Restaurant Review: The Brown Dog, Barnes

We went back to the Brown Dog the other day, hoping to confirm it's the next Victoria (in Temple Sheen) as the latter had gone madly overpriced. We were disappointed by this gastropub, feeling the quality had slipped. Good, still good value but no longuer special in our opinion. Annie's not far away knows how to cook good meat blue (why is it a challenge to explain this to Eastern-European waitresses?)

The wine list is OK, just. Food is of European and French influences, perfectly recommendable. For instance I had cod with tapenade, very well done.

The Brown Dog

28 Cross Street
SW13 0AP Barnes
020 8392 2200


Tags: restaurant, review, barnes, european, richmondtransits.blog,

France says no to EU constitution referendum

At the time I am writing this, it looks almost certain that French electors are voting NON to the EU referendum.

But why?

After all, France (at least its farmers) has always benefited a lot from European funds and other apects. And the constitution has been drafted under the lead of a French politician, Valery Giscard d'Estaing (he was president of the republic in the late 70ies) to fix the broken Nice treaty (a half botched compromise adopted at the end of the French rotating EU presidency in 2001).

It instigate a more democratic functionning of the European Commission and clearer decision mechanisms, much needed to deal with the EU expansion -new members can mean gridlock under a qualified majority voting system.

So why say no this time?

It looks as there are several non's:

• Some left wing intellectuals like Laurent Fabius think the referefdum should be renegotiated
• More to the left (the ex. trotskysts) and the extreme right both think the constitution is too liberal and should be ditched
• But most electors just dislike the current president, Jacques Chiract (one of the most notably corrupted EU leaders) and its PM Raffarin. So instead of answering the question, they're telling their dislike of the current leadership. Annoying for the 122 millions of European who have already voted YES.

Check also those blogs if you speak French:

publius.fr : les déraisons de mon non