David, Goliath and the battle for the Berlaymont
The biblical story of David and Goliath is often wrongly perceived as a tale teaching us that a smaller, weaker opponent can defeat a stronger adversary. As Malcolm Gladwell[1] explains … Read more
David Lodder
The Dutch Election Circus: 28 parties, impossible coalitions and a single page party program.
What do a Dutch non-voter, an elderly woman and an animal activist have in common? They will all have the opportunity to vote for a political one-issue party especially dedicated … Read more
Herman’s Haiku’s: The Sunny Spot between Radical Change and Moderation
“A Haiku poet can in politics not be of an extravagant, idle or extremist nature.” [1] In a time where all three of those adjectives seem to have firmly established … Read more
Interview with President Van Rompuy
The 24th of November, Herman Van Rompuy, former conservative Prime minister of Belgium and very first President of the European Council, visited the College of Europe in Natolin to deliver … Read more
Ukraine, the EU and the colorful materialization of misunderstanding
Comfort Town is an overly colorful city within a city that promises its inhabitants ‘the real European experience’. In reality the fenced off neighborhood and its alleged 5000 happy families … Read more
Close encounters of the European kind – A tale of a concept that is alien to all
“In the north, south and west Europe is surrounded by seas. The eastern border goes through the Russian Empire, over the Ural Mountains, straight through the Caspian Sea and finally … Read more