Category: Europe

Well, isn’t that interesting?

A few days ago I said that Mario Monti, Italy's caretaker prime minister, had "left open the possibility of returning to government in some capacity." Now he's gone a step further, announcing that he will put himself at the head of a "centrist" ticket for February's election. The BBC reports as follows: The BBC's David … Continue reading Well, isn’t that interesting? →

Date set for Berlusconi’s last ride

It's been confirmed that Italy will go to the polls in just over two months, on 24-25 February. Prime minister Mario Monti, who has served since November 2011 as head of a non-partisan government, resigned on Friday following passage of his budget measures through parliament; he will stay on in a caretaker capacity until the … Continue reading Date set for Berlusconi’s last ride →

Free speech: just for nice people, or for crazy racists as well?

If you're compiling a list of salient political issues for 2012, free speech should probably get a prominent place. The debate that began last year in Australia with the Andrew Bolt case has continued, reaching a new pitch this month with apowerful intervention by former New South Wales chief justice (and new ABC chairman) Jim … Continue reading Free speech: just for nice people, or for crazy racists as well? →

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 →