinking (Turkey)
Atlantic Bridge (UK/US)
Atlantic Partnership (UK/US)
Australian Polity
Center for Economic Development (Bulgaria)
Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (Montenegro)
Center for Institutional Analysis and Development (Romania)
Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (Serbia)
Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria)
Centre for Independent Studies (Aus)
Centre for Liberal Strategies (Bulgaria)
Club For Growth (US)
Club Nouveau Siécle (Fr)
Competitive Enterprise Institute (US)
Economic Policy Research Institute (Macedonia)
Ekome (Greece)
Ethics and Public Policy Center (US)
Fondation Concorde (Fr)
Fondation pour l'Innovation Politique (Fr)
Fondation Robert Schuman (Fr)
Fraser Institute (Can)
Free Market Center (Serbia)
Free Market Foundation (SA)
Globalisation Institute (EU)
Hellenic Leadership Institute (Greece)
Heritage Foundation (US)
Hoover Institution (US)
Hudson Institute (US)
Institut Turgot (Fr)
Institute for Market Economics (Bulgaria)
Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses (Montenegro)
Institute of Public Affairs (Aus)
International Democrat Union
Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (Israel)
Leadership Institute (US)
Liberté Chérie (Fr)
Manhattan Institute (US)
Maxim Institute (NZ)
Menzies Research Centre (Australia)
Montreal Economic Institute (Can)
Movement for European Reform (EU)
Riinvest (Kosovo)
Romania Thinktank
Society for Individual Liberty (Bulgaria)
Stockholm Network (Europe)
Taxpayers Federation (Can)
Thatcher Center for Freedom (US)
UK centre-right organisations
2020health.org
Adam Smith Institute
Bruges Group
Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Social Cohesion
Centre for Social Justice
Civitas
Countryside Alliance
European Foundation
Freedom Association
Global Vision
Henry Jackson Society
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Institute Of Directors
Institute of Economic Affairs
London Policy Institute
Migration Watch
New Culture Forum
Open Europe
Policy Exchange
Policy Institute
Politeia
Progressive Vision
Reform
Social Affairs Unit
Social Market Foundation
Stockholm Network
Taxpayers' Alliance
Tory organisations
Association of Conservative Clubs
Bow Group
Britain Club
Campaign for Conservative Democracy
Conservative Animal Welfare Group
Conservative Christian Fellowship
Conservative Disability Group
Conservative Friends of Bangladesh
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative History Group
Conservative Humanists
Conservative Liberty Forum
Conservative Medical Society
Conservative Muslim Forum
Conservative National Education Society
Conservative Party Archive
Conservative Party Foundation
Conservative Party's Human Rights Commission
Conservative Political Officers Network
Conservative Technology Forum
Conservative Transport Group
Conservative Way Forward
Conservative Women's Organisation
Conservatives Abroad
Conservatives at Work
Cornerstone Group of Tory MPs
Direct Democracy
Enterprise Forum
First Defence
Network Me
Selsdon Group
Society for Conservative Lawyers
Society of Conservative Lawyers
Tories for Older People
Tories for Older People
Tory Reform Group
Women2Win
About CentreRight
CentreRight.com is a hub for the British conservative movement.
Like the National Review's Corner in the US, it is essentially a high quality, multiple-authored blog written by some of the best conservative thinkers and commentators around.
One problem with blogs is that whilst they provide a cheap and user-friendly platform, many top thinkers and politicians realise that to build a sizeable regular readership they have to post on a daily basis - something they simply can't commit to. CentreRight has brought together a number of these people with a broad range of specialisms so that their thoughts can be heard in one regularly updated place.
Its writers include Conservative Party Shadow Ministers and directors of independent thinktanks and campaign groups (see the Writers list in the sidebar for their profiles). They all have their own accounts so that they can upload posts themselves whenever it suits them.
You'll also notice in the sidebar that there are links to centre-right thinktanks and campaign groups in the UK and abroad, and to the most recent reports produced by them. If you read CentreRight you will easily be amongst the most informed 0.5% of the country about what the latest conservative thinking is.
It goes without saying that ConservativeHome doesn't necessarily endorse what the authors write, the authors don't necessarily endorse what ConservativeHome writes, and the authors don't necessarily endorse what the other authors write!
We'd love to hear any feedback, so this is the place to give it. Feel free to email me if you have a general query.
***************
Recent Posts
The climate change bill: a futile and very costly folly
"What kind of people do they think we are?"*
British taxpayers' money is being used to fuel hatred in the Middle East
Might Brown cut taxes?
EU legislation at Westminster: time for an electoral mandate
Will the Euro re-enter British political debate?
Another victory for James McGrath?
The FT joins the tax cuts camp
Ten recent pundit predictions ...
"Positive action to help some white groups"?
****************
International centre-right organisations
American Enterprise Institute (US)
Association for Liberal Thinking (Turkey)
Atlantic Bridge (UK/US)
Atlantic Partnership (UK/US)
Australian Polity
Center for Economic Development (Bulgaria)
Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Development (Montenegro)
Center for Institutional Analysis and Development (Romania)
Center for Liberal-Democratic Studies (Serbia)
Center for the Study of Democracy (Bulgaria)
Centre for Independent Studies (Aus)
Centre for Liberal Strategies (Bulgaria)
Club For Growth (US)
Club Nouveau Siécle (Fr)
Competitive Enterprise Institute (US)
Economic Policy Research Institute (Macedonia)
Ekome (Greece)
Ethics and Public Policy Center (US)
Fondation Concorde (Fr)
Fondation pour l'Innovation Politique (Fr)
Fondation Robert Schuman (Fr)
Fraser Institute (Can)
Free Market Center (Serbia)
Free Market Foundation (SA)
Globalisation Institute (EU)
Hellenic Leadership Institute (Greece)
Heritage Foundation (US)
Hoover Institution (US)
Hudson Institute (US)
Institut Turgot (Fr)
Institute for Market Economics (Bulgaria)
Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses (Montenegro)
Institute of Public Affairs (Aus)
International Democrat Union
Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (Israel)
Leadership Institute (US)
Liberté Chérie (Fr)
Manhattan Institute (US)
Maxim Institute (NZ)
Menzies Research Centre (Australia)
Montreal Economic Institute (Can)
Movement for European Reform (EU)
Riinvest (Kosovo)
Romania Thinktank
Society for Individual Liberty (Bulgaria)
Stockholm Network (Europe)
Taxpayers Federation (Can)
Thatcher Center for Freedom (US)
UK centre-right organisations
2020health.org
Adam Smith Institute
Bruges Group
Centre for Policy Studies
Centre for Social Cohesion
Centre for Social Justice
Civitas
Countryside Alliance
European Foundation
Freedom Association
Global Vision
Henry Jackson Society
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Institute Of Directors
Institute of Economic Affairs
London Policy Institute
Migration Watch
New Culture Forum
Open Europe
Policy Exchange
Policy Institute
Politeia
Progressive Vision
Reform
Social Affairs Unit
Social Market Foundation
Stockholm Network
Taxpayers' Alliance
Tory organisations
Association of Conservative Clubs
Bow Group
Britain Club
Campaign for Conservative Democracy
Conservative Animal Welfare Group
Conservative Christian Fellowship
Conservative Disability Group
Conservative Friends of Bangladesh
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative History Group
Conservative Humanists
Conservative Liberty Forum
Conservative Medical Society
Conservative Muslim Forum
Conservative National Education Society
Conservative Party Archive
Conservative Party Foundation
Conservative Party's Human Rights Commission
Conservative Political Officers Network
Conservative Technology Forum
Conservative Transport Group
Conservative Way Forward
Conservative Women's Organisation
Conservatives Abroad
Conservatives at Work
Cornerstone Group of Tory MPs
Direct Democracy
Enterprise Forum
First Defence
Network Me
Selsdon Group
Society for Conservative Lawyers
Society of Conservative Lawyers
Tories for Older People
Tories for Older People
Tory Reform Group
Women2Win
Open Europe press summary: 30 October 2008
Europe
European Commission to double crisis fund
The European Commission has announced that it is to double the crisis fund available to member states to 25 billion euros, in a sign that other European countries may need emergency cash injections, reports the Times. At its current level, the fund has been depleted by more than half by its bailout package to Hungary.
The Commission will present a more comprehensive EU-wide stimulus plan in November and Commission President Barroso has cautioned against national recovery plans, urging a bloc-wide plan stating that "we must swim together or we will sink together", according to EUobserver.
Economic Affairs Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, has urged EU states to draw on the flexibility contained in the EU's stability and growth pact. The Commission has told member states they may breach the 3% limit on budget deficits as long as their budgetary pressures are the result of the current financial crisis rather than poor policies, which could still result in punishment, writes the Irish Times.
Britain's biggest banks are to be offered £4billion today by the European Investment Bank, but will only receive the money if they agree to conform to "tight parameters", and restrict their ability to impose "punitive" interest rates, reports the Times.
Deutsche Welle reports that Angela Merkel will meet with Gordon Brown today to discuss the effects of the global financial crisis. The paper writes that Britain, France and Germany have been working on a "shared perspective" on how to move forward and Nicolas Sarkozy has said that "we have been trying to coordinate our positions, to make sure Europe has a common position and to find solutions together". However, Mark Mardell writes on his BBC blog that Merkel has "watered down" suggestions from Sarkozy during his Presidency and, of late, she has been "visible by blocking his plans."
EUobserver Deutsche Welle Times Irish Independent Tijd Guardian Suddeutsche Zeitung The Parliament Times2 BBC: Mardell Deutsche Welle European Voice New Statesman Macwhirter Irish Times
Irish 'No' vote has not reduced inward foreign investment
Ireland's Industrial Development Agency has announced that it has suffered little negative impact as a result of the country's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. The agency, which works to secure foreign investment in Ireland, had previously urged a Yes vote.
Breakingnews.ie
Lisbon: French Europe Minister hopes for resolution before year end
Le Figaro has an interview with French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet. He says, "I deeply hope... that by the end of the French Presidency we will have a sort of political agreement with our Irish friends, amongst 27, that they tell us what proposals they need, that we can give them legal guarantees... that these are put in place and that we have the most precise road map possible concerning the implementation of the treaty."
Le Figaro interview
Commission backs car industry's request for soft loans and incentives to boost new car purchases
The Guardian reports that the European Commission yesterday backed industry calls for an EU-wide scheme to offer motorists incentives to take their old cars off the road and buy new fuel-efficient, cleaner models. The Commission also urged the European Investment Bank (EIB) to offer up to 40bn euros (£32bn) in soft loans to help the car industry design new green technologies.
Günter Verheugen, EU Industry Commissioner, said the proposed scheme would have to be financed by national governments and would operate on a pan-European basis. According to EUobserver, he said "We are in a situation where it is getting harder for big European businesses to get credit," he added. "It is not a question of hand-outs, it's a question of the European Investment Bank making available a low-interest credit programme."
Guardian FEM Business Stern BBC WSJ EUobserver
David Walker, plant sciences professor at the University of Sheffield, argues in a letter in the Guardian "Biofuels do not lead to any appreciable sparing of carbon dioxide emissions that could not be better accomplished by the most modest means of energy conservation, such as a small reduction of the legal speed limit on motorways." Guardian letters Reuters European Voice
According to a poll by Germany's Stern magazine, the country's population is losing faith in the free market and may be open to more government intervention in the economy, including nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy.
EUobserver
Blue Card policy may harm EU investment in education
EUobserver reports that Aristide Zolberg, Professor at New York's New School University, has warned that EU governments will tend to invest less in education if they can "import" highly skilled workers from third countries through the so-called "Blue Card" immigration scheme. "Every country wants the same - high-skilled, already trained workers. But I strongly disapprove of subcontracting education to other countries at the expense of not investing in one's own schools," Mr Zolberg argued.
EUobserver
Sainsbury's presses EU to allow 'knobbly fruit'
The British supermarket giant Sainsbury's has written to the European Commission demanding that it loosens strict standards that prevent flawed fruit and vegetables from reaching supermarket shelves. European Voice reports that the strict EU rules "consign knobbly cucumbers and undersized melons" to be wasted.
European Voice
EU resists calls to send troops to Congo
EUobserver reports that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for the EU to do more to help UN peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo, but said there is not enough political will among member states to send an EU battlegroup to the African region. Louis Michel, the EU's Development Aid Commissioner is heading a special envoy to the region to assess the humanitarian situation.
EUobserver IHT
Mandelson heralds new relationship with Russia
Despite a pledge only weeks ago from Gordon Brown that "business as usual" would not be resumed with Russia after the "totally unacceptable" Georgia conflict, the Times reports Lord Mandelson's claims that "The global economic crisis has brought Britain and Russia closer". Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Moscow, the Business Secretary said that the two countries would work together to stave off a worldwide recession. Mandelson's hopes that his visit would encourage a "thawing in the difficult political relationship" with Russia, contrasts with the stance adopted by the Prime Minister and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, the Times reports.
Times
The Irish dairy industry fears that EU emissions targets will force farmers to cut cattle numbers by 20%, making the industry even less competitive.
Irish Times
Ukraine starts talks on visa free travel to the EU for its citizens
EU and Ukrainian officials discussed plans yesterday to allow visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens to the EU, EUobserver reports. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister described the possibility of ending the "lengthy and expensive" visa system as "really a very remarkable event" for EU-Ukraine relations, but if the EU approves Ukraine's request, it is unlikely that free movement of people will be possible until at least 2012, EUobserver reports.
EUobserver
Jim McConalogue argues on the Centre Right blog, that better Parliamentary scrutiny of EU laws is needed and that this can be achieved via a strengthened European Scrutiny Committee.
ConservativeHome
Writing in the WSJ Daniel Henninger warns that US Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to take the US toward a Western European 'social economic' model.
WSJ Henninger
The London-based Alternative Investment Management Association, the hedge fund trade body, says it plans to ask the EU to clamp down on the German legal loophole which allowed Porsche to secretly take its VW stake to almost 75%, resulting in huge hedge fund losses.
Times
European Commission to double crisis fund
The European Commission has announced that it is to double the crisis fund available to member states to 25 billion euros, in a sign that other European countries may need emergency cash injections, reports the Times. At its current level, the fund has been depleted by more than half by its bailout package to Hungary.
The Commission will present a more comprehensive EU-wide stimulus plan in November and Commission President Barroso has cautioned against national recovery plans, urging a bloc-wide plan stating that "we must swim together or we will sink together", according to EUobserver.
Economic Affairs Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, has urged EU states to draw on the flexibility contained in the EU's stability and growth pact. The Commission has told member states they may breach the 3% limit on budget deficits as long as their budgetary pressures are the result of the current financial crisis rather than poor policies, which could still result in punishment, writes the Irish Times.
Britain's biggest banks are to be offered £4billion today by the European Investment Bank, but will only receive the money if they agree to conform to "tight parameters", and restrict their ability to impose "punitive" interest rates, reports the Times.
Deutsche Welle reports that Angela Merkel will meet with Gordon Brown today to discuss the effects of the global financial crisis. The paper writes that Britain, France and Germany have been working on a "shared perspective" on how to move forward and Nicolas Sarkozy has said that "we have been trying to coordinate our positions, to make sure Europe has a common position and to find solutions together". However, Mark Mardell writes on his BBC blog that Merkel has "watered down" suggestions from Sarkozy during his Presidency and, of late, she has been "visible by blocking his plans."
EUobserver Deutsche Welle Times Irish Independent Tijd Guardian Suddeutsche Zeitung The Parliament Times2 BBC: Mardell Deutsche Welle European Voice New Statesman Macwhirter Irish Times
Irish 'No' vote has not reduced inward foreign investment
Ireland's Industrial Development Agency has announced that it has suffered little negative impact as a result of the country's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. The agency, which works to secure foreign investment in Ireland, had previously urged a Yes vote.
Breakingnews.ie
Lisbon: French Europe Minister hopes for resolution before year end
Le Figaro has an interview with French Europe Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet. He says, "I deeply hope... that by the end of the French Presidency we will have a sort of political agreement with our Irish friends, amongst 27, that they tell us what proposals they need, that we can give them legal guarantees... that these are put in place and that we have the most precise road map possible concerning the implementation of the treaty."
Le Figaro interview
Commission backs car industry's request for soft loans and incentives to boost new car purchases
The Guardian reports that the European Commission yesterday backed industry calls for an EU-wide scheme to offer motorists incentives to take their old cars off the road and buy new fuel-efficient, cleaner models. The Commission also urged the European Investment Bank (EIB) to offer up to 40bn euros (£32bn) in soft loans to help the car industry design new green technologies.
Günter Verheugen, EU Industry Commissioner, said the proposed scheme would have to be financed by national governments and would operate on a pan-European basis. According to EUobserver, he said "We are in a situation where it is getting harder for big European businesses to get credit," he added. "It is not a question of hand-outs, it's a question of the European Investment Bank making available a low-interest credit programme."
Guardian FEM Business Stern BBC WSJ EUobserver
David Walker, plant sciences professor at the University of Sheffield, argues in a letter in the Guardian "Biofuels do not lead to any appreciable sparing of carbon dioxide emissions that could not be better accomplished by the most modest means of energy conservation, such as a small reduction of the legal speed limit on motorways." Guardian letters Reuters European Voice
According to a poll by Germany's Stern magazine, the country's population is losing faith in the free market and may be open to more government intervention in the economy, including nationalisation of the commanding heights of the economy.
EUobserver
Blue Card policy may harm EU investment in education
EUobserver reports that Aristide Zolberg, Professor at New York's New School University, has warned that EU governments will tend to invest less in education if they can "import" highly skilled workers from third countries through the so-called "Blue Card" immigration scheme. "Every country wants the same - high-skilled, already trained workers. But I strongly disapprove of subcontracting education to other countries at the expense of not investing in one's own schools," Mr Zolberg argued.
EUobserver
Sainsbury's presses EU to allow 'knobbly fruit'
The British supermarket giant Sainsbury's has written to the European Commission demanding that it loosens strict standards that prevent flawed fruit and vegetables from reaching supermarket shelves. European Voice reports that the strict EU rules "consign knobbly cucumbers and undersized melons" to be wasted.
European Voice
EU resists calls to send troops to Congo
EUobserver reports that French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner has called for the EU to do more to help UN peacekeepers in Democratic Republic of Congo, but said there is not enough political will among member states to send an EU battlegroup to the African region. Louis Michel, the EU's Development Aid Commissioner is heading a special envoy to the region to assess the humanitarian situation.
EUobserver IHT
Mandelson heralds new relationship with Russia
Despite a pledge only weeks ago from Gordon Brown that "business as usual" would not be resumed with Russia after the "totally unacceptable" Georgia conflict, the Times reports Lord Mandelson's claims that "The global economic crisis has brought Britain and Russia closer". Speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Moscow, the Business Secretary said that the two countries would work together to stave off a worldwide recession. Mandelson's hopes that his visit would encourage a "thawing in the difficult political relationship" with Russia, contrasts with the stance adopted by the Prime Minister and David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, the Times reports.
Times
The Irish dairy industry fears that EU emissions targets will force farmers to cut cattle numbers by 20%, making the industry even less competitive.
Irish Times
Ukraine starts talks on visa free travel to the EU for its citizens
EU and Ukrainian officials discussed plans yesterday to allow visa-free travel for Ukrainian citizens to the EU, EUobserver reports. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister described the possibility of ending the "lengthy and expensive" visa system as "really a very remarkable event" for EU-Ukraine relations, but if the EU approves Ukraine's request, it is unlikely that free movement of people will be possible until at least 2012, EUobserver reports.
EUobserver
Jim McConalogue argues on the Centre Right blog, that better Parliamentary scrutiny of EU laws is needed and that this can be achieved via a strengthened European Scrutiny Committee.
ConservativeHome
Writing in the WSJ Daniel Henninger warns that US Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to take the US toward a Western European 'social economic' model.
WSJ Henninger
The London-based Alternative Investment Management Association, the hedge fund trade body, says it plans to ask the EU to clamp down on the German legal loophole which allowed Porsche to secretly take its VW stake to almost 75%, resulting in huge hedge fund losses.
Times
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Former UK Minister Predicts European Nations Will Form One Government
Former UK Minister Predicts European Nations Will Form One Government
October 27, 2008 From theTrumpet.com
The European Union will become a new superstate, said Lord Tebbit, former Conservative Party chairman and minister in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, on Monday. Speaking at a dinner to mark the 20th anniversary of Lady Thatcher’s Bruges speech, Lord Tebbit laid out how he saw the future for Europe. He said that the eurozone’s divided response to the credit crisis exposed a major flaw within Europe, and one that would soon be corrected:
When the chips went down, the EMU (Economic Monetary Union) states acted each in its own national interest regardless of their mutual obligation.In short the euro was exposed as a single currency with 15 chancellors of the exchequer and 15 treasuries. In the long run there can only be one chancellor, one treasury, one tax system, one economic policy for any one currency—and that means one government and one state.
Lord Tebbit sees this unity going as far as creating “the West European Republic.” The rest of the countries that do not want to join this new nation would still be part of a new European community of “sovereign independent states cooperating willingly together.”
Longtime reads of the the Trumpet will notice the similarity of Lord Tebbit’s forecasting with our own. Ten nations within Europe will form a single superpower. The rest will be loosely associated with the power, or ruled by force by it.
For more information on where Europe is heading, read our article “Are We Wrong About Europe?” •
October 27, 2008 From theTrumpet.com
The European Union will become a new superstate, said Lord Tebbit, former Conservative Party chairman and minister in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet, on Monday. Speaking at a dinner to mark the 20th anniversary of Lady Thatcher’s Bruges speech, Lord Tebbit laid out how he saw the future for Europe. He said that the eurozone’s divided response to the credit crisis exposed a major flaw within Europe, and one that would soon be corrected:
When the chips went down, the EMU (Economic Monetary Union) states acted each in its own national interest regardless of their mutual obligation.In short the euro was exposed as a single currency with 15 chancellors of the exchequer and 15 treasuries. In the long run there can only be one chancellor, one treasury, one tax system, one economic policy for any one currency—and that means one government and one state.
Lord Tebbit sees this unity going as far as creating “the West European Republic.” The rest of the countries that do not want to join this new nation would still be part of a new European community of “sovereign independent states cooperating willingly together.”
Longtime reads of the the Trumpet will notice the similarity of Lord Tebbit’s forecasting with our own. Ten nations within Europe will form a single superpower. The rest will be loosely associated with the power, or ruled by force by it.
For more information on where Europe is heading, read our article “Are We Wrong About Europe?” •
EUobserver.com
HEADLINES
************************************************************
1. Sarkozy wants more EU crisis funding
2. European biofuels win last-minute reprieve in new data
3. Record rescue package for battered Hungarian economy
4. Lukashenko may come to EU summit
5. Poland adopts step-by-step euro entry plan
***** THE NEWS *************************************************************
1. Sarkozy wants more EU crisis funding - 29.10.2008 - 09:22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for an EU crisis fund formember states to be extended from 12 billion currently to "at least" 20 billion in order to boost the bloc's ability to respond to the financialturmoil.
http://euobserver.com/9/27011/?rk=1
2. European biofuels win last-minute reprieve in new data - 29.10.2008 - 09:28
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The European Commission has amended its values for the amount of greenhousegas emissions biofuels release so that certain fuels produced in Europethat previously would not have met new "green" thresholds approved by MEPsnow meet them.
http://euobserver.com/9/27013/?rk=1
3. Record rescue package for battered Hungarian economy - 29.10.2008 - 09:19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hungary is to receive a record sum of €20 billion in a rescue package agreed to by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and theWorld Bank and designed to help Budapest cope with the devastating damageto national finances and the forint caused by the global credit crunch.
http://euobserver.com/9/27009/?rk=1
4. Lukashenko may come to EU summit - 29.10.2008 - 09:26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The upcoming Czech EU presidency is considering inviting Belarus PresidentAlexander Lukashenko to an extraordinary EU summit in the first half of 2009, if the country introduces pro-democratic reforms.
http://euobserver.com/9/27012/?rk=1
5. Poland adopts step-by-step euro entry plan - 29.10.2008 - 09:22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Polish government has adopted a detailed timetable designed to replace the Polish zloty with the euro on 1 January 2012, but question marks remainover a potential referendum on the move.
http://euobserver.com/9/27010/?rk=1
************************************************************
1. Sarkozy wants more EU crisis funding
2. European biofuels win last-minute reprieve in new data
3. Record rescue package for battered Hungarian economy
4. Lukashenko may come to EU summit
5. Poland adopts step-by-step euro entry plan
***** THE NEWS *************************************************************
1. Sarkozy wants more EU crisis funding - 29.10.2008 - 09:22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for an EU crisis fund formember states to be extended from 12 billion currently to "at least" 20 billion in order to boost the bloc's ability to respond to the financialturmoil.
http://euobserver.com/9/27011/?rk=1
2. European biofuels win last-minute reprieve in new data - 29.10.2008 - 09:28
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The European Commission has amended its values for the amount of greenhousegas emissions biofuels release so that certain fuels produced in Europethat previously would not have met new "green" thresholds approved by MEPsnow meet them.
http://euobserver.com/9/27013/?rk=1
3. Record rescue package for battered Hungarian economy - 29.10.2008 - 09:19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hungary is to receive a record sum of €20 billion in a rescue package agreed to by the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and theWorld Bank and designed to help Budapest cope with the devastating damageto national finances and the forint caused by the global credit crunch.
http://euobserver.com/9/27009/?rk=1
4. Lukashenko may come to EU summit - 29.10.2008 - 09:26
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The upcoming Czech EU presidency is considering inviting Belarus PresidentAlexander Lukashenko to an extraordinary EU summit in the first half of 2009, if the country introduces pro-democratic reforms.
http://euobserver.com/9/27012/?rk=1
5. Poland adopts step-by-step euro entry plan - 29.10.2008 - 09:22
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Polish government has adopted a detailed timetable designed to replace the Polish zloty with the euro on 1 January 2012, but question marks remainover a potential referendum on the move.
http://euobserver.com/9/27010/?rk=1
Open Europe press summary: 29 October 2008
Europe
EU Commissioners fail to disclose holidays or perks
The Times reports that EU Commissioners have registered 216 gifts, worth more than 150 euros each, received during their four-year term. However, in line with the code of conduct, they have not been forced to reveal details of any holidays or perks received.
The paper notes that pledges made in 2005 to tighten the code following an "outcry" over yacht hospitality received by José Manuel Barroso have "fallen by the wayside". When asked if they would be prepared to provide more information beyond the strict limits of the code, spokesmen for all the Commissioners said that they believed the code was "sufficiently clear and precise".
However, a leader in the paper argues that the disclosure of such private hospitality remains "vital", particularly with regards to Europe's trade, industry and competition Commissioners, who are more influential than all but "a handful of national ministers", yet there remains "shocking laxity of rules governing the gifts and hospitality lavished on Commissioners."
Times Times: Leader
EU Commission adapts data to benefit European biofuel producers
According to EUobserver, the European Commission has changed the criteria for measuring greenhouse gas emissions saved by biofuels in order to allow more European-produced biofuels to be used to meet the EU's proposed target of 10% use in transport fuel by 2020. Although European produced biofuels are amongst the most expensive and inefficient in the world, the move will benefit the European biofuels industry.
The new data is reported to be from the Commission, car manufacturers and oil companies. The report that explains how the figures were arrived at remains secret, and will not be available to MEPs scrutinising the biofuel target.
Environmental NGOs have complained that the Commission is ignoring the critical issue of extra emissions from land-use change, which occur when land that would have been used to grow food or animal feed is used to produce fuel. The UK Government's review has shown that these additional emissions far outweigh any greenhouse gas savings from biofuels.
EUobserver Open Europe research
China asks EU for $160bn in return for cooperation on emissions cuts
According to the FT, China has "raised the price of its cooperation in the world's climate change talks" by demanding that developed countries spend 1% of GDP on transfer funds to poorer nations to help them reduce emissions. For the EU, this would equate to $160bn. The Chinese conceded that even such large funds "might not be enough".
FT
Poland moots possibility of a referendum on euro membership
Poland's government set out plans yesterday for adopting the euro by 2012, as the Polish zloty continues to be "buffeted by the global financial crisis", the FT reports. The report suggests that Poland could amend its constitution as early as 2009 and join the European exchange rate mechanism later that year. The BBC reports that widespread opposition to the euro would force the Polish government to hold a referendum on joining the currency.
Meanwhile, another FT report says that the new found enthusiasm for the euro in the Polish government is "finding echoes across the continent", with nations such as Denmark and the Baltic states becoming more open to the idea of the single currency. Greg Hands MP argues on the ConservativeHome blog that even in the UK, euro membership is "likely to re-enter our domestic political debate". Similarly, European Voice reports on a poll in Sweden that suggests opposition to the euro is 'waning', with 47% of respondents "willing to replace the Swedish krona". Meanwhile, the Coulisses de Bruxelles blog reports on a new poll from Iceland which shows that 68.8% of people want to join the EU, with 72.5% of those willing to join the euro.
BBC EUobserver FT FT 2 European Voice Conservative Home Hands
Sarkozy calls for more EU crisis funding;
Brown looks to Asia and Middle East to bolster IMF
The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown will this weekend call on China and the Gulf states to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the International Monetary Fund to prevent the "contagion" of the global financial crisis from destroying vulnerable economies. The paper notes that Brown hopes to make progress on boosting the IMF ahead of a meeting of the G20 group of world leaders in Washington next month, designed to pave the way for a major restructuring of global financial institutions.
Brown met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday to discuss the plan ahead of an informal EU summit to be held next Friday, one week before the Washington meeting. Sarkozy described the new close relationship with Britain as an "entente formidable" and said the two countries were working "hand in hand".
Meanwhile, EUobserver reports that Sarkozy has called for an EU crisis fund for member states to be extended from the current 12 billion euro figure to "at least" 20 billion. "I will propose on 7 November ...that the EU itself, which has at its disposal 12 billion euros to support a certain number of member states, passes to at least 20 billion euros in order to increase our ability to respond to the [financial] crisis," the French President said shortly before meeting Brown.
Writing in the IHT Steven Erlanger notes that Sarkozy's recent pronouncements about what the EU should be doing, in regards to an EU sovereign wealth fund and "economic government" without prior consultation with his allies, "has rubbed the Germans and the British the wrong way". Director of the German Marshall Fund in Berlin Constanze Stelzenmüller said, "Sarkozy has what is traditionally considered a 'superpower attention deficit disorder'".
Meanwhile, EUobserver reports that Hungary is set to receive 20bn euros in a rescue package agreed by the EU, the IMF and the World Bank. A leader in the Independent notes that the bailout of Hungary "is part of a broader test for the EU" and argues that "If the EU is not at the forefront of bailing out its members when financial calamity strikes, it is difficult to see the point of the union."
Independent EUobserver Guardian EUobserver 2 Independent-leader BBC Times IHT
UK moves to bar "preachers of hate" from entry - but will the EU allow it?
The UK is to strengthen rules to deny entry to individuals who promote extremism. The new measures will shift the burden of proof onto individuals to provide evidence refuting accusations made against them, reports the FT.
The Home Office anticipates that the new rules, which could even prevent UK nationals from returning to Britain after stints abroad, including the European Union which requires free movement of all the bloc's citizens - will result in the barring of a larger number of people suspected of Islamic extremist links.
FT
The European Commission's competition authorities have approved Germany's 470bn euro bailout of its financial institutions and system.
European Voice
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said his government will add 100,000 subsidised job contracts to the previously agreed 330,000 it will finance in 2009.
WSJ Le Figaro Le Figaro 2
Bulgaria risks losing billions in EU subsidies
The Bulgarian government has only a few weeks to avoid losing billions in EU subsidies, and could face "unprecedented sanctions" from the EU. EU officials are due in Sofia this week to conduct an audit, after a report in July concluded that EU money was vulnerable to fraud, reports IHT. If the audit shows irregularities, Bulgaria stands to lose 220 million euros of frozen aid, because of a deadline due to expire next month.
IHT
Tisdall: Baltic states vulnerable on Europe's fringe
The Guardian's Simon Tisdall reports on unease in the Baltic states following the Georgia crisis and recent financial crisis, which has highlighted the Baltics' vulnerability on Europe's fringe, and shown that "EU membership is not quite the panacea some may have once imagined."
No link
EU Commissioners fail to disclose holidays or perks
The Times reports that EU Commissioners have registered 216 gifts, worth more than 150 euros each, received during their four-year term. However, in line with the code of conduct, they have not been forced to reveal details of any holidays or perks received.
The paper notes that pledges made in 2005 to tighten the code following an "outcry" over yacht hospitality received by José Manuel Barroso have "fallen by the wayside". When asked if they would be prepared to provide more information beyond the strict limits of the code, spokesmen for all the Commissioners said that they believed the code was "sufficiently clear and precise".
However, a leader in the paper argues that the disclosure of such private hospitality remains "vital", particularly with regards to Europe's trade, industry and competition Commissioners, who are more influential than all but "a handful of national ministers", yet there remains "shocking laxity of rules governing the gifts and hospitality lavished on Commissioners."
Times Times: Leader
EU Commission adapts data to benefit European biofuel producers
According to EUobserver, the European Commission has changed the criteria for measuring greenhouse gas emissions saved by biofuels in order to allow more European-produced biofuels to be used to meet the EU's proposed target of 10% use in transport fuel by 2020. Although European produced biofuels are amongst the most expensive and inefficient in the world, the move will benefit the European biofuels industry.
The new data is reported to be from the Commission, car manufacturers and oil companies. The report that explains how the figures were arrived at remains secret, and will not be available to MEPs scrutinising the biofuel target.
Environmental NGOs have complained that the Commission is ignoring the critical issue of extra emissions from land-use change, which occur when land that would have been used to grow food or animal feed is used to produce fuel. The UK Government's review has shown that these additional emissions far outweigh any greenhouse gas savings from biofuels.
EUobserver Open Europe research
China asks EU for $160bn in return for cooperation on emissions cuts
According to the FT, China has "raised the price of its cooperation in the world's climate change talks" by demanding that developed countries spend 1% of GDP on transfer funds to poorer nations to help them reduce emissions. For the EU, this would equate to $160bn. The Chinese conceded that even such large funds "might not be enough".
FT
Poland moots possibility of a referendum on euro membership
Poland's government set out plans yesterday for adopting the euro by 2012, as the Polish zloty continues to be "buffeted by the global financial crisis", the FT reports. The report suggests that Poland could amend its constitution as early as 2009 and join the European exchange rate mechanism later that year. The BBC reports that widespread opposition to the euro would force the Polish government to hold a referendum on joining the currency.
Meanwhile, another FT report says that the new found enthusiasm for the euro in the Polish government is "finding echoes across the continent", with nations such as Denmark and the Baltic states becoming more open to the idea of the single currency. Greg Hands MP argues on the ConservativeHome blog that even in the UK, euro membership is "likely to re-enter our domestic political debate". Similarly, European Voice reports on a poll in Sweden that suggests opposition to the euro is 'waning', with 47% of respondents "willing to replace the Swedish krona". Meanwhile, the Coulisses de Bruxelles blog reports on a new poll from Iceland which shows that 68.8% of people want to join the EU, with 72.5% of those willing to join the euro.
BBC EUobserver FT FT 2 European Voice Conservative Home Hands
Sarkozy calls for more EU crisis funding;
Brown looks to Asia and Middle East to bolster IMF
The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown will this weekend call on China and the Gulf states to inject hundreds of billions of dollars into the International Monetary Fund to prevent the "contagion" of the global financial crisis from destroying vulnerable economies. The paper notes that Brown hopes to make progress on boosting the IMF ahead of a meeting of the G20 group of world leaders in Washington next month, designed to pave the way for a major restructuring of global financial institutions.
Brown met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday to discuss the plan ahead of an informal EU summit to be held next Friday, one week before the Washington meeting. Sarkozy described the new close relationship with Britain as an "entente formidable" and said the two countries were working "hand in hand".
Meanwhile, EUobserver reports that Sarkozy has called for an EU crisis fund for member states to be extended from the current 12 billion euro figure to "at least" 20 billion. "I will propose on 7 November ...that the EU itself, which has at its disposal 12 billion euros to support a certain number of member states, passes to at least 20 billion euros in order to increase our ability to respond to the [financial] crisis," the French President said shortly before meeting Brown.
Writing in the IHT Steven Erlanger notes that Sarkozy's recent pronouncements about what the EU should be doing, in regards to an EU sovereign wealth fund and "economic government" without prior consultation with his allies, "has rubbed the Germans and the British the wrong way". Director of the German Marshall Fund in Berlin Constanze Stelzenmüller said, "Sarkozy has what is traditionally considered a 'superpower attention deficit disorder'".
Meanwhile, EUobserver reports that Hungary is set to receive 20bn euros in a rescue package agreed by the EU, the IMF and the World Bank. A leader in the Independent notes that the bailout of Hungary "is part of a broader test for the EU" and argues that "If the EU is not at the forefront of bailing out its members when financial calamity strikes, it is difficult to see the point of the union."
Independent EUobserver Guardian EUobserver 2 Independent-leader BBC Times IHT
UK moves to bar "preachers of hate" from entry - but will the EU allow it?
The UK is to strengthen rules to deny entry to individuals who promote extremism. The new measures will shift the burden of proof onto individuals to provide evidence refuting accusations made against them, reports the FT.
The Home Office anticipates that the new rules, which could even prevent UK nationals from returning to Britain after stints abroad, including the European Union which requires free movement of all the bloc's citizens - will result in the barring of a larger number of people suspected of Islamic extremist links.
FT
The European Commission's competition authorities have approved Germany's 470bn euro bailout of its financial institutions and system.
European Voice
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said his government will add 100,000 subsidised job contracts to the previously agreed 330,000 it will finance in 2009.
WSJ Le Figaro Le Figaro 2
Bulgaria risks losing billions in EU subsidies
The Bulgarian government has only a few weeks to avoid losing billions in EU subsidies, and could face "unprecedented sanctions" from the EU. EU officials are due in Sofia this week to conduct an audit, after a report in July concluded that EU money was vulnerable to fraud, reports IHT. If the audit shows irregularities, Bulgaria stands to lose 220 million euros of frozen aid, because of a deadline due to expire next month.
IHT
Tisdall: Baltic states vulnerable on Europe's fringe
The Guardian's Simon Tisdall reports on unease in the Baltic states following the Georgia crisis and recent financial crisis, which has highlighted the Baltics' vulnerability on Europe's fringe, and shown that "EU membership is not quite the panacea some may have once imagined."
No link
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Fanatically negative reviews of Beyond Babylon
Beyond Babylon review
A Must Read, If You Share His Premises,
By Robert Locke
The fanatically negative reviews of other reviewers should clue the potential purchaser in on one thing only: this is a religious book, and as such, is contrary to some people's deeply-held beliefs. David Ben-Ariel is a Christian Zionist, something which upsets some people (read "Moslems") no end. But if you are a Christian seeking the connections between your own religion and Zionism, or a Jew, seeking to understand why some Christians are such staunch supporters of your cousins in the Middle East, this book is one of the best explanations out there. Ben-Ariel is not shy about taking the Bible, and what it implies about contemporary political events, seriously. If you are not a religious believer, you will find his connections between Bible verses and contemporary political events simply irrelevant, but that's up to you.
***************
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
A Must Read, If You Share His Premises,
By Robert Locke
The fanatically negative reviews of other reviewers should clue the potential purchaser in on one thing only: this is a religious book, and as such, is contrary to some people's deeply-held beliefs. David Ben-Ariel is a Christian Zionist, something which upsets some people (read "Moslems") no end. But if you are a Christian seeking the connections between your own religion and Zionism, or a Jew, seeking to understand why some Christians are such staunch supporters of your cousins in the Middle East, this book is one of the best explanations out there. Ben-Ariel is not shy about taking the Bible, and what it implies about contemporary political events, seriously. If you are not a religious believer, you will find his connections between Bible verses and contemporary political events simply irrelevant, but that's up to you.
***************
http://www.davidbenariel.org/
Zimbabwe suffers without White Israelite rule
Re: Zimbabwe inflation hits 11,200,000 percent
Once considered the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of an economic meltdown ever since the country embarked on a chaotic land reform program that has decimated commercial agriculture.
White-Israelite managed Rhodesia was the breadbasket of Africa, but now under atrocious Black misrule, with their racist attacks against White Israelite farmers who worked the land and blessed everybody (why does the media fail to focus on this racial issue?), Zimbabwe is in ruins.
Sold-out South Africa is quickly reverting to its primitive state (due to lack of White Israelite leadership), ANC changes for the worse, and stupid Americans prepare to elect another Black Marxist to office, ignorant and indifferent to the real world and history lessons, having been Obamatized, falling under delusions of Obama's grandeur, easy prey to PC propaganda as White Rhodesians and White South Africans proved to be and now suffer horribly for it.
Warning For America From South Africa
It's A Sin To Vote For Obama!
South Africa's Lame-Duck President
David Ben-Ariel posted on 2008-10-28 10:39:49 ET Reply Trace
Once considered the breadbasket of Africa, Zimbabwe has been in the throes of an economic meltdown ever since the country embarked on a chaotic land reform program that has decimated commercial agriculture.
White-Israelite managed Rhodesia was the breadbasket of Africa, but now under atrocious Black misrule, with their racist attacks against White Israelite farmers who worked the land and blessed everybody (why does the media fail to focus on this racial issue?), Zimbabwe is in ruins.
Sold-out South Africa is quickly reverting to its primitive state (due to lack of White Israelite leadership), ANC changes for the worse, and stupid Americans prepare to elect another Black Marxist to office, ignorant and indifferent to the real world and history lessons, having been Obamatized, falling under delusions of Obama's grandeur, easy prey to PC propaganda as White Rhodesians and White South Africans proved to be and now suffer horribly for it.
Warning For America From South Africa
It's A Sin To Vote For Obama!
South Africa's Lame-Duck President
David Ben-Ariel posted on 2008-10-28 10:39:49 ET Reply Trace
New EU to forge ahead without UK
Re: We can never be part of a federal Europe
By Norman Tebbit
*****************
The UK must get out or get stuck in the muck of Babylon. Those nations who cherish sovereignty should exit now from the entangling alliances of the "European" Union, a Jesuit ruse for Germany's Fourth Reich.
We can expect the powers that be to accelerate efforts to forge a United States of Europe to rival and replace the United States of America, smelling blood, due to the globalist bankster scheme to further defraud and deflate weary Americans and the obvious bankrupt spiritual state of its people that foreigner and fraud Obama represents.
Those who continue to sit on the fence risk rupture, and with a deflated and vulnerable America and imminent Iranian nuclear provocation, the heat will be on for the EU to eliminate excess baggage, to trim to a core group of ten nations, that can move at lightning speed.
Posted by David Ben-Ariel on October 28, 2008 1:38 PM
**************************************************
This Philadelphia Trumpet article puts things in perspective:
Does Britain Know What It's In For?
By Norman Tebbit
*****************
The UK must get out or get stuck in the muck of Babylon. Those nations who cherish sovereignty should exit now from the entangling alliances of the "European" Union, a Jesuit ruse for Germany's Fourth Reich.
We can expect the powers that be to accelerate efforts to forge a United States of Europe to rival and replace the United States of America, smelling blood, due to the globalist bankster scheme to further defraud and deflate weary Americans and the obvious bankrupt spiritual state of its people that foreigner and fraud Obama represents.
Those who continue to sit on the fence risk rupture, and with a deflated and vulnerable America and imminent Iranian nuclear provocation, the heat will be on for the EU to eliminate excess baggage, to trim to a core group of ten nations, that can move at lightning speed.
Posted by David Ben-Ariel on October 28, 2008 1:38 PM
**************************************************
This Philadelphia Trumpet article puts things in perspective:
Does Britain Know What It's In For?
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