Tag Archives: europe

Opinion: Reflection on half a century of Liberal life

By Elspeth Attwooll | Published 1st February 2012 - 2:56 pm

What follows is all, I admit, very self-indulgent.  It is just that when I was delivering leaflets the other day – from one of our councillors protesting against the potential closure of local rail stations – my thoughts went back to my first time out on the stump. This was well over fifty years ago and for a council election in Esher, Surrey. To my shame, I cannot remember who was standing or the result (perhaps someone out there will be able to tell me?). I have a suspicion we took the seat – if so, that was no …

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LibLink: Jeremy Browne MP on the Government’s actions to prevent torture

By Caron Lindsay | Published 1st February 2012 - 10:58 am

Liberal Democrat Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Browne  in the Guardian about the Coalition’s strategy to prevent torture throughout the World and about the independent enquiry which will investigate whether Britain was implicated in torture after 9/11:

We know that we face a long and difficult road ahead. But our vision is for people to be treated fairly and able to speak freely in every country. We should never be comfortable with a world where journalists, lawyers and activists endure ill treatment for criticising their governments. This is a core part of what this coalition stands for, and we will continue to

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Posted in Europe / International, LibLink, News | Also tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Joint Statement: European Liberal Democrat Leaders Meeting

By Mark Valladares | Published 10th January 2012 - 8:23 am

Leading Government Ministers, Party Leaders and European Commissioners from Liberal Democratic parties across Europe, meeting in London at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democrat Leader Nick Clegg, and under the aegis of the European Liberal Democrat and Reform party (ELDR), yesterday made the following declaration.

Jobs, Growth & Reform

Europe is at a dangerous crossroads. Without decisive and concrete action, we risk recession, rising unemployment and falling living standards. There is a real risk of Europe turning inwards, with a return to the protectionist policies of the past. Our ability to prevent this now depends on our …

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Posted in Europe / International, News | Also tagged , | 6 Comments

Opinion: The Euro chain gang

By David Allen | Published 22nd December 2011 - 5:57 pm

Woody Allen once made a film about a prison chain gang, shackled together at the legs to work in the fields, who decide to make a run for it.  At first the going is easy and the gang make good progress.  Then hard times strike.  Somebody raises the alarm and gives chase.  A panicking gang member (let’s call him Prisoner Farage) yells “Split up!”  In seconds, they are all flat on their faces.

EU finance is generally considered complex and difficult to understand.  Fundamentally, it isn’t.  Quite simply, in the globalised economic race between sovereign

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Posted in Op-eds | 16 Comments

Opinion: The Liberal Democrats must lead re-engagement with Europe

By Ben Jones | Published 16th December 2011 - 2:28 pm

Who killed the EU treaty? Was it pre-meditated murder or manslaughter? Some say David Cameron wielded the knife. It is suggested that he went to Brussels with every intention of wrecking the treaty. It was politically impossible for him to deliver his party, regardless of concessions. On this charge, the Prime Minister is either hero or villain, depending on which side you are on.

For others, the crime is one of gross negligence. The list of failings is long and painful; the side-lining of diplomats in the Foreign Office in favour of Treasury officials, a 4am “take it or leave it”

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Nick Clegg leads business fightback in Europe

By Nick Thornsby | Published 15th December 2011 - 6:55 pm

The FT reports:

Nick Clegg yesterday made a very public display of engagement with business over Europe as the deputy prime minister convened a business breakfast with Business For New Europe, a pro-single market group. Mr Clegg, flanked by Vince Cable, Danny Alexander, Chris Huhne David Laws, wanted to get the message across that he had dusted himself down and was ready to begin work on rebuilding relations on the continent after a bruising week for Britain.

But beyond the photo shoot and crafted media message lines, was a second, more exclusive meeting between Mr Clegg and the director-generals of key lobby

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Opinion: Cameron’s veto – an act of ruthless self-interest

By Conan D'Arcy | Published 15th December 2011 - 5:26 pm

To everyone’s shock, the 8th European Council summit of the year heralded something momentous, though it was not the prayed-for saving of the Eurozone but David Cameron’s wielding of the mythical British veto like a modern day Excalibur.

But we have to question why was a ‘veto’ used? The proposed modifications of the Lisbon Treaty were supposed to provide the legal certainty for a fully functioning fiscal union because the German constitutional court, amongst others, would not have accepted a halfway house solution using constitutional wheezes. British Ministers have been at pains to emphasise over the last year that Eurozone integration …

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LibLink: Mark Pack – The three stories that really matters – even to Britain

By Nick Thornsby | Published 15th December 2011 - 9:56 am

Over on his work blog, the Voice’s Mark Pack has a post looking at three important stories which have been largely overshadowed by the domestic political ramifications of the prime minister’s veto.

Here’s the first issue Mark identifies:

The actual significance of the summit was the latest, most extensive and more desperate attempt to save the Euro. Judging from initial reactions by economists and the financial markets, this time a Euro summit may just have pulled it off. It has not already been written off as a failure which, compared to other summits on the same theme, already makes it more successful

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David Cameron’s a hostage to his party and the right-wing press. Thank goodness for Nick Clegg

By Stephen Tall | Published 12th December 2011 - 7:35 am

The shockwaves from David Cameron’s decision to reject the proposed ‘Merkozy’ EU treaty is still shaking politics. The UK stands isolated from the other 26 member states. Tory Eurosceptics and, early polls suggest, a majority of the British public think the Prime Minister has played a blinder, ‘sticking up for Britain’.

This is difficult territory for the Lib Dems. Our October survey of party members suggested a more Eurosceptical attitude than traditionally associated with the party, with 51% rejecting a move towards ever closer union.

However, there is nothing more guaranteed to put up liberals’ backs than the full-throated, …

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Posted in Europe / International, Op-eds | Also tagged , , , , | 42 Comments