Comments on: Parliamentary Democracy?

By: Gawain

Gawain — Mon, 10 May 2004 15:55:24 +0000

Will
The noises coming out of the EP do suggest very strongly that they will not act in a way that will please there so-called masters back at home. This debate has been the most ferocious game in town for the past 5 months. Of course it is always good to have a debate about something that does not involve legislation, that would be too much to ask, but I do believe that the strongest party in the EP, probably Peottering’s EPP will have the whip hand. (Whether they trust the Liberal group again after they were stiched up 2 1/2 years ago when Cox became President I am not so sure).

By: Peter

Peter — Sat, 08 May 2004 01:39:19 +0000

Verhofstadt will be politically dead after the June 13 regional elections in Belgium, so don’t worry…

By: Alex

Alex — Fri, 07 May 2004 21:04:40 +0000

Please, can we not have either a nonentity like Juncker, a parrot like Verhofstadt, or a zealot like Schl?ssel?

By: Nick Barlow

Nick Barlow — Fri, 07 May 2004 00:59:27 +0000

Oops…typo. Thanks for the heads-up, Maus

By: Will

Will — Thu, 06 May 2004 21:56:59 +0000

The EP will not be able to insist on anything. In previous EP votes on the President of the Commission (Santer is a good example) the parties have voted according to the views of the national party leaders who make up the Council as heads of government.

And if EPP/ EDLR were to insist on someone, surely the EPP would prefer an EPP candidate, as the much larger party.

I also remember hearing that Cox not standing for reelection has at least as much to do with not being likely to be reelected, due to changes in number of MEPs in Ireland.

By: Maus

Maus — Thu, 06 May 2004 21:30:51 +0000

He is probably not going to make it, but you might want to change “Berhofstadt” in “Verhofstadt” anyway…