Tag Archives: referendum

One Hundred Years Ago, Sweden almost gave up on Booze – August 1922: Prohibition Referendum

Zur deutschen Fassung. Before I went to Sweden last summer, I received a lot of well-meaning advice from friends in Germany who had already been to Scandinavia: “Take enough beer with you, it’s prohibitively expensive in Sweden!” “As an EU … Continue reading

Posted in Economics, History, Politics, Sweden | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments

The Sad Future of Catalonia

In some conflicts, you don’t need to pick a side. Because sometimes, both sides are wrong. Between the Catalan and the Spanish governments, it’s impossible to keep tabs on who has committed more grave mistakes. Even for supporters of self-determination, … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, Greece, Language, Macedonia, Politics, Spain | Tagged , , , | 18 Comments

British Prime Minister in support of EU

Yes, that’s Margaret Thatcher. The photo is from 1975 when there was a referendum on whether the UK should stay in the European Community. Margaret Thatcher was the leader of the Conservative Party back then. Given what she wears, I don’t … Continue reading

Posted in Europe, History, Politics, UK | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Shouldn’t this be red?

Like red phone booths and red double-decker buses, red postboxes feature in millions of touristy snapshots taken all over the UK. In anticipation of an independent Scotland, someone already painted this one blue: They will have to paint it red again … Continue reading

Posted in Photography, Politics, Sark, Scotland, Travel, UK | Tagged | 2 Comments

Scotland, a Lawyer’s Dream

If you know someone who is eligible to vote in this week’s referendum in Scotland, please tell them to vote “yes” for an independent Scotland. There are probably good arguments for an independent Scotland (as there may be against it), but … Continue reading

Posted in Law, Politics, Scotland, UK | Tagged , | 7 Comments

Scotland secretly preparing for Independence

The world looks to Scotland this week, where supporters and opponents of Scottish independence are fighting tooth and nail before the referendum on 18 September 2014. But the vote doesn’t really matter anymore. The Scottish government is set to declare independence, whatever the result … Continue reading

Posted in Language, Military, Politics, Scotland, UK | Tagged , | 10 Comments