Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008 at 10:01
by
rikkeindenmark 
in In the spotlight (842 views and 0 comments)
Not long ago I learned
about the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions. To be
honest I didn't know about the group's existence until a year ago
(ignorance is not always bliss), but it's a forum for local and
regional politicians to meet and discuss EU politics. It's an
interesting organization because many EU decisions impact greatly
on the local level - and the PES Group is a chance for local and
regional social democrats to meet and work together to influence EU
policies.
I admit that this was a digression from the topic that I actually wanted to address in this post! The reason why I brought up the PES Group in the Committee of the Regions is that the group has its own PES manifesto consultation - and in this consultation there's a fifth point of discussion, in addition to the four 'traditional' themes - namely the gender dimension.
I agree very much with the view-point of the PES Group - that there's a significant gender aspect to all four manifesto themes - and I hope the 'pervasiveness' of gender issues will be taken into consideration when the PES manifesto is drafted over the coming months....
read morePublished Thursday, March 20, 2008 at 09:25
by
elwira30
in European democracy & diversity (1162 views and 3 comments)
It’s been
100 years since the women of the New York textile factory went on
strike to demand better working conditions and the right to vote.
A whole century had passed since that event. Today we live in a
world where nobody is surprised to see women on the elections
lists. But when news came out that a 25-year-old woman saved an
airplane at the Hamburg airport during the Emma hurricane, there
was disagreement as to what consisted bigger news – that she was
young or that she was a woman? The interviews with famous women –
politicians, chairpersons, directors – often include a question:
how do you manage to reconcile your work with the role of the
mother and wife. Does one ask a man how he reconciles his
professional and family functions?
Today women have a right to vote (although still not everywhere
in the world), study, work in different professions because many
decades ago the most courageous of them challenged the status
quo. Of course they suffered from contempt but today their rights
are an obvious thing.
We, European Socialists, have to fight against further
stereotypes in the perception of women and fight for changes not
only in the law but also in people’s minds. We must do that to
create tools to help women reconcile the professional career with
family life. So that no one would be...
Published Tuesday, March 18, 2008 at 14:19
by
Duncan Anderson
in European democracy & diversity (726 views and 1 comments)
With the introduction of so many digital TV channels it would be practical for the EU to have at least one digital TV channel showing the European Parliament in work. It would also make sense to have other digital channels for the various European committees and even the Council of Ministers.
It would certainly help a lot of average Europeans find out how the EU really works rather than hearing the lies spread by the Europhobic isolationists.
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Published Friday, March 14, 2008 at 11:50
by
AnneSofie
in European democracy & diversity (1206 views and 1 comments)
Among the activities
of the gathering of Scandinavian PES activists in Jørlunde,
Denmark, was a discussion group on the PES manifesto theme 'European democracy and diversity':Published Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 12:07
by
Editor
in European democracy & diversity (1388 views and 3 comments)
At the recent policy forum in Sheffield we had the chance to talk to several British activists. Here is Colin Roth from Sheffield with an idea for the PES manifesto:
"I’d hope to see a commitment to resolve copyright and
marketing issues that currently stand as excuses by broadcasters
to restrict their broadcasts to national boundaries. If we’re a
single market these excuses have no proper basis, indeed they are
an artificial constraint on the free market.
My reason is that I would like to facilitate language learning
and cultural exchange between EU countries, helping to ensure the
survival of ‘little’ languages by providing access to cultural
material and news to everyone.
I’m not necessarily saying that access should be free, like the
French Government sponsored TV5, but it should be as free as
possible. The wide adoption of digital broadcasting means that
there are no real technical barriers – only commercial
ones."
Published Wednesday, October 3, 2007 at 22:54
by
carl0s
in European democracy & diversity (1593 views and 3 comments)
I've heard it said that Russia could now be described as a "managed democracy." Control of the media and state apparatus is said to have tilted the electorate in a way that democratic debate exists within a pre-defined criteria.
President Putin, who appears to be popular anyway, can point out that many Western democracies also function in a similar way. The parameters in which they operate are often determined by access to money and media, and these often implicitly or explicitly contain an ideology. An example of this could be the "Cola" Presidents, whereby different soft drinks companies back presidential candidates in the US. Of course, this is generally to achieve the opening of new markets overseas for their companies. So the implicit ideology here is free trade, to the point of bargaining the right to sell fizzy drinks to poor countries.
In such an environment, should the EU attempt to curtail the concentration of political power in corporate hands and act to regulate all corporate lobbying of government within its jurisdiction? Should it be passing laws to ensure a plurality of media, and preventing singularly powerful figures from owning large chunks of various media outlets?
The EU can only set an example to the world, as perfect democracy is hard to find. But if we are serious that the EU should be the benchmark for democratic standards, then the way our electorates are influenced and cajoled should be examined. The end...
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