Germany
Skills are the problem. But does anyone have a solution?
For years, words ‘skills’ and ‘crisis’ have been joined in British political discourse. It’s a problem that no one seems able to crack and on May 2nd, The Spectator is… Continue reading
28 Comments
David Cameron makes the case for reform in Europe
Germany has elections on the way, Spain is just about holding a lid on its economic crisis while keeping a wary eye on the uphill struggle that its neighbour Portugal… Continue reading
60 Comments
A tale of two colonels
This week, March 11th, marks the 50th anniversary of the shooting by firing squad near Paris of the last person (so far) to be executed by the state for political… Continue reading
16 Comments
Germany realises the limits of the EU project
Britain isn’t the only country whose politicians are getting just a little bit jittery about an increase in Bulgarian and Romanian migrants. In this week’s Spectator, Rod Liddle examines the… Continue reading
43 Comments
The EU must change
I have been out of the country for a couple of weeks and away from the sweet furore of the internet. I’ll be posting in the coming days on some… Continue reading
17 Comments
Merkel ally’s referendum warning underlines Cameron’s precarious position
The major gamble that David Cameron is taking with his strategy on Europe is, as James explains in this week’s magazine, that he’s relying on signals from Angela Merkel that… Continue reading
48 Comments
EU budget talks end
The EU Budget discussions have ended with no agreement, as seemed inevitable after yesterday’s struggles and rows. David Cameron has been copping a lot of flak for his intransigence, particularly from… Continue reading
7 Comments
The EU wins the Nobel Peace Prize
Today is not April the first; but the European Union has indeed won the Nobel Peace Prize. It is a bizarre decision given what is going on in Europe right… Continue reading
58 Comments
Let’s not be beastly to the Germans
The question of how Europe stumbled into the horrific abyss of the First World War, the catastrophe which The Economist once called ‘the greatest tragedy in human history’ is obviously… Continue reading
13 Comments
How mini jobs could support people back into work
Remember when we used to laugh at Germany’s economy? Gordon Brown loved to contrast its sclerotic labour market with booming Britain. That was in the boom years. As Warren Buffet… Continue reading
50 Comments
The Summer of the PIGS
Suddenly, unexpectedly, this is becoming the Summer of the PIGS. The balance of power inside the EU has shifted with Francois Hollande’s election victory. Now the bone idle and impecunious… Continue reading
14 Comments
Europe’s illusory deal
After Merkel’s decision to allow Eurozone funds to be used to bail out Spanish and Italian banks, the press tomorrow may declare – yet again – that some kind of… Continue reading
15 Comments
Of technocrats and democrats
A former European leader was a guest at a private dinner in London recently. It was a polite and reverential occasion, but conversation grew lighter as Sauternes gave way to… Continue reading
12 Comments
Greece’s troubles deepen
The Greek coalition was already a pretty shaky affair but the resignation of the finance minister before he’s even taken office weakens it even further. Vassilis Rapanos, who was the… Continue reading
4 Comments
Broken down fiat
All currency is faith. When the noble barman at the local pours a pint in exchange for your £5 note, he does so in the faith that the little blue… Continue reading
8 Comments
Cameron plays his part in an eventful G20
And there we were thinking that the G20 would be another insipid talking shop. In fact there was intrigue, animus and even a modicum of progress on the crucial question… Continue reading
21 Comments
The pernicious myth of powerlessness
‘Corruption,’ wrote Edward Gibbon in his peerless Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, is ‘the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty.’ I was reminded of this phrase when thinking… Continue reading
24 Comments Kicking the can down the road
There has been a lot written about Greece’s elections. The outcome, a narrow victory for the New Democracy party, was the most widely expected result. Paradoxically, this result will lead… Continue reading
18 Comments
The morning after the night before
This morning’s front pages are devoted to Greece, and the consensus is that the result of yesterday’s election amounts to little more than a stay of execution for Greece and… Continue reading
14 Comments Make or break in Europe?
‘I think we are at a make or break place in Europe,’ said former Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou on the Andrew Marr Show. Europe is holding its breath for… Continue reading
21 Comments