In 100 days, citizens in Ireland and across Europe head to the polls to elect a new European Parliament. However, “Brussels” can seem very far away to many voters, and European elections are often understood to be much less important than national votes. As Tip O’Neill, the great Irish-American politician used to say: “all politics…
Reflections on Salzburg They say a week is a long time in politics. It’s easy to forget that it was only this time last week that Theresa May was making a speech from 10 Downing Street re-stating her commitment to the UK government’s ‘Chequers proposal’. It came after EU leaders had met in Salzburg as…
Riksdag Runners and Riders The Swedish electorate will go to the polls on Sunday, 9 September to elect a new Parliament, or ‘Riksdag’. The Swedish system is unicameral, meaning there is one legislative house which is made up of 349 representatives elected through a proportional representational system. Much attention in the lead up to the…
Reflections on Salzburg The Hungarian electorate will go to the polls on Sunday, 8 April to elect a new Parliament. The Hungarian Parliament is unicameral, i.e. it is made up of one house, the National Assembly. Pre-election polls show that the current ruling party, Fidesz, is likely to emerge as the winners for a third…
Imprevedibile Italia The Italian electorate will go to the polls on Sunday, 4 March to elect a new Parliament made up of the Chamber of Deputies (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). This is sure to be one of the most intriguing elections to take place in Europe this year. The outcome is near…
Just 10 days after what is fair to say, has been the single biggest political shock of my lifetime at and I find myself still with a sense of both profound personal and professional shock and sadness. In a role reversal of the traditional break-up, this feels like, ‘it’s you, not us’, but yet we…