Comments on: Dear Commissioners, stop broadcasting, and start engaging!

By: Joe Social

Joe Social — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:58:30 +0000

Eurosocialiste showing her true colours. discriminating people on the basis of their age. why not on the basis of her nationality, or gender? and why do you ahve to be on facebook or tweet to engage with people? it is perhaps better to actually be doing things rather than simply telling what should be done. good thing Walstrom left for pastures new. she was occupying a lot of space in the Berlaymont and her work was like a balloon… full of hot air. she will not be missed.

By: Eurosocialiste

Eurosocialiste — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 21:56:13 +0000

I always find it funny that people who are probably not socialist try to tell me what I should think as a socialist.
Yes I think at 69 Neelie Kroes should be retired. There’s nothing wrong about being retired, there are also plenty of ways to remain active as a pensionner, ways that may be more useful to society than a full-time paid job. Don’t get me wrong, I value experience. And I don’t deny Neelie’s competence. I also respect her very much for the political courage she has shown. But, as a white person can not truly understand what being a black person is, as a man can not truly understand what being a woman is, I don’t think a 69-year-old can truly understand what digital revolution is. Neelie Kroes, Vivianne Reding and most high level politicians of their generation do not use social media, simply because they do not get it. It is not part of their culture or of their daily life. They haven’t grown up with it. Neelie will probably be good at the economic part of the digital agenda, but she certainly lacks a vision on this.

By: french derek

french derek — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 18:20:51 +0000

I’m with Ryan Heath here. Neelie Kröes showed in her time as Competition Commissioner that she is well aware of the power (and defaults) of matters digital. Why so ageist? (Bien sur, ls socialistes en France préférent que l’age de retraite sera toujours 60 – mais préconise aussi les possibilités à travailler apres cet age?).

As for Ms Reding’s wish to offer EU citizens more information on what the eU is doing, I think you show your own misunderstanding of your constituents’ awareness of the eU (if not that of other countries’ citizens). The media generally shun EU news. Probably correctly – since so much is mundane. But “good news” stories are passed off as national government triumphs, whilst painful decisions are “down to EU interference”. Perhaps you should be listening to your electorate?

By: Ryan Heath

Ryan Heath — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:56:07 +0000

I think it’s very interesting that you seem to disagree with Neelie Kroes based on her age, rather than any actual policy difference.

I think it’s disgraceful to say she “should actually be retired” – that attitude is the reason why Europe faces such debt and innovation problems. Kroes has more imagination and energy than most people half her age. Besides, I would think as a socialist you would want all age groups to have the skills and access to technology that might improve their lives, and that an older Commissioner might be useful in achieving that.

By: Eurosocialiste

Eurosocialiste — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:06:27 +0000

True! And I hadn’t realised but now that the Lisbon treaty is fully ratified, there is no need for the Plan D -D like Democracy, Dialogue and Debate- anymore! I sincerely hope you’re being cynical rather than realistic… sic.

By: Jon Worth

Jon Worth — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 23:51:53 +0000

I think it’s wrong to point the finger at Reding here. She has never shown much appetite for communicating the EU. She’s happiest when she’s showing what she’s done.

No, all of this strikes me as a typical bit of Barroso positioning. Having created the Comms portfolio and having given it to Wallström he created a rod for his own back – a Commissioner determined to shine the light into some of the darker corners of EU business, to shake the cosy gentlemen’s way of working in the Commission. As I understand it Wallström and Barroso did not get on well, but the former was un-sackable, and changing her portfolio would have been damaging.

When the new team arrived there was no obvious replacement for Wallström, it presented the ideal opportunity to drop the Comms commitment and return things to the previous state of affairs.

Or am I too cynical?