Andrew's Blog from Brussels

UEFA chief and Football Legend Michel Platini visits the EuroParl

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:40:00 +0000

Michel Platini, the French football icon now head of UEFA, met with European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek last Thursday and left having agreed to be the referee for a match to be set up on the 60th Anniversary of the Schuman Declaration next year between the European Parliament and a team composed of members of national governments!

But that was not the main reason for his visit. Presidents Buzek and Platini were due to discuss a number of wide-ranging issues in their meeting, including Mr Platini's latest "Financial Fair Play" initiative, the protection of minors and the clubs that train them and the issue of betting in football, namely corruption and match-fixing.

They also spoke about the arrangements for the forthcoming UEFA EURO 2012 tournament finals which are to be co-hosted in the Ukraine and Mr Buzek's native Poland.

After signing a couple of footballs and reminiscing about former players, Mr Platini addressed the press after the meeting today saying he was extremely pleased that they share the same outlook for the sport and that Mr Buzek has "encouraged us in our efforts on Financial Fair Play, the protection of minors and their forming clubs, as well as in our fight against corruption linked to betting."

He also thanked Mr Buzek for having agreed to join UEFA's Friends of Football.

In return, Mr Buzek said these are "good policies for European football and I fully support all the initiatives of UEFA and President Platini which are crucial for football in Europe".

He also gave his backing for grassroots football and for the game to be used to help educate young people reaffirming that "there should be zero tolerance against racism, violence and doping" in the popular sport.

Focus perhaps will now turn to the future football match, and to what position Mr Buzek will allocate himself in the team. After holding one of the signed balls in his hands throughout the press conference, should perhaps he wants be the goalkeeper...?

Czech Court finally gives Green Light to Lisbon Treaty

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:31:00 +0000

The big talk in Brussels today is the eager-awaited decision of the Czech Constitutional Court which today has rejected a challenge to the EU's Lisbon Treaty, paving the way for the sceptic Czech President Vaclav Klaus to sign it.

The court ruled that the treaty - an overhaul of the EU's institutional rules and laws - is compatible with Czech national law.

The treaty "is not in conflict with the constitutional law of the Czech Republic," Pavel Rychetsky, the court's chief justice, told state TV on Tuesday (3 November).

The decision was warmly received in Brussels, where European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said: "The final hurdle has now been cleared. The decision clears the way for President Vaclav Klaus to sign and finalise the ratification of the Treaty and I am very confident he will do so."

"The Treaty of Lisbon should now enter into force by the end of the year."

"When I met President Klaus in October in Prague, I said that I was optimistic that we could find a solution," he continued.

"The Czechs have secured their opt-out on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, and due legal process has been respected. We now look forward to working on the implementation of the Treaty which greatly enhances the powers of the democratically-elected European Parliament. "

The case had been brought by a group of 17 senators and came on the back of a similar though narrower challenge last year, which the top Czech judges also dismissed.

The Czech Republic is the last EU member state to fully ratify the treaty. The process has been held up by Mr Klaus, a eurosceptic and arch opponent of the document.

His signature is all that is required to complete ratification.

Now the decision has been announced, the mass attention will now again return to just who will occupy the two major posts that the Treaty will create...

UPDATE (15.35): Reports suggest Czech President Vaclav Klaus has now signed the Lisbon Treaty! Click here for BBC report

Stop Press: Buzek declares "a woman could and should" be EU President

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:14:00 +0000

While the main media's converge today on yesterday's EU Summit in Brussels centred on the granting of an exception that the Czech president made a condition for signing the Lisbon Treaty and on the possible identity of the President of the European Council that would be created once it is in force, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek made his most telling remark on the role that seems not to have been picked up.

Buried in a relatively long speech delivered before the Summit meeting, he made reference to the future post (of which Tony Blair is/was a forerunner) and said:

"As far as the position of the permanent European Council President is concerned, this person should be a 'chairman or chairwoman' rather than a President. At the same time it should be considered that a woman could and should occupy this position. Appointing a woman would send a positive signal".

This small paragraph is remarkable for two main reasons.

Firstly, Buzek's interpretation dispels the belief that the President will be the face and voice of Europe. Last week in an interview for Le Figaro, French President Nicolas Sarkozy (16 October) declared "there are two visions for the role of the permanent President of the European Council: the face and voice of Europe around the World or, as others have conceived, the President will ensure the smooth and efficient functioning of the European Council (...) In reality, we are looking for Mr. Right who will do both."

Buzek's words imply that he is looking just for the latter of those visions: that the President will be one to ensure the smooth and efficient continuation of the European machinery. This is not the job that Tony Blair would be interested in, and after all, his global clout would be no good if the post did not list being the face and voice of Europe in its job description (which is still largely undefined).

Secondly, Buzek's will to see a woman appointed essentially disregards all of those candidates that have already but their names (formally or informally) forward: the likes of Mr Blair, Jean-Claude Juncker, Jan-Peter Balkenende, Wolfgang Schüssel, Felipe Gonzalez, etc...

Instead it would strongly suggest that the preferred candidate for Buzek would be Vaira Vike-Freiberga (left), who at 71 years of age is a former Latvian President whose candidacy is being heavily encouraged lately by the neighbouring Lithuania.

But just who is Ms Vike-Freiberga? Well, she was the first female president of Latvia, a former Soviet republic that joined the European Union and NATO in 2004.

She is dubbed by many as the Iron Lady of Latvia and served as President of Latvia for eight years after being elected in 1999 and re-elected in 2003.

She was a staunch supporter of intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan, which could cause divisions of opinion from the other states towards her candidacy, like we have already seen in the case of Mr Blair.

So what chance is there of a Latvian assuming the post that is to be created once the Czech Republic ratifies the Lisbon Treaty? Well, it would certainly come as a surprise. The big powers in Europe would naturally like their country to be represented, so to give the post to a country who only joined in 2004 and not one of the founders would cause a stir.

Latvia does not use the Euro as its currency (although it would like to), and its position and relationship with Russia could become important symbolic considerations should she be chosen for the post.

Set amongst the background of the other subjects addressed at the Summit it is surprising this small section of Mr Buzek's speech was not picked up by the big media outlets. José Manuel Barroso has also recently sent a rallying cry for more women to fill the top posts in the EU urging the national leaders to see "gender balance as a common goal and a shared responsibility".

So who are the front-runners in the race for EU Council President now?

"Today is probably the last posting day for Christmas"

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:13:00 +0000

With the second round of the latest postal strikes starting today and the Communication Workers Union warning of "more strike action, for longer periods" in the future (oh great), the cartoon published by the excellent "Matt" in the Daily Telegraph (18 September) that I have republished below becomes more and more salient.

I liked the cartoon back then, and I still like it now - I just don't like the way the UK postal service is heading.

With seemingly constantly disrupted services and the future threat, who is likely to remain loyal in the future.

Even I am starting to think twice.

An email is quicker and cheaper...

3-Tweet review: RSC Anderlecht vs RCS Verviers (CB - 28/10/09)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 23:17:00 +0000

Premier played fourth division in this cup match, with little chance of an upset. Cheap tickets meant stadium was near full (good to see) and Verviers played very well, created better chances but couldn't convert. An unfortunate own-goal gave Anderlecht the lead and a Frutos goal 60secs after coming on as a sub killed the game. Verviers deserved better, very worthy opposition. (419)

New to the 3-Tweet review? click here.

French 2008 EU Presidency cost almost €1 million a day

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:36:00 +0000

It is very noticeable that everyday in the Belgian free press there is an article or a reference to when the country takes over the rolling presidency of the European Council and its consequent projected level of spending, which the locals worry will cost too much.

The Kingdom of Belgium is set to resume the presidency on 1 July 2010 for six months after Spain who will take over from the current Sweden on 1 January.

So the news emerging today from France about its spending for its six months in charge, will do little to ease these fears: The French Court of Accounts put the total cost of the July-December 2008 presidency at a whopping €171 million (approx £155m).

On average the rotating presidency of the EU costs each country approximately €70-80 million, but this works out at nearly €1 million a day!

Attempts were made in the report to try and justify the massive expense at the hands of the French taxpayer, remarking that "the scale of this summit, the irregular nature of its procedures and its massive impact on public finances together make this summit a kind of record."

The report noted that France organised 489 EU events during its presidency including nine summits, 25 ministerial meetings and 328 seminars and symposiums.

This huge sum eclipses the amounts previously spent by previous French presidencies of the EU - in 2000 (€56.9 million) and 1995 (€14.1 million), and will certainly add, rather than dispel, Belgian anxiety.

Yet if the Lisbon Treaty is ratified, then under the proposed system there would not be a rotating presidency of the same scale so Belgians will not have to spend quite so much...

UPDATE (28/10, 15.00):
And if that was not already enough, the Daily Telegraph has discovered that included in this spending was a including £250,000 custom-built luxury shower that, get this, President Nicolas Sarkozy never even used...

While incorporating power and massage jet buttons as well as a surround-sound radio feature, the main bulk of the money was spent trying to get it installed in what is a listed building...

The 'Rise of the Right-wing' continues with new European alliance

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 16:58:00 +0000

The 'Rise of the Right-wing' took another visible step over the weekend as a clutch of far-right political parties have "cobbled together an alliance of convenience to represent their interests in the European Parliament", the EU Observer reports.

The article reports it was Gabor Vona, the party chairman of Hungary's extreme nationalist grouping, Jobbik, who announced in Budapest on Saturday (24 October) the founding of the Alliance of European Nationalist Movements alongside a declaration of common goals that was drafted by the British National Party's (BNP) leader, Nick Griffin.

Five parties have also initially signed the nine-point declaration: Jobbik, France's Front National, Italy's Fiamma Tricolore, Sweden's National Democrats and Belgium's Walloon extremists, the Front Nationalists.

The parties that signed the declaration have agreed to reject "any attempts at forming an EU federal state," and will call for pro-family policies and "traditional values" and demand Europe be protected from "religious, political, economic and financial imperialism."

This alliance is not an official political grouping because according to the EuroParl rules it needs to include a minimum of 25 elected deputies from at least seven member states.

Currently, only Jobbik, the French Front National, the BNP and the FPO have any representation in the European Parliament. As a result, it cannot claim office space in the parliament nor the accompanying financial grants...

That said, the Hungarian party won a whopping 14.7 percent of the vote in Hungary in the last European elections (giving it three seats in Strasbourg) and the BNP, as we know, won two seats. As for the others, most did not even garner 1 percent...

It would seem therefore that the rise [thankfully] still has a long way to go...

Tintin, Snowy and the Musée Hergé

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 11:38:00 +0000

On the long list of things I want to do and see while here in Belgium there was one that stood out more than the others: the museum devoted to Hergé (aka Georges Remi), the Brussels-born comic book artist that is best-known for his famous journalist / hero Tintin and his trusty companion Snowy (Milou).

The Museum's own advertising describes its location as "just outside Brussels" although after an hour sat on the train yesterday I still was not there... Interesting definition of "just outside" then. What cannot however be debated is the international repute and praise for the Tintin adventures.

I've always warmed to these tales and have watched the animated versions many times (even more so since arriving here), and I would love to have such an adventure - although perhaps without being shot at, kidnapped, being thrown out of a plane, beaten up...

The Museum (once you get there) is superb, as too is the building (above), which has only recently been built and opened and is linked to the town centre by a new wooden walkway over barren land. Inside, the tour starts on the top floor and after passing through Hergé's life through a series of rooms accessed by a series of suspended walkways, you eventually reach the conclusion of the tour back on the ground floor.

Each room is filled with a mass of interesting objects, including many original frames from the cartoon strips used to print the editions. You are accompanied on the tour by an audioguide that takes the form of a PDA; with each section of the tour being allocated a number you enter on the screen to load the interactive passages and relevant videos... It is a really clever and unique as far as I'm aware, way of doing this, and yet another positive element to the trip.

Unfortunately, no photographs are allowed to be taken within the museum - which is probably a good thing because it made you spend longer studying each individual piece in turn.

I'd already decided I would treat myself in the giftshop as a result of recently receiving my first ever paycheque (no doubt my Dad was delighted), but I had much difficulty deciding what to buy! It really depresses me when something becomes over-commercialised and thus is spawned into many different and quite frankly ridiculous products, but the problem in the case of Tintin is that I want them all!

I really want the entire comic book collection but hesitation over which edition (big or small) and which language (French original or English translation) meant I instead went for a Tintin mug and a small plush toy of Snowy (couldn't resist).

With the money saved by managing to get a student ticket, I had a coffee in the museum cafe, Le Petit Vingtième, named after the weekly youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle ("The Twentieth Century") from 1928 to 1940 of which Hergé was the editor and where Tintin made his first ever appearance. The roof of the cafe was excellent, covered as it was with former front covers of the magazine (see above).

Walking back through Louvain la Neuve to the station (with possibly the longest station sign I've seen) I was very pleased I made the trip, even if it was pouring with rain. I would certainly make that trip again, but unfortunately it is not "just outside Brussels"...

Slap Nick Griffin!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 22:40:00 +0000

Don't think I need to add more than that.

Simple but surprisingly calming.

Try it yourself at: http://www.slapnickgriffin.co.uk/.

MEMORIAL wins 2009 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:56:00 +0000

The 2009 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has today been awarded to MEMORIAL, their three representatives Oleg Orlov, Sergei Kovalev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva, and on behalf of all other human rights defenders in Russia.

First awarded in 1988, the Sakharov Prize is named in honour of the Soviet physicist and political dissident Andrei Sakharov who helped to found the organisation as a means to document Stalinist repressions of peoples. From the initial idea of establishing a monument, a museum, archive and a library, it has since expanded into an active civil rights defence society of activists.

The Memorial organisation aims to promote fundamental rights in post-Soviet states including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Tajikistan, Moldova and Ukraine.

On its website, the organisation describes itself as a: "non governmental organisation spread all over the former post soviet states, it's a research centre, a community of human rights NGOs, Memorial is a number of regional associations of former prisoners of political prison camps and members of their families."

Upon announcing the winner, European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek said "We hope to contribute to ending the circle of fear and violence surrounding human rights defenders in the Russian Federation."

The Pole and former anti-Communist campaigner added that he felt "personal satisfaction" over the award as "a man who comes from Solidarity and who saw Poland fighting for truth and freedom, which it finally won in the 1980s."

Three Memorial staff, Oleg Orlov, Sergei Kovalev and Lyudmila Alexeyeva, will be invited to collect the prize, which comes with a €50,000 cheque, at the EU parliament on 16 December.

The other two finalists for the prize, Dr Izzeldin Abuelaish (a Palestinian obstetrician in Gaza who treats Israelis and Palestinians) and Dawit Isaak (a Swedish journalist, writer and playwright of Eritrean origin who has been a political prisoner since 2001) also received commendations from President Buzek at the announcement.

Press Freedom in Europe is getting worse but MEPs unsure how to act

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:16:00 +0000

The Freedom of the Press was in the spotlight again today as the European Parliament convened its session in Strasbourg to vote on draft resolutions to conclude the passionate debate held in Brussels earlier this month.

In that debate, MEPs speaking for the majority EPP Group as well as the ECR and EFD warned against using the European Union as a forum for settling national political issues. Joseph Daul, the leader of the EPP group, used his contribution time to deplore the use of the chamber for a topic of national rather than European nature and the invasion of what he called "partisan petty party politics".

So while half the chamber did not want the debate at all, the other half called for the debate to be enlarged to cover all countries of the European Union and not just Italy. The S&D, ALDE, Greens/EFA and GUE groups issued a call to the European Commission to draw up Europe-wide legislation on media pluralism.

When it came to the voting this afternoon (21st), the overall title had been duly altered to include the other countries of the European Union, an alteration that reveals a certain sense of unity amongst all the groups.

However, when it came to the important votes, the chamber was divided - almost 50/50%. While the minor amendments of paragraphs were accepted, the overall draft resolutions were all voted down. Nine in all.

It is a result that illustrates that there is a general consensus that something should be done, but a disaccord as to how it should be done. The debate will certainly continue...

Press Freedom Index 2009

The timing of the votes could not have been more relevant as they came the day after the unveiling of the annual Press Freedom Index by the organisation Reporters Without Borders.

Revised every year and formulated on the basis of questionnaires completed by hundreds of journalists and media experts around the world, the 2009 results turned out to be rather gloomy reading for Europe.

In 2008, European countries represented 18 out of the top 20 countries in the World. This time around, they number only 15.

However, the top five countries of the world that respect the freedom of the press are European, namely: Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Norway and Sweden.

Appearing at the head of the list is somewhat of a coup for Denmark whose journalists have faced great criticism in recent years after the publishing (and republishing in solidarity) of the now in-famous Mohammad cartoons.

UK 20th, Italy 49th

Italy, whose press situation was the initial subject of the debate at the European Parliament plenary meeting in Brussels earlier this month leading to today's resolution, fell five places down to 49th.

Bulgaria is the lowest ranked European country at 68th out of 175 countries. Last place was awarded to Eritrea where many journalists were imprisoned in the last 12 months.

The biggest rise up the table was that of the USA, which climbed 20 places in the rankings, from 40th to 20th, in just one year. RSF credit this to the "Obama Effect" saying that Barack Obama’s election as president and the fact that he has a less hawkish approach than his predecessor have had a lot to do with this rise.

Since 2008, the United Kingdom's press freedom note improved by 1.5 points, ranking it at joint 20th alongside the USA.

The full table can be viewed here.

The organisation's secretary-general Jean-François Julliard said at the release of the latest table that press freedom needs to be defended everywhere in the world "with the same energy and the same insistence".

“It is disturbing to see European democracies such as France, Italy and Slovakia fall steadily in the rankings year after year,” he said. “Europe should be setting an example as regards civil liberties. How can you condemn human rights violations abroad if you do not behave irreproachably at home?"

Vincent Brossel from Reporters Without Borders says Europe should be setting an example of strong civil liberties around the world, but in many European countries press freedom is moving backwards.

"Important countries in Europe like Italy or France or Spain have really, have lost all their ranks especially because of intervention by the chief of states, like [Italian Prime Minister] Berlusconi or [French President] Mr. Sarkozy," Brossel said.

This year’s index reflects press freedom violations that took place between September 1 2008 and August 31 2009.

EuroParl approves short-stay visa waiver for six Caribbean countries

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:12:00 +0000

"Despite the cold here in Strasbourg, I'd like now to talk about countries which are warmer and where the temperatures are slightly more ideal than in here."

Those were the opening words of rapporteur Simon Busuttil (EPP, Malta) as he rose to address MEPs at the European Parliament session in Strasbourg last night conveying the Parliament's approval to conclude the agreement signed in May 2009 between the EU and representatives from Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mauritius, Seychelles and Barbados to waive the short-stay visa requirements for EU-residents.

Ning's beach equipment hire and surf school, Barbados: Photo (C) Neil Burgess

This agreement provides for visa-free travel for all citizens of the European Union to each of these countries when travelling for a maximum period of three months during a six month period. (And vice-versa for citizens of these Caribbean countries to the EU).

The short-stay visa waiver agreement, the first of its kind concluded by the European Community, had to be postponed because of special visa regimes were introduced by some of these states in anticipation of the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

But now the agreement has received the blessing of the Parliament, and EU citizens, and MEPs alike, can look forward to "visa-free holidays" to these "warmer climates".

However, the agreement does not cover people travelling for the purpose of carrying out a paid activity, so each Member State remains free to enforce its own individual visa requirements.

This news comes at a good time for me in eager anticipation of my once-in-a-lifetime trip to Barbados this December, and certainly one less thing to worry about!

Back in Strasbourg, MEPs of the Civil Liberties Committee this week have told Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina that they must catch up on the reforms needed to qualify for a similar arrangement. The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro also shortly stand to benefit from short-stay visa waiver agreements.

Relections on a weekend visit to the Battlefields of Waterloo

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 07:56:00 +0000

Since moving to Brussels I have once again rekindled my love for the Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister TV series. Even though I have watched them countless times it still makes me chuckle, especially the episode entitled "A Diplomatic Incident", which is perhaps no surprise when it revolves around Anglo-French relations and the Eurostar...

Anyway, arguably the best quote from that episode is of a conversation between the Prime Minister Jim Hacker (Paul Eddington) and the Cabinet Secretary Sir Humphrey Appleby (Sir Nigel Hawthorne): [click here to listen to the extract! (real player)]

Jim Hacker: "Don't we ever get our own way with the French?"
Sir Humphrey: "Well, sometimes."
Jim Hacker: "When was the last time?"
Sir Humphrey: "Battle of Waterloo, 1815."

While the validity of this statement can be hotly contested (remember London beat Paris for the 2012 Olympic Games and they're still quite bitter about that), the answer given by Sir Humphrey was very valid in terms of what I did this weekend: namely, I went and visited the very battlefields where this epic battle where Napoleon was finally beaten by the Allies spearheaded by the Duke of Wellington 194 years ago.

The battlefields are no more than a 15-minute train journey south out of Brussels, alighting at the closest station of Braine L'Alleud (not Waterloo). Unfortunately, the site is not served by public buses in the winter (as I discovered) so I ended up walking the two mile distance through the village (which I didn't mind too much at all).

Despite not having a comprehensive map, it was easy to find as you just had to walk towards the Lion's Mount (Butte de Lion - pictured above), constructed in 1836 on the spot where where William II of the Netherlands (the Prince of Orange) was knocked from his horse by a musket ball to the shoulder during the battle. At its summit, standing 43m above the ground, is a 28-tonne statue of a lion mounted upon a stone-block pedestal to symbolise courage; its right front paw is upon a sphere, signifying global victory.

The main motorway route from Charleroi to Brussels runs very close to the site, although you can barely see or hear it when you are at the visitor centre, where I managed to blag a €9 student ticket for the entire tour (film, interactive show, wax museum, access to the Butte de Lion and a tour of the fields in a converted lorry)!

The film and show were an excellent starting place for me, as they described the events leading to, during and after the battle, explaining its importance in the construction of Europe as we know it. After escaping captivity and staging a successful coup d'état, Napoleon Bonaparte had regained the French throne and was threatening to re-conquer parts of his former empire.

The allied forces (UK and Prussia) were determined to stop this and to protect Brussels, the Duke of Wellington, commanding the UK forces, chose Waterloo as the ideal site to counter Napoleon's troops. You have to say his tactics were spot-on. He had positioned his troops behind a large ridge, making it almost impossible for Napoleon to gauge the scale of opposition. Plus, to get to them, the French troops would have had to negotiate a tricky and hilly terrain to engage with the Allies.

I will not continue to talk about what happened and what went wrong for Napoleon because I would recommend reading the accounts for yourself, but needless to say The Allies were victorious.

The Battle had only been a detail of history to me before my visit - I knew it had happened and who had won - but seeing the site for myself really brought it to life. The fields have long been subject of exceptional Belgian planning laws prohibiting any changes or building work, so they are, as they were keen to point out on the tour, remain largely as they were back in June 1815.

I could really imagine the struggle of the soldiers, especially those who did not want to be there, but having to engage in combat, in the rain-soaked battlefields against a revitalised French army, with cannonballs flying overhead, artillery fire clouding the air in gunpowder smoke, the constant sound of gunfire and the air filled with the sounds of charging horsemen and screaming casualties. (And I thought getting out of bed early to make the trip was tough...)

Waterloo, and what it represents, will now hold a greater meaning for me as it undoubtedly still does in Anglo-French relations. As for the Eurostar, the services are rerouted to St Pancras station, which is a shame since I have always spoken of the irony of making French passengers on the Eurostar arrive into London at the station named Waterloo...

For more photos from my visit click here.

British MEP announces 'tongue-in-cheek' candidature for EU Presidency

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:07:00 +0000

The mystery surrounding who will become the first full-time President of the European Council took an unusual turn this week when a European MP declared his candidature.

Chris Davies, a British Liberal Democrat MEP for the North-West, revealed to a small gathering of the press at the European Parliament today that he has written to each of Europe’s 27 heads of government to state his claim for the job.

He believes his qualifications for the job are as good as other candidates suggested so far and so is prepared to make himself "available for interview."

Campaigning under the banner "Stop Blair: Yes EU can", Davies took a swipe at former UK Prime Minister saying that he has "never deceived a parliament or been responsible for the illegal invasion of another country."

While admitting his campaign for the presidency was "more or less tongue-in-cheek", he hopes to highlight just how limited the circle of individuals said to be in the running for Europe’s top job is.

"I recognise Tony Blair is a great public speaker, but I don't think he belongs in Brussels," he said, "I think he belongs in The Hague."

Davies believes the best person for the job would be a woman, remarking that "there is nothing written in the Lisbon Treaty to say that anyone cannot be considered for the job.

"We have millions of talented people in Europe, and more than half of them are women, so why is the recruitment net not being cast wider?"

As for his own credentials: "I'm male, I'm middle class, I'm white, I'm in my 50s, I have an Oxbridge education and 30 years of political experience, so I reckon my credentials are as good as any of the other candidates."

He then spoke of his time chairing the Liverpool City Council’s housing committee in the Opposition years of the 1980s, jovially adding "I think after that, managing 27 heads of European states would be a piece of cake."

The President of the European Council post would be created once the last country Czech Republic ratifies the Lisbon Treaty, and although not officially announced as a candidate, Tony Blair is thought to be the front-runner.

Tony Blair, the EU President no-one really wants?

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:16:00 +0000

Now that the dust has settled on the massive Irish 'Yes' vote in the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon, the question of who would eventually become the new President of the European Union has remerged.

Tony Blair, the former UK Labour Prime Minister, is the favourite for this post, which would be created when the Lisbon Treaty comes into action after being ratified by all 27 Member States. Now that Ireland gave their consent, Poland has indicated it too will sign soon, leaving the Czech Republic the only country yet to ratify.

Its perhaps most significant action would be to create the post of EU President to replace the rolling six-month presidency that is in operation at the moment (currently Sweden, Spain will assume control on January 1 2010). This would allow the EU to have a fixed figurehead on the world stage, which it believes will give it much more weight in international relations.

It was The Times last week that reported French President Nicolas Sarkozy as saying he believed Blair is the best man for the job and that German opposition from Chancellor Angela Merkel is said to have softened.

Asked if Blair was the only real candidate, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is quoted as replying: "For the moment, indeed." While the opinions of attitude of France and Germany are crucial to any decision, the future president will have be elected by all 27 EU leaders.

But here is the interesting bit, Blair, who appears to be disliked by all political parties in the Parliament, especially by his supposed allies on the left, and many of the national leaders for the UK's terrible decision to engage in war with Iraq amongst other things, may end up being elected because of the lack of another suitable candidate!

[Imagine how Gordon Brown would feel should his former boss, who he finally displaced, became his 'boss' again...]

Because of the arrangements to share posts between the two most represented political groups in the Parliament, the future president will be either a social democrat or a conservative, and while a few other candidates have emerged (for example former Danish prime minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, and former prime minister of Spain, Felipe Gonzalez) you can hardly say they have the international clout that Blair possesses. The same is true of the potential conservative candidates Jean-Claude Juncker, the current Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Jan Peter Balkenende, his Dutch equivalent.

Renowned blogger Jean Quatremer (fr) says that such international status will raise the EU to an equal footing on the world stage with the other big players, such as the USA. But symbolically, how would we all feel with a Brit holding the most powerful post in Europe?

For me, this feels rather uncomfortable considering how disengaged and unenthusiastic we have become to engage with the rest of Europe and participate fully in the European Union.

If Blair's appointment would be a catalyst for the UK to integrate further with the EU, i.e. declare the five economic tests passed and adopt the Euro and become a full member of the Schengen area for starters, then I would be very enthusiastic about the appointment.

But I don't think it will be, even more so with the ominous threat of a Conservative Government with anti-EU David Cameron at its head. At the party's conference, Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague reaffirmed the desire once in power for a referendum of our own, and consult the public on whether we still want to be part of the EU. Naturally, this would be a catastrophic step and one which I hope will be avoided, but with Blair potentially at the helm of the European ship, you get the feeling it might make the Conservatives even more hostile and more willing to jump ship.

The role of President should be awarded to one of the founding countries, or at least to a country that over the years have proved that it is fully committed to the European cause.

So that would certainly rule out the UK then. But just what is the alternative now?

A Night at the Football: Brussels FC vs OH Leuven

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:21:00 +0000

Regular readers of this blog will, I'm sure, be aware that I am quite a keen follower of football. It will therefore come as no surprise to you that I took the opportunity in my first proper weekend in the European capital city to discover a new team.

FC Brussels call themselves the 'Pride of Brussels' and ply their trade in the Belgian Second Division. The club has quite an interesting history in that it was only recently formed (2003) following the merger of two local district teams: R.W.D. Molenbeek and K.F.C. Strombeek.

They play in the Edmond Machtens Stadium, which is conveniently just a short walk away from my front-door. It is in fact quite a nice little compact stadium. Tucked in behind rows of high-rise housing surrounded by tall thick trees you really would not know the stadium was there until you spotted the large floodlights rounding the corner onto the access street.

Naturally, being Belgian second division, it was not going to be the most state-of-the-art stadium, but I like that in a way. There are only two stands, running along the length of the pitch, and a limited space for standing for the away supporters behind the goal at the far end of the ground. There is no such standing space at the other end, which instead has been chosen to be the car parking facility.

Access to the upper tier of the main stand, renamed in 2005 to commemorate former player Raymond Goethals, is by an exterior staircase as to not to affect seating capacity.

That said, there was hardly a problem with seating. The ground was largely empty; the majority of fans (myself included) bunched up in the 'cheapest' ends of the grandstands. I put cheap in inverted commas because the ticket still cost €15, which for second division football in Europe is simply madness (especially when you can get a match ticket Anderlecht, in the first division and Europa League, for €10...).

I took my seat in the stand just moments before kick-off and unknowingly had chosen a seat directly behind the resident house-band. With a portable drum-set, a bass drum, two trumpets, a trombone and an enthusiastic and lively accompanying vocal chorus, they certainly contributed to the evening football match atmosphere that I love so much. Even if they were very, very noisy...

It was during the half-time interval that I experienced my first problem with language - namely the guy serving the half-time Belgian beer could not speak or understand French! With no idea how to ask for a beer in Dutch, thankfully a fellow supporter ordered it for me. [I have since looked it up, and for reference it is Eén biertje, alstublieft! although I have no idea how that is supposed to be pronounced! The beer was also very nice too...]

As for the football, well, as you'd expect, it was not the best display you are likely to witness. But for their relative lack in quality, they made up for in competitiveness, and the match finished 2-1 to the away side OH Leuven. Brussels FC did open the scoring in the opening few minutes capitalising on slack defending to lob the keeper into the net, but Leuven scored from a great free-kick (Beckham anyone?) and grabbed the winning goal late-on in an almost identical copy of Brussels' opener.

While the score was 1-0, I overheard a home supporter explain to his friend that Brussels FC had never beaten OH Leuven in any competition. This, unfortunately for Brussels, remains the case, but I did find it ironic that the away team scored almost immediately after this comment...

However, that was nothing compared to the irony contained within the home supporters' chants throughout the match (yes, sung in English): "Brussels, Brussels FC, we're by far the best team the world has ever seen..."

No, you are not the best in the world, but it was a good night's entertainment anyway.

3-Tweet review: Man United 2 Wolfsburg 1 (CL - 30/09/09)

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:19:00 +0000

Well that was closer than anticipated! United claim the win after late strike from Michael Carrick. Have to say United deserved the 3pts but Wolfsburg can take heart from their performance. It took goal from Dzeko to kick start United who equalised straight after from Gigg's fortunate FK. United perhaps underestimated the German champions but solid performance from the midfield was encouraging. Injury to Owen not so. (420)

Art Nouveau Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:05:00 +0000

Before I started work at the Parliament, I was keen to see more of the city. Yet, faced with paying at least 16 Euro for a bus tour, I decided instead to purchase a book from the Brussels tourist information centre of walks around the city. After all, there is simply so much that you just don't see of a city by taking a bus tour.

I decided to save the comicbook wall walk for another weekend as it wasn't the nicest of days weather-wise, and so took the art-nouveau walk around the European District of the city.

Now, I have very little idea what exactly art-nouveau is, but nonetheless I found the houses pointed out in the book to see, very beautiful - especially the one shown left which was definitely my favourite. Apparently this district is very famous for its art-nouveau style housing...

You can see a selection of other houses seen on my walk by viewing the gallery here.
Was good to see another part of the city on foot and I am looking forward already to more walks from the book!

Andrew's Blog from BRUSSELS!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:40:00 +0000

First of all, please allow me to apologise for the lack of updates. It has been a pretty hectic time for me lately because since handing in my dissertation on Friday (11th), I've been to Brussels, Sheffield and back home, then back to London and now I have arrived in Brussels.

For those who may not have learnt yet, I have been granted a work placement at the European Parliament from October 1st for five months in the capacity of a journalist.

Naturally, this is a phenomenal opportunity for me and is essentially tailor-made to my academic career. Therefore I am very excited (albeit a little nervous too obviously) about starting on Thursday.

I have arrived in my new home which as you can see from the photos here (click to open) is really nice, spacious, and somewhat luxurious! The bed will take some getting used to as it is accessible only from a staircase that has no handrail and you have to 'walk' down it because of the corregated steps.

Now while this place has a lot included with it (took about an hour to go through the six-page inventory), it did not come with any food, and so I need to head out now and find some tea!

Ciao for now!

In the Flesh @ Exmouth Pavilion - 10/09/09

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 09:03:00 +0000

With the dissertation completed and printed, what better to celebrate than a pint of cider and a Pink Floyd tribute concert?

Torbay-based act In the Flesh were this year’s visitors to the Pavilion and they put on a really excellent spectacle. Any tribute act that begins their first set with ‘Shine on You Crazy Diamond, pts. 1-5’, ‘Astronomy Domine’ and ‘Fat Old Sun’ is going to be superb, to then finish the set with my absolute favourite ‘Echoes’ was truly unbelievable and they did a really good job too (albeit cutting the intro so it was 15 minutes instead of 21 minutes…).

'Have a Cigar’ was a nice treat and their rendition of ‘One of These Days’ of the Meddle album was one of the best I’ve heard. The tempo of the latter song was faster than the original, but I would have to really be nit-picking to find fault with the show.

Following a short interval, the band resumed with a complete rendition of the famous Dark Side of the Moon album, which could only be improved by running each song into the other without pauses between the songs. It was a great set, but even then, the best was yet to come.

Re-emerging for the encore in black shirts complete with hammer patch and red armband (I want one - for style not political reasons I should add) they played a series of tracks from The Wall album culminating of course in ‘Another Brick in the Wall pt.2’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’. Happily though they did not finish the concert there, they played ‘Run Like Hell’ to finish, a welcome treat from the other tribute acts that finish on the show-stopping ‘Comfy’.

After not expecting too much before the concert, I was really impressed by In the Flesh and the show they put on. They certainly did the Floyd proud and hearing Echoes was a treat fully worth the admission price alone.

I would love to see the band play a complete concert rendition of The Wall because those were the strongest performed songs of the night. If they did that, I’m sure the show would attract more fans than the disappointingly low number turned up last night.

Ten Things on Tuesday - 08/09/09 - Euro Special

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 12:57:00 +0000

With my dissertation progressing nicely, here is a special edition of 10 Things on Tuesday: the Euro single currency.

The Euro was conceived in 1999 but the first coins and notes did not begin circulating until 1 January 2002.

The implementation of the single currency was step three of the EMU (European Monetary Union) programme of which the UK has participated in steps one and two (single market and policy coordination).

The UK achieved its opt-out in the Maastricht Treaty in 1992, Denmark also opted out. As too did Sweden but as it did not gain a legal opt-out it is legally bound to adopt the Euro when its economic conditions fit the criteria established in the 1992 Treaty.

There are more Euro coins and notes in circulation today than the UK Pound and US Dollar.

When arriving in Downing Street in May 1997, Tony Blair was eager to adopt the Euro, keen to show the UK was breaking away from the Conservative attitude towards Europe and turning a new leaf.

Gordon Brown, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, was not so keen based on the financial ramifications. He devised Five Economic Tests which would provide the basis for further consideration of joining. Only once all five were ‘passed’ would the public be consulted by referendum.

All of those Five Tests have now been passed.

The last, and only, referendum to be held in the UK was in 1975, on the issue of continued membership of the European Union. The majority opted to stay in, largely because of economic reasons.

The Euro has weathered the current financial storm with France and Germany already having left recession. Slovakia is the latest country to join, with other eastern-European countries keen to join and protect themselves from further economic turmoil.

The Conservatives have pledged to never adopt the Euro, while Gordon Brown as PM and the Liberal Democrats vow to not mention the subject. It is time we consider our opt-out Sirs!

If what you have read today interested you, watch this space!

Go Ape!

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 23:51:00 +0000

Today (5th), I went Ape!

Go Ape, to be precise. Courtesy of the lovely people behind the Magnolia Incentive, we trekked down to the Haldon Forest outside Exeter for an afternoon swinging up in the trees.

It was only once I was at the top of the first platform that I discovered just how scared of heights I still was; from the ground it didn’t look too high at all. Yet, when you were standing on this small platform, a long way above the ground, on a ‘small’ tree that was swaying in the wind, even the large safety rope didn’t feel large enough.

But of course the idea wasn’t to just stand at the top feeling scared; it was an assault course of obstacles, rope slides, swinging rings, cargo nets and log bridges. Once I did the first set of obstacles, it felt great, I was so pleased I had managed to do it – to conquer those apparently-still-existent fears.

I can only imagine that the resulting adrenaline rush was the reason I did all of the obstacles marked ‘extreme’ rather than taking the ‘moderate’ alternatives. But apart from the bruise on my right elbow (unsure where that happened on the course), I came away truly delighted, proud and somewhat relieved!

My certificate of course completion (left) is proof I can do anything when I put my mind to it, and oh it is wonderfully orange too.

The Wurzels @ Exmouth Pavilion - 02/09/09

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:42:00 +0000

Oooooo Arrrrrrrr! Oooooo Arrrrrrrr! Goooood Morning! Today I speak not English but I speak Zumerset. Oh yes I do! Hah

My madness can perhaps be excused this time around because last night I attended a concert at the Exmouth Pavilion of the legendary – and let’s all admit it – hilarious Wurzels. Oooooo Arrrrrrrr! Oooooo Arrrrrrrr!

They’ve been performing in my local venue each year for a few years now but until now I’ve never been overly enthusiastic to attend. This time however, with dissertation work on the go, I did take the opportunity and can now cross another thing off the ‘list of things to do in live’.

It was a very good show, albeit very short. The Wurzels were only on stage for just over an hour, so when having paid £12.50 for the privilege, it was disappointingly short. Saying that though, what songs we did here were all the classics and all thoroughly nod-your-head-along-to. I am inventing new words, oh yes! Oooooo Arrrrrrrr! Oooooo Arrrrrrrr!

Naturally, the drink of choice for the evening was some good old Scrumpy (cider for the uninitiated) which was surprisingly good stuff for a concert venue to have on tap, well-priced too. That’s right; I was indeed A Cider Drinker that night, and with cider in hand joined in the chorus of fellow concert-goers, many in farmer’s outfits and straw hats.

The Wurzels are not just a special band; they are arguably an integral part of the South-West cultural identity. You may only know of them because of the famous lyric ‘I’ve got a brand new combine harvester’ but hailing from Somerset, the Wurzels all speak with that very distinctive heavy accent where one ‘r’ becomes an ‘RRRRRR’. I think too that they are the only popular-music band to be still using an accordion as the main instrument, and certainly the main band with pint-glass holders on their microphone stands.

When it came to performing ‘Combine Harvester’, the band instead played a nightclub version that was blatantly on a backing track with not even vocals being delivered live. But to be honest, I imagine they have probably had enough of doing that song over the years, doing it just to satisfy those who came for that song.

All in all it was a superb and very fun night out. When the time came to ‘Drink Up Your Cider’ it was disappointing to have arrived so soon.

I don’t think I will enjoy a concert as much ever again, but it was enjoyment in a difference sense to other concerts. With the Wurzels it is impossible to not smile when you hear it. Go on, I challenge you not to. The Wurzels are such good fun, and such good sports, hanging around afterwards and permitting to be photographed with muggings here!

Oooooo Arrrrrrrr! Oooooo Arrrrrrrr!

~~64. Attend a concert by the Wurzels~~

YouTube: Hitler's Reaction to the Oasis Split

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:47:00 +0000

OK, OK, I know this is a parody using unrelated film footage (from the recent Valkyrie film?), but it is still rather funny. Personally I've never been a fan of Oasis so the band's split has meant as much to me as a Hungarian back-scratcher, but if anything is to be believed from this clip then Hitler was disappointed...

But for those, undoubtedly upset with the band's latest demise, perhaps they should take advice from the band themselves who once sang "stop crying your heart out"... Had to be done.

No Ten Things on Tuesday this week

noreply@blogger.com (Andrew) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:43:00 +0000

Apologies chaps, my dissertation deadline is rapidly approaching so not had time to learn 10 new things this week. Shall return next week though with a distinct dissertation flavour. Something to put in the diaries then... (or not).