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Breaking Up Is So Very Hard To Do...
Pity poor old David Cameron. During his campaign for Tory party leadership, he made one solid pledge: To pull Britain's Conservatives out of the clutches of the European Parliament's ultra-federalist EPP grouping.
They Can't Bomb Us All
France Soir has become the first newspaper outside Denmark and Norway to show solidarity with Denmark's Jyylands-Posten by running the editorial cartoons judged by many Muslims to be blasphemous.
Updated. Click more to read on...
Red Mist Descends
European communists have reacted with fury to the news that the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe has voted to formally condemn "the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes."
From Body Bags To Body Stockings
EURSOC has tried to maintain a dignified silence on Saddam-supporting MP George Galloway's antics inside Britain's Celebrity Big Brother house.
Until now. Last night, the MP for Bethnal Green and Bow squeezed into a skin-tight red lurex catsuit to "express his emotions via the medium of mime."
We apologise if the screenshot puts any of our readers off their breakfast.
Chirac Polishes French Rockets
Quite a few people have got their knickers in a twist over President Jacques Chirac's declaration that France would consider a nuclear response to any country carrying out a state-sponsored terror attack against it. Never mind the fact that if George Bush or Tony Blair had threatened to nuke terror states there would be a global outcry, it's not exactly news: EURSOC reported that France was adjusting its nuclear doctrine to post-9/11 realities back in October 2003.
Eurogoogle
The EU is considering whether or not to assist a €2 billion Franco-German scheme to build a European search engine capable of rivalling Google.
The Party's Over?
One way for national leaders to ensure that their premiership is remembered as a prosperous golden age is to leave your successor with an inbox bulging with enormous difficulties. As the Tony Blair era draws to a close, commentators are beginning to get a picture of the challenges facing his heir, Gordon Brown - and the Conservative's contender, David Cameron.
A New Tax In The Air?
The EU's new Austrian presidency plans to propose a tax on air travel and short-term financial transactions to raise EU funds in future.
First Iran, Now Ireland!
A little-documented spat has erupted between Israel and Ireland following anti-Zionist remarks by Irish foreign ministry officials.
Definitely Maybe?
David Cameron's aides are now briefing the press that Conservative MEPs must leave the arch-federalist EPP grouping before the next European elections or face deselection by the party.
Dead Or Alive?
Jacques Chirac is calling for the Constitution to be introduced piecemeal to avoid going to the trouble of another vote. Germany's Angela Merkel, as we reported yesterday, is pressuring Austria's government to keep the wretched treaty alive via a France-appeasing social annex.
So full marks, then, to Holland's foreign minister Bernard Bot, who declared yesterday that "for the Netherlands (the Constitution) is dead."
Deadly Dull Consensus
Earlier this week EURSOC reported on how new Conservative leader David Cameron seems to be planning to bring the Tories as close to Labour as possible. Today Anatole Kaletsky argues that Cameron's strategy risks blighting Britain with the stagnant "consensus politics" that has blocked change on the continent for decades.
Return Of The Living Dead
Nothing demonstrates EU federalists' contempt of democracy so clearly as the latest attempts to revive the Constitution - which was overwhelmingly rejected by French and Dutch voters last Spring.
Touchy Feely
The Tories might be reporting 16,000 new members since David Cameron won the party's leadership, but Britain's 270,000 other card-carrying Conservatives may be wondering what the hell they voted for a month ago.
Happy New Year!
The EURSOC team would like to wish all our readers a happy new year and best wishes for 2006.
