EU – Page 66 – Slugger O'Toole

Enforcing moral hazard the Icelandic way (though Ireland may have better longer term prospects)…

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2012, 7:29 pm

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There’s a good piece in the San Fran Chronicle which compares Iceland’s handling of the debt crisis favourably with the US’s. It doesn’t say it, but you might also compare it unfavourably with the Eurozone’s mishandling of its crisis too. Iceland’s special prosecutor has said it may indict as many as 90 people, while more than 200, including the former chief executives at the three biggest banks, face criminal charges. Larus Welding, the former CEO of Glitnir Bank hf, once …

#CATJRF: An open discussion on community asset transfer…

Mick Fealty on February 20, 2012, 10:09 am

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As promised last week, today marks the beginning of a discussion (debate is probably too grand a term for what we have in mind) of Community Asset Transfer… If you are confused as to what that means, it refers to the transfer of title or services from some form of statutory ownership or management to a community organisation. It is associated by some with the current UK government’s push to try and bring community players into action as part of …

Euro crisis: “It might be something which would allow Greece also to at least, to some extent, get a new start.”

Pete Baker on February 14, 2012, 10:23 pm

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Have the Greek coalition partners in Government, led by the technocratic former Greek and European central banker, Lucas Papademos, done enough to meet the demands of Germany their eurozone partners? Maybe… and maybe not. As the Guardian’s live-blog noted today Jean-Claude Juncker, who is also prime minister of Luxembourg, says the Eurogroup was still missing information from Athens on how it plans to save promised €325 million. He says he also did not receive assurances from the leaders of the two main …

Time for Ireland to align with London rather than Boston or Berlin?

Mick Fealty on February 13, 2012, 3:34 pm

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It’s a brave taoiseach that would abandon years of coaxing investment from the US, to begin to cultivate a closer relationship with the British. You might say that one of the critical differences between Greece and Ireland is that Ireland’s export industries(seeded with US capital) have far outperformed its indigenous industries. Nonetheless, Paul Allen argues that: …with our relationship with the UK stronger than ever, at last there can be open discussion about the possibility of joining the Commonwealth or …

Euro Crisis: Cold morning after a hot night in Athens…

Mick Fealty on February 13, 2012, 10:00 am

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Twitter was burning with indignation last night (as it often is) that the MSM did not throw any attention on the crisis in Athens as the Greek Parliament acted upon the German ultimatum to impose an austerity package that may see the new government washed away in the upcoming general election in April. I suppose that takes care of whether Greece defaults in the near term or not. As Pete has pointed out, the package is not enough to prevent …

Irish least romantic about Valentines day…

Mick Fealty on February 13, 2012, 9:27 am

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Erm, it seems the Irish spend least on their, erm, breaks… Damn, you mean we have to take breaks now? Anyone else not hear about these new rules? Irish couples spend just €160 and UK couples only £145 (€175) compared with the Spanish figure of €261. The French (€250), Italians (€210) and Germans (€180) also outspend the Irish, the survey revealed. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics …

Economic (Ireland’s or anyone else’s) sovereignty has not existed since Bretton Woods

Mick Fealty on February 13, 2012, 9:05 am

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Eamonn has a whole range if great writers guesting at his blog these days. Among them Maurice Hayes, who makes some fundamental points about Irish politics and the strange relationship that exists between the legislature and the sovereign voice (aka, those bloody referendums): It is not being less democratic than advocates for a referendum to argue that the essence of democratic decision, accountability and transparence, can, on occasion, be better achieved by elected representatives properly informed and mandated than by …

Euro crisis: You have six days to comply…

Pete Baker on February 10, 2012, 4:12 pm

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That’s the message to Greece from Germany the EU finance ministers. Despite initial reports, prompted by the Greeks themselves, what was agreed yesterday between the party leaders there fell short of what was required – by some €300-odd million. From the Irish Times report The ministers imposed a six-day deadline on Greek authorities to comply with their wishes and said all three parties in its coalition must pledge to implement the austerity plan and continue to do so after a …

“Fianna Fail needs to stop playing stupid patriot games”

Mick Fealty on February 8, 2012, 11:39 am

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For my money, the Irish Independent’s editorial somewhat scales up the current German influence within the EU for effect, but it warns Fianna Fail it is currently playing the wrong game in calling for a referendum: It is a measure of how the European dream has soured that having joined with the clear intent of severing our provincial ties with Britain we are now little more than a part of Greater Germany. But, unless we want to return to the …

Bill Clinton to host “Invest in Ireland” event in New York

Pete Baker on February 7, 2012, 9:03 pm

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As the BBC reports Former US president Bill Clinton is to host an “Invest in Ireland” discussion in New York on Thursday. Well, he’ll “attend for the beginning of the event where he will make some opening remarks”. You get the point. *sniff* He used to have such big [economic] ideas for here… The Merrion Street press release adds Following on from a commitment given by him at the Global Irish Economic Forum, President Bill Clinton will host an “Invest in …

Euro crisis: “We are not fully in control of the sequence of events…”

Pete Baker on February 7, 2012, 5:29 pm

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Having watched as yesterday’s ‘deadline’ went whooshing past their heads, Greek party leaders are due to meet later tonight to consider another draft bail-out deal – once it’s been translated into Greek… You can follow events as they unfold at the Guardian’s live-blog. Meanwhile, as promised, Frau Bundeskanzlerin has joined Nicolas Sarkozy on the campaign trail in a joint television interview, following a joint French/German cabinet meeting – as the BBC reports Earlier the two leaders held a joint cabinet meeting, …

In praise of… Borgen

Mick Fealty on February 5, 2012, 10:33 am

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For the last five weeks we’ve been watching a compelling Danish poltical drama on BBC Four called Borgen. It was billed as the Danish version of the West Wing, but actually it’s much better than that. At the centre of the action is Sidse Babett Knudsen, cast as Denmark’s first woman Prime Minister. Not unlike the West Wing you sense that there’s a certain wish fulfillment going on here somewhere. And indeed last October Helle Thorning-Schmidt became the actual first …

Jim Nicholson: UUP, Tory or a bit of both?

Mick Fealty on February 3, 2012, 7:43 pm

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An anonymous source suggests Slugger look more closely at the position of Jim Nicholson who despite the parting of the ways between the Conservatives and the UUP is still apparently taking the Tory whip in Brussels and Strasbourg [Are they still here? – Ed]. However, at home he has, from yesterday at least undergone a conversation from a Conservative and Unionist to a UUP MEP on his press statements. So Tom, Jim, are you guys still taking the Tory whip …

Is Crotty killing off any sane domestic consideration of Irish foreign policy?

Mick Fealty on February 3, 2012, 2:25 pm

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Before the landmark Crotty vs the Taoiseach judgement in 1987, the Irish Constitution had amassed nine amendments in the previous fifty years of its existence. In the twenty five years since it has scored another seventeen. Some of those were responses to the massive social changes the country has undergone in those years. Three originate from reversals of previously negative decisions over the very sorts of treaties Anthony Crotty originally hoped to stymie, and a fourth though approved is still …

Where would a No vote for the ‘Fiscal Compact’ leave Ireland?

Mick Fealty on February 3, 2012, 9:46 am

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Apparently, according to economist Jim Power in today’s Irish Examiner, in a very odd place indeed: It is intended that 12 out of the 17 eurozone member states would be sufficient to ratify the treaty. It appears this will be achieved easily enough. Consequently, unlike the case with the Lisbon Treaty, if Ireland were to reject it in a referendum, that would not be sufficient to prevent it from becoming enshrined in EU law. The big question then is where …

Sarkozy: “I did not know she voted in France…”

Pete Baker on January 31, 2012, 3:39 pm

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At the Guardian’s Politics Blog, Michael White has some fun with reports that Nicolas Sarkozy has enlisted Frau Bundeskanzlerin in his French presidential re-election campaign. Although this post’s title quote, from the Wall Street Journal blogs, suggests he may already be having second thoughts… ANYhoo… From Michael White’s post We can assume that pollsters have advised Sarko that the pluses of being identified positively with the much-admired German economy will outweigh the risks . Marine Le Pen, the National Front (NF) …

RBS bonus: Obscene or a nice piece of business?

Mick Fealty on January 31, 2012, 9:34 am

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One thing, I think, that is better, or at least more widely, understood in the Republic than in the UK is that the credit crunch is still screwing up almost every other well intentioned effort to get our economies moving again. This is because the banks still haven’t owned up to the extent of their bad debt, and they are barely lending anything to anyone. So far, the pattern seems to be that they keep the good (ie, unimpaired) investment …

Yes Taoiseach, but if we’re going to have a Referendum why not have a meaningful one?

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2012, 9:41 pm

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So, it’s official. The Irish people want a referendum, whether the Constitution says they need one or not? Micheal Martin thinks it’s overblown, and that the real problem is that the current treaty does not actually address any of the real problems facing the Irish (nay, the European) economy: For all of the fighting in December about the place of existing European Union treaties and institutions, existing treaty law will remain fully in force. The draft treaty explicitly states that …

What would happen to Scotland’s EU membership post independence?

Mick Fealty on January 30, 2012, 2:13 pm

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Bearing in mind this is still firmly in the realm of political science, nevertheless Roddy Thomson is a Scot embedded in the hub bub of Brussels daily life and has assembled an approximation as to how Scotland and the UK might stand postpartum… Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. …

The Creative Class and Northern Ireland

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on January 30, 2012, 11:24 am

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As part of NICVA’s series of masterclasses from its Centre for Economic Empowerment project, there was a morning seminar on the topic of the “creative class” (as popularised by Richard Florida) and its applicability to Northern Ireland. The agenda was to: Explain Richard Florida’s idea of the “creative class” and the link between economic outcomes and the ability of a region to facilitate creativity and diversity Explore the link between a successful economy and social issues, such as community division, …