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Posts Tagged ‘The European Union’

I must be feeling particularly “vinegary” the other day because I picked up on two pieces of total nonsense in The Independent and posted replies to both. The first was an ‘Editorial’ and I know, I have often complained about just how ‘amateur night’ the average Editorial in the ‘Indy’ is, they all seem to be written by children on work experience rather than grown up people but crap is crap and demands a response. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-a-cynical-response-to-the-rebellion-2376276.html

The second was by a half-wit called Andreas Wittam Smith, a total tosser if ever one breathed. His opus was to blame ‘Bankers’ for everything but without ever getting to grips with what is really wrong with our current society. Sure, Bankers are ‘tossers’ but his approach is little better than lambasting Undertakers for ‘dealing in death’. Another brainless old fool.

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There was interesting article in The Independent written by Hamish McRae in which he basically said that we should not expect too much from the “Euro Summit” and basically all they can hope to do is buy more time, there are no magic solutions. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/hamish-mcrae/hamish-mcrae-europes-leaders-first-need-to-buy-themselves-time-2375813.html

I tend to agree totally with the view that “Summit Meetings” are of little practical significance as whether on the Euro, EU, SALT Treaties and so on, all the real work and agreements have been done before the public event takes place, which only to give a “blessing” to what has already been agreed. Of course with this Euro Summit, nothing crucial has been agreed yet anyway.

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I have already expressed previously my view that David Cameron and his party managers laying a 3 line whip on this vote was totally foolish and ignoring it would have been far better, I am apparently not alone in this. Mary Ann Sieghart wrote a very good article in the Independent on just the same theme of “Cameron Picks a Fight when he doesn’t need to”, worth a read: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/mary-ann-sieghart/mary-ann-sieghart-cameron-picks-a-fight-when-he-doesnt-need-to-2375093.html

What intrigues me over this most obvious mistake from a normally deft politician is just why he let this happen ? Could it be because he feared speaking the truth at this stage would be counter productive, even dangerous to on-going negotiations ?

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This week it is the turn of the Conservatives to have their annual Party Conference and that is quite an amusing thing to ponder because for them as for the others, LibDems and Labour previously, what can they say ? Even the biggest dimwit in the electorate has likely worked out by now that in a global crisis, the British Government has very little ability to alter the consequences.

There is very little real debate on policy or even alternative directions to go in. Perhaps as a seafaring nation, at heart we all know that when a gale blows, you sail your vessel to survive and ride out the storm, all thoughts of any preferred course and direction, for the moment put to one side.

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There is no way that I consider myself some kind of great intellectual with either superior insight or just plain wisdom, I therefore suspect that what I think is the reality of the current Global Crisis goes way beyond “Greedy Bankers” and that daft political construct the Euro, a hunchback currency in search of its Bosworth Field.

To my mind I suspect that the truth is known and the real problem lies in the political will to spell it out publicly. Forget the size of the Euro Bailout Fund or specifically Greece, there is only one thing that can solve the current problems and it is happening already via inflation, it is called PRICE RISES and surprising as that may seem, it is probably THE ANSWER at several levels !

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Over the weekend in The Independent, they obviously had a crisis of confidence in the whole “EU Project” which is hilarious, being British always requires the necessity of being at least mildly sceptical, even of those things of which you might approve. In the case of the EU, it has not been anything of which any person of right mind would give unqualified support to. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-europes-crisis-of-legitimacy-2332710.html

What made it all rather funnier was an article from the one time Minister for Europe, Denis MacShane who fitted the job in between the various ups and downs of his personal life. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denis-macshane-slash-and-burn-less-brussels-better-europe-2332659.html

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It is still, I find surprising how a news item or story can trigger a sudden and on the surface at least, a new insight into topics I have previously expressed an opinion on. The Independents occasional correspondent in Paris wrote upon the loss of the European Unity Ideal which, you can check out for yourself: http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/john-lichfield/john-lichfield-european-unity-is-an-ideal-that-is-being-crushed-by-crude-nationalism-2273768.html

Although not his intention I am sure, it made me realise just how far and fast the ‘argument’ has moved on and at some speed since 2008…

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Here we go, the “Left Wing metropolitan classes” strike again ! Off the back of the government being advised to halt all further “ennoblements” to the House of Lords because it is “Full”, the Independent in yet another air headed Editorial, declares that it is urgent to reform the Lords… http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-lords-reform-must-be-delayed-no-longer-2271056.html

I know I keep saying it but because the Editorials in the Independent are consistently so intellectually lightweight, I swear they are written by 6^th Formers on Work Experience placements. The proof will come if we get an article on saving Wales !

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Having recently got involved in another waste of time argument about the EU with overseas readers who commentate on the Economist discussion boards and find it impossible to understand why many in the UK want out and from there…It is all a total waste of energy.

However, the useful thing that sometimes emerges from these things is the opportunity to rationalise your own thinking and concentrate on the core reasons for why you hold the opinions you do. Sometimes, your “object”, in my case the EU, is little more than a token for the real problem, something that represents an ‘obstacle’ to solving real world problems but of itself, is probably just not that important.

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The Economist has a number of EU related articles on the Eurozone and all that load of Uncle Tom Cobbly and All stuff. http://www.economist.com/node/18333103. Although the Economist, in my opinion rather blindly, promotes the Euro and the EU as a “fundamentally good thing”despite any facts to the contrary, I quite like it as a newspaper, it is far less turgid than most and better focused than the majority of the British Media.

Whilst I feel that for psychological and the practical reasons of keeping our Politicians and Establishment more honest and bereft of excuses for bad decisions, the UK would be better off outside the EU, I really do not wish to be associated with the kind of idiotic “ranters” you get with UKIP. My reasons are pragmatic and not concerned with wrapping myself in the Union Flag.

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