Neoliberalism

The protests in Turkey draw their strength from their diversity: witty artists, dedicated environmental activists and Muslims opposed to neoliberalism. Together, they stand a chance of opposing Erdogan’s authoritarian, arrogant government.

What and how we eat has a profound impact on our culture, but changes in recent decades have profoundly changed our relationship with food, and not for the better. What are the costs of these changes, and can they be reversed?

If “you are what you eat” than what happens when you don’t eat? In Greece, the economic crisis is forcing a rethink of people’s relationship with food, and the consequences are positive.

The changes to agriculture in post-war France have had a devastating impact on the environment and on public health. Such changes were the product of international trade agreements and big agri-business, meaning solutions are unlikely to come from the top down. It must be local and small produces that come to the rescue.

Symbol of absolute power corrupting, the ring imagined by J.R.R Tolkien clearly fascinates many citizens. If caution obliges us to distinguish between fiction and reality, nevertheless imagination allows us to draw certain perceptive parallels.

The Eurozone crisis is driving further integration and exposing weaknesses in the Union’s structure. However, the need for reform shouldn’t be used as a cloak to introduce further neoliberal measures.

Na grofweg twee decennia van oppositie kwamen de sociaaldemocraten begin jaren negentig in Europa weer aan de macht.

‘Agenda 2010’ was presented by German Premier Gerard Schröder as a set of reforms that were a ‘third way’ between Social Democracy and neoliberalism.

Are the neoliberal policies being pursued by the European Commission are feeding that populist forces that may tear the Union apart?

The EU cannot be conceived of as a democracy in the traditional sense and its methods of making decisions to date has been ineffective and brought about a crisis of confidence. As the EU’s powers have grown, this problem has become more acute. What is needed is a more transparent form of democracy, with European Citizens given a means of deciding between competing visions and policies.