Archive
Year: 2008
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Biofuels debate gets sexy
May 21, 2008
How about this for the use of digital to get across a very stark political message, in dare we say it a sexy way? As with many of the videos out there, it's US based. It also dates from 2006. However, it does seems quite relevant in today's debate in Brussels about the use of biofuels, which is due to recommence in Committees next week. And we do after all have a tariff of ethanol...
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ECPA and the value of blogging in Brussels
May 18, 2008
Our lunch event on trade associations and the use of the internet the other week turned out to be interesting for all sorts of reasons. While our own experience on this blog and that of Pat Cleary, our US colleague, was clearly a draw, the real value was the exchange of experience between participants all fighting to persuade internal audiences of the (pretty obvious) merits of online communications in a Brussels public affairs context. Hopefully...
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How many politicians does it take to change a lightbulb?
May 16, 2008
Image via Wikipedia We've been trying to find out the answer to this question all day in the hope that the punchline might make us smile again after yesterday's dramatic change of weather. We saw the ad for the latest online campaign from the Parliament's Liberal group tucked away on page 39 of this week's European Voice over coffee this morning. Alas, the ad is not that clear (or we are just stupid? btw...
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Alarm Bells Over Single Market for Defence-related Industries
May 16, 2008
Alarm bells have been ringing in certain European ministries. Proposals now under discussion would bring defence-related trade under the auspices of the single market and diplomats are worried. I gather that France is calling for a legal opinion on whether European single market legislation can apply to defence-related products – just a few weeks before the French take over the presidency; an EU intergovernmental committee on arms exports demands to be consulted on the proposals...
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Why Brussels public affairs practitioners should be helping Google
May 15, 2008
There has been a number of articles in the press recently about concerns about potentials falls in revenue for search engine giant Google, contradicted somewhat by other reports that companies' ad spend is continuing to move online. Whatever the truth, it strikes us that public affairs people in Brussels should consider using Google Adwords as standard part of their advocacy programmes towards the EU institutions. For those not au fait with Google Adwords, they are...
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Pat keeps on trucking
May 9, 2008
Our much heralded visitor, Pat Cleary from our DC office, duly delivered earlier this week in a digital event on harnessing digital in public affairs and communications for Brussels trade associations. More of this later. In between talking to us and our friends about digital and of course the US elections (Pat is part of the vast rightwing conspiracy), Pat of course continued his day job. The time difference ensuring his day went on and...
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Tony Blair for Foreign Affairs Supremo?
May 6, 2008
According to latest reports, the likelihood of former British prime minister Tony Blair taking over as EU President in 2009 seems to be fading. The Independent newspaper reports a “secret” agreement between the big three, Brown, Sarkozy and Merkel, not to support any candidate for the job who does not have wholehearted approval of the other two. Merkel is said to have reservations about Blair given Britain’s abstinence from the euro, from Schengen and from...
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Policy Makers in Crisis Mode Over Food and Fuels
April 30, 2008
The surge in world food prices, oil prices at well over $110 a barrel and measures to boost the use of biofuels in the US and Europe are putting policy-makers into crisis mode. It is extraordinary how this situation has taken fire in just a few months and how intertwined the different factors are. A perfect storm, indeed. International organisations warn that the rising cost of food will threaten the stability of nations, especially developing...
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Newton-Dunn proves trips to the EP in Strasbourg aren’t all bad
April 23, 2008
Sometimes we have to come down to Strasbourg for the European Parliament. And this month its unfortunately our turn on the FH roster. Thankfully there are some things that make it all worthwhile, other than revisiting pubs we passed far too much time in during our ERASMUS year. In between sitting through debates on the alleged evils of bio, sorry Claude, agro-fuels, we managed to have an interesting chinwag with one of the latest MEPs...
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UK politics and the internet
April 19, 2008
The Economist features a piece this week on the internet and politics in Britain. Apparently, the right are doing better than the left in the UK's political blogosphere. Despite many of our leaders being technophobes, the political partieis are now apparently "getting it" and are hiring tech-savvies to boost their web presences...