Charles Michel at Room for Discussion
Charles Michel (Namur, 1975), was interviewed by Room for Discussion on November 20th 2019. The former Belgian prime minister will become the president of the European Council from the 1st of December 2019 onward. In this role, Michel will preside the Council with the heads of government of all EU member states. This is not
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The 2008 financial crisis has been treated extensively in numerous books, articles, and even blockbuster movies such as The Big Short and Margin Call. They all show the madness of excessive risk-taking and unbridled greed. However, these accounts ignore that which may be the most important aspect the 2008 financial crisis exposed: there are not
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Anyone who has tried to find a house in Amsterdam will have noticed that you need either a lot of money or a lot of patience. Amsterdam, like other large cities, has seen massive growth in its housing prices. Consultancy bureau KnightFrank calculated a real increase of 63.6% in the last 5 years. Considering both the
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On Wednesday Feb 27th, US ambassador Pete Hoekstra was a guest at Room for Discussion (we published this introductory article in advance.) The interview covered both domestic and foreign US policy, and transatlantic relations. Hoekstra is not like most previous ambassadors. Not only does he represent the unconventional Trump administration, but he also sparked controversy
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Our economic system revolves around consumption. For our wealth to grow, we have to consume and thus produce more. It is a model that created massive wealth for a huge amount of people, but also a model that stands at the basis of a coming environmental disaster. Our planet is polluted, our resources depleted and
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Almost a month ago, on October 31st, Jordan Peterson was a guest at Room for Discussion at the University of Amsterdam. It is probably the biggest event Room for Discussion has held since its inception, and sparked controversy inside and outside UvA. The only thing Peterson’s followers and opponents seem to agree upon, is to
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Our society revolves around the individual. Meritocracy is the keyword, which implies everything you own (or owe) is a product of your actions. We adore entrepreneurs like Bill Gates and Elon Musk because they acquired all their wealth through brilliance and hard work. We look down on people who are indebted or homeless because they
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Trade Unions played an essential role for the working man and woman. They helped improve working and living conditions for millions of people. First, by providing collective insurances that assured families a small income if the breadwinner passed away. Later, by collectively bargaining for higher wages and better working conditions. They stood at the base
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Have you ever noticed that after you browse the internet for a holiday for new clothes, you’ll get chased by ads on other websites of similar or even the same products? It can make you feel like someone is watching you. Of course, this isn’t the case. These websites have constructed a user’s profile of
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The danger of Italy’s new government to the future of the EU
La bella Italia, it may be the world’s most admired country for its rich history, beautiful cities, the most UNESCO monuments of any country in the world and of course its wonderful food. However, it’s also known for the mafia, the big economic divide between north and south and its tumultuous politics. Recently, all the
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Oil and natural gas are bad. Their use causes climate change, on which most of us agree is one of our biggest current problems. Their use also pollutes our air and water supplies, causing all kinds of health issues. The way oil and gas are acquired destroys ecosystems, think of the devastating effects of fracking,
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Imagine this; you are a high school student in the US. You go to school, just like every day, but all of a sudden you realize that this won’t be like normal. A troubled former student with a AR-15 semi-automatic rifle has entered the school building and started shooting. Before the police is able to
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In recent decades, anti-immigrant parties have surged in the polls and entered most European parliaments. Since the last federal elections even Germany, which had not had a party right of the CDU since the Second World War, now has a right-wing populist party in the Bundestag. According to this Bloomberg article some of the reasons for
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China’s economy has become synonymous with growth. Since the 1980’s liberalization of Deng Xiaoping, China’s leader from the late 1970s to 1997, China developed to be the world’s largest manufacturer. It combined high amounts of export with massive domestic and international investments that were made capable by its economy being largely state-run. Between 1980 and
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