Elections

Should JEF politically attack Eurosceptic Parties?

„Not necessarily“ according to Chris Powers, president of the Young European Movement (YEM/JEF) UK. In contrast, Vincent Venus, Vice-President of JEF Germany, argues to take up an offensive stance on eurosceptics. Dear Chris, do you oppose euroscepticism openly in the UK? Chris: If we’re (…)

Friday 27 December 2013

Arrivederci, Silvio

Silvio Berlusconi once again made the headlines in the main European media outlets on November 27th, and once again for all the wrong reasons. The expulsion of Il Cavaliere from Parliament had been expected since his conviction for tax fraud in August and it was sanctioned by in the Senate (…)

Tuesday 24 December 2013

The ALDE Party Congress in London

The Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe has been meeting in the centre of London for three days, from the 28th of November to the 30th of November. Organised by the UK Lib Dems and the ALDE bureau in Brussels, this Congress took place at a time of questioning and challenges for the (…)

Sunday 8 December 2013

Austria’s consistent anti-EU right-wing population

Yet another time, about a third of the Austrian electorate decided to give their vote to right-wing and anti-EU parties. In September 2013, three right-wing parties were waging a battle to win seats in the Austrian parliament. The infamous right-extremist “Freedom Party” (FPÖ) got 20.5% while (…)

Tuesday 26 November 2013

The European Elections and the Choice of a European Government

The most serious weakness of the European Commission – that is, of the institution destined to play the role of European government – lies in its lack of a direct link with the EU’s citizens, and therefore of democratic legitimacy. The EU has an elected Parliament, but Commission members [i.e. (…)

Wednesday 20 November 2013

European lessons from the Czech elections

No party with a majority, seven parties passing the hurdle to enter the Parliament’s lower house and voters turning to extra-parliamentary groupings. The results of the Czech early election from October 25th and 26th bear a resemblance to those of 2011 in Slovenia and of 2012 in Greece. Yet in (…)

Monday 11 November 2013

When the extreme-right goes federal

Extreme-right parties across Europe are seeking to form a common anti-EU front in the 2014 European elections. Despite their disunity, they are likely to perform well. However it is not too late for mainstream parties to fight back their dangerous and simplistic ideas. United in hatred This (…)

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Barroso’s re-election and new political balances

“I am confident in the vote. We’ve got very strong support at the heart of the European Parliament. Five years ago we also got their support and I don’t see why we shouldn’t have it again. Moreover, there’s the unanimous backing of heads of state and governments who represent all the main (…)

Sunday 6 September 2009

Socialist stumble, right-wing rise in the 2009 EP elections

The recent loss of more than 50 MEPs in the European Parliament (EP) by the Party of European Socialists (PES) to far-right and radical parties has been dubbed by the PES leader Martin Schulz as a “bitter evening for social democracy.” Nevertheless, there were concerns even before the (…)

Saturday 18 July 2009

Sarkozy’s unheralded coup de foudre in European Parliament elections

In the rough tide that is French politics, Nicolas Sarkozy never fails to impress. His recent triumph in the European Parliament elections caused further unsettlement amongst the public, as many are those that feel as if they’ve been stepped on by the French President’s ‘erratic’ behaviour and (…)

Sunday 12 July 2009

Labour’s Greatest Defeat since World War II

Labour suffered its worst post-war election result as it gained just 15.3% of the vote, even worse than party bosses had feared, and was beaten into third place by UKIP and the Conservative Party. Labour also suffered a historic defeat in the recent local elections. Voter apathy was (…)

Wednesday 8 July 2009

Collapse of the socialist at the European elections: let’s draw the lessons from this defeat

With 22% of seats (a 5,6% decline compared to 2004), a stable right and a breakthrough of the extreme-right, this is a real wake-up call for the socialists throughout Europe. Even more so since their position as the main opposition force in the majority of member states and the bad handling of (…)

Monday 29 June 2009
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