Stories about Governance from November, 2007
Poland, Ukraine: Convicts’ Contribution to Euro 2012?
The beatroot writes: “Poland has to build six new stadiums before co-hosting with Ukraine the Euro 2012 football tournament. Problem is, many of its construction workers are in the UK and Ireland. Damn! How to make up the labour shortage? Bus in the convicts. Brilliant, isn’t it?”
Poland: “U-Turn in Foreign Policy”
The beatroot writes about a “u-turn in foreign policy” initiated by Poland's new PM: “Relations with Russia […] have not been good over the last two years of the Law and Justice government, led by the President’s brother, Jarolsaw. When Donald Tusk was elected he vowed to improve them. So...
Latvia, Lithuania: Rallies Against Low Wages
Latvian Abroad writes about protest rallies against low wages in Lithuania and Latvia.
Russia: “Enemies of Russia”=”Enemies of the People”?
Window on Eurasia writes: “Russian President Vladimir Putin’s characterization of his political opponents and those standing behind them as ‘the enemies of Russia’ has sparked a discussion among his supporters about the relationship of that term to Stalin’s notorious one, ‘the enemies of the people.’ Pavel Danilin, editor of the...
Russia: Video Interview With Ludmila Alekseeva
Robert Amsterdam posts a YouTube interview with human rights activist Ludmila Alekseeva (in Russian, with English subtitles).
Russia: Legitimizing Election Results
Perspectives on the new Russia writes about ways to legitimizing the election results.
Russia: ‘Civilized’ Falsifying
TOL's Elections in Russia cites a Russian blogger's post on ways “to falsify the elections in a more ‘civilized’ manner.”
Russia: Minor Attacks on the Opposition
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis posts another pre-election update that covers some virtual and real-life attacks on the opposition.
Egypt: Rumours of Ministerial Change
Zeinobia from Egypt writes: “There are rumours that there will be a possible ministerial change today. I do not know if this is true or not.”
Philippines: Rebel Soldiers Take Over Manila Hotel
News from the blogosphere in the Philippines of the latest attempt by the 2003 coup leaders to get rid of the current administration in Philippines.
Czech Republic: Lawmakers on Buses and the Law
Czech PMs “will no longer ride for free on bus lines operated by private companies,” the Czech Daily Word reports.
Belarus: Rock Music and the Regime
Lukashenko's regime makes Belarusian “half-prohibited” rock musicians an offer they can't refuse; TOL's Belarus writes about Belarusian bloggers’ reactions.
Russia: Double Standards
Sean's Russia Blog writes about double standards in coverage and reactions to the Russian election in the West: “To think President Bush had to nerve to throw his two cents in. […] You gotta be kidding me. I don’t recall any statement when the NYPD locked up 1000 people protesting...
Russia: Elections in Dagestan
Sean's Russia Blog explains “the context that Duma elections will take place in Dagestan.”
Russia: Pre-Election Update
De Rebus Antiquis Et Novis posts another entry on the pre-election situation in Russia. Here's one of the highlights: “Kasparov's movement United Civilian Front (OGF) started a picket at the doors of the police department demanding to liberate Kasparov. The picket where only one person participates need not be preliminary...
Barbados: Paying The Piper?
Cheese-on-bread! suspects that many of the latest developments in Barbados are “all part of the politics game, but I'd rather my Government admit times are tough…than lull us all into a false sense of comfort.”
Ukraine: Thoughts on Yushchenko's Bloc
It's been nearly two months since the Sept. 30 snap parliamentary election in Ukraine, and although there are plenty of "democratic coalition" promises and hopes in the air, it has yet to materialize. Or not.
Slovakia: Press Conference in a Barn
Deleted by Tomorrow reports on a good-bye press conference held inside a village barn by “the soon-to-be-former minister of agriculture”: it took Slovakia's prime minister “more than 20 160 minutes” to dismiss him – instead of the once promised three minutes.
Ukraine: Tymoshenko's B-day & “Feminine Strategies”
Among other, no less important, things, Orange Ukraine reports that the government has declared Jan. 1-7 holidays, Yulia Tymoshenko has turned 47, and someone has written a paper titled, “Beauty Will Save the World: Feminine Strategies in Ukrainian Politics and the Case of Yulia Tymoshenko.”
Russia: Saami Parliament
Russia's Saami “want to set up their own parliament to control the dispersal of government funds allocated to their numerically small nationality,” Window on Eurasia reports.
Russia: Kasparov's Hunger Strike
Garry Kasparov is in jail and on “forced hunger strike” – and Robert Amsterdam believes that the ongoing crackdown on the opposition “reveals tremendous insecurities related to an unsustainable state model.”
