Monthly Archives: March 2008
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RENEWS CALLS FOR BEIJING BOYCOTT
Last week the European Parliament debated the situation in Tibet. There were calls for a boycott of the Olympic Games opening ceremony in Beijing this summer. Many, including the President of the European Parliament Hans-Gert Poettering, expressed solidarity with the … Continue reading
LIFE EXPECTANCY FOR WOMEN IN ZIMBABWE IS 34
Women in Zimbabwe can hope to live for just 34 years. It’s slightly higher for men – 37. Life expectancy has actually fallen by two months during the past year. Aids, the crumbling economy and hyper inflation are all taking … Continue reading
Filed under Life Expectancy, Zimbabwe
NO WOMEN FOR NEW TOP EU POSTS
After the European elections in June next year there will be some amendments to the way the European Union works. Yes, you’ve got it. I’m talking about the Lisbon Treaty. Two important posts need to be filled after June 2009, … Continue reading
Filed under Commission, Equal Rights, Gender
MEN IN FROCKS DENY HUMAN RIGHTS
While I, along with most decent people, try to respect an individual’s religious faith, I find it impossible to accept the shanigins of the Roman Catholic Church on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill currently going through the House of … Continue reading
Filed under Des Browne, Paul Murphy, Ruth Kelly, Science
PROGRESS ON CYPRUS
Occasionally you are in the right place at the right time. I shall never forget the moment on 23 April 2003 when the Green Line in Cyprus was opened. I just happened to be there for a meeting of the … Continue reading
Filed under Cyprus, Green Line
FIGHTING THE SEX TRADE IN EUROPE
This week I’ve been blogging about the seminars that I was involved with at Labour Party Conference in Birmingham. The last seminar I spoke at was on fighting the sex trade in Europe. By definition, the sex trade and human … Continue reading
Filed under Sex Trade
SPRING CONFERENCE
At the end of February I attended the Labour Party Spring Conference in Birmingham. This year I spoke at three seminars on fairly diverse subjects. One seminar was on education, one on campaigning on the web and the third was … Continue reading
Filed under Erasmus, Labour Spring Conference, Sex Trade
CAMERON AND THE ABORTION TIME LIMIT
We are all waking up to David Cameron’s anti-woman agenda. Although he hides it well with plausibly warm words, the modern Tory Party is no more in favour of equal opportunities than its previous incarnations. Take the abortion time limit. … Continue reading
Filed under Conservative, Emily's List, Nadine Dorries, Women MPs
THE BUDGET
The days when the budget was one of the highlights of the parliamentary year attracting huge news coverage and whipping up strong emotions are long gone. Today the budget is one event among many, but no less important for that. … Continue reading
Filed under Budget, Child Poverty
SOCIALIST VICTORY IN SPAIN
Congratulations to Spain’s returning Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. It is very good to see another centre left government in Europe and to know that Spaniards have confidence in their socialist party. “The Spanish people have spoken clearly … Continue reading
Filed under Uncategorized
