Welcome to my personal blog – it’s here that I outline my views on EU and social democratic politics, technology and my sporting activity. I’ve been blogging since Summer 2005, making this one of the longest running blogs about EU affairs. I’m also one of the founders of Bloggingportal.eu, an EU affairs blogging aggregator.
Aside from blogging I am a partner in techPolitics LLP, a web agency dedicated to politics. I’ve been responsible for sites such as the Atheist Bus Campaign and Harriet Harman’s campaign to become Labour Party Deputy Leader.
I also teach people how the European Union functions – practical courses for individuals in the public sector that are going to have to work with the EU institutions in a professional capacity.
I work from home in Brussels but travel all over Europe for work, notably to London and Berlin regularly.
Jon mentioned elsewhere…
Margot Wallström’s blog, 15.12.2009, mention in the Commissioner’s farewell blog post (online only)
However, it is the development of civil society blogs that has been of most interest to me. Individual bloggers such as Jon Worth, Clive Matthews (aka Nosemonkey), Julien Frisch and Ralf Grahn to mention a handful have contributed to creating a small but growing EU blogosphere. [...] These blogs are thoughtful and do not slavishly follow either a pro or anti EU line, a fact which I find very valuable.
European Voice, 10.12.2009, interview/article for the careers page “Switched on to the power of the internet” (printed and online)
techPresident, 02.12.2009, interview “Can pan-European politics thrive online?” (online only)
VG, 06.09.2009, “EØS i åpent farvann” (printed only) – Norwegian daily newspaper, quotes about Norway-EU relations
English Translation: INVISIBLE EEA: At the bar Fat Boys on Place Luxembourg sits Jon Worth, who for years has worked for the British delegation to the EU. Now he has started his own company and established one of the most widely read EU blogs in Brussels.
“With the exception of the Scandinavian friends, I have never heard anyone in Brussels talk about the EEA Agreement. The EU is not particularly concerned about this, and people do not care. Why should they?” says Worth.
“Most people in Brussels have agreed that the EU has a poor fisheries policy. Therefore if Norway and Iceland joined the EU together something could be done about it” says Worth.
STOOD OUTSIDE: EU analyst and blogger Jon Worth meets regularly on Place Luxembourg in Brussels to drink beer and discuss the EU policy. He sees little reason for Norway’s choice to remain outside the EU.
(please note: I have never actually worked for the British delegation to the EU (UKRep) nor do I spend much time on Place Luxembourg!)
Original Norwegian: USYNLIGE EØS: På baren Fat Boys på Place Luxembourg sitter Jon Worth, som i flere år har jobbet for den britiske EU- delegasjonen. Nå har han startet sitt eget firma og etablert en av de mest leste EU-bloggene i Brussel.
– Med unntak av skandinaviske venner, har jeg aldri hørt noen i Brussel snakke om EØS-avtalen. EU er ikke spesielt opptatt av dette, og folk bryr seg ikke. Hvorfor skulle de det, sier Worth.
– De fleste i Brussel er enige om at EU har en elendig fiskeri- politikk. Derfor hadde man trengt Norge og Island sammen i EU for å kunne gjøre noe med det, sier Worth.
UFORSTÅENDE: EU-analytiker og blogger Jon Worth trekker jevnlig til Place Luxembourg i Brussel for å drikke pils og diskutere EU- politikk. Han forstår lite av Norges valg om å stå utenfor EU.
Gallo Blog, 03.07.2009, “Daddy, I never want to work for someone like you” (online only)
To underscore this point, yesterday’s workshop had Jon Worth talk about his campaign AtheistBus.org.uk. In the time it takes for a company director to book a ’social media expert’ to come and speak to her/his Board, and for the board to agree, “Yes, this is important, let’s set up a task force”, someone like Jon has run an online/off-line campaign and is on to the next project. I exaggerate for effect, but not by much.
Göteborgs Posten, 05.06.2009, “Svenskarna synsi parlamentet” (printed only) – Main Gothenburg newspaper, quotes about performance of Swedish MEPs in the European Parliament
English translation: “But somehow it’s natural. The eurosceptic MEPs do not show up much for their voters. If you already think that the EU is a conspiracy, do you care then about what your MEPs are actually doing in the European Parliament?” said Jon Worth
Original Swedish: – Men på något sätt är det kanske naturligt. De EU-skeptiska parlamentarikerna behöver inte visa upp sig särskilt mycket för sina väljare. Om du redan tänker att EU är en konspiration, bryr du dig då om vad din EU-parlamentariker egentligen gör i EU-parlamentet? säger Jon Worth
BBC Radio 5 Live, 02.06.2009, Interview on Victoria Derbyshire morning show (audio no longer available on iPlayer)
12 minutes debating MEPs’ expenses and pensions against Mats Persson of Open Europe.
Parliament Magazine, 25.05.2009, In poll position
Article about the PES and the future President of the European Commission, and whether Anna Diamantopoulou could be a candidate of the left
Total Politics, Issue 11 – May 2009, Public Affairs in the Brussels bubble
Article for Total Politics magazine in the UK, looking at the Brussels Public Affairs industry
NRC Handelsblad, 11.02.2009, Spel van start: zoek voorzitter EU-Commissie
„Het is verkeerd dat de Commissievoorzitter achter de schermen wordt uitgekozen,” zegt Worth – quotes in an article about the future of Barroso as Commission President.
New Europe, 02.02.2009, Cameron: time to make up your mind on the EPP issue
Article for New Europe newspaper in Brussels about David Cameron’s difficulties with the EPP-ED group in the European Parliament
Spiegel Online, 08.01.2009, Busfahrt mit gottloser Botschaft
Doch in Brüssel liest zufällig Jon Worth die Kolumne. Der Web-Designer und Politikberater ist einer, dessen Gehirn nie zu ruhen scheint. Er engagiert sich für alle möglichen Anliegen. Weil er gegen eine weitere Amtszeit von EU-Kommissionspräsident José Manuel Barroso ist, startete er die Seite www.anyonebutbarroso.eu (“Jeder, nur nicht Barroso”). Ebenso leidenschaftlich wirbt der Cricket-Fan mit einer eigenen Website für die Zulassung des britischen Nationalsports bei den Olympischen Spielen. Und Atheist ist er auch, also schreibt er an jenem Sommertag eine Mail an Ariane und bietet seine Dienste als Kampagnenmanager an – article about Atheist Buses in German.
Atheist Bus Campaign, January 2009
Radio and TV interviews in French and German – all the links are here