Author Archives: Nick Barlow

About Nick Barlow

Nick is on hiatus from AFOE. A Brit who lives in Colchester. Member of the Liberal Democrats. More here. Writes What You Can Get Away With, also contributes to The Sharpener.

The Ryder Cup

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When it comes to golf, I’m normally firmly in the ‘good walk spoiled’ camp, but I tend to make an exception for the Ryder Cup, which is currently taking place in the US.

It’s still golf, of course, so the main activity is watching rich men with bad fashion sense hitting balls around, but the interest comes from seeing what’s one of the quintessential solo sports turned into a team competition. It’s also down to who those two teams are: the USA and Europe. While there are US teams competing in many tournaments, it’s a rarity for them to be competing in sports that are popular in the US and I can’t think of another sport in which a specifically European team competes, though I’m sure my ignorance will be corrected in the comments.

However, I don’t think the nature of the sides is what necessarily makes the competition so interesting. It’s watching sportsmen who normally compete solely for themselves having to learn to compete as part of a team that makes it interesting, knowing that their efforts are just one part of the whole. It’s also that it’s a contest purely for pride and a trophy – there’s no prize money on offer (though none of the players’s sponsors are particularly stingy), just a ?250 trophy (well, that’s what it cost in the 20s) for the winners.

The trouble with referendums…

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…Is that they tend to only give you two options.

Following Jacques Chirac’s announcement that France will be joining the other countries holding refeendums on the constitution it’s prompted me to post a thought about the constitution referendum(s) that I’ve had before – wouldn’t it be nice to have a third option?

I’ve written here before about the concept of being ‘alter-European’ – that is, being generally in favour of the EU but not being convinced that the current and proposed structures of the Union is the best way to proceed. What I’d like (at the moment, anyway, all opinions are subject to change) is some way to register this opinion in a referendum. Instead of just voting ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ to the constitution, I’d like the option of a ‘No, but only to this constitution, I’m not opposed to the idea in principle’ vote. (Those who like to dismiss me as a wishy-washy, sit-on-the-fence liberal will find all the evidence they need in that last sentence)

I’m reminded of the 1999 referendum in Australia on whether to replace the Queen as head of state. Polls showed (and still show, I believe) that the majority of Australians wanted their country to become a republic, but when it came time to vote, they voted against change because they didn’t approve of the specific plan (a President appointed by Parliament rather than popular vote) proposed to them. I fear the same happening to Europe – a rejection of a poor constitution is likely to be seen as a rejection of all constitutions, not just this specific document. So, why not allow people the chance to say what they mean instead of forcing us into strange alliances with people we disagree with?

All over

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Well, Greece are the European Champions for the first time. The side that had never won a match in a major tournament before this year beat Portugal 1-0 in Lisbon to take the title. Expect wild party in Athens for the next few days.

Commiserations to Portugal – if it’s any consolation to Portuguese fans, you hosted a fantastic tournament that will be remembered for a long time.

Update: Reuters have a report on the start of the celebrations in Athens and elsewhere around the world.

Is diversity the key to football success?

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Euro 2004 seems determined to throw up a shock every day, with France becoming the latest ‘big’ side to be surprisingly eliminated after losing 1-0 to Greece last night. They join Italy, Spain, Germany and England in the club of pre-tournament favourites wondering just what went wrong. I can think of a couple of reasons that may help to explain just why this has been such a bad tournament for the big countries, similarly to the last World Cup, and why this might be the start of a new trend in world football, not just a short-term blip.
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Prescience (and uninformed speculation)

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It seems that Doug’s informant was correct as a deal has been made and the new EU Consitution has been agreed, while any decision on the next Commission President has been deferred for a few weeks. Bertie Ahern is saying that he hopes it will be resolved by the end of the Irish Presidency, though.

Chris Patten, Jean-Claude Juncker and Guy Verhofstadt seem to have ruled themselves out of the running for the Presidency, with the remaining candidates seeming to be Ahern, Portuguese Commissioner Antonio Vitorino, outgoing European Parliament President Pat Cox and perennial multinational contender AN Other. I have no information to back this up other than a vague hunch, but I suspect that the search will finally end with Ahern ‘reluctantly’ leaving Dublin for Brussels.

Anyway, feel free to use this as an open thread for your thoughts on the Constitution and the Presidency.

Update: Bertie Ahern’s statement on the agreement can be found here and the agreement itself can be found here (PDF document)