Audio Report: BAE EADS merger
Today Programme: Friday 14th September
An excellent report on the proposed merger between the British BAE Systems and EADS, a French and German company. This merger illustrates the tensions surrounding a strategically important company and Britain’s relationship with Europe and the US.
Audio: Vince Cable on the “massive” impact of Eurozone break up
Vince Cable on the “massive” impact of Eurozone break up – The World This Weekend, BBC Radio 4
François For France!
The biggest news story of the weekend was the resurgence of left-wing politics in Europe.
Okay, this is a slight over-exaggeration. I’m a bit too excited – I haven’t blogged in a while.
But François Hollande’s victory in the first round of the presidential election in France is a huge boost to the waning left-wing politicians who are coming to be termed as the “Old guard” of Europe. Right-wing policies on economics and immigration seem to be at the tip of a far deeper ideological battle taking place across the continent. But that’s the subject for a (very long, detailed, jargon-filled) feature another day.
David Cameron is the little puppy of Europe
Lost, under mounting pressure and insignificant compared to his continental neighbours.
“We’re all eurosceptics now!”
Radio interview with Bernard Jenkin of the Conservatives on Radio 4 Today. Positive British attitudes towards Europe are at an all time low wi Tories attempting to place the EU on the government agenda. The rhetoric on both sides of the channel over the past few months has been undiplomatic to say the least. However despite this, the government does not want to separate Britain from the EU. What Cameron has done is to pass a ‘Sovereignty Act’ that specifies a referendum for all future powers that ‘increases the functions (and powers) of the European Union’ over Britain.