Concrete Achievements

Author: anthonyzach

  • Links from the week of 29 April 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Today I’m at a conference on 21st century democracy (#SoU2019) in the Palazzo Vecchio in…

    Today I’m at a conference on 21st century democracy (#SoU2019) in the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, specifically in the Salone del 500. I love the historical continuities and discontinuities of talking about that here.

    The room was first constructed under religious fanatic Savonarola, decorated by Leonardo to glorify the Florentine Republic then repainted by the Medici dukes when the palace became their principal residence after they destroyed the Republic.

    It feels like civic and local democracy, and some of those civic republican traditions, are a better starting point for the reconstruction of European democracy than the narrative of nation-states.

    Going back to David Runciman on @TPpodcast_ the other week, this feels like a day where the long-story, medium-story and short-story democracy are close together.

    It’s also positive (says this eternal optimist) that the conversations in the last two days have not been “we’re doomed” but “we’ve got to do things differently”. Yes. The momentum is building, but institutions like the EU, and organisations like ours, still aren’t ready.

    We need sustained action and support to grow skills and capacity, to open civic space, and to ensure that the offer to citizens isn’t just about the what Europe is going to do for them, but how Europe is going to do it. #sou2019

  • Personal view of #florencedebate before my battery finally dies.

    Personal view of #florencedebate before my battery finally dies. Much better than I expected. Genuine interaction and debate rather than position-taking (though obviously plenty of that too). Not sure how it came across down the lens but in person it was

    Engaging and interesting. Verhofstadt underperformed my expectations – too much inside baseball. Timmermans was clearly a class act but also careful about what he promised, which makes sense but made him seem flat compared to some of the grander visions.

    Weber overperformed my expectations and I left thinking for the first time he might do ok as President on a personal leadership level. Keller was good and passionate but sat back on Green core issues and counterattacked rather than playing outside her comfort zone.

    Timmermans was the winner for me, but I expected that and I am a pro-European progressive. I left wanting him more visionary rather than hedging and trimming, and thinking that Weber might have been a bit underrated, including by me.

    On the issues, carbon tax for EU spending was surprisingly popular, climate change is still not being taken seriously enough as a policy challenge across the board, democracy and rule of law were underplayed – but you’d expect me to say that.

    Thanks to @MESandbu @ftbrussels and @EuropeanUni, a good evening.

  • Moment of being impressed that all four candidates are debating fluently in their second…

    Moment of being impressed that all four candidates are debating fluently in their second (or third or nth) language. Chapeau! #florencedebate

    That said it would almost be harder for a native English speaker to join them (I know this from my public speaking) because you have to work hard on *not* using colloquial phrases or complicated structures and metaphors.

    (I do not do well at that)

  • “Redemocratising Europe” question from the floor at #florencedebate

    “Redemocratising Europe” question from the floor at #florencedebate

    Weber: as commission president will put all proposals from the Parlt in a quasi-automatic process that gives effective legislative initiative to the EP.

    Verhofstadt: transnational lists, Parliament needs legislative initiative but also tax-raising powers.

    Keller: all of the above plus European council transparency and rule of law in member states. #Florencedebate

  • Now @ManfredWeber – why do I want this job in a crisis.

    Now @ManfredWeber – why do I want this job in a crisis. I’m 46 and the first generation who can said they’ve lived their whole lives in peace and freedom. We have to defend that.

    We must practice democracy – parliamentary democracy, which I can do all the better by being a President who has emerged from the Parliament.

    And finally @guyverhofstadt – explaining he’s not a #Spitzenkandidat and that ALDE is going to change. Arguing for direct election of Commission president via transnational list. [this feels quite inside baseball compared to the others]

    “Ever since Brexit everyone is saying ‘we’re not as stupid as the Brits’” says @guyverhofstadt #Florencedebate #diplomacymasterclass

  • Jim Cloos (answering my question on the role of participatory democracy at EU level) says…

    Jim Cloos (answering my question on the role of participatory democracy at EU level) says it has to be local and regional first, and based on deliberation that comes from expert evidence. Again, don’t agree – or at least not entirely – but a clear position. #SOU2019

    Why don’t I agree? Because elements of participation can be done on European issues at local and regional levels as part of the European policy conversation. There aren’t rigid levels any more.

    Moreover that participation at whatever levels depends on the openness and information that have to come from every level of government.

    Finally, the multiple levels of delegation that démocratise the European level just don’t work in the modern democratic mindset to give legitimacy. There is a need for more directness (in the sense of participation not referendums) – otherwise the current popularity won’t last.

    @AnnMettler and Anthony from @EP_ThinkTank positive about experimentation and most importantly openness.

  • Italian For Min talking about getting EU closer to citizens.

    Italian For Min talking about getting EU closer to citizens. Five proposals: 1: Give EP legislative initiative (👍)
    2: Make commission more political – has to behave more like a government would in taking initiative and leading (would surely mean Com Pres has to pick own team?)

    3: Need to back the EP with bigger budgets provided through a European tax base and common bonds not just contributions from member states. Need to get closer to 24% of public spending as US Feds spend, from 1% at present.

    That means moving away from unanimity on tax in the Council (seems implausible but you never know I guess). Focus on capturing taxes from big multinationals that they are currently avoiding.

    4: (not entirely clear, listening to interpretation on the fly, but about migration)
    5: majority voting on common foreign and security policy. #SOU2019 @DipPoliticheUE

  • Links from the week of 22 April 2019

    Articles, reports and other links I shared on Twitter this week.

  • Last Brexit tweet, because this is all you need.

    Last Brexit tweet, because this is all you need. Today, almost a month after Brexit was due to happen, the UK is still doing unicorns. twitter.com/tnewtondunn/st…

    And when I say last Brexit tweet, I’m not kidding. Muting the words, unfollowing British journalists, I’m done. I enjoyed Brexitless Easter and I’m going to keep rolling like that.

    There’s enough to be getting on with. European elections. Spain. The whole democracy thing. Go vote. Do democracy right. #ThisTimeImVoting #tymrazemglosuję