The liberal daily The Irish Times writes that the British Conservatives' Euroscepticism might end up distancing them from the electorate: "The antipathy to all things European manifested at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester this week is not just the usual case of an extremist rank and file tail wagging a cautious parliamentary dog. The delegates, sad to say, are probably genuinely in tune with Britain's Eurosceptical public mood and with most of their MPs on the issue. ... For the Tories to make the issue [European politics] a central plank of their election campaign might well be to send out the message that they do not share the electorate's sense of priorities, whatever about their values. And that therefore, as Labour will try to show, they are essentially the unreformed ideological party of old, not the pragmatic, modern, centrist New Tories that leader David Cameron is so keen to project." (07/10/2009)

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At the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester David Cameron has once again promised the British a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in the event that he becomes prime minister after a Tory victory next spring and the Treaty has not yet gone into effect. Horst Bacia comments in the conservative daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "Secretly Cameron can only be hoping that he won't have to keep his promise. If the UK toppled the Treaty it had already ratified it would be an affront to other member states and Prime Minister Cameron wouldn't have an easy start with his fellow heads of state and government. Perhaps he would choose to snub the EU opponents in his own ranks instead. Paradoxically, it's Czech President [Václav] Klaus who will decide whether he faces this choice or not. Should Klaus, a firm opponent of the Treaty, bow to the pressure of circumstances and sign the treaty (albeit unwillingly), so that it comes into force this year, Cameron would be out of the wood." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Horst Bacia

According to Jan Macháček writing in the business paper Hospodářské Noviny's blog the Czech Republic's reputation has suffered as a result of President Václav Klaus blocking the Lisbon Treaty: "The problem is that the Czechs are incapable of defining their national interests. If they want better education, science and culture, a better environment and less corruption, then it's hard to see how Lisbon could hurt the country. If the diversification of energy sources and security is their goal then it's clear that none of that can happen without a stronger EU. If it's in the Czechs' interest to use the money from Europe effectively then it's completely unclear why we are causing [Europe] problems." (07/10/2009)

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The daily Népszava draws lessons from the Irish referendum on the EU Reform Treaty: "The question today is less why the Irish have now said 'Yes' to the Treaty of Lisbon than why they said 'No' in June last year. ... And the answer is not lastly because the Irish people didn't know what they were voting on. This should come as no surprise when you consider that they hadn't even read the Treaty. Under such circumstances the first referendum made no sense at all. ... Everyone knows that popular ignorance opens the door wide for demagogues, and they seized the opportunity that time too. ... Last weekend more than two-thirds of the Irish endorsed the Treaty. What does this teach us? Perhaps we shouldn't be so afraid of referendums. The people aren't infallible. But when they are sufficiently well-informed they generally make good decisions. In any case better than most politicians." (06/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Ferenc Kepecs

The daily Le Soir criticises the Belgian judiciary for having dismissed on formal grounds a trial dealing with headscarves in schools after four years of deliberations: "When you see how the high court evades basic principles, you can't help doubting if it really does stand for its ideal: that the constitutional state assures each citizen judicial protection against illegal actions on the part of the authorities [in this case after the headscarf was banned in several schools]. However the situation is simple. Either Belgian law allows schools to pass regulations banning religious or philosophical signs, or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, the responsible judges should not hide behind excessive formalism. They should inform us of the current state of the law. Even if this means putting the ball back in the legislators' court, so they can pass laws that permit peaceful cohabitation in our schools." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Ricardo Gutiérrez

The Cypriot conservative daily Simerini accuses Greece's newly elected Prime Minister George Papandreou of being pro-Turkish and criticises his stance on Cyprus: "Cypriot Hellenism always looks to Greece because it is the true mainstay in our battle for survival. … [But] in 1999 George Papandreou [foreign minister at the time] made the following statement: 'We will haul the Turkish cart into the EU'. … Papandreou also made another rude and intolerable statement. ... He said that his party said 'Yes' to the future and 'No' to stagnation [thus supporting the reunification of Cyprus in the 2004 referendum, which was rejected by 76 percent of Greek Cypriots]. So was the saving 'No' [of the Greek Cypriots in the referendum] something static and divisive? Soon we'll see whether Papandreou still intends to haul the Turkish cart without compensation." (06/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Savvas Iakovidis

The EU and Sweden attempted on Tuesday to determine a common political approach to climate policy in a meeting in Stockholm between Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the current EU Council president and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt. The liberal daily La Vanguardia writes: "The European Union is keen to garner Brazil's support in the run-up to the climate conference in Copenhagen this December. ... In fact this is the first time both for Brazil and for the EU that the Union has attempted to forge an alliance of this sort. An emerging country, Brazil would very much like to join the ranks of the major world powers. Brussels is now focussed on Brasilia in the fight against climate change, and turning away from countries like the US, China and India, which until now have led international debate on this important matter." (07/10/2009)

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A few days ago the pro-Western Alliance for European Integration consisting of four Liberals took office in the Republic of Moldova. Romania ought to support this government, the daily Evenimentul Zilei writes: "It's good that the opposition [in the Republic of Moldova] has won but the politicians in Bucharest are either keeping very quiet or driven by other political passions. What remains of the government in Bucharest should know that in the event that the Alliance government in Chişinău fails they can forget about the reunification [of the Republic of Moldova with Romania in the coming decades]. … The EU won't help out forever, and the Russians are waiting just around the corner with their hands on the gas and petroleum taps. A withdrawal of the Alliance [from government] would inevitably lead to the glorious return of the Communists. … Without doubt, the government in Chişinău has no breathtaking solutions. What makes it exceptional is its rapprochement to the EU and Romania. … Bucharest has the obligation to do something." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Florian Bichir

Finnish historian Timo Vihavainen warns in his new book Länsimaiden vuho ("The Destruction of the West") about the Islamisation of society as a result of increased immigration. The daily Helsingin Sanomat comments: "Vihavainen believes that the problem arises mainly because 'the fundamental message of Islam is very aggressive'. He predicts that life in Finland will become more and more adjusted to the conditions of Islam. But Islam is no more aggressive than Christianity or Hinduism. Islam is widely equated with an aggressive Islamism that tries to infiltrate society and impose its rules. There are extremist forces within Hinduism too. And unfortunately both in the past and present of Christianity we are confronted with manifestations that can be interpreted [as extremist]. … Just because it adopts a respectful attitude towards other religions doesn't mean that Finnish society should by any means tolerate the consolidation of an aggressive Islamism. Islamism is an affront to society, human dignity and social peace." (07/10/2009)

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More from the press review on the subject » Religion, » Migration, » Integration, » Minorities, » Weltanschauung, » Finland, » Global

Polish philosopher Zygmunt Bauman writes in the daily Dziennik Gazeta Prawna on the causes of the current global economic crisis, now in its second year: "The reasons for this as well as previous crises lie in the nature of capitalism. As a system, capitalism is parasitic in character. In the words of [the German socialist thinker] Rosa Luxemburg, it destroys the foundation on which it thrives. She claimed that capitalism needs 'virgin territory' for 'extended production' - that is for its own reconstruction and the growth of capital. This refers to territory that has not yet been encompassed by the logic of capitalism - at least not yet. In the moment when the 'loss of virginity' occurs, that is when the economy is transformed into a capitalistic model, 'extended production' is no longer successful on this territory and must seek out new terrain. But when these virgin areas have disappeared as a result of the globalisation of commodity markets, their role will be taken over by sectors that had not previously been commercialised." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Zygmunt Bauman

Louis-Pierre Wenes, deputy chief executive and architect of a drive to modernise the telephone company France Télécom which included thousands of layoffs, has resigned in the wake of 24 staff suicides. The business paper Les Echos describes what awaits his successor Stéphane Richard, who is set to take over full management of the group in 2011: "The first challenge facing Stéphane Richard ... will consist in proving that he can listen as well as manage. ... Richard, who made it to the top even faster than expected, cannot take refuge behind the group's current CEO Didier Lombard for long. To this extent it only makes sense to give him the job of restructuring France Télecom straight away. For the group to have a future it must overcome its current trauma. For its next boss to have sufficient credibility, he must be the initiator and not a passive observer of this healing process." (06/10/2009)

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All available articles from » David Barroux

In the left-liberal daily La Repubblica Carlo Petrini, founder of the Slow Food movement, comments on the tragedy of the dairy farmers' protests in Brussels last Monday: "One may … find the photos of a dairy farmer spraying milk from the provocative udder of a peaceful but somewhat confused looking cow directly into the faces of custodians of the law very charming, but it is all very dreadful. The milk that was spilled in protest at the European agricultural ministers in recent days on fields and on Monday by 7,000 cattle breeders on the street goes straight to the heart. Put yourself in the position of people who have sunk to such depths that they pour away the fruits of their own labour: there is something tragic about this. They resorted to this desperate gesture because milk is worth hardly anything nowadays. … The first blow [for the farmers] was the European subsidies, which mainly went to the large farms. … Without doubt the market is in the hands of the big chains who buy the milk and meat from the breeders - or rather, buy it from them after having set the price. … The breeders have … next to no bargaining power on this market." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Carlo Petrini

The newspaper The Times comments on the fact that an increasing number of British orchestras are led by conductors from Eastern Europe: "Increasingly, what many British orchestras have decided is that Eastern European conductors know what they are doing better than most. Tonight, when Kirill Karabits, a 32-year-old Ukrainian, mounts the rostrum for his first night as principal conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in its home in Poole, he becomes the sixth conductor of a major British orchestra to have grown up behind the Iron Curtain. Since England has 11 major professional orchestras, this means that more than half are now conducted by men from the former Eastern bloc. British conductors have long roamed the world. Now orchestras here are being invigorated by a reversal of this cultural migration. Audiences? They are delighted; even when they cannot put their finger on how these conductors weave their magic." (07/10/2009)

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Aleš Gulič, the new head of the Slovenian government's Religious Communities Office, caused a scandal by turning up for his appointment ceremony dressed in rock-style clothing. The daily Večer comments on the conciliatory mood at his first official meeting with representatives of the different religious communities and Prime Minister Borut Pahor: "The intention was clear: damage limitation after the government's childish behaviour when it appointed the head of the Religious Communities Office. … The collateral damage is by no means small, even if officially everything has been cleared up now. In certain government circles people are disgruntled about Gulič's appointment. … Now we must wait and see how relations between the government and religion develop. … There are growing indications that the government may change the law on religious freedom, which is currently being examined by the constitutional court and of which Gulič was not particularly fond during his times as an MP." (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Vanessa Cokl

The German women's magazine Brigitte has announced it will stop using professional models on its fashion pages, opting instead to use non-professional models with average figures. Michael Miersch praises the initiative in the conservative daily Die Welt, but argues that still more must be done: "Getting rid of these hunger artists was long overdue. One wonders why it took so long, and what's going on in an industry that has nurtured a cult of emaciated young women that live on nothing but mineral water. ... But as laudable as the 'Brigitte' iniative is, what's missing is the second step. It's not enough to send these skinny models packing. Women's magazines should also think over their own diet-mania. Practically every cover still trumpets some absurd suggestion for shedding mega-kilos in weeks, or even days. Nutrition science showed long ago what baloney that is. Dear women's magazines, won't you please get off women's cases?" (07/10/2009)

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All available articles from » Michael Miersch