Cows will no longer give milk in Switzerland if minarets are allowed to stand.
The rightwing political parties in Switzerland are up in arms, preparing for a vote on Sunday to save their alpine paradise from the dreaded cultural eyesore of mosque minarets. This proposed ban on minarets comes from the same friendly yodelers in the nationalist Swiss People?s Party that has previously campaigned against
Some environmental groups are planning disruptive protests for the upcoming climate talks in Copenhagen, taking cues from the anti-globalization movement:
“We feel that right now in Copenhagen there is a real opportunity for things to come together a little bit like they did 10 years ago at the World Trade Organization protest in Seattle,” Müller told SPIEGEL ONLINE….
For the first time the EU wide moves towards a surveillance society and a database state set out in all their appalling glory. A major report has recently been published NeoConOpticon. It has its own webpage . The authors, with Ban Hayes of Statewatch in the lead, have put together the military and the domestic aspects of the European Security Research Programme.
[Note: The latest book by Anouar Majid, We Are All Moors: Ending Centuries of Crusades against Muslims and Other Minorities (University of Minnesota Press, 2009) provides a provocative thesis, suggesting that we examine the issue of Muslim minorities in contemporary Europe through the prism of history, specifically the treatment of the Moors (los Moros) in Spain. Here is a sample of his argument (from pp. 3-4).] FOUND IN We Are All Moors
Mavi Boncuk
EU president: Herman Van Rompuy opposes Turkey joining
The poetry-loving favourite to become the first president of Europe, Herman Van Rompuy, is also a hard-line opponent of Turkey’s bid to join the European Union because it is an Islamic country. Speaking five years ago, as an opposition politician, Mr Rompuy, a Christian Democrat, argued that Muslim Turkey could not be considered a candidate for EU membership.
Not particularly good for Turkey’s EU fantasies. Mr. Van Rompuy is known to be against Turkey’s membership.. I still work on a roundup from the Turkish press. let’s what Turks think… However, nearly all presidential candidates were against Turkey, so this is not the most surprising situation.
Having two low profile political figures for the EU’s top positions maybe a strategy to downgrade the importance of these positions. Nation states are still very important in EU-wide policy making and this leaves EU still relying on nation state fantasies…
And because these are low profile political personalities, the fate of Turkey’s membership maynot too affected, which is already negatively affected… And of course, I continue to lose my respect towards EU decision making processes. You keep continue to negotiate Turkey for membership and you have a president who is against that membership. Turks seems to care less and less ….
David Miliband is out, but Tony Blair is still in with a shout. Those whom shriek with horror at the thought of a Blair presidency, but also want a stronger more coherent EU might want to consider the potential contradictions in their respective posi.
A roundup as usual… last updated: 14:30 (4 Nov)
A. Gorskiy. Missed in action. in Soviet War Paintings.
The Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean-Claude Juncker has declared his willingness to run for the post of EU president in an obvious bid to prevent British politician Tony Blair from obtaining the post and becoming too powerful. But in the end the EU may decide not to elect either of these two formidable politicians and opt for a lacklustre candidate instead.
