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Good spot by The Croydonian here. The Socialist Manifesto for the European Elections (and yes, this is the group that our own dear Labour Party belong to).
We must ensure that workers have full rights to information and consultation during all takeovers.
We propose to strengthen workers’ rights to information and consultation. Employee participation at European and global level is a key issue for the future - a vital element of a more social Europe and a precondition for decent work. We will seek to enhance participation in economic decision-making processes at European level. To do this, workers’ rights to information and consultation must be anchored in company law directives using the European Company Statute model and the rights of European Works Councils must be extended. We also want to foster greater social dialogue between unions and employers at European level
and extend it to more sectors.
They’d never get that sort of stuff through the system here domestically so they’ll get Brussels to insist that we must do it instead.
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The end of a very fine piece:
Still, at the end of their day they’re my Government, and I don’t have to sign any of their poxy laws if I don’t want to. The Duke of Edinburgh and I will be going home now. It’s racing from Catterick this afternoon, and we don’t want to miss it.
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This is how the European Union spends our money.
The findings? Astronomically high levels of nickel and elevated amounts of lead. Enough for the European Commission to pull the plug on all 20 of the machines - installed in January at a cost of about €5,000, or $6,350, each.
Soon the machines may be removed from the upper floors of the iconic Berlaymont, the building in Brussels where top European Commission officials have their offices.
100,000 on coffee machines? Why can’t they just go to Starbucks like everyone else?
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Amazing this, truly wonderful. Margot Wallstrom goes looking for some answers to the problems of today.
Last Friday I participated in the Interfaith Climate Summit in the beautiful Swedish city of Uppsala. The Archbishop of Uppsala Anders Wejryd, had invited 30 distinguished persons from different faith traditions around the world to discuss climate change and to sign a manifesto with demands to political leaders for the UN negotiations on a new global climate agreement. The manifesto calls, among other things, for rapid and large emission cuts in the rich world, mitigation actions by developing countries and massive transfers and sharing of important technology.
Isn’t that lovely?
Next week Margot will be asking the opinions of atmospheric scientists upon the meaning of transubstantiation.
Well, why not? It’s as sensible as using the sky pilots to investigate climate science isn’t it?
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There really are some strange people in politics. Take this from Caroline Lucas MEP:
Green Euro-MP Caroline Lucas sent a message of solidarity to West Papua today, as campaigners from the Indonesian-occupied province delivered a petition to Downing Street and launched a Declaration for self-determination (1).
Exiled West Papuan independence leader Benny Wenda was joined by UK Parliamentarians and Free West Papua supporters from all over UK for the signing of the West Papua Declaration in Westminster.
Well, at this point I have to agree. West Papua (Irian Jaya as it used to be called) should indeed be able to decide its own future. It’s what self-determination is all about.
It’s also true that what they’re actually asking for is a referendum on how they are governed and who by. I certainly can’t argue with that.
But this is what leads me to think that there really are some strange people in politics. Dr. Lucas is perfectly at liberty to call for a referendum in some far flung corner of the world. But why doesn’t she call for the same for us here? Why doesn’t she call for the same rights for her own constituents?
Is there something about us that means we’re not ready for democracy yet?
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This is an interesting little piece. Barroso says that Britain is closer than ever to joining the euro. It would appear that at least some people don’t agree with him. As reported in The Guardian:
Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence party, said: “The ruling elite would love to bounce us into the euro and will grasp at any straw to do so, for it’s a step on the way to their dream and our nightmare, a federal superstate.
“We’re told that some British politicians have said, ‘If we had the euro, we would have been better off.’ Whoever these people are we need to hunt them down and explain some simple economics to them. Membership of the euro would have meant lower interest rates in the boom, making the bubble even larger. And it would mean higher interest rates now in the bust, making the recession even deeper. The pound has fallen against both the dollar and the euro thus providing us with that fiscal boost that everyone says is so necessary, a boost which we couldn’t have had if we were in the euro.”
He said that if Barroso wanted to consult the people who mattered in Britain he should call for a referendum on the euro and the Lisbon treaty “so that the people of Britain can tell him where to go”.
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Is there anything that can be usefully said about this?
“A Concert with Vegetables.”
Thus spake a commission spokesman today to a dumbfounded press room.
“Next Friday evening there is a Concert with Vegetables, that is for you. The press corps are expressly invited to attend this ‘concert of vegetables’ in the framework of the launch of the European Year of Creativity and Innovation” he told journalists.
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This story of how the EU intends to capture Chrismas may not be entirely true in all its details.
Had a lunch meeting with Commissioner Wallström - I’m sure she’s part Elf. She wanted me to deliver a copy of the Proposed EU Constitution to every child as part of their communication strategy. “Even if they’ve been naughty?” “Especially if they’ve been naughty,” she purred. We manage to find a compromise and they’re going to produce it as a colouring book. What sold me on the idea is thinking of the look on Nigel Farage’s face on Christmas morning. As I leave, she calls out, asking what I would think of a rebrand. Pardon? Would I consider rebranding myself as EuroSanta, as it would give the EU a friendlier image? I take a huge slug from my hip flask and promise to think it over.