EU – Page 68 – Slugger O'Toole

Euro crisis: “Anyone who claims to know what is about to happen to Europe is a fool.”

Pete Baker on December 14, 2011, 11:56 am

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In the Guardian, Simon Jenkins identifies a key point missing from most analysis of the aftermath of the EU crisis summit. From the Guardian article Anyone who claims to know what is about to happen to Europe is a fool. An unprecedented collapse in world credit has hit against years of reckless state borrowing to produce economic meltdown. Where there is economic meltdown, there is always a danger of political meltdown. While all other sciences have advanced over the ages, …

Does Tory eurosceptics’ nationalism boost UK breakup chances?

Brian Walker on December 13, 2011, 10:16 am

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The Financial Times (£) is alone today among UK national papers in spotting how the English nationalism of extreme Tory eurosceptics feeds Scottish separatism, in spite of all the fears for small nations’ survival in the gales of the eurozone crisis. First, the news story Alex Salmond, first minister and leader of the Scottish National party, accused David Cameron of blundering into apparently changing the UK’s entire relationship with the EU “without even discussing it with his own Lib Dem …

Is Britain’s ‘Gentleman’ Prime Minister now set up for a fall by Euro ‘Players’?

Mick Fealty on December 11, 2011, 3:43 pm

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Will Hutton tricks out a nasty diplomatic undertow to his walkout. If things go belly up with the Euro, not only will the UK suffer economically, it may get the blame for it not working: Worse, we have made it significantly harder for the 17 members of the eurozone rapidly to put in place the cluster of policies needed to save the euro. Chancellor Merkel said the compromise was workable – to widespread German scepticism; the European Central Bank warmly …

Local Political Reaction to EU Crisis Summit Outcome

Pete Baker on December 10, 2011, 4:09 pm

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How have our local political parties reacted to the outcome of the EU crisis summit? Well, neither the Green Party nor the Alliance Party appear to have noticed… The “Conservative and Unionist” MEP, Jim Nicholson, has, unsurprisingly, “welcomed the use of the British veto over a new EU-wide treaty by Prime Minister David Cameron”. “David Cameron was correct in effectively vetoing a new treaty and keeping the United Kingdom out of this new economic accord agreed at the EU emergency summit, …

Cameron hits his own European wall?

Mick Fealty on December 10, 2011, 1:34 pm

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If you are wondering, as I have been, what in earth led to the Cameron walkout, I think Bagehot gets close to nailing it here: By a certain point on Thursday night, I am told, a majority of countries were growing interested in a quick and dirty legal fix, suggested by the president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy. The fix was dreamed up by lawyers working for Mr Van Rompuy. They said that a legal device, known as …

Euro crisis: “So we have two crises now.”

Pete Baker on December 9, 2011, 2:19 pm

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In the FT, Wolfgang Münchau gives his initial thoughts on the outcome of the EU summit. From the FT’s A-list [free subs may be required] Thursday’s European Council meeting has demonstrated that a monetary union cannot co-exist with a group of permanent non-members in unified legal framework. The EU with its current treaties and institutions has proved to be an insufficiently flexible framework to run a monetary union and a disastrous framework for a monetary union in crisis. These latest …

Brussels (and Durban)

Nicholas Whyte on December 9, 2011, 6:52 am

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The EU summit is mostly over. A seven-page statement by the leaders of the countries using the euro outlines the solution: there will be a new treaty involving all the EU member states except the UK and Hungary, with the Poles Swedes (thanks for correction) and Czechs going away to think about it. (Edited to add: the Hungarians are with the Swedes and Czechs, apparently.) Participating states will enshrine a commitment to balance their budgets at “constitutional or equivalent” level. …

Would Ireland really need a Referendum on Treaty change?

Mick Fealty on December 8, 2011, 11:43 am

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Paul doesn’t like themdoesn’t like them, but there is some limited evidence (according to the Spectator this week) that populations which are regularly consulted and feel part of the political process are happier than those who are not. In Ireland the population is so rarely consulted (and her politicians so rarely called upon to publicly justify policy), that it always feels like a game of political Russian roulette, with four of six chambers loaded. Yet the Irish Times’ leader today …

Thoughts from Brussels on the euro crisis

Nicholas Whyte on December 4, 2011, 3:29 pm

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I have been prodded – both by being on a radio panel discussion today and by the awesome Catie – to assemble some thoughts on the euro crisis and what it means for both parts of Ireland. There is a certain air of pessimism at present, driven largely by recent pieces in the Financial Times and the Economist predicting that the end is nigh and that the single currency is on the verge of breaking up. I must say that …

European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent

John Ó Néill on December 2, 2011, 11:56 pm

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Last week, as flagged by Pete, it was being reported that: The Historical Enquiries Team cannot investigate them because European law states investigations into state killings must be fully independent. As the HET is accountable to the chief constable, it cannot investigate killings by police officers. A whole week later, it appears that the Historical Enquiries Team do actually report on cases where police officers were involved in killings (see Turgon’s thread on Loughgall, where the RUC’s HMSU took part as …

Donaldson calls for DUP-led pan-UK unionist movement #dupconf

Allan LEONARD (Mr Ulster) on November 29, 2011, 8:48 am

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Beyond the headline of attracting more Catholic unionists in Northern Ireland, Jeffrey Donaldson raised an interesting proposal for the DUP to lead a pro-Union campaign for unionists WITHIN Scotland and Wales… Unexpectedly bumping into my friend Thomas Hennessey, I chose to stay at the DUP annual conference and attend a discussion panel that he was participating in, “Strengthening Unionism”: Jonathan Bell MLA (Chair) Jeffrey Donaldson MP Ian Paisley MP Thomas Hennessey Mr Hennessey made reference to the late Sir Philip …

“The ombudsman now plans to ask Justice Minister David Ford to introduce new legislation…”

Pete Baker on November 24, 2011, 10:18 pm

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John wanted a “public explanation”… BBC NI home affairs correspondent, Vincent Kearney, reports that 49 historical cases where RUC officers were responsible for deaths, which were passed by the Historical Enquiries Team (HET) to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland because European legislation prevents the HET from investigating, cannot be investigated by the ombudsman because domestic legislation prevents the office from acting. From Vincent Kearney’s report The Historical Enquiries Team cannot investigate them because European law states investigations into state killings must be …

Ulster Wildlife Trust: “we are now totally cynical as to whether government ever intended to meet its obligations”

Pete Baker on November 19, 2011, 4:38 pm

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The BBC NI environment correspondent, Mike McKimm, has an update on his August 2010 report on the Northern Ireland Executive’s failure to protect and restore a special habitat, of [protected species] horse mussel beds, in Strangford Lough – a designated Special Area of Conservation, an Area of Special Scientific Interest and a Ramsar (protected wetland) site. And it’s not good news. Eight years after first drawing attention to the problem, and six years after a formal written warning was issued from the European Commission, the …

Euro crisis: “Ireland sees the same information from the troika about Greece”

Pete Baker on November 18, 2011, 3:14 pm

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The answer to John’s title question is, again, NO! As the respective spokesmen for European commissioner for economic and monetary affairs, Olli Rehn, and the German finance ministry explain in this Irish Times report “On behalf of the commission, the leaks are regrettable,” said Amadeu Altafaj Tardio. “We insist that this is a draft and that we have a legal obligation to share the information that we receive from the authorities in Dublin with the member states. This is actually our …

Did Taoiseach submit #Budget2012 to Berlin for approval?

John Ó Néill on November 17, 2011, 8:14 pm

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The Irish government is under pressure this evening as it is having to deny Press Association reported rumours that it has allowed the German government to inspect the budget before it is brought to the Dáil next month (i.e. well before the democractically members of Oireachtas get to see it). The Irish Independent says that Reuters also had the same story, prompting swift denials from Government officials today. With market driven crises prompting the replacement of existing leaders with technocrats in Italy …

Euro crisis: “it is time to send for the Borg…”

Pete Baker on November 15, 2011, 3:25 pm

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You can follow the latest developments in the eurozone crisis at the Guardian’s live-Business blog as pressure mounts on Italian Prime Minister designate, Mario Monti – who was nominated to replace Silvio Berlusconi three days after the Italian President, Giorgio Napolitano, appointed Monti a Lifetime Senator. From his Wikipedia entry In 2007, Monti was one of the first supporters of the first European civic forum, Etats Généraux de l’Europe, initiated by European think tank EuropaNova and European Movement. In December 2009, he …

McGuinness: “It’s fair to say [A5 upgrade is] back on track again”

Pete Baker on November 11, 2011, 10:43 pm

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No, really!! Following the Irish Government’s decision to postpone their £400million contribution to the £850million cost of the proposed A5 upgrade, the Northern Ireland First and deputy First Ministers announced they would be seeking “maximum clarity on this issue” in talks with Taoiseach Enda Kenny, while they were in Dublin today. After the meeting, the NI deputy First Minister, Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness, was accentuating the positive to UTV’s Ken Reid. “It’s far from dead,” Mr McGuinness told UTV. “I think, …

“Until further notice (see Preamble post-script), the Houses of the Oireachtas shall have a room containing an elephant.”

Pete Baker on November 10, 2011, 1:08 pm

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As the eurozone slides into the abyss, there’s just time for some light relief – courtesy of Frank McNally’s Irishman’s Diary in the Irish Times. Article 6 The name of the State is Eire, or in the English language, Ireland. The Government may, however, enter into periodic commercial agreements with regard to naming rights. Thereafter, the State may be known as “Ireland, brought to you in association with Microsoft”, or a like designation. Article 7 The national flag of Ireland shall be …

Berlusconi to resign [once key economic reforms have been approved]

Pete Baker on November 8, 2011, 9:59 pm

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As I mentioned here, Italy have called in the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but no money has changed hands, according to Berlusconi… Tonight, following a technical vote which saw Silvio Berlusconi lose his parliamentary majority, and with rising yields on Italy’s 10-year benchmark bonds, the Italian Prime Minster has “confirmed he intends to resign after key economic reforms have been approved.” Speaking on TV, the [Italian] prime minister said he would have preferred to call early elections but the final decision rested …

If the Euro hardens into fiscal union, which way will Ireland jump?

Mick Fealty on November 5, 2011, 2:10 pm

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If I thought the number of comments we get on stories was the sole metric for their importance, I think I’d have to close Slugger tomorrow. You can never quite predict what grips people and what doesn’t. As in this note the other day , regarding Walter Munchau, who has been a prophet in the wilderness on EU reform for some years now, laid out a dilemma that is going to face Irish politicians and policy makers just as soon …