Michael Wheeler
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780300246773
- eISBN:
- 9780300256338
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Yale University Press
- DOI:
- 10.12987/yale/9780300246773.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Social History
When it was founded in 1824, the Athenæum broke the mold. Unlike in other preeminent clubs, its members were chosen on the basis of their achievements rather than on their background or political ...
More
When it was founded in 1824, the Athenæum broke the mold. Unlike in other preeminent clubs, its members were chosen on the basis of their achievements rather than on their background or political affiliation. Public rather than private life dominated the agenda. The club, with its tradition of hospitality to conflicting views, has attracted leading scientists, writers, artists, and intellectuals throughout its history, including Charles Darwin and Matthew Arnold, Edward Burne-Jones and Yehudi Menuhin, Winston Churchill and Gore Vidal. This book is not presented in the traditional, insular style of club histories, but devotes attention to the influence of Athenians on the scientific, creative, and official life of the nation. From the unwitting recruitment of a Cold War spy to the welcome admittance of women, this lively and original account explores the corridors and characters of the club; its wider political, intellectual, and cultural influence; and its recent reinvention.Less
When it was founded in 1824, the Athenæum broke the mold. Unlike in other preeminent clubs, its members were chosen on the basis of their achievements rather than on their background or political affiliation. Public rather than private life dominated the agenda. The club, with its tradition of hospitality to conflicting views, has attracted leading scientists, writers, artists, and intellectuals throughout its history, including Charles Darwin and Matthew Arnold, Edward Burne-Jones and Yehudi Menuhin, Winston Churchill and Gore Vidal. This book is not presented in the traditional, insular style of club histories, but devotes attention to the influence of Athenians on the scientific, creative, and official life of the nation. From the unwitting recruitment of a Cold War spy to the welcome admittance of women, this lively and original account explores the corridors and characters of the club; its wider political, intellectual, and cultural influence; and its recent reinvention.
Ingeborg Tömmel
- Published in print:
- 2022
- Published Online:
- April 2022
- ISBN:
- 9780192896216
- eISBN:
- 9780191918698
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780192896216.003.0013
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics, European Union
In 2005, after a swift rise within the Brussels civil service, Catherine Day took office as secretary general of the European Commission. She was the first woman to hold this highest position in the ...
More
In 2005, after a swift rise within the Brussels civil service, Catherine Day took office as secretary general of the European Commission. She was the first woman to hold this highest position in the Commission bureaucracy and, by all accounts, she excelled in this function. She innovated decision-making procedures, enhanced policy coordination, shaped priorities and work programs, collaborated closely with the president, and built consensus within and across EU institutions. In short, she successfully performed three functions of her office: managing the services, shaping Commission agenda-setting, and mediating in different institutional settings. Day’s incumbency as secretary general largely coincided with José Manuel Barroso’s ten-year-long Commission presidency. Barroso is generally considered a weak president, yet he is assumed to have ‘presidentialized’ the office, in particular by “convert[ing] the Secretariat General into a personal office of the Presidency” (Kassim et al. 2016: 660). While the authors ascribe these and related changes to Barroso, this chapter examines whether they should instead be attributed to Day. More broadly, it examines how and to what extent Day provided leadership in high-profile administrative and political functions. The chapter concludes that Day skillfully performed the three functions of her office and, by amalgamating administrative oversight and political vision to a unique combination, succeeded in centralizing leadership at the heart of the Commission.Less
In 2005, after a swift rise within the Brussels civil service, Catherine Day took office as secretary general of the European Commission. She was the first woman to hold this highest position in the Commission bureaucracy and, by all accounts, she excelled in this function. She innovated decision-making procedures, enhanced policy coordination, shaped priorities and work programs, collaborated closely with the president, and built consensus within and across EU institutions. In short, she successfully performed three functions of her office: managing the services, shaping Commission agenda-setting, and mediating in different institutional settings. Day’s incumbency as secretary general largely coincided with José Manuel Barroso’s ten-year-long Commission presidency. Barroso is generally considered a weak president, yet he is assumed to have ‘presidentialized’ the office, in particular by “convert[ing] the Secretariat General into a personal office of the Presidency” (Kassim et al. 2016: 660). While the authors ascribe these and related changes to Barroso, this chapter examines whether they should instead be attributed to Day. More broadly, it examines how and to what extent Day provided leadership in high-profile administrative and political functions. The chapter concludes that Day skillfully performed the three functions of her office and, by amalgamating administrative oversight and political vision to a unique combination, succeeded in centralizing leadership at the heart of the Commission.
Michael Llewellyn-Smith
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- September 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780197586495
- eISBN:
- 9780197610824
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780197586495.003.0031
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
Description and assessment of Venizelos the man, physical intellectual and by character. His reputation had spread to Europe. Conflicting views of him by e.g. Penelope Delta (passionate admirer) and ...
More
Description and assessment of Venizelos the man, physical intellectual and by character. His reputation had spread to Europe. Conflicting views of him by e.g. Penelope Delta (passionate admirer) and Ion Dragoumis and his brother Philippos (dislike verging on contempt, for his alleged shallowness and readiness to make concessions undermining Greek national interests). Venizelos a good speaker in public, using a living, intense variety of katharevousa, and private. His interests included books of all sorts.Less
Description and assessment of Venizelos the man, physical intellectual and by character. His reputation had spread to Europe. Conflicting views of him by e.g. Penelope Delta (passionate admirer) and Ion Dragoumis and his brother Philippos (dislike verging on contempt, for his alleged shallowness and readiness to make concessions undermining Greek national interests). Venizelos a good speaker in public, using a living, intense variety of katharevousa, and private. His interests included books of all sorts.
