The Brits are not amused with us at the moment, In a meeting with the British Foreign Office, Canada’s trade commissioner in the UK, Sushma Gera has reportedly informed UK officials that the Harper government is considering filing a challenge with the WTO over the EU’s Fuel Quality Directive claiming
Continue readingTag: eu
Impolitical: Speech of the week
A must see speech from the European parliament, November 16th. It’s Nigel Farage a member of the UK Independence Party who holds nothing back. It’s entertaining, sure, but they’re not laughing much in the EU these days. It is a good point that he raises, about the democratic legitimacy of
Continue readingImpolitical: Every leader gets their day
Mr. Berlusconi is departing as leader of Italy and the citizenry reacts: From the New York Times’ coverage: “This is the most dramatic moment of our recent history,” Ferruccio de Bortoli, the editor of the Milan daily newspaper Corriere della Sera,…
Continue readingImpolitical: Shortsighted
This may come back to bite: “Harper says no Canadian money for European bailout.” Pay some now or will we be paying much more later? We’ll see. Great photo accompanying that story too. That look on Obama’s face as he interacts with Harper is priceless.
Continue readingTrashy's World: For my economics-savvy friends…
… and I have a few… Tell me something. Greece. Italy. Portugal. Et cetera. All that economic shit-storm stuff that is happening in those corners of the planet… I see the main root of the problem being the consequence of horribly enforced tax collection regimes. Tax evasion has been a hobby in these countries – […]
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Paul Martin on the Economy
Some sober reflections on the present state of the global economy by the former Prime Minister. Not a lot of insight beyond the obvious, but Martin does provide some sound advice regarding the current sovereign debt crisis in Europe (that … Continue reading →
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: U.N. Report On Niger Delta Calls For Billion Dollar Shell Oil Spill Clean-Up Fund
1235361139_7f26eef43c.jpg
A new United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) report [pdf] discussing the environmental destruction in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta wetlands calls out Shell…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: A Pan-European Approach To Banning Unconventional Gas?
CWB993.gif
A German member in the European parliament (MEP) is proposing a straightforward way to prevent (or outlaw) exploration and drilling for unconventional gas in the European Union (EU). H…
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: France Becomes First Country To Ban Fracking; Gas Drilling Still A Go
20110630-safe-fracking-fairytale.jpg
In a major setback for the oil and gas industry, the French Senate last week voted 176 to 151 to ban hydraulic fracturing (a.k.a. fracking), the controversial…
Continue readingPolitics, Re-Spun: Greece at a Crossroads
Now that the Greek government has survived a confidence vote in Parliament, the stage is set in Greece for further confrontations ahead of next week’s decision on the new “austerity” plan demanded by the “troika” – the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the European Union (EU). While the origins of […]
Continue readingDeSmogBlog - Clearing the PR Pollution that Clouds Climate Science: UK Opposed to Europe’s Tar Sands Import Ban
tar sands.jpg
While most European countries are working on a proposal that would effectively ban the use of Canadian tar sands in the European Union, the United Kingdom has made it clear that the…
Continue readingDrive-by Times: Focus magazine’s Venus insult triggers lawsuit
A cover of the German magazine Focus that shows the Venus de Milo holding up a middle finger accompanied by the words ‘Cheater of the Euro family’ continues to provoke outrage in Greece. The cover and accompanying article in Focus triggered a dissing m…
Continue reading