The Lisbon treaty has become an almost mythical document which has had the power to defeat whole states.
To some it is the natural evolution of a system which created by the member states has simply become to unwieldy to operate correctly. It’s a correctional document to allow the system to function better, to better state what is EU responsibility and to better provide a single voice to the EU outside of the Union which the world needs.
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Understanding the Russian mind is something that has confused learned men for centuries.
For many who have watched Russian politics and society over the past few years may have been alarmed at the rehabilitation of Soviet leader Stalin by politicians and state run TV and newspapers.
Metro stations with his words on the walls have been built in Moscow and schoolbooks have been written praising his administration of the state while playing down the terrible cost to human life and the creation of a society in fear of the knock on the door.
Shostakovitch, one of the world most talented and respected composers modern Russia has provided was said to have always had a packed suitcase near his bed, just in case. It’s perhaps hard to imagine a society so keen to arrest and lock away some of its most educated people but during the 1930’s documentation shows millions of people were either relocated, arrested, interned in labour camps and in many cases killed. To overlook such a terrible cost in the desire to advance a society and ideal shows little regard to human life. To popularise a regime which caused a terrible famine through it’s actions, the removal of whole ethnic groups and the destruction of the accepted use of terror as state policy for so many years shows a pick-n-mix approach to historical fact.
The recent statements by the Russian government to create a commission to prevent the falsification of history seemed almost too soviet for many. A state sponsored version of history is never a good idea. If a document comes to life contradicting the state version it would cause a problem that has to be stopped before the evidence is used to promote an alternative version. History is a living and constantly changing assessment of the past, it should never be fossilised by a government in the interest of orthodox beliefs. There must always be a reassessment and re-evaluation of the past based on the evidence which arrives.
So the recent speech by President Medvedev seemed to contradict much of which recent actions have promoted and a welcome statement that “Nothing can be valued above human life”. It is perhaps something all of us in Europe should remember.
Whatever the colour pigment of our skin, whatever the religious belief, whatever the origin of the individual and whatever the political view, all life should be valued.
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We’ve been long time fans of Robert Service’s work here at EL and the latest in a trilogy of biographies is about to hit the shelf. Trotsky has been a few years in he making following on from the excellent Lenin and Stalin books, each having a 4 year gap between them.
There are a few good concert festival seasons in Europe. The BBC Proms in London during the summer is one of the best.
The later part of the year, however, belongs to the Strings of Autumn festival in Prague.
It would seem the rivalry between the German sportswear providers Adidas an Puma was brought onto the football field today in a friendly match to heal the wounds of an historical rift between the two firms founded as a single family business and then split between two rival brothers.
There’s not much to love about the mystique of train travel across unknown lands, soaking in the atmosphere, enjoying conversation with new people and sharing a meal while watching the countryside zip by.
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Leica isn’t a firm which releases new models often. It’s usually content to sit on the fringe of the camera owning crowds with a dedicated and …
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Eugène’s photography collection of Paris is an absolute gem. This title came to us only today, although to be fair it’s been out a little while. …
Might want to add this one to your diary if you’re around Berlin on the 29th August.
The Long Night of the Museums is a popular annual event where they all open their doors at night …
On Friday 29th October, the heads of state from the 25 members of the European Union met in Rome to sign the Constitutional Treaty. Despite its misinterpretations in the more sceptical press in Europe, the treaty for bad or worse has been signed.
This came across the radar here at EL recently. It’s a warming nice little collection of furniture and design for the home during the old soviet times.
The premier fashion showcase in Moscow, Russian Fashion Week (“RFW”) launches its 18th season in Congress Hall of renowned World Trade Center on March 29th. As the biggest fashion event in Eastern Europe, RFW will feature 50 collections of the best Russian, Ukrainian and Belarusian designers along with some of the best names in French, Italian and Spanish fashion.
This one has been a long time coming, but as usual there are always some ostriches around with their heads in the sand suddenly surprised by the news. This time its the EU wide ban on the old fashioned incandescent light bulbs that have lit our homes for a few generations but are hopelessly inefficient, and expensive to keep replacing.
There’s nothing quite like a good soup. In the summer it’s a great quick food, in the winter the comfort quality cannot be written down.
Cases of the H5 type of the avian flu have been discovered in Romanian and Ukrainian fowl. Romania has banned hunting in parts of the country and Ukrainian troops have moved from house to house in villages rounding up chickens, ducks and geese for a mass cull.
