Energy
International Energy Agency: Solar leads the charge in another record year for renewables
Renewables accounted for two-thirds of new power added to world’s grids last year. Of these, solar power was the fast growing. Read here
Articles by Mathew D. Rose
EU politics
The Guardian: Amazon ordered to repay €250m by EU over ‘illegal tax advantages’
European Union officials order Luxembourg to collect €250m in illegal state aid to Luxembourg from online retail giant Amazon, while the European Commission’s competition watchdog will be taking Ireland to the European Court of Justice […]
Corruption
João Paulo Batalha – Nowhere to run: Portuguese local elections signal the death of politics-as-usual
The headline from last weekend’s municipal elections in Portugal is the success of the Socialist Party, an exception to the demise of the European center-left. But there are deeper lessons if you look at the […]
Sustainability
ICCT: The EU needs new environmental safeguard measures for advanced biofuels
Biofuels seem to have created many more problems than they solved. ICCT , which gained prominence in heoping to expose Volkswagen’s diesel affair, takes a look at new potential dangers as the European Commission forms […]
EU politics
Heiner Flassbeck – Germany in the Autumn
Sorry, but this one slipped past. It should have appeared on BRAVE NEW EUROPE on October 2nd, the German Day of Reunification. Heiner Flassbeck is an economist, as well as publisher and Editor of “Makroskop” […]
Austerity
Olivier Tonneau – Macron, Mélenchon and Catalonia: paradoxical realignments
The Catalan referendum is throwing up a number of crucial questions concerning democracy in the European Union. Olivier Tonneau analyses this in the context of France. Olivier Tonneau is Lecturer in modern languages, Homerton College, […]
EU politics
Portugal’s Socialists toast ‘biggest ever’ election win
From Politico The Portugese Socialist Party won an impressive electoral victory following its easing of austerity. Danger lurks, however, as the two far left parties in coalition with the Socialists, crucial in driving anti-neo-liberal policy, […]
Finance
Michael Roberts – Economic crises: look to science or the rain gods?
“Recently, mainstream economists have debating yet again why ‘economics’ was unable to see the global financial crash coming and/or provide effective policies to end what I have described as the Long Depression that has endured […]
Solutions
The Herald (Scotland): Scottish Government announces fracking ban
This is an important step for the Scots, but should not distract from the fact that they are and will be extracting massive amounts of oil from the North Sea. Read here
EU politics
Aditya Chakrabortty: The problem is not capitalism. It’s that the Tories aren’t much cop at it
From The Guardian This is a brilliant criticism of Thatcherite policy – its collapse and how and why it has failed. Read here