There are between seven and nine million Roma in Europe, constituting the most disadvantaged population in the EU. Across Europe they are systematically discriminated against in education, housing, healthcare and employment as well as being subjected to racist abuse and attacks. For many years, the issue of Roma inclusion has been discussed in the European Commission and was … [Read more...]
Living History
Isn’t it amazing how fast history moves sometimes? The last time I wrote an article for Eurocritics, unregulated free market capitalism was still popularly considered to be quite a good idea. That was less than two months ago, in a different world; a world in which you’d have been likely to have your sanity questioned had you suggested that George W. Bush’s administration would … [Read more...]
The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Election Watcher
I want to confess to an addiction. It’s been going on for months now, and sometimes I stay up way into the night getting my fix. It sets me apart from my friends and family, who struggle to understand why I am so compelled. I know that my habit is certain to get worse over the next two months, and I don’t think that there are any support groups I can turn to. All that I can do … [Read more...]
$23 Billion “Lost” In Iraq
According to an investigation by the BBC's Panorama programme, as much as $23 billion (£12 billion) of US taxpayer's money has gone missing. The money has been lost, stolen or simply just not accounted for by as many as 70 private US companies. The BBC reports that the US Justice Department has imposed official gagging orders on court cases against some of the top US … [Read more...]
Pain in Spain
Spain has long been Europe’s super-achiever. Over the past few years it’s created more than half of all the new jobs in the European Union. Thanks to the decade-long economic bonanza, per capita incomes now approximate France and Japan. As the world’s ninth largest economy, Spain has been a particular beneficiary of both the global real estate boom in recent years and, … [Read more...]