PROTESTS ARE BEING HELD outside 40 Irish embassies this weekend congratulating Ireland on holding a referendum denied to 487 million Europeans. This is because the upcoming Treaty of Lisbon referendum is only being put to the vote in Ireland.

On June 12th the Irish people have the power to either agree or disagree with the terms of the treaty, which poses a bit of a conundrum for most of us because over 80% of Irish people haven’t got a clue what the treaty is actually about.

It’s hard to blame them though because of the way the treaty is being promoted by the political parties and also of course because of the way Europe has constructed the treaty, which is essentially a maze of legalese and cross references to thousands of pages of text. However, I have tried to get as informed as possible on the texts, the summaries and the positions of both the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns.

One of my over-riding concerns in granting even more power to Europe as part of this treaty is the issue of whether or not future decisions would be put to a vote at a national level, and there I was dithering over the topic in a kind of hypothetical way, abstract if you will, and then I came across this article entitled “Protests at 40 Irish embassies over lack of vote for 487m Europeans” which just blew me away. Apparently protesters’ placards include messages such as “Congratulations Ireland! You are having the referendum 487 million Europeans have been denied“, and “On 12th June, we are all Irish”.

It blew me away because it kind of puts things in perspective if you think about it.

We (the Irish) get to vote on this, but 487 million other Europeans don’t get to have a say. That’s just a little uncomfortable for me if I’m honest, and no longer an abstract of some future possible decision which may or may not get to be put to a vote in Ireland.

It’s happening right now, well in two weeks time to be precise, and I still dont’ know which way I’m going to vote yet because from week to week I keep swaying to and from both sides as I learn more about the issues concerned.

But… 487 million people being denied their right to decide on this is not something that I think we should just ignore. Essentially they are being gagged on the issue.

Does anyone else have a problem with this or am I reading too much into it?

IT’S TOUGH ENOUGH to keep track of the Eurocrats and their exploits at the best of times, and I must admit I’m as confused as hell about this latest Treaty Of Lisbon, not least of all because of the directed efforts of our so-called government to mislead the population about the treaty itself and, even worse, to try to slip it in under the blanket of confusion caused in the process. It’s just like the Treaty of Nice all over again.

I read an article in the Sunday Business Post over the weekend entitled “What Exactly Are We Reforming In This Treaty?” in which the journo tried to get a copy of the treaty in question in order to understand the issues and what exactly we – as a nation – are being asked to vote on later this year. What he discovered however is that there is a funky clause within this proposed treaty which refers to another treaty, called the “Treaty on the functioning of the European Union” which shall have precedence over the Lisbon Treaty… the only problem is this ‘other’ treaty doesn’t in fact exist. At least not yet. So basically the government can hide anything they want externally to the Lisbon Treaty, but still get us to vote on it… whatever ‘it’ in fact is. Does anyone out there actually know what the hell this treaty is really about?

This is just one more example of how we are being driven to a modern day Fortress Europe from all angles. Politcally its been happening for quite a while. Economically is how it all started and even legally it’s starting to come together, but the one that worries me the most is the military and defence angle. The whole idea of a common European Defence Force just scares the shit out of me when I think of the muppets in charge of it.

Worse still is news today that the latest idea from Fortress Europe central is proposing to implement a futuristic border defence and monitoring policy incorporating biometric checking (digital fingerprinting) at the border entry points, unmanned low-flying drones patrolling the lengths of the border itself, Satellites and sci-fi sensors placed at strategic locations to monitor movements and of course the inevitable massive databases and enforcement organisations that follow such a deployment of technology… all to keep undesirables out of Europe.

What’s next? Minefields? Big shark infested trenches? Basically they seem to want to create one big happy xenophobic federated entity, a massive private club that you can’t join unless you have the right credentials, a massive military force to back up their political views one big fuck-you border solution for the rest of the word to look at, but not over… any of this sounding familiar to you yet?

Let me give you a hint… a certain George Orwell predicted just such a development way back in 1948 when he penned the classic future-shock novel “1984″; little did he know how prophetic it would be. I’ve written previously about how close he came to predicting this future, our future,  in a post entitled “Apocalyptic Binary – The Shape Of Things To Come” which you might find interesting if you have the time to check it out.

So – is this gradual progression to a consolidated European entity inevitable? Is there any middle ground between completely seperate nations and a Fortress Europe? I used to think that having the political and legal/economic advantages were worth loosing our currency, loosing some cultural identity and even loosing some jobs here and there in the process if the end game was a better proposition. Now however I’m not so sure… but that probably says more about my lack of faith in our government than it does about Europe.

Bottom line – I just don’t trust them. I don’t believe they are giving us the full story about this treaty and I really don’t like where this Fortress Europe is heading… but is it too late to do anything about it? Well, for my part I’m going to vote no to this proposed treaty until someone can explain the implications of it to me, in full. It’s a small step, but it’s a start.

What about you?

DID YOU KNOW that Denmark is actually the happiest place on this planet of ours? I didn’t – until now that is – but more importantly do you know why?

Last year (2006) the Danes managed to come top of a survey which mapped the happiest places on Earth, based upon asking 80,000 respondants across the globe a series of questions and then mapping the resulting data. This year the Danish have done it again. A recent survey of 200,000 respondants across Europe has resulted in the Danes taking the number one slot for wellbeing and happiness.

Ireland managed to crawl into a respectable third place for the happiest people and a reasonable fifth place for the most satisfied people in Europe. Other nations fared much worse however; the most miserable Europeans are the Italians and the Portuguese – which is surprising given the culture, weather, location etc.

Still – Ireland is not without its own problems and now that a General Election is looming I figured it might be a good time to give some pointers…

On the one hand I can see how Ireland can place so highly in the European happiness league tables – celtic tiger economy, housing boom, Euro currency implementation etc. – but then when I consider some of the more insane things that happen here (Nutter in Limerick holds up a pizza delivery man with a semi automatic gun – get’s a pizza for his trouble!) I have to ask how the hell we made it so high.

The Danes have a decent excuse however; it’s not rocket science. Anyone wanting to know how achieve the same result simply needs to follow a few basic rules:-

Become consumer-oriented and family-oriented. Don’t just talk about it; do it. In Denmark people are sure to leave work at 4.30pm. They work their eight hours and go home. Pressure to work overtime doesn’t exist.

Implement a reasonable working week. Denmark has a 37-hour week.  A survey among Danish social workers shows that 79 % are happy with their work every day, while 18 % are mostly happy.  Tax rates are high, but the standard of living is so good that people don’t mind.

Look after your Population. Parents get 52 weeks of maternity/paternity leave to be shared between them – 24 weeks is usually at full pay, with the rest often at as much as 90% pay. Much of it can be spread over the first nine years of the child’s life. Childcare is subsidised with no parent being asked to pay more than 25% of the cost.

Deliver a viable public infrastructure ontime, everytime. If 5% of trains are running late in Denmark it is a political problem to be solved; that’s how good the public transport system and infrastructure is.

Ensure the streets are safe. Over the period 1997-2001 crime rose by an average 4% across the EU. The greatest rises were in France, Greece and Portugal (16%), and the greatest drops were in Italy and Denmark (-11%). The streets are so safe in Denmark that tourists are advised they can stroll down the pedestrian streets at any time, night or day.

If any of you political muppets out there are listening – then pay attention please. When you call to my doorstep over the coming weeks to solicit my vote in the General Election… be warned. I’m going to compare your bullshit to Denmark!!!

And if you can’t convince me of your sincerity, if you can’t absolutely convince me that your vision of a future for this country of mine is to make me as happy as the Danes… then don’t bother knocking at my door, because if you let me down I’ll be very very dissappointed.

And you wouldn’t like me when I’m dissappointed

I THINK IT WISE to declare my position on Prague at this point, having just returned from my first visit to the “City Of Spires“; I’m in love with it, pure and simple.

I could have expected drunken hoardes of stag and hen parties roaming the streets, stripclubs and hookers in the alleyways and even some close quarters combat with pickpockets in sub zero temperatures if I had believed all that had been written and said about the place in advance, but the truth is far from this fiction, and much much better than I could ever have hoped for. At least it was for SusiQ and I when we spent the last 4 days and nights there on a quick weekend break as part of our ongoing Year Of Debauchery.

For me, Prague is a beautiful, romantic, serene and fantastically realised haven of gothic architecture blended with art deco styling and contemporary designs, it’s a maze of cobblestoned alleys and streets which seem to snake in and around wonderfully unexpected courtyards and squares, it’s an endless selection of international cuisines and of course it’s also a culture vultures paradise. Every corner seems to yield another insanely attractive cathedral, building or archway. Just when you think you’re getting lost you spy a familiar spire or church roof which enables some quick navigation back to central paths and tourist areas. Even the non-tourist areas are beautiful. I dont’ think I’ve ever taken as many photos of bloody buildings before in my life, but you just can’t resist the urge to do so; they really are that breathtaking.

There seems to be a limitless supply of locations for some serious culture options – string quartets, opera, ballet, guitar recitals, modern dance, jazz, blues, funk… the list goes on and on. In our few days there we managed to catch a classical spanish guitar recital, booked a christmas themed recital of mozart, Vivaldi et al (but managed to get diverted just enough to miss it!) and even found time to work in a brilliant visit to Red Hot & Blues for some serious Kansas City Blues knocked out by Cleanhead Phil. You really are spoiled for choice in the entertainment department in this crazy city. There was even an open air concert in Old Town Square (see inset picture) and a Christmas fair which was great fun to visit and snoop around.

Whatever expectations I had for Prague were exceeded by a mile, and then some. It’s a brilliant place to just wander about, fliting from one location to another without purpose, because every 5 to 10 minutes you will almost certainly come across something stunning to grab your attention. The local cuisine is a learned experience (maybe the beers help) but there are plenty of other choices. We ended up hitting Italian, Japanese, Mexican and fusion variations while we were there, as well as sampling the local options and cellars. Jaysus the hot chocolate here can be as thick and lethal as the stuff I tried in Barcelona a few years ago. It’s like someone jump starting your heart every time you swallow a mouthful! Failing that there is always the mulled wine or grog to get you through those cold winter afternoons.

Also the beers deserve special mention. European beers in general have what I like to refer to as character. They kind of sneak up on you and surprise you if you’re not careful, like a clever diamond thief who adjusts the pictures on your wall before leaving with your valuables. Czech beers are more like artful thugs; they sneak around your taste buds deftly teasing you with various flavours, lulling you into a false sense of familiarity and then the lump hammer comes out and they smack you on the back of the head with it - it’s an experience to be sure! Personally I ended up majoring on the Pilsner Urquall and of course the Staropramen beers while I was there. Mmmm lovely stuff.

What else is there to say at this point? The locals were friendly and very helpful; the hotel was perfection personified (if you ever want four poster bed elegance with an apartment/suite tagged on for good measure, make sure you check out the Pachtuv Palace – it’s really that good. Public transport? Didn’t need it, we walked everywhere. We squeezed a lot into a few days away, and wouldn’t have it any other way. This city is going onto my list of ‘must return’ places.

Oh I could literally write for hours on how good this city is to visit but nothing will suffice except to go there yourself and make your own mind up. Seriously – don’t think about it, just do it. If you are Europe based then it’s only a couple of hours flying time to a magical destination which will reboot your imagination and recharge your batteries. If you’re planning a trip to Europe from further afield, then include this spot on your list of places to see. It’s really that good.

YET ANOTHER report has emerged from the EU about the complicity of certain European states in either direct or indirect support and facilitation of the illegal detention of EU (and other) citizens as part of the CIA’s “Rendition” programme. This time around it’s the turn of the European Parliament, and more specifically Claudio Fava, an Italian MEP who has been responsible for the production of this report.

This is not the first such report it must be noted. I’ve written about this topic on many occasions in the past, most notably the following pieces entitled “Europe’s Complicity: A Web Of Detentions & Transfer” which charted the routes and destinations of the CIA rendition flights within Europe and “A Happy Hunting Ground For Foreign Security Services” which explored the complicity of certain European states in facilitating the CIA and their programme of illegal activities within European borders and then there was a piece entitled “Council Of Europe Confirms CIA Rendition Flights” which – as the title suggests – offered proof of the existence and support for these so-called rendition flights.

It’s actually quite depressing that here – yet again – we have another report, from another European body (although still in draft form at this point) which seems to validate all the allegations and suspicions thus far about the USA’s policy of detention in Europe. It’s just one more useless nail in a seemingly impenetrable coffin for USA because no matter how many sodding reports are produced, nothing is ever done about it.

So for anyone who hasn’t followed this saga to date here is a quick summation of the reality of living in Europe and dealing with the completely illegal activities of the CIA:-

Numerous European sources, reports, government bodies, human rights agencies and I dare say private punters have confirmed that the CIA operated illegally within European borders citing such activities as kidnapping, illegal detention and torture.

US President George W Bush admitted in September that the CIA had used prisons abroad for the secret detention of terror suspects, but he did not specify where the prisons were.

Several EU member states were directly complicit in the facilitation of these illegal activities

Other member states simply looked the other way when it suited them.

Nothing has been done about it, unless of course you count the seemingly endless commissioning of additional reports into the affair.

And what does this teach us? It basically confirms that Europe is a toothless, half blind (when it suits) politically stagnant and morally stunted windbag which seems more interested in hearing it’s own opinions about the problems than actually doing anything to fix them.

I’ve never been a particularly huge fan of Europe as a federated state, and I’m certainly opposed to any form of common European defence force, but I will admit to being bowled over by the success of the Euro as a currency thus far (although the removal of some trade barriers and the implementation of tax harmonisation wouldn’t hurt!)… but based on all this waffle and inaction over what is clearly a violation of human rights by the CIA on European soil, I just don’t see what the benefit of European membership is.

They talk a good fight, but when you get right down to it… they do fuck all about the issue.

THE EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK (ECB) knew the US was conducting a secret probe of the world’s private financial records without official oversight but failed to tell privacy authorities. After 9/11 the US treasury started pouring over all the private financial transactions in Europe hoping to sniff out terrorist related financial activities. The problem is that it looks like the ECB didn’t inform the proper authorities when this snooping was taking place according to a story over at The Register today.

This is the accusation being leveled at the ECB by the European Parliament. But the more important question could be whether the ECB – and other central banks – had broken any data protection laws by standing back while the US rifled through the world’s private financial records.

A spokesman for the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) has confirmed that the central banks knew all along but that “SWIFT informed its overseers but the overseers didn’t feel obliged to inform their governments”.

Mind you, this is from the same organisation that tried to stall the EU investigation into the US spying previously, so I’m not sure how much weight that statement carries with them now.

It should be interesting to see what falls out of this investigation, and indeed the implications for financial privacy versus security legislation within Europe.

MORE THAN 6 MILLION BOOKS and other culturally significant works are to go online via the European Digital Library over the next five years. I mentioned this ambitious project previously, however things have moved on significantly since then. Back then heads of state in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and Hungary declared their intention to get the project off the ground, but today that project has taken one step closer to becoming a reality.

By the end of 2006, the European Digital Library should involve collaboration among all the national libraries in the EU. Over coming years this will be expanded to include archives and museums. Two million books, films, photographs, manuscripts, and other cultural works will be accessible through the European Digital Library by 2008. A figure that will rise to at least 6m by 2010, as potentially every library, archive and museum in Europe will be able to link its digital content to the online resource.

This is a wonderful idea and will hopefully encourage other areas of the planet to do likewise. Future generations of people (assuming we don’t vapourize this spinning rock we call home) will have online and immediate access to the most amazing historical, cultural and political resources.