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I'm afraid that the evidence from Europe does not support that argument, KingC. European governments are quite capable of taking "tough" decisions when the need arises.

If you take a look at the...

I don't know where you get the examples for your claim, KingC. I can't speak for non-European democracies without researching it, but every EU country, with the exception of the UK, uses a...

Hi Epi. The reason for my question mark was that I was working from memory and couldn't confidently say that every EU-country except the UK operated a proportional system. However, I've just done a...

Any time you guys need examples and statistics to back up the arguments that BAC makes, just let us know on this side of the Atlantic. We've at least 50 years of doing socialism/social democracy in...

That's the voting system in the UK of course, Epi, which is notorious for its lack of balance and fair representation. In most (all?) other EU countries we use a system of proportional representation...

It's been a long time since the Irish people elected a party with an outright majority in the Dáil (Parliament). We don't trust any one party enough to give it a majority on its own. Fine Vague won't...

I don't disagree with your criticisms of New Labour, Charver. For all of the good that Labour has done, and continues to do, in office, the issues you raise have been pretty shameful. However, I...

Hi WM. The governing coalition in Ireland is in meltdown at the moment. Labour has been consistently recording 14-15% support in the three most recent national opinion polls. Given that we were at...

LOL. Just for information, when the manifesto was being prepared our friends from the UK Labour Party often found themselves in a minority of one. That said, there's a lot of good that they have done...

There's room at my place in Dublin for you Darla if you ever decide to emigrate!

Thanks Darla. If you have any observations to make please feel free!

HI everyone

I thought you might find the attached manifesto of some interest. I attended the Council of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Madrid last week as part of the Irish delegation...

I don't see Blair there. The line up as Bush walks along is (from memory so I could quite easilly be wrong on some of the faces):

1. someome I don't recognise
2. Ban Ki Moon UN Sec Gen
3. Silvio...

Dead man walking. No-one on this side of the Atlantic is paying any attention to him at this stage. Indeed we haven't been paying any attention to him for a number of years now.

Hi Thor. I'm a socialist. I'm a member of a socialist party. Neither I nor my party support "... public ownership of major means of production".

I support public ownership where it is necessary...

I'm at a big party in Dublin for a friends's birthday. However, given that this friend and many of his friends are all in the Irish Labour Party (PES), I guess we'll get to switch on the TV at some...

Given that I'm probably the only card-carrying member of a socialist party on this forum I find it comical that anyone could think that Obama is a socialist, or that the policies he proposes come...

Just a thought. In Ireland, as in much of the European Union, all citizens without exception over the age of 18 (16 in Austria) are entitled to have their names entered on the electoral register. The...

Berlusconi Reverses Claim Leaders May Close World's Markets

Berlusconi is suffering from an attack of the McVagues, i.e. a "senior moment".

"Only in America!" as we say on this side of the Atlantic. I was particularly impressed by the self-effacing comment from the bigot-in-chief of the Calvary Church of Massena that he was not looking...

You really haven't got the first clue about what Communism actually is, do you, Maj?

Interesting, but when? I'd be grateful if you would direct me to the cases where a person charged with killing a pregnant woman have been also been charged with the murder of the child they are...

Is this the question that arose from that strange interview that Obama and McCain did with some church leader a few weeks back? If so, it was a very strange question indeed.

I think a lot of...

I think that those Christofacists that called for a mass prayer for rain at the Democrat Convention forgot that part of the Bible that said that God will not be mocked.

The reasons for the catastrophic decision by the Georgian president Saakashvili to order an all-out military bombardment of Tskhinvali in South Ossettia and provoke this conflict were entirely their...