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 […]
Economics
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 […]
Replacing The Dumbo At The Jumbo
If life has tought me one thing, it’s appreciating that my wife is the one going to the supermarket on a weekly basis. It’s not that I am unwilling to help her, it’s the fact that she has become so good at spotting the difference between Dutch peas and French petits pois, that I feel […]
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Kicking Balls – From Doha To Paris, With Love
Brazilian footballer Neymar’s £200m release clause – allowing his transfer from Barcelona to Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) – places him at 206th in the United Nations’ list of nations by GDP, ahead of the Marshall Islands and Palau… Football transfers are fast becoming like fake breasts – over-inflated and ridiculous. I mean, how can so much […]
Rotten Apples
A few weeks ago, my iPad suffered a premature death. For my beloved tablet, it wasn’t a crash that transformed him to ash, it’s the update that sealed his fate. Or rather, it was the lack of updates that finally killed him. In fact, he wasn’t even dead yet, but I was forced by Apple […]