Crossposted at Slugger O'Toole...


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Voters in the Republic went to the polls for a referendum on EU related issues today for the third time in 4 years. Although polls have just closed, the result will probably not be announced until well into Friday afternoon. However, those involved in the various campaigns will have a sense of how the result is shaping up from mid-morning. With my ( Read more... )

Crossposted here at Slugger O'Toole - why not visit Northern Ireland's best political blog?

With most major developed economies struggling badly since 2008, Germany has seemed to be the calm centre of everything. The leader of any other industrialised country would pinch themselves if they had to deal with Angela Merkel’s problems. Germany shrugged ( Read more... )

For what it’s worth, as someone who has never even been in Greece but loves following post-election coalition negotiations for pleasure: my reading of ND leader Samaras' announcement yesterday that he can't form a coalition is as follows.

ND, being well aware of SYRIZA’s unwillingness to be part of an ND-led coalition and capacity to bring people ( Read more... )

My latest blog at Slugger O'Toole looks at Europe's election Super Sunday:

"Yesterday saw a vertiable smorgasbord of elections from across Europe, with high profile elections in Greece and France potentially marking a watershed both for those countries and Europe as a whole. Elections in Serbia and Armenia were no less vital for the future of two of ( Read more... )

Your 60 second summary of today's national elections around Europe from Nicholas Whyte...

Originally posted by nwhyte at Armenia, Serbia, Greece, France
Four countries were holding national elections today (sorry, I have no views on Schleswig-Holstein or the Italian local councils).

In Armenia, President Sargsyan's party has got 44% of the votes, up 33% ( Read more... )

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Those evil Germans and their evil sclerotic socialist economy which is going to doom them to third world status by the year 2010...

Edinbugh soft-fruit farmer John Sinclair is worried. "I could have tons upon tons of rotten fruit lying unpicked", the BBC reports him saying ( Read more... )

While Jörg Haider's BZö (Alliance for the Future of Austria) seems headed for annihilation, the even more right-wing remnant of the Freedom Party which it seceeded seems to be polling a solid 6-8%, comfortably ahead of the 5% threshold needed for re-election to the Austrian parliament ( Read more... )