EU politics
Kafkadesk: Read this before you write about Hungarian democracy
Western media outlets have been playing a part in enabling the erosion of institutions in Hungary. But there is a way forward. Read here
EU politics
Climate Crisis
Corporate Europe Observatory: The future according to Shell
Shell is thus once again selling its supposed vision of a sustainable future, hoping to distract from the reality that the company bears a significant share of the responsibility for climate change and has a […]
Economics
Alberto Bradanini – Italy: Politics Humiliated by Finance
Italy’s principal problems are the EU hegemon Germany, international finance capital, and its own political class. Alberto Bradanini is a former Italian diplomat. Among many positions, he was Ambassador of Italy to Tehran (2008-2012) and […]
Austerity
Duroyan Fertl – COVID-19: The EU has failed a test of solidarity. The price will be more austerity – and worse
The European Union has been tested over its response to the COVID-19 pandemic – and it has been found sorely lacking. The resulting lack of vision, of solidarity in times of crisis, raises fundamental questions […]
Austerity
Heiner Flassbeck – Where Europe is Breaking Up
Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court can’t be blamed too heavily for flouting higher European law. The mindset of the country’s entire political elite needs further education on the function of sovereign indebtedness. Heiner Flassbeck is an […]
Economics
Christoph Trautvetter – Germany: Why many Berlin Real Estate Owners Remain Secret despite New Transparency Laws
Germany has laws against everything criminal. Unfortunately most of these laws make the illegal legal allowing crimes to be committed in broad daylight. This is what enables Germany’s endemic political corruption. Christoph Trautvetter works for […]
Austerity
Laurie Macfarlane – Corona Crisis: By Protecting Rentier Interests, we are making the Most Vulnerable pay for the Crisis
Covid-19 has sharpened the divide between landlords and tenants, and debtors and creditors. We all must ask: whose side are we on? Laurie Macfarlane is economics editor at openDemocracy, and a research associate at the […]
Corruption
Politico: Mogherini’s College application prompts cries of cronyism
She is exceptionally well qualified to run a training ground for future EU officials teaching them to combat democracy, enforce neo-liberalism, and support corruption. That is what the EU is all about. Read here
Austerity
Simon Wren-Lewis: Is the German Debt Brake the worst fiscal rule ever?
This is not about Anglo-Saxon economists telling Germany what to do. There are plenty of German economists who also see that the German debt brake makes no sense, and anyway economics is universal. The debt […]
EU politics
Nathaniel K Powell – The Flawed Logic behind French Military Interventions in Africa
Mobutu Sese Seko in 1978 Wikimedia Commons Nathaniel K Powell, King’s College London Two French soldiers have died during military operations in Mali taking part in Operation Barkhane in recent weeks. This follows the death […]