Monday, February 21, 2005
What Europe has ever done for us? - Benefits of the European Union in Animation
Try this animation for fun and do not be put off by the initial apparently negative comment, it gets positive quite quickly. Click on What europe has ever done for us? - An animation showing the benefits of the European Union This is an animation by the European Movement (Mouvement Européen).
Catastrophic Result in German Elections in Schleswig-Holstein
IN what can only be described as a catastrophic result for Germany and the people of Schleswig-Holstein in the German state election in Schleswig-Holstein
see Kieler Nachrichten: 745 Stimmen fehlen für schwarz-gelbe Mehrheit
the coalition of the CDU and FDP lacked just 745 votes to independently unseat the more than incompetent Red-Green coalition under Heide Simonis. Under ten years of the incapable Simonis and seventeen years of Red-Green leadership, the economy of Schleswig-Holstein is in a shambles. Unemployment has reach record levels with the official count on February 4, 2005 of 178,409 (12.7%), and the real count closer to 17%. Unemployment is rising rapidly at a time when the rest of world is experiencing an economic recovery. Rather than running the government and the economy properly, Simonis has even found time to write a book and pose as an author. Incredible what today is allowed to pose as a government leader.
The catastrophe is made worse by the fact that the coalition of the Reds (SPD) and the Green Party actually - and deservedly - lost the election, since they won one seat LESS than the CDU-FDP coalition, giving the CDU-FDP 34 seats and the Red-Green coalition 33 seats.
However, Schleswig-Holstein has a unique situation which permits the minority party of the "border Danes", the SSW (South-Schleswig Voters' Association), to obtain seats in the state parliament, even if they do not surmount the normal 5% hurdle that other parties must pass in order to send delegates there.
As noted by Simon Tisdall in his astutely written article in the Guardian, the SSW was "created by the British military authorities in 1948 to represent ethnic Danes after Schleswig was divided between Germany and Denmark after plebiscites in 1920.
The SSW, dedicated to maintaining "the peculiarity of Danish life", is hardly a major political force. Speaking for the 50,000 Danes and 40,000 Friesians among the state of 2.8 million people, it currently holds three seats in Kiel's Landtag (parliament)."
Through the election just held, the SSW now obtains 2 seats by virtue of receiving 3.6% of the vote (which would ordinarily not suffice for a normal party to send delegates to parliament). What is particularly disturbing is that the other parties (mostly right-wing) in this election obtained 4.7% of the vote - MORE votes than the SSW - but are disenfranchised, since they did not reach the 5% level. The situation thus no longer has anything to do with what a normal person would call "democracy".
The SSW is thus the kingmaker in Schleswig-Holstein in an election result which in part determines the fortunes of the Schroeder administration, a result to be determined by 50,000 Danes on the wrong side of the border. Worse, the SSW traditionally holds to the left-wing parties, so that they may swing their two votes to the losing incumbents, thus negating the actual German vote, which would ordinarily demand a change of government.
The vote is also catastrophic for the SSW. If they cast their votes to the losers of the election, the "Danes" have changed the political scene in Germany. This will only feed the growing right-wing sentiment in Germany and in Schleswig-Holstein and clearly and ultimately lead to the loss by the SSW of their special privileges, once the left-wingers are out of office. On the other hand, if the SSW respects the choice made by the German voters, they should join the CDU-FDP coaltion, which however would go contrary to their historical allegiance and contrary to their own voters. In our opinion, the only way that the SSW could possibly save itself from ultimate demise is to abstain from joining any coalition and letting the Germans decide the matter for themselves, while of course exacting the fulfillment of some political demands for remaining neutral.
For the people in Schleswig-Holstein, another period of rule under Simonis would be the end of social peace and the beginning of the rise of the extreme right wing in the north.
.
see Kieler Nachrichten: 745 Stimmen fehlen für schwarz-gelbe Mehrheit
the coalition of the CDU and FDP lacked just 745 votes to independently unseat the more than incompetent Red-Green coalition under Heide Simonis. Under ten years of the incapable Simonis and seventeen years of Red-Green leadership, the economy of Schleswig-Holstein is in a shambles. Unemployment has reach record levels with the official count on February 4, 2005 of 178,409 (12.7%), and the real count closer to 17%. Unemployment is rising rapidly at a time when the rest of world is experiencing an economic recovery. Rather than running the government and the economy properly, Simonis has even found time to write a book and pose as an author. Incredible what today is allowed to pose as a government leader.
The catastrophe is made worse by the fact that the coalition of the Reds (SPD) and the Green Party actually - and deservedly - lost the election, since they won one seat LESS than the CDU-FDP coalition, giving the CDU-FDP 34 seats and the Red-Green coalition 33 seats.
However, Schleswig-Holstein has a unique situation which permits the minority party of the "border Danes", the SSW (South-Schleswig Voters' Association), to obtain seats in the state parliament, even if they do not surmount the normal 5% hurdle that other parties must pass in order to send delegates there.
As noted by Simon Tisdall in his astutely written article in the Guardian, the SSW was "created by the British military authorities in 1948 to represent ethnic Danes after Schleswig was divided between Germany and Denmark after plebiscites in 1920.
The SSW, dedicated to maintaining "the peculiarity of Danish life", is hardly a major political force. Speaking for the 50,000 Danes and 40,000 Friesians among the state of 2.8 million people, it currently holds three seats in Kiel's Landtag (parliament)."
Through the election just held, the SSW now obtains 2 seats by virtue of receiving 3.6% of the vote (which would ordinarily not suffice for a normal party to send delegates to parliament). What is particularly disturbing is that the other parties (mostly right-wing) in this election obtained 4.7% of the vote - MORE votes than the SSW - but are disenfranchised, since they did not reach the 5% level. The situation thus no longer has anything to do with what a normal person would call "democracy".
The SSW is thus the kingmaker in Schleswig-Holstein in an election result which in part determines the fortunes of the Schroeder administration, a result to be determined by 50,000 Danes on the wrong side of the border. Worse, the SSW traditionally holds to the left-wing parties, so that they may swing their two votes to the losing incumbents, thus negating the actual German vote, which would ordinarily demand a change of government.
The vote is also catastrophic for the SSW. If they cast their votes to the losers of the election, the "Danes" have changed the political scene in Germany. This will only feed the growing right-wing sentiment in Germany and in Schleswig-Holstein and clearly and ultimately lead to the loss by the SSW of their special privileges, once the left-wingers are out of office. On the other hand, if the SSW respects the choice made by the German voters, they should join the CDU-FDP coaltion, which however would go contrary to their historical allegiance and contrary to their own voters. In our opinion, the only way that the SSW could possibly save itself from ultimate demise is to abstain from joining any coalition and letting the Germans decide the matter for themselves, while of course exacting the fulfillment of some political demands for remaining neutral.
For the people in Schleswig-Holstein, another period of rule under Simonis would be the end of social peace and the beginning of the rise of the extreme right wing in the north.
.
Expense Account Fraud in the European Parliament?
The Engllsh-language version of Deutsche Welle carried a story in 2004 about Widespread Fraud Alleged in European Parliament which still has not been resolved.
In addition to their normal expense accounts, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) receive a €262 (US $320) per diem if they sign in to the parliamentary register, based on the understanding that they attend the sessions.
However, as this story indicates, many MEPs abuse this privilege by showing up only to sign the register and then leaving, without taking part in any sessions at all. This is comparable to a normal worker showing up for work to punch in on the time clock in the morning and then leaving only to return in the evening to punch out on the time clock again, without working.
Largely at fault for the necessity of a per diem system is Germany under the hapless Schroeder administration (along with France, Sweden and Austria), who led the blockage of an EU Parliament Pay Reform which would have granted all MEPs a uniform salary appropriate to their position, a solution which would have been a minimal expense in view of the billions that the European Union throws away on other ridiculous projects or subsidies.
The result is that there are huge discrepancies in the payment of MEPs by their home countries. As the Deutsche Welle reported:
"Italian MEP's earn the most with a salary of around €12,000 ($14,960) a month, while their Spanish counterparts earn around €3,000. The differences will become even greater when MEP's from the EU's new accession countries join the ranks. Hungarian MEP's will earn €800 a month, while Lithuanian deputies can expect to take home around €350."
Small wonder then that the session per diems are abused, since they are nearly as high as some of the monthly salaries of some of the EU Parliament members. We would in fact imagine that this is one reason why these per diems are tolerated. Without them, many MEPs probably could not pay their rent.
Interestingly, the Deutsche Welle article indicates that German MEPs are among the greatest abusers of the per diem privilege, even though their normal pay is adequate and even though the clueless Schroeder administration has blocked the sensible salary solution for all MEPs. This fits the current German mentality of "every man for himself", a terrible social, political and economic climate in Germany which the Schroeder administration has fostered.
.
In addition to their normal expense accounts, Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) receive a €262 (US $320) per diem if they sign in to the parliamentary register, based on the understanding that they attend the sessions.
However, as this story indicates, many MEPs abuse this privilege by showing up only to sign the register and then leaving, without taking part in any sessions at all. This is comparable to a normal worker showing up for work to punch in on the time clock in the morning and then leaving only to return in the evening to punch out on the time clock again, without working.
Largely at fault for the necessity of a per diem system is Germany under the hapless Schroeder administration (along with France, Sweden and Austria), who led the blockage of an EU Parliament Pay Reform which would have granted all MEPs a uniform salary appropriate to their position, a solution which would have been a minimal expense in view of the billions that the European Union throws away on other ridiculous projects or subsidies.
The result is that there are huge discrepancies in the payment of MEPs by their home countries. As the Deutsche Welle reported:
"Italian MEP's earn the most with a salary of around €12,000 ($14,960) a month, while their Spanish counterparts earn around €3,000. The differences will become even greater when MEP's from the EU's new accession countries join the ranks. Hungarian MEP's will earn €800 a month, while Lithuanian deputies can expect to take home around €350."
Small wonder then that the session per diems are abused, since they are nearly as high as some of the monthly salaries of some of the EU Parliament members. We would in fact imagine that this is one reason why these per diems are tolerated. Without them, many MEPs probably could not pay their rent.
Interestingly, the Deutsche Welle article indicates that German MEPs are among the greatest abusers of the per diem privilege, even though their normal pay is adequate and even though the clueless Schroeder administration has blocked the sensible salary solution for all MEPs. This fits the current German mentality of "every man for himself", a terrible social, political and economic climate in Germany which the Schroeder administration has fostered.
.
President Bush Addresses his Visit to Europe
The official website of US President Bush carries the President's Radio Address concerning his trip to Europe, both as text and audio.
We repeat the entire - quite short - address here to counteract the tremendous amount of drivel published here in Europe by the mainstream media (MSM).
THE PRESIDENT:
"Good morning. Tomorrow I leave on a trip to Europe, where I will reaffirm the importance of our transatlantic relationship with our European friends and allies.
Over the last several weeks the world has witnessed momentous events -- Palestinians voting for an end to violence; Ukrainians standing up for their democratic rights; Iraqis going to the polls in free elections. And in Europe, I will talk with leaders at NATO and the European Union about how we can work together to take advantage of the historic opportunities now before us.
Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic understand that the hopes for peace in the world depend on the continued unity of free nations. We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world. We share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every individual, and we are working together across the globe to advance our common interest and common values.
In Iraq, our shared commitment to free elections has stripped the car bombers and assassins of their most powerful weapon, their claim to represent the wishes and aspirations of the Iraqi people. In these elections, the European Union provided vital technical assistance. NATO is helping to train army officers, police and civilian administrators of a new Iraq. And 21 of our European coalition partners are providing forces on the ground. America and Europe are also working together to advance the cause of peace in the Holy Land, where we share the same goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and freedom.
In my inaugural address I said that the liberty we espouse is a universal aspiration. Many Americans trace their roots back to Europe, and we can trace many of our founding ideals there, as well. It was a Frenchman who taught the framers of our Constitution the importance of the separation of powers. It was a Scot who explained the virtues of a free market. It was an Englishman who challenged us to correct the principal defect of our founding, the plague of slavery. And it was an Italian who gave us our name: America.
America's strong ties to Europe are reflected in the largest two-way trading and investment relationship in the world. Today more than a fifth of all U.S. exports go to the European Union, and millions of Americans depend for their paychecks on the local affiliates of European parent companies.
I will work with our European partners to open markets and expand opportunities for our businesses, our workers and farmers, and to advance the Doha Round of trade talks. I will make clear that one of my top priorities is to reduce the remaining European barriers to U.S. agricultural goods.
Even the best of friends do not agree on everything. But at the dawn of the 21st century, the deepest values and interests of America and Europe are the same: defeating terrorism, conquering poverty, expanding trade and promoting peace. On both sides of the Atlantic, terrorist attacks on our cities and civilians have shown that freedom has dangerous enemies, and that the key to a lasting peace is the advance of human liberty.
Today, security and justice and prosperity for our world depend on America and Europe working in common purpose. That makes our transatlantic ties as vital as they have ever been. And during my visit to Europe next week I will discuss with our friends and allies how we can strengthen those ties to build a future of peace and freedom for our children.
Thank you for listening."
Now compare that with the largely left-wing agitation (and that is all it is) that the European newspapers and television produce.
.
We repeat the entire - quite short - address here to counteract the tremendous amount of drivel published here in Europe by the mainstream media (MSM).
THE PRESIDENT:
"Good morning. Tomorrow I leave on a trip to Europe, where I will reaffirm the importance of our transatlantic relationship with our European friends and allies.
Over the last several weeks the world has witnessed momentous events -- Palestinians voting for an end to violence; Ukrainians standing up for their democratic rights; Iraqis going to the polls in free elections. And in Europe, I will talk with leaders at NATO and the European Union about how we can work together to take advantage of the historic opportunities now before us.
Leaders on both sides of the Atlantic understand that the hopes for peace in the world depend on the continued unity of free nations. We do not accept a false caricature that divides the Western world between an idealistic United States and a cynical Europe. America and Europe are the pillars of the free world. We share the same belief in freedom and the rights of every individual, and we are working together across the globe to advance our common interest and common values.
In Iraq, our shared commitment to free elections has stripped the car bombers and assassins of their most powerful weapon, their claim to represent the wishes and aspirations of the Iraqi people. In these elections, the European Union provided vital technical assistance. NATO is helping to train army officers, police and civilian administrators of a new Iraq. And 21 of our European coalition partners are providing forces on the ground. America and Europe are also working together to advance the cause of peace in the Holy Land, where we share the same goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and freedom.
In my inaugural address I said that the liberty we espouse is a universal aspiration. Many Americans trace their roots back to Europe, and we can trace many of our founding ideals there, as well. It was a Frenchman who taught the framers of our Constitution the importance of the separation of powers. It was a Scot who explained the virtues of a free market. It was an Englishman who challenged us to correct the principal defect of our founding, the plague of slavery. And it was an Italian who gave us our name: America.
America's strong ties to Europe are reflected in the largest two-way trading and investment relationship in the world. Today more than a fifth of all U.S. exports go to the European Union, and millions of Americans depend for their paychecks on the local affiliates of European parent companies.
I will work with our European partners to open markets and expand opportunities for our businesses, our workers and farmers, and to advance the Doha Round of trade talks. I will make clear that one of my top priorities is to reduce the remaining European barriers to U.S. agricultural goods.
Even the best of friends do not agree on everything. But at the dawn of the 21st century, the deepest values and interests of America and Europe are the same: defeating terrorism, conquering poverty, expanding trade and promoting peace. On both sides of the Atlantic, terrorist attacks on our cities and civilians have shown that freedom has dangerous enemies, and that the key to a lasting peace is the advance of human liberty.
Today, security and justice and prosperity for our world depend on America and Europe working in common purpose. That makes our transatlantic ties as vital as they have ever been. And during my visit to Europe next week I will discuss with our friends and allies how we can strengthen those ties to build a future of peace and freedom for our children.
Thank you for listening."
Now compare that with the largely left-wing agitation (and that is all it is) that the European newspapers and television produce.
.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
EU Pundit Blogrolled Blogs Blogged F to L
Before we get to F, here's a great new blog we added added under "C"
Chocolate & Zucchini
A wonderful blog out of Paris on food and cooking.
Finland for Thought
This blog has a list of Finnish blogs in English, of which we list a few below
Antti Vilpponen - Daily posts
Rye Beer - Personal and political commentary
“Wh1t39abb1+” Blog - Hacking in Finland
Flanders & Wallonie
This is a link to a list of Belgian Blogs at blog.forret.com.
Flip Flop Flyin'
Craig Robinson makes "minipops". Take a look at them. He blogs out of Berlin and has his own guide to Berlin.
Frans Groenendijk
by his description, is an "independent Dutch politician" who is "idealistic but not naive, realistic but not cynical". The motto of his Dutch blog is: "For every complex problem there is a simple solution... and it is wrong".
The Fundamental Principles of the European Constitution
This somewhat lengthily named blog is a group effort relating to the European Constitution which we have included on our blogroll as EU Const. Fundamentals.
Giornale Nuovo
This is a very unusual artsy-craftsy blog by a blogger on the Baltic coast of southern Sweden.
Glacons
The blog motto is: " ...one guy, bobbling about in a subconscious sea of cultural absurdity".
GloBlog
Johan Norberg's blog is quite popular in Sweden. His motto is "Liberalism-Capitalism-Globalisation". A recent posting points to some of the "real" problems surfacing in the "new Europe": see here for some labor problems between Sweden and Latvia, where the Latvian foreign minister Artis Pabriks is quoted with an argument that hits the essence of the issue right on the head in his statement that: "I understand that trade unions in Sweden have a lot of power. But if they are so anxious about the Latvian workers in Vaxholm – who are not anxious themselves – why are they not anxious about the Latvian workers in Swedish companies in Latvia, who earn less than those in Vaxholm?"
In other words, the richer countries of the EU all cry foul when cheaper labor is brought to their own doorstep from the newer EU countries, but find it perfectly OK if their companies employ that same cheaper labor in those other countries to make greater profits for themselves. It is a regrettable double standard of which the peoples of the EU should be made aware. You can not have it both ways.
Glory of Carniola
is by its own statement "An online guide to Slovenia and beyond".
Halfway Down The Danube
started on the Danube at Belgrade and now blogs out of Bucharest. Their motto is "Our exciting life in the Balkans".
Heiko Hebig
Heiko links to pictures of Tiger Woods practicing off the heli-deck of the only seven-star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, UAE. You have to see this! but you don't want any strong gusts of wind up there.
INBB
Zed writes, e.g.: "I just want to state for the record that Rice in France went very well. She continues to surpass my pessimistic expectations."
IP:JUR
Axel Horns is a German patent attorney who blogs on intellectual property law, a particularly interesting and important subject in the EU. He has detailed postings on the status of the proposed directive on software patents.
Jules Maaten
is a Dutch member of the European Parliament who blogs regularly in the Dutch language. If you are curious as to what he is writing you can get some Dutch to English translations at Babelfish at Alta Vista.
LawPundit
LawPundit is the other main blog of the EU Pundit which concentrates more on legal and other current issues on the other side of the Atlantic, although there is some cross-posting.
Leaderlog
One post we liked was this one on time management.
Lenz Blog
This is a blog by Dr. Karl-Friedrich Lenz, who is a Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan.
This blog is probably unique on the world blog scene in that it is published in English, German and Japanese versions. Lenz writes on law and IP, e.g. as a sample: "Axel H. Horns discusses the fact that introducing software patents in Europe would harm the European software industry by requiring them to pay large royalties to American patent holders." Check it out. It is an interesting issue.
Live from Brussels
Just what it says. "Musings from a dad working from home".
Löic Le Meur
Blog Motto: "Traditional media send messages, blogs start discussions". Löic has a list of people who just attended the Berlin EuropaBlog on February 10, 2005, from which LIST OF GERMAN BLOGS we have selected some of the blogs which are either fully or partially in English or are popular in Germany:
Heiko Hebig, Six Apart
Clemens Lerche, init.de
Jörg Kantel, Der Schockwellenreiter (Berlin)
Vasco Sommer-Nunes, blog.de
Joerg Feuerhake, - Feuerhake's Log (Berlin)
Björn Ognibeni, Site-9, Artikel-20.de
Ingmar Bornholz, Köln
Oliver Thylmann, Köln
Martin Röll, Dresden
Felix Braun, Hamburg
Lose the Delusion
The blog motto is: "Proudly battling Euroscepticisim".
Lou Minatti
Lou Minatti blogs out of Houston, Texas and has some definite views of Europe and the world. He points out, for example, that many more Europeans still immigrate to the USA than vice versa and asks why is that? His blog motto is: "Home to .000000001% of the blogosphere!" Hat tip for finding this blog to INBB.
Lyssas Lounge
This is a popular personal blog in German language by a young lady.
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Chocolate & Zucchini
A wonderful blog out of Paris on food and cooking.
Finland for Thought
This blog has a list of Finnish blogs in English, of which we list a few below
Antti Vilpponen - Daily posts
Rye Beer - Personal and political commentary
“Wh1t39abb1+” Blog - Hacking in Finland
Flanders & Wallonie
This is a link to a list of Belgian Blogs at blog.forret.com.
Flip Flop Flyin'
Craig Robinson makes "minipops". Take a look at them. He blogs out of Berlin and has his own guide to Berlin.
Frans Groenendijk
by his description, is an "independent Dutch politician" who is "idealistic but not naive, realistic but not cynical". The motto of his Dutch blog is: "For every complex problem there is a simple solution... and it is wrong".
The Fundamental Principles of the European Constitution
This somewhat lengthily named blog is a group effort relating to the European Constitution which we have included on our blogroll as EU Const. Fundamentals.
Giornale Nuovo
This is a very unusual artsy-craftsy blog by a blogger on the Baltic coast of southern Sweden.
Glacons
The blog motto is: " ...one guy, bobbling about in a subconscious sea of cultural absurdity".
GloBlog
Johan Norberg's blog is quite popular in Sweden. His motto is "Liberalism-Capitalism-Globalisation". A recent posting points to some of the "real" problems surfacing in the "new Europe": see here for some labor problems between Sweden and Latvia, where the Latvian foreign minister Artis Pabriks is quoted with an argument that hits the essence of the issue right on the head in his statement that: "I understand that trade unions in Sweden have a lot of power. But if they are so anxious about the Latvian workers in Vaxholm – who are not anxious themselves – why are they not anxious about the Latvian workers in Swedish companies in Latvia, who earn less than those in Vaxholm?"
In other words, the richer countries of the EU all cry foul when cheaper labor is brought to their own doorstep from the newer EU countries, but find it perfectly OK if their companies employ that same cheaper labor in those other countries to make greater profits for themselves. It is a regrettable double standard of which the peoples of the EU should be made aware. You can not have it both ways.
Glory of Carniola
is by its own statement "An online guide to Slovenia and beyond".
Halfway Down The Danube
started on the Danube at Belgrade and now blogs out of Bucharest. Their motto is "Our exciting life in the Balkans".
Heiko Hebig
Heiko links to pictures of Tiger Woods practicing off the heli-deck of the only seven-star hotel in the world, Burj Al Arab hotel in Dubai, UAE. You have to see this! but you don't want any strong gusts of wind up there.
INBB
Zed writes, e.g.: "I just want to state for the record that Rice in France went very well. She continues to surpass my pessimistic expectations."
IP:JUR
Axel Horns is a German patent attorney who blogs on intellectual property law, a particularly interesting and important subject in the EU. He has detailed postings on the status of the proposed directive on software patents.
Jules Maaten
is a Dutch member of the European Parliament who blogs regularly in the Dutch language. If you are curious as to what he is writing you can get some Dutch to English translations at Babelfish at Alta Vista.
LawPundit
LawPundit is the other main blog of the EU Pundit which concentrates more on legal and other current issues on the other side of the Atlantic, although there is some cross-posting.
Leaderlog
One post we liked was this one on time management.
Lenz Blog
This is a blog by Dr. Karl-Friedrich Lenz, who is a Professor at Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, Japan.
This blog is probably unique on the world blog scene in that it is published in English, German and Japanese versions. Lenz writes on law and IP, e.g. as a sample: "Axel H. Horns discusses the fact that introducing software patents in Europe would harm the European software industry by requiring them to pay large royalties to American patent holders." Check it out. It is an interesting issue.
Live from Brussels
Just what it says. "Musings from a dad working from home".
Löic Le Meur
Blog Motto: "Traditional media send messages, blogs start discussions". Löic has a list of people who just attended the Berlin EuropaBlog on February 10, 2005, from which LIST OF GERMAN BLOGS we have selected some of the blogs which are either fully or partially in English or are popular in Germany:
Heiko Hebig, Six Apart
Clemens Lerche, init.de
Jörg Kantel, Der Schockwellenreiter (Berlin)
Vasco Sommer-Nunes, blog.de
Joerg Feuerhake, - Feuerhake's Log (Berlin)
Björn Ognibeni, Site-9, Artikel-20.de
Ingmar Bornholz, Köln
Oliver Thylmann, Köln
Martin Röll, Dresden
Felix Braun, Hamburg
Lose the Delusion
The blog motto is: "Proudly battling Euroscepticisim".
Lou Minatti
Lou Minatti blogs out of Houston, Texas and has some definite views of Europe and the world. He points out, for example, that many more Europeans still immigrate to the USA than vice versa and asks why is that? His blog motto is: "Home to .000000001% of the blogosphere!" Hat tip for finding this blog to INBB.
Lyssas Lounge
This is a popular personal blog in German language by a young lady.
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Friday, February 18, 2005
EU Pundit Blogrolled Blogs Blogged C to E
We continue here with our list of blogrolled blogs.
Capperi!
Capperi! is an Italian language blog with the motto "E' la libertà, bellezza!" which means something like "Oh' freedom, the beauty!" As everyone knows, you can not put Italian adequately into another language.
Clive Davis
The motto of this blog is "Politics and culture from both sides of the Atlantic...........Clive Davis writes for The Times & The Washington Times". Obviously, this man can write...well. Here is a sample: "You can be rude about Camilla or Mandela, you can make fun of the Pope. But saying that the Kyoto Treaty has major flaws is definitely beyond the pale. "
Crooked Timber
The motto of this group blog is that "Out of the Crooked Timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made", a philosophical observation of Immanuel Kant transliterated by Sir Isaiah Berlin, who wrote a book using this title as The Crooked Timber of Humanity. The members of this blog are:
Ted Barlow Chris Bertram Harry Brighouse Daniel Davies Henry Farrell Maria Farrell Eszter Hargittai Kieran Healy John Holbo Jon Mandle Montagu Norman John Quiggin Tom Runnacles Micah Schwartzman Belle Waring and Brian Weatherson, who come from...well, everywhere, including Europe.
Daily Czech
Petr Bokuvka blogs from Bratislava, Slovakia where he is a reporter and host of a radio program called Slovakia Today at Radio Slovakia International. He writes: "Bush and Putin will meet in Bratislava next Wednesday. It is almost for sure that Dubya should give a speech in downtown Bratislava on Thursday. I will be covering the event."
Davids Medienkritik
This blog by David Kaspar and Ray D. carries the motto "politically incorrect observations on reporting in the German media" and is a strong critic of mainstream media (MSM) in Germany, an attitude well represented by this Cox & Forkum illustration, "Pajamas at the Gate", cited two days ago as "The MSM Castle" at Davids Medienkritik:
Source and Copyright: Cox & Forkum
Mainstream Media is asking "Bloggers again? What do they want this time?" and answering "The Usual". The bloggers are at MSM Castle demonstrating for "facts, truth and objectivity".
Davos Newbies
Lance Knobel writes "a year-round Davos of the mind" from London and writes: "This is a website written by Lance Knobel, who was responsible for the programme of the Davos meeting in January 2000. This site started about a month before the 2000 meeting but has changed considerably since those early days.
What is Davos?
Davos is both a town in Switzerland and the shorthand description for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum [see their blog here], which has now taken place in Davos for 30 years. The Annual Meeting has been described by The Economist as "the summit of summits in the business world". I think Davos is also a state of mind. "
Different Day
Justin writes from Brussels about "Thoughts on culture, past, present and future ".
Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle Richard Welch is a French journalist who writes this popular blog in French and the entries are always accompanied, paragraph for paragraph within the blog itself, with an English translation.
Eolas
The subtitle of this Celtic-named French language blog is "Journal d'un avocat" (Journal of an Attorney).
EU Constitution
The actual title of this blog - too long to cite on the blogroll - is Demystifying the EU Constitution, carrying the motto "Towards the United States of Europe, an impasse or the twilight zone? I wonder... Comments appreciated!" The blog owner Thibault Masson writes in his profile: "French guy living in the USA who wants to know more about the EU Constitution by exploring the net and sharing his findings".
EU Law Web log
This is "A blog on European Union law for practitioners, students, academics and everyone else who may be curious about it" by Professor Francesca E. Bignami who teaches EU law, administrative law, and comparative public law at Duke University Law School in the USA. For example, she has a recent posting reporting that "The European Parliament has published the 16th edition of its Rules of Procedure here ."
EU Pundit
The motto of EU Pundit is "Blogging for a better Europe." EU Pundit strives for depth in its postings, often more than is normally found either in blogs or in journalistic articles. Regardless of the topic under discussion, much time is spent to locate and link to original sources so that selected comprehensive blog postings at EU Pundit can serve as stand-alone resources down the road for later internet researchers. EU Pundit is pro Europe, pro EU and pro EU Constitution. A United States of Europe, as Winston Churchill called it in 1946, is an absolute must if Europe is to hold its own in our increasingly overpopulated world. EU Pundit reports positively on developments which are found to be good for Europe. People and institutions which are found to be inimical to European interests will be treated negatively, as they deserve.
EUREALIST
This is a contra EU Constitution blog by Ken Adams, who in recent posts has also commented on Straws Myths. He writes e.g.: "Gerard Baker argues in the Times that the British Government’s attempt to persuade the US that the EU Constitution would aid its foreign policy goals is “a combination of naivety and misplaced confidence about its ability to control things European… The real leaders of the EU – in Paris, Berlin and Brussels, are quite clear about where they want this newly united Europe to go, and it is not in London’s direction, still less Washington’s.”"
EU Referendum
The purpose of this blog by Helen Szamuely and Richard North is "To discuss issues arising in relation to the UK referendum on the constitutional treaty". They are contra the EU Constitution. They write e.g. "The Times today comes up with an interesting observation – that the EU constitution is being "sold" in different ways in different countries, almost as if in each member state it is a different document. "
Euroblog
Euroblog blogs out of Brussels.
«#Euro Blogs?»
Euro Blogs is a blog ring at RingSurf.
European Democracy
The full title of this blog is Reflections on European Democracy. The "eulogist" writes on the issue of the ratification of the EU Constitution: "But is it correct to ask the question like this? Put in this way, it is clear what happens if a majority votes ‘yes’. But is it equally clear what it means to vote ‘no’?"
European History
This is the about.com site on European history by Robert Wilde.
European Weblog Review
To quote this blog: "The European Weblog Review endeavors to examine the best of the English-speaking blogosphere on the European Continent. Our objective is to provide a balanced and comprehensive look at new and thought-provoking content from the blogging community in Europe."
Europhobia
This blog consists of "The musings of a non-partisan one-time Eurosceptic turned pro-European and his far better-informed friends".
Europundit
David Weman also posts over at A Fistful of Euros.
Europundits
This is a group blog including the following pundits:
John Chappell - Iberian Notes
Ian Dodge
Jesus Gil
Eamonn Fitzgerald - Rainy Day
Nelson Ascher - Sasha Castel
Most posting is done by Nelson Ascher, e.g. "The sad truth is: though the press and the media are still free in much of Europe, they’re not independent anymore. The kind of criticism one reads in the NYT or the WaPo against the US government is almost impossible to find in Europe against any government, except, obviously, the American one. "
EURSOC
We find excellent writing at this blog and some interesting opinions, e.g. "Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, is enjoying a honeymoon period with all but the most unpleasant of the European papers. Her mild support of the EU constitution - "it is a good development" - might have carried some weight if it was more widely reported."
Euro Serfdom
The full title of this blog is "The Road to Euro Serfdom". This British blogger is obviously not pro EU.
Expat Bloggers
This is a list of Expat bloggers by Ministry of Propaganda.
.
Capperi!
Capperi! is an Italian language blog with the motto "E' la libertà, bellezza!" which means something like "Oh' freedom, the beauty!" As everyone knows, you can not put Italian adequately into another language.
Clive Davis
The motto of this blog is "Politics and culture from both sides of the Atlantic...........Clive Davis writes for The Times & The Washington Times". Obviously, this man can write...well. Here is a sample: "You can be rude about Camilla or Mandela, you can make fun of the Pope. But saying that the Kyoto Treaty has major flaws is definitely beyond the pale. "
Crooked Timber
The motto of this group blog is that "Out of the Crooked Timber of humanity no straight thing was ever made", a philosophical observation of Immanuel Kant transliterated by Sir Isaiah Berlin, who wrote a book using this title as The Crooked Timber of Humanity. The members of this blog are:
Ted Barlow Chris Bertram Harry Brighouse Daniel Davies Henry Farrell Maria Farrell Eszter Hargittai Kieran Healy John Holbo Jon Mandle Montagu Norman John Quiggin Tom Runnacles Micah Schwartzman Belle Waring and Brian Weatherson, who come from...well, everywhere, including Europe.
Daily Czech
Petr Bokuvka blogs from Bratislava, Slovakia where he is a reporter and host of a radio program called Slovakia Today at Radio Slovakia International. He writes: "Bush and Putin will meet in Bratislava next Wednesday. It is almost for sure that Dubya should give a speech in downtown Bratislava on Thursday. I will be covering the event."
Davids Medienkritik
This blog by David Kaspar and Ray D. carries the motto "politically incorrect observations on reporting in the German media" and is a strong critic of mainstream media (MSM) in Germany, an attitude well represented by this Cox & Forkum illustration, "Pajamas at the Gate", cited two days ago as "The MSM Castle" at Davids Medienkritik:
Source and Copyright: Cox & Forkum
Mainstream Media is asking "Bloggers again? What do they want this time?" and answering "The Usual". The bloggers are at MSM Castle demonstrating for "facts, truth and objectivity".
Davos Newbies
Lance Knobel writes "a year-round Davos of the mind" from London and writes: "This is a website written by Lance Knobel, who was responsible for the programme of the Davos meeting in January 2000. This site started about a month before the 2000 meeting but has changed considerably since those early days.
What is Davos?
Davos is both a town in Switzerland and the shorthand description for the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum [see their blog here], which has now taken place in Davos for 30 years. The Annual Meeting has been described by The Economist as "the summit of summits in the business world". I think Davos is also a state of mind. "
Different Day
Justin writes from Brussels about "Thoughts on culture, past, present and future ".
Emmanuelle
Emmanuelle Richard Welch is a French journalist who writes this popular blog in French and the entries are always accompanied, paragraph for paragraph within the blog itself, with an English translation.
Eolas
The subtitle of this Celtic-named French language blog is "Journal d'un avocat" (Journal of an Attorney).
EU Constitution
The actual title of this blog - too long to cite on the blogroll - is Demystifying the EU Constitution, carrying the motto "Towards the United States of Europe, an impasse or the twilight zone? I wonder... Comments appreciated!" The blog owner Thibault Masson writes in his profile: "French guy living in the USA who wants to know more about the EU Constitution by exploring the net and sharing his findings".
EU Law Web log
This is "A blog on European Union law for practitioners, students, academics and everyone else who may be curious about it" by Professor Francesca E. Bignami who teaches EU law, administrative law, and comparative public law at Duke University Law School in the USA. For example, she has a recent posting reporting that "The European Parliament has published the 16th edition of its Rules of Procedure here ."
EU Pundit
The motto of EU Pundit is "Blogging for a better Europe." EU Pundit strives for depth in its postings, often more than is normally found either in blogs or in journalistic articles. Regardless of the topic under discussion, much time is spent to locate and link to original sources so that selected comprehensive blog postings at EU Pundit can serve as stand-alone resources down the road for later internet researchers. EU Pundit is pro Europe, pro EU and pro EU Constitution. A United States of Europe, as Winston Churchill called it in 1946, is an absolute must if Europe is to hold its own in our increasingly overpopulated world. EU Pundit reports positively on developments which are found to be good for Europe. People and institutions which are found to be inimical to European interests will be treated negatively, as they deserve.
EUREALIST
This is a contra EU Constitution blog by Ken Adams, who in recent posts has also commented on Straws Myths. He writes e.g.: "Gerard Baker argues in the Times that the British Government’s attempt to persuade the US that the EU Constitution would aid its foreign policy goals is “a combination of naivety and misplaced confidence about its ability to control things European… The real leaders of the EU – in Paris, Berlin and Brussels, are quite clear about where they want this newly united Europe to go, and it is not in London’s direction, still less Washington’s.”"
EU Referendum
The purpose of this blog by Helen Szamuely and Richard North is "To discuss issues arising in relation to the UK referendum on the constitutional treaty". They are contra the EU Constitution. They write e.g. "The Times today comes up with an interesting observation – that the EU constitution is being "sold" in different ways in different countries, almost as if in each member state it is a different document. "
Euroblog
Euroblog blogs out of Brussels.
«#Euro Blogs?»
Euro Blogs is a blog ring at RingSurf.
European Democracy
The full title of this blog is Reflections on European Democracy. The "eulogist" writes on the issue of the ratification of the EU Constitution: "But is it correct to ask the question like this? Put in this way, it is clear what happens if a majority votes ‘yes’. But is it equally clear what it means to vote ‘no’?"
European History
This is the about.com site on European history by Robert Wilde.
European Weblog Review
To quote this blog: "The European Weblog Review endeavors to examine the best of the English-speaking blogosphere on the European Continent. Our objective is to provide a balanced and comprehensive look at new and thought-provoking content from the blogging community in Europe."
Europhobia
This blog consists of "The musings of a non-partisan one-time Eurosceptic turned pro-European and his far better-informed friends".
Europundit
David Weman also posts over at A Fistful of Euros.
Europundits
This is a group blog including the following pundits:
John Chappell - Iberian Notes
Ian Dodge
Jesus Gil
Eamonn Fitzgerald - Rainy Day
Nelson Ascher - Sasha Castel
Most posting is done by Nelson Ascher, e.g. "The sad truth is: though the press and the media are still free in much of Europe, they’re not independent anymore. The kind of criticism one reads in the NYT or the WaPo against the US government is almost impossible to find in Europe against any government, except, obviously, the American one. "
EURSOC
We find excellent writing at this blog and some interesting opinions, e.g. "Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, is enjoying a honeymoon period with all but the most unpleasant of the European papers. Her mild support of the EU constitution - "it is a good development" - might have carried some weight if it was more widely reported."
Euro Serfdom
The full title of this blog is "The Road to Euro Serfdom". This British blogger is obviously not pro EU.
Expat Bloggers
This is a list of Expat bloggers by Ministry of Propaganda.
.
EU Pundit Blogrolled Blogs Blogged A to B
As a regular feature of EU Pundit, we will blog our blogrolled blogs. This is essential to retain the communicative nature of blogging, where there must be an interchange of thoughts and ideas with the public, with journalists, and with bloggers. Indeed, we ask our readers to suggest appropriate new European blogs or EU links to us in the comments section. Please provide at least one reason for any suggestion you make. Either the weblog should be EU-related or it should be marked by some special feature. We make no promises to include suggested blogs in our blogroll, but we will look at all blogs suggested.
Here is our current blogroll with a short comment as to why we selected each blog for inclusion on EU Pundit. This blogroll as well as our opinion on any blog is of course subject to change at any time without notice.
A Day in Paris
It must be something about Paris and the French that makes France the fashion capital of the world. This blog is surely among the most beautifully designed of all the European blogs, written by an American expat inspired by Paris. Check out her posting - here on Les Années Folles, "the famous Americans in Paris and the famous French in the United States during the Crazy Years (roughly 1919-1929)-- over croissant and café."
A Fistful of Euros
This blog is produced by a group which now numbers more than a fistful and which is surely the best-known European blog. Members of A Fistful of Euros and their individual blogs (if found accessible) are:
Nick Barlow: What You Can Get Away With
Iain J Coleman
Edward Hugh
Scott MacMillan: Scotty Mac
Scott Martens: Pedantry
Doug Merrill
Claudia Muir: Halfway Down The Danube
Douglas Muir: Halfway Down The Danube
Tobias Schwarz
Jurjen Smies: No Cameras
Mrs Tilton: The 6th International
Matthew Turner: Matt T
David Weman: Europundit
Take a look there, for example, at It's all in the question, which we are sure it is. We have removed links to individual blogs above which are no longer accessible but which still are listed on A Fistful of Euros.
All About Latvia
Blogging in the Baltic is still fairly rare, so that we are happy about All About Latvia, which is the birthplace of both of the EU Pundit's parents. Check out e.g. the postings on the University of Latvia or If you plan to visit Latvia.
American in London
Monica writes: "Moved to London Sept 2004 and am loving every minute of this bizzare and crazy city. The culture shock is extreme, but that's what's making life here so fantastic!"
Arellanes
Douglas Arellanes is a 13-year expatriate based in Prague, Czech Republic who writes: "The reasons for going somewhere are never the same as the reasons for staying, and I’m just fortunate to have found lots of good reasons for staying. I’ve always said I’d stay as long as it was both fun and interesting, and it’s been both so far. Knock wood."
Augustine's Blog
Natalie d'Arbeloff is a unique international London-based artist who writes: "It's my conviction, supported by experience, that every individual regardless of age, background or education has some unique creative ability which can be encouraged, developed and in some cases become the driving force in their lives." We should put that quotation up on the doors to all schools. Make sure you check out her Gnovel (graphic novel).
Balkan-Scissors
"Seesaw" blogs out of Sarajevo, sometimes in English (studied at Leeds) and sometimes in Serbo-Croatian. There is coverage of all of the countries in the Balkans, e.g. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Serbia.
Barcepundit
Franco Alemán blogs out of Barcelona, Spain, producing blog versions in both Spanish and English. He recently wrote: "Oh, by the way, the news above comes from the Spain Herald, a new online newspaper in English from the same guys at Libertad Digital, the widely successful online newspaper in Spanish and one of the very few ones with a libertarian, centrist -and sometimes a bit too conservative for my taste- perspective. Spain is probably the Western country more dominated by a liberal/leftist MSM. So any outlet which is not anti-Western, not anti-American, not Bush-hater is certainly welcome. I recommend it. "
We ourselves are political centrists, so that such a statement is of course music to our ears.
Bear Strong
Bjorn Staerk blogs out of Norway and even has a Norwegian blog manifesto. See his series of posts on Friedrich A. Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty.
Berlin Sprouts
Ulrich Buechsenschuetz of Berlin, Germany describes his blog as: "Comments, analyses, and off-shoots on European politics and culture". He recently posted: "This weekend's Munich Conference on Security Policy once again showed that the current German government has ambitions on the foreign policy stage.Already on the first day, German Defense Minister Peter Struck had the unpleasant duty to read a speech by his boss, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who couldn't atted the conference because he was ill. Struck's task was made more difficult by the fact that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung knew the text in advance and had published excerpts from it.Schroeder's speech contained some passages with the potential to renew the transatlantic irritations. Here are some of them:" Read the blog to find out what they were.
Blethers
Stuart Mudie is a freelance writer and editor posting out of Paris, France. He informs us that: "Blethers is a Scots word that, when used as an exclamation, means something like "I don't believe a word you're saying". As a verb, "to blether" means "to chat" - usually about everything and nothing."
.
Here is our current blogroll with a short comment as to why we selected each blog for inclusion on EU Pundit. This blogroll as well as our opinion on any blog is of course subject to change at any time without notice.
A Day in Paris
It must be something about Paris and the French that makes France the fashion capital of the world. This blog is surely among the most beautifully designed of all the European blogs, written by an American expat inspired by Paris. Check out her posting - here on Les Années Folles, "the famous Americans in Paris and the famous French in the United States during the Crazy Years (roughly 1919-1929)-- over croissant and café."
A Fistful of Euros
This blog is produced by a group which now numbers more than a fistful and which is surely the best-known European blog. Members of A Fistful of Euros and their individual blogs (if found accessible) are:
Nick Barlow: What You Can Get Away With
Iain J Coleman
Edward Hugh
Scott MacMillan: Scotty Mac
Scott Martens: Pedantry
Doug Merrill
Claudia Muir: Halfway Down The Danube
Douglas Muir: Halfway Down The Danube
Tobias Schwarz
Jurjen Smies: No Cameras
Mrs Tilton: The 6th International
Matthew Turner: Matt T
David Weman: Europundit
Take a look there, for example, at It's all in the question, which we are sure it is. We have removed links to individual blogs above which are no longer accessible but which still are listed on A Fistful of Euros.
All About Latvia
Blogging in the Baltic is still fairly rare, so that we are happy about All About Latvia, which is the birthplace of both of the EU Pundit's parents. Check out e.g. the postings on the University of Latvia or If you plan to visit Latvia.
American in London
Monica writes: "Moved to London Sept 2004 and am loving every minute of this bizzare and crazy city. The culture shock is extreme, but that's what's making life here so fantastic!"
Arellanes
Douglas Arellanes is a 13-year expatriate based in Prague, Czech Republic who writes: "The reasons for going somewhere are never the same as the reasons for staying, and I’m just fortunate to have found lots of good reasons for staying. I’ve always said I’d stay as long as it was both fun and interesting, and it’s been both so far. Knock wood."
Augustine's Blog
Natalie d'Arbeloff is a unique international London-based artist who writes: "It's my conviction, supported by experience, that every individual regardless of age, background or education has some unique creative ability which can be encouraged, developed and in some cases become the driving force in their lives." We should put that quotation up on the doors to all schools. Make sure you check out her Gnovel (graphic novel).
Balkan-Scissors
"Seesaw" blogs out of Sarajevo, sometimes in English (studied at Leeds) and sometimes in Serbo-Croatian. There is coverage of all of the countries in the Balkans, e.g. UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Serbia.
Barcepundit
Franco Alemán blogs out of Barcelona, Spain, producing blog versions in both Spanish and English. He recently wrote: "Oh, by the way, the news above comes from the Spain Herald, a new online newspaper in English from the same guys at Libertad Digital, the widely successful online newspaper in Spanish and one of the very few ones with a libertarian, centrist -and sometimes a bit too conservative for my taste- perspective. Spain is probably the Western country more dominated by a liberal/leftist MSM. So any outlet which is not anti-Western, not anti-American, not Bush-hater is certainly welcome. I recommend it. "
We ourselves are political centrists, so that such a statement is of course music to our ears.
Bear Strong
Bjorn Staerk blogs out of Norway and even has a Norwegian blog manifesto. See his series of posts on Friedrich A. Hayek's The Constitution of Liberty.
Berlin Sprouts
Ulrich Buechsenschuetz of Berlin, Germany describes his blog as: "Comments, analyses, and off-shoots on European politics and culture". He recently posted: "This weekend's Munich Conference on Security Policy once again showed that the current German government has ambitions on the foreign policy stage.Already on the first day, German Defense Minister Peter Struck had the unpleasant duty to read a speech by his boss, Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who couldn't atted the conference because he was ill. Struck's task was made more difficult by the fact that the Sueddeutsche Zeitung knew the text in advance and had published excerpts from it.Schroeder's speech contained some passages with the potential to renew the transatlantic irritations. Here are some of them:" Read the blog to find out what they were.
Blethers
Stuart Mudie is a freelance writer and editor posting out of Paris, France. He informs us that: "Blethers is a Scots word that, when used as an exclamation, means something like "I don't believe a word you're saying". As a verb, "to blether" means "to chat" - usually about everything and nothing."
.
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