Vaclav Havel – Europe’s Philosopher-King
With the death of the playwright, dissident and former president Vaclav Havel on Sunday the Czech Republic has lost its philosopher king and Europe one of the few figures who can comfortably be...
View ArticleThe Myth of Europe
Foreign Policy Magazine has just published a long-form article I wrote called the Myth of Europe: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2012/01/03/the_myth_of_europe It argues that underlying the EU’s...
View ArticleEurope Reborn
Berlin +20 – Europe Reborn Speech to Missouri School of Journalism, September 9, 2009 I have a confession to make. On September 24, 1989 I threw a book out of a moving train window for the first...
View ArticleScoring an own-goal for Europe United
The European Parliament is used to scoring own-goals. But even by its standards, the assembly’s call last week for the EU flag to be flown at major sporting events and for the European emblem to grace...
View Article10 Tips for the pro-EU Crowd
The European Union is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of its citizens. Public support for the EU is falling, European values are under attack, many of the EU’s biggest projects – the euro,...
View ArticleEyes off the Prize
Contrary to the reams of mockery unleashed on Friday and over the weekend, the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to the European Union is absolutely the right idea. The EU is one of the great...
View ArticleOne Election Under God
Ten things I’ve learned about U.S. politics from following the election “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness,” wrote Mark Twain in ‘Innocents Abroad’. Not always. Travel can...
View ArticleThe Golden Cage of Brussels
Six years ago I wrote an article about my mixed feelings about living in Brussels for so long. The Guardian published it but it is no longer on their website. As several people have asked what happened...
View ArticleNo Wonga, No Words
Most journalists take pride in championing the underdog, exposing injustice and fighting exploitation. But when it comes to their own working conditions many are curiously submissive, accepting high...
View ArticleAn Obituary Writer’s Obituary
Last week, a 71-year old journalist wrote his own obituary as his last reporting assignment, according to a report on Jim Romenesko’s blog:...
View ArticleAnd you thought the EU was bureaucratic?
Just when you thought no institution could be more bureaucratic than the European Union, along comes the United Nations to give the EU a lesson in writing jargon-filled mumbo-jumbo. In a job advert for...
View ArticleOne Man, No Vote
On May 8, European Commission Vice-President Viviane Reding announced 12 new proposals to boost citizens’ rights in the EU. Point six – aimed at “strengthening citizens’ participation in the democratic...
View ArticleThe EU Is History, Now Enjoy The Museum
Museums about the European Union are a bit like the No. 71 bus in Brussels — you wait ages for one to arrive and then three show up at roughly the same time. The first to open its doors was … Continue...
View ArticleBooks for Budding Journalists
Books changed my life. If I hadn’t read Norwegian novelist Knut Hamsun when I was 16, I wouldn’t have gone to work in Oslo after finishing school. And if I hadn’t read Milan Kundera and other Czech...
View ArticleWelcome to Clear Europe
Thanks for taking an interest in Clear Europe. We are a young company and this is reflected in our website. Like the EU, we are a work in progress and much of the site is still under construction –...
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Mastering Social Media
We held our first open course on social media skills on October 8, with the Maastricht-based American media trainer Becky Castle Miller giving our 15 participants many useful tips on how to make the...
View ArticleNext Course: How to Communicate
Our next open course on Wednesday November 6 aims to teach you the basic building blocs of communicating clearly, succinctly and successfully. Over three hours -from 3 to 6 pm- we will look at: What is...
View Article‘In Brussels No One Can Hear You Scream’
If you are interested in politics, journalism and communications then you are probably a big fan of Borgen – the Danish TV show about a female politician and the reporters, officials and spin-doctors...
View ArticlePerfecting the elevator pitch
If you had only 30 seconds to tell a lift attendant what your organisation does – in clear and simple language – what would you say? This was the central question posed by Clear Europe trainer Isabelle...
View ArticleNext Course: Blogging Basics
Almost everyone feels they should blog, but many don’t know why and few really know how. In our next open course on December 11, well-known blogger and social media trainer Jon Worth will explain how...
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