Apparently, today is a sad day for British politics. That is how Sir Robert Atkins referred to the British National Party's (BNP) success at the EU elections.
Why so? Because the BNP is a far-right party with no non-white members. It won two seats in the EU Parliament at an election whose preliminary figures suggest the lowest turnout ever. In other words, the small percentage of people who cast their votes today supported the BNP's extremism. Wait, that sounds familiar.
The National Union Attack, the far-right party in Bulgaria, has been winning a big percentage of the popular vote. It has openly expressed itself against the rights of Roma minorities. According to Novinite Ataka holds three seats in the 2009 EU Parliament with three far-right deputies elected as MEPs.
Interestingly enough, the 2009 EU elections saw great gains in far-right votes across Europe. According to the Telegraph centre-Right parties constitute the biggest group holding 276 seats out of 736 in the European Parliament. It wasn't just the U.K. and Bulgaria. It was anti-immigrant and far-right groups from the Netherlands, Austria, Hungary, Denmark, Slovakia and Finland.
Not sure about the U.K., but could it be a sad day for EU politics?
Showing posts with label EU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EU. Show all posts
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Auf der anderen Seite
Turkey and the EU--an inexhaustible topic these days. It has started a conversation on which Europe cannot seem to agree. While European nations are still discussing the circumstances around Turkey's potential accession to the European Union, radical Bulgarian politicians already expressed their strong opposition.
In a recent interview Nikola Rachev argued that the Turkish values and religious views are completely incompatible with the European ones. Although 25-year-old Rachev is a student at Sofia's Medical University and speaks three foreign languages, his argument is hardly the most convincing for a well-educated young individual.
Turkey is a modern secular democracy that has been developing at a fast pace. It will, undoubtedly, contribute a diverse perspective to the established EU mosaic. After all, one of the EU's goals is to help make different cultures and values compatible with one another.
Moreover, EU support will mitigate Turkey's political persecutions. The award-winning Auf Der Anderen Seite clearly reveals the need for such type of implementations.
Turkey and the EU--will we exhaust this topic by the next round of EU accession talks?
In a recent interview Nikola Rachev argued that the Turkish values and religious views are completely incompatible with the European ones. Although 25-year-old Rachev is a student at Sofia's Medical University and speaks three foreign languages, his argument is hardly the most convincing for a well-educated young individual.
Turkey is a modern secular democracy that has been developing at a fast pace. It will, undoubtedly, contribute a diverse perspective to the established EU mosaic. After all, one of the EU's goals is to help make different cultures and values compatible with one another.
Moreover, EU support will mitigate Turkey's political persecutions. The award-winning Auf Der Anderen Seite clearly reveals the need for such type of implementations.
Turkey and the EU--will we exhaust this topic by the next round of EU accession talks?
Friday, February 6, 2009
Czech it out
If you're wondering how one piece of art can offend 27 countries simultaneously, then hire a Czech artist under the name of David Cerny, sit back and watch. He will surely take care of this task because he has the necessary background after angering the lares and penates of the European Union with his newest sculpture Entropa.
Officially launched on Jan. 15, 2009, Entropa constituted of a map of geographic symbols representing the 27 EU member states in a comic fashion intended to provoke Europe's sense of humor. The sculpture was supposed to honor the European Union member states, celebrate diversity and officially mark the Czech presidency of the EU. It was intended to artistically illustrate and complement the words of the Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra spoken at the sculpture's launch ceremony, "Freedom of expression is a founding principle of democracy." Its effects, however, couldn't have strayed farther away from these goals and what it ended up provoking was mostly Europe's strong criticism. The exhibit proves that when a vision of art is placed in a highly sensitive political context, controversy can hardly be avoided.
The mosaic of European geographical shapes assigned stereotypical and prejudicial symbols to the 27 European Union members. The territory of France on the map is covered with a poster saying "GRÈVE!" that translates into "On Strike!" Romania is portrayed as a Dracula-themed amusement park with special sound effects. Spain is an empty construction site with a concrete mixer placed in the country's northern part. Luxemburg, a golden chunk, carries a For Sale tag with a telephone number to contact. The United Kingdom is the missing piece from the mosaic. Greece's territory is covered by a completely burnt forest. Worst of all, Bulgaria is depicted as a series of white squats (Turkish-style toilets).
Although Cerny saw the installation as an opportunity to learn to laugh over stereotypical images and transcend cultural boundaries, the rest of Europe was displeased with such unfavorable representations. But then again, the rest of Europe doesn't have Cerny's crude humor. Though not put on display at the European Council building in Brussels, the artist's previous works were equally controversial. In the garden of Futura Gallery in Prague, Cerny designed two nude sculptures that visitors can climb on a ladder situated between the figures' legs. They can peek into the figures' arses and watch a video showing Czech President Vaclav Klaus and the head of the National Gallery Milan Knizak feeding each other slop to the soundtrack of Queen's "We are the Champions."
"I seriously, we seriously expected that this will be taken as a joke, as a nice piece of work, as a nice installation, and nothing else," said Cerny about his latest project in a speech in Brussels. Unfortunately, the artwork was taken as something else by many who viewed it as humiliating and reinforcing negative stereotypes instead of eradicating them. Moreover, the production of this "nice piece of work" cost EUR 375,000.
After receiving complaints and widespread criticism about the exhibit, the Czech government officially apologized to the offended member states. "This is not how the Czech government or the Presidency view EU or any member state," said Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra. This is, however, how the EU understood Entropa's political message masked in an inexplicable art form.
Source: The Mount Holyoke News, A&E
Officially launched on Jan. 15, 2009, Entropa constituted of a map of geographic symbols representing the 27 EU member states in a comic fashion intended to provoke Europe's sense of humor. The sculpture was supposed to honor the European Union member states, celebrate diversity and officially mark the Czech presidency of the EU. It was intended to artistically illustrate and complement the words of the Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra spoken at the sculpture's launch ceremony, "Freedom of expression is a founding principle of democracy." Its effects, however, couldn't have strayed farther away from these goals and what it ended up provoking was mostly Europe's strong criticism. The exhibit proves that when a vision of art is placed in a highly sensitive political context, controversy can hardly be avoided.
The mosaic of European geographical shapes assigned stereotypical and prejudicial symbols to the 27 European Union members. The territory of France on the map is covered with a poster saying "GRÈVE!" that translates into "On Strike!" Romania is portrayed as a Dracula-themed amusement park with special sound effects. Spain is an empty construction site with a concrete mixer placed in the country's northern part. Luxemburg, a golden chunk, carries a For Sale tag with a telephone number to contact. The United Kingdom is the missing piece from the mosaic. Greece's territory is covered by a completely burnt forest. Worst of all, Bulgaria is depicted as a series of white squats (Turkish-style toilets).
Although Cerny saw the installation as an opportunity to learn to laugh over stereotypical images and transcend cultural boundaries, the rest of Europe was displeased with such unfavorable representations. But then again, the rest of Europe doesn't have Cerny's crude humor. Though not put on display at the European Council building in Brussels, the artist's previous works were equally controversial. In the garden of Futura Gallery in Prague, Cerny designed two nude sculptures that visitors can climb on a ladder situated between the figures' legs. They can peek into the figures' arses and watch a video showing Czech President Vaclav Klaus and the head of the National Gallery Milan Knizak feeding each other slop to the soundtrack of Queen's "We are the Champions."
"I seriously, we seriously expected that this will be taken as a joke, as a nice piece of work, as a nice installation, and nothing else," said Cerny about his latest project in a speech in Brussels. Unfortunately, the artwork was taken as something else by many who viewed it as humiliating and reinforcing negative stereotypes instead of eradicating them. Moreover, the production of this "nice piece of work" cost EUR 375,000.
After receiving complaints and widespread criticism about the exhibit, the Czech government officially apologized to the offended member states. "This is not how the Czech government or the Presidency view EU or any member state," said Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra. This is, however, how the EU understood Entropa's political message masked in an inexplicable art form.
Source: The Mount Holyoke News, A&E
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