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 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS 
by Fran on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:07:54 PM EST

Enquête après une plainte d'Aurélie Filippetti pour violences conjugales

PARIS (AFP) -- Une enquête préliminaire a été ouverte à Paris à la suite d'une plainte déposée par la députée socialiste de Moselle Aurélie Filippetti à l'encontre de son compagnon pour violences entre conjoints, a-t-on appris mardi de source proche du dossier.

Cette plainte a été déposée le 6 février par la porte-parole du groupe PS à l'Assemblée nationale à l'encontre de son conjoint, l'économiste Thomas Piketty, selon cette source, confirmant une information du Figaro.

(...)

Agée de 35 ans, Aurélie Filippetti figure en troisième position sur la liste du PS pour les élections européennes de juin dans la région Est.

Filipetty, a socialist MP, and the third in the Socialist list for the Euroepan elections in the Eastern region, has filed suit against her partner, Thomas Piketty, for domestic violence.

We've quoted Piketty rather often on ET (see this most recent storyby afew); his best know work is his study on income inequality ovr the century, using tax returns, which has been quoted widely - and he is now the boss of the Paris School of Economics - so it was a surprise for me to see his name pop up in this story. I've actually met Aurélie Filipetti in 2007, during the 2007 presidential campaign, when I was invited as a blogger on Europe 1 - she was invited to the same show, and we ended up sitting at the same table in th studio.

Weird. And sad, as conjugal violence is a rather big black mark in my mind.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:17:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Compare and contrast with the similar event that happened in 2007 with the then Minister of the Interior and his wife...

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 07:17:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Well, in this case it took a month, 2 years ago it came out faster...

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Mar 5th, 2009 at 04:32:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Did it get printed in Le Figaro or Libération two years ago ?

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Thu Mar 5th, 2009 at 05:56:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Swedish social democrats and conservatives to gain in European elections - EUobserver
Swedish conservatives and social democrats stands to gain in June's European Parliament elections. A new Skop-poll in Dagens Nyheter predicts they are to win respectively 35.6% and 31.7% of votes (up 11% and 13.4% on the 2004 elections). The EU-critical Junelist is in for 3.5%, down from 14.5%.
by Fran on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:18:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Européennes J-100 : le tableau de bord des têtes de liste | Elections 2009 | EurActiv.fr: L'actualité des politiques européennes en France
A 100 jours des élections européennes, EurActiv.fr fait le point sur les têtes de liste pour le scrutin des 6 et 7 juin prochain, parti par parti, région par région. Ce tableau sera régulièrement remis à jour.
by Fran on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:23:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]
for digging up all these European elections articles!

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:52:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]
EurActiv.com - Hungary's Democrats squabble over list leader | EU - European Information on EU Elections 09

In a move that surprised and infuriated some, the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) suddenly decided to switch candidates at the top of its party list for the EU elections last week. Without consulting the party's only MEP, Péter Olajos, who had been considered favourite to head the list, the MDF leadership decided to nominate former finance minister Lajos Bokros instead, a member of the Socialist cabinet in the 1990s.

"The controversies and the internal struggles for power which shadowed the life of the MDF have now entered a stage where they can lead to irreversible changes," Olajos said, objecting to the fact that the decision was taken while he was at an ACP-EU meeting in Guyana. 

by Fran on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:25:43 PM EST
[ Parent ]
For more, see The Moustache of Reform to the EP(P)?

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Fri Mar 6th, 2009 at 08:36:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]
EurActiv.com - Czech parties fire first shots of EU election campaign | EU - European Information on EU Elections 09

The main Czech political parties are gearing up for the EU elections by loading their electoral narratives with negative attacks against adversaries, neglecting to take a stance on European issues.

The governing right-wing Civic Democratic Party (ODS) and the left-wing Social Democratic Party (CSSD) have initiated largely negative campaigns for the next elections to the European Parliament, set to take place on 4-7 June. 

Internal rather than pan-European issues are largely expected to dominate debates during the pre-election period. The opposition CSSD is widely expected to win the elections and will consider the ballot successful if it gains eight to ten of the 22 seats reserved for Czech MEPs. 

by Fran on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:26:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]
seems to have some pretty extensive coverage of the elections on his blog. We should invite him to crosspost here!

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 02:53:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]
One of the first of many polls of voter preferences in Italy shows the collapse of the Democratic Party (PD). It has lost a third of its electorate in a year. If the elections were held today the PD would garner no more than 22%. Other parties that were part of the previous left electoral coalition have gained ground, notably Di Pietro's Italia dei Valori Party that has doubled consensus, now at 8%. The far left remains divided, although a coalition of some of the micro-realities could garner 6%. Another 3% would be lost under the threshold. The "centrist" party, UDC, has gained a few percentage points to nearly 8%. The rightwing coalition continues to enjoy popularity with Berlusconi's personal political entity, the PdL, at over 36%. The racist Lega Nord party has grown slightly to 9%.

This is all tentative, since a new law in the making has yet to be passed. It will determine strategies and tactics that may alter the present situation. But then the majority's bill is also tactical, very much a part of the process, just as the Porcellum electoral law was in 2006. However, it is unlikely to greatly alter the weight of the two blocks: a solid rightwing sweep with a fragmented left bleating about local victories in far-flung corners.

by de Gondi (publiobestia aaaatttthotmaildaughtusual) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 07:10:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I'm not sure if you've seen these two articles by UCLA historian Perry Anderson (Editor of New Left Review) in LRB:
Both are big articles, I was wondering what you make of them, if of course you find the time and the inclination to check them out!

I note in passing that Anderson's article on the Cyprus issue was spot-on IMHO and an excellent introduction to the problem.

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom - William Blake

by talos (mihalis at gmail dot com) on Thu Mar 5th, 2009 at 07:38:36 AM EST
[ Parent ]
Thanks for pointing him out. I have just done a fast read through and find both articles on target. He even points out a little known fact theorized by a Palermo judge on what brought on the political institutional crisis in the Nineties: corruption had been financed by a flexible exchange rate, domestic inflation and deficitary finance. Realigning with Europe dried up resources for oiling the machine. This coupled with the fall of communism and the crackdown against organized crime by American policy makers put Italian politicos on the defensive. The Milan judges moved in on a system that was already in deep crisis.
by de Gondi (publiobestia aaaatttthotmaildaughtusual) on Thu Mar 5th, 2009 at 06:05:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]
BNP uses Polish Spitfire in anti-immigration poster - Telegraph

The party's 2009 European Elections poster shows a nostalgic picture of a Second World War fighter plane under the slogan "Battle for Britain".

But RAF history experts have identified the iconic Romeo Foxtrot Delta Plane as belonging not to Britons but to a group of Polish pilots instead.

The plane was actually flown by the celebrated 303 Squadron of the RAF - made up of Polish airmen rescued from France shortly before Nazi occupation.



Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed Mar 4th, 2009 at 07:12:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
England - forward to the 20th century!

Even our racists are useless.

by ThatBritGuy (thatbritguy (at) googlemail.com) on Thu Mar 5th, 2009 at 08:30:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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