A weekend is a long time in politics. It certainly was last weekend, especially for the future of the European Union.
Immediately before the election in Britain, it was no more than a possibility that the UK would hold a referendum on its membership of the EU. After the votes had been counted, possibility had shot up to certainty.
Friday 24th April was a very important day for Armenia, marking as it does the 100th anniversary of the start of the Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire on the Armenian people in 1915 which is described by Wikipedia as “ the Ottoman government's systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects inside their historic homeland.
“The total number of people killed as a result has been estimated at between 1 and 1.5 million. The genocide was carried out during and after World War I and implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labour, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly and infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian desert.
Forty-one years on from the joyous Carnation Revolution that ended half a century of dictatorship, the Portuguese are unhappy. According to the latest Eurostat opinion poll on the subject, the only less happy people in the whole of the European Union are the Bulgarians
“Overall, how satisfied are you with your life these days?” the Eurostat poll wanted to know. The answers showed that the least dissatisfied were those in the 16 to 24 age group.
Below is a letter from Harry Shindler before the Election on May 7th, and some general updates regarding voting and the Winter Fuel Payment.
Brussels and Europe Liberal Democrats - the party's European branch - have today welcomed a commitment by the party to address the issue of voting rights for British citizens abroad.
In their general election manifesto, published today, the Liberal Democrats commit to "exploring options to strengthen and simplify the voting rights of UK citizens living abroad and address disenfranchisement experienced by some."
After yesterday's TV debate, this morning the leaders of the seven main UK parties have urged people to register to vote before the deadline this Monday, 20 April. So we are also making a last call to overseas voters, who belong to the millions who are not registered to vote in the UK, to register.
Harry Shindler sends this letter to all British Citizens in mainland Europe – End of March 2015.
As much as we distrust them, politicians are keeping us entertained and often on the edge of our seats. The main criticism is that some of the performances are just so bizarre you couldn’t make them up.
In Portugal, the current prime minister Pedro Passos Coelho and his predecessor José Sócrates have been indulging in a slanging match reminiscent of a Punch and Judy show.
