Emmanuel Macron nous démontre qu’entre les excès d’un populisme dangereux et d’un socialisme décadent, il n’y a plus rien. La France risque de sombrer dans son propre désarroi. Les Français adorent le chaos, se plaindre de tout et de rien, et ont une passion pour descendre dans la rue. Les manifestations de Gilets […]
Economics
French “Gilets Jaunes” Movement Is Emmanuel Macron’s Time Bomb
The French just love chaos, adore complaining about everything and have a passion for taking to the streets. The latest movement of discontent targetted at Emmanuel Macron, the “gilets jaunes,” (yellow vests) is no exception to this French pastime. During my 15 years in France, I fell victim to this undisciplined, vociferous, and disrespectful mentality all […]
Dutch Prime Minister, Mark Rutte – A Martyr To Multinationals?
Dutch politics is currently preparing itself for a war of words concerning the ruling coalition’s proposals to scrap Dutch dividend tax. Under present rules, companies have to pay 15% tax over profits that are distributed to shareholders. This sum is withheld on the amount that a shareholder receives. However, shareholders who live in the Netherlands […]
Russia’s Fake World Cup
In the Russian town of Ekaterinburg, 14 households are currently cut off from the gas supplies for a month during the FIFA 2018 World Cup. The official reason, given by the authorities, is that the high-pressure gas supply is considered to be too dangerous during the period when the town hosts four group matches. This […]
Avanti La Musica – The Italian Flop
There’s good news, and bad news, coming from Rome. The good news is that Italian coalition governments don’t last that long. Since WWII, there have been 19 general elections, but more than 60 different governments. The chances are, then, that the latest coalition will not last very long. Now for the bad news. The latest […]
Emmanuel Macron Cannot Change French “Strike Culture”
There is another culture that the French are proud of, besides the “cultural exception” represented by their language, in the face of Anglo-Saxon dominance. It is the right for you to strike, regardless of whether your actions will close schools, disrupt the business commuter, or leave the unsuspecting tourist stranded at Charles de Gaulle airport. […]
Dikes, Bikes, And Perks – Holland’s Underwater Haven
photograph © Raimond Spekking / CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons) The latest OECD report, focussing on the work-leisure balance – so important in stopping each one of us from giving up on life – puts the Dutch at the top of the class. This does compensate the dire results of the Dutch national football team, which […]
The EU’s Problem Is Not Brexit, It’s Eastern Europe
Jean Monnet, one of the fathers of the Union, had a vision of a unified Europe, probably a federal one. For Monnet, Europe was an ongoing process, a “work in progress”, aiming to create the best possible future for our children and grand-children. We must be honest, and admit that certain member states are not economically […]
Theresa May Is Undermining Citizens’ Rights
During her recent visit to China, Theresa May has trampled on EU citizens’ rights, as well as evading the question of human rights in China. She has hardly the time to recover from jet-lag, before playing host to Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, world champion in human rights. Does Theresa May really believe in […]
Citizens’ Rights Have Been Swept Under The Carpet
Whereas 23rd June 2016 will be remembered as one of the blackest days of our lives, as EU citizens in the UK and Brits in the EU, the announcement of a last-minute agreement “securing” citizens’ rights, will probably rank as being “very dark grey”. Two things come to mind when analysing the outcome of this […]