M.E. Synon

'Mrs Thatcher’s finance minister, who is the father of such a good cookbook author'.

The euro-elite responds to Nigel Lawson’s ‘dinosaur argument’

M.E. Synon 8 May 2013 16:24

I’ve just come from a briefing with a European Union official. He was asked whether Lord Lawson’s call for Britain to leave the EU was a ‘dinosaur argument.’ In response, the… Continue reading

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European Union Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn talks to the media during a press conference today. Picture: Getty

Olli Rehn bosses George Osborne around

M.E. Synon 10 April 2013 20:32

Olli Rehn, the European Commissioner who is in charge of economic affairs, called in the Brussels press corps this afternoon to announce the conclusion of his ‘in-depth review of the… Continue reading

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All the reporters wanted to talk about was Cyprus - but all the commissioner wanted to talk about was his green paper. Image: Getty

How long will capital restrictions last in Cyprus? ‘Can’t say’

M.E. Synon 25 March 2013 14:51

To the European Commission headquarters this morning for a briefing with Michel Barnier, the Frenchman who is commissioner in charge of banking. The press pack wanted to talk about –… Continue reading

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Cyprus: This isn’t a tax, it’s a bank raid

M.E. Synon 18 March 2013 15:52

You know this levy on Cyprus bank deposits? It’s not a levy. A levy is a kind of tax, and what is happening to the people with bank deposits in… Continue reading

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A rally for a ban on assault weapons; but what exactly is an 'assault weapon'? Image: Getty

America’s ‘gun culture’: Does anyone actually know what an ‘assault weapon’ is?

M.E. Synon 18 February 2013 11:50

Before British coverage of the American debate on gun control goes any further, I have to hope the BBC and a lot of other Anglo-Saxons who really ought to be… Continue reading

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European Parliament President Martin Schulz is gathering support for his plan to block the cut in the EU Budget. Picture: Getty

‘We are the voice of the people’: the MEPs planning to block the EU Budget cut

M.E. Synon 13 February 2013 16:07

The EU budget ‘victory’ cheers go on in the Commons, but the facts seem to have been lost in the Prime Minister’s ‘triumph’. What the cheering Tories can’t quite grasp… Continue reading

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European parliament president Martin Schulz. Picture: Getty

EU Budget: Beware the European Parliament’s veto power

M.E. Synon 8 February 2013 16:29

James Forsyth seems as happy as any Tory today, cheered by David Cameron’s prowess in the EU Budget negotiations. Even better for Cameron, he says, is the idea that the… Continue reading

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Abraham Lincoln, the ‘specious humbug’

M.E. Synon 28 January 2013 10:38

This post by M.E. Synon is the first in a series about Stephen Spielberg’s Lincoln. A counter-argument will be published tomorrow, followed by a comparison of screen and literary adaptations of the… Continue reading

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Jose Manuel Barroso’s spokesman-in-chief took questions from journalists at the European Commission on David Cameron's speech. Picture: Getty

The EU renegotiation pantomime

M.E. Synon 23 January 2013 17:35

Today’s midday press briefing at the European Commission was of course dominated by questions about the Cameron speech. This was despite efforts by Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Barroso’s spokesman-in-chief. First she… Continue reading

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