Karen Coleman: Recent Episodes
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Welcome to a riveting episode of the Karen Coleman Podcast, where we tackle the major EU news and international affairs with insightful perspectives. In this episode, we delve into two focal areas as we start the new year 2024 - the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union and the forthcoming European Parliament elections. Our guest, Georg von Harrach, a seasoned EU journalist straight from Brussels, joins the discussion.
We start with a dissection of the Belgian EU Council presidency, and look at the main issues and challenges likely to emerge during its 6-month term. Given the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, the migration crisis, climate change, and the impacts of COVID, the Belgian presidency faces testing times.
Our attention then switches to the riveting game of chairs for the European Council President with Charles Michel’s ambitious bid for a European Parliament seat. We'll ask what will be the implications if Michel ditches his Council President's job prematurely especially with Hungary and its PM Viktor Orban set to take over from Belgium as EU Council Presidency in six months.
Moving towards the latter end of the episode, we take a deep dive into the fears, speculations, and realities surrounding the 2024 European Parliament elections. The threat of rising extremist elements, changes in legislative dynamics, and increasing influence of the Parliament post Lisbon Treaty are among the key points of the discussion.
International evidence proves the North/South Interconnector can go underground. That’s according to the Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy. He says the Belgian electricity operator Elia is currently developing an interconnector between Belgium and Germany. Mr Carthy says it’s going to be entirely underground and it’s similar to the one being planned by Eirgrid for Ireland. Last week the Midlands North-West MEP hosted a delegation from Ireland who visited the Belgian electricity company to hear about their interconnector project.
Out words: be undergrounded
Dur: 00:28
Nigel Farage the former leader of UKIP (UK Independence Party) accused the EU of behaving like the Mafia when he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg during its plenary session in April. You can hear his full address in this clip.
Karen Coleman talks to the British biologist Richard Dawkins about his views on the Creationists who believe the world began around ten thousand years ago. The interview was based on Richard’s book “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution”.
Dur: 5:02
Karen Coleman talks to the British biologist Richard Dawkins about his theories on the evolution of man and the Universe. The interview was based on Richard’s book “The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution”. The following extract begins with Richard’s answer to Karen’s question about how the process of evolution began.
The British evolutionary biologist and author Richard Dawkins talks to Karen Coleman about his views expressed in his book “The God Delusion”.