An unsuccessful vote on same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland demonstrates Sinn Féin's willingness to defy the Catholic church, raising hopes that Ireland may be on the way to a less sectarian party system.
Category: British Isles
Fruitcake fringe poses problems for Cameron
Local elections in the UK don't tell you a great deal. But whatever their message is this week, it's bad for David Cameron.
Self-determination in the South Atlantic
The Falkland Islanders want to stay British; Britain still seems happy to have them. So does anyone else get to have a say in this?
Lib Dems live to fight another day
Finally, some good news for Britain's Liberal Democrats. Not so good for the Conservatives, who are going to have to face their eurosceptic demons.
Britain misses the point of the EU
Don't miss an excellent magazine piece this week by the BBC's Allan Little on the significance of the European Union in eastern Europe. He revisits the old debate between "broadening" and "deepening", and I think gets it absolutely right: Conservative Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major believed that widening Europe would help prevent its … Continue reading Britain misses the point of the EU
The World is Not Enough 