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Posts Tagged ‘The European Union’

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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Once again I notice, The Independent has ‘A’ level students writing their Editorials and in this case, on the European Court of Human Rights. http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-britain-should-stick-to-the-human-rights-gold-standard-2236059.html

However and hopefully, part of writing a blog like this is to consider issues and develop your own thinking on them and in this regard, I am grateful for what was a rubbish Editorial for provoking me into thinking about the “Real Issue” behind all this.

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It will take your ‘average journalist’ at least 6 months to wake up to what the ‘real story’ is about today, frankly most of them don’t have a clue and as proof, consider the following : http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/columnists/charlesmoore/8319768/If-Strasbourg-has-its-way-we-will-all-end-up-as-prisoners.html

All jolly good stuff but all, rather irrelevant given what currently drives the World of which the Egyptian Revolution was but a ‘taste’, the BIG ISSUE this day is Youth Unemployment combined with a ‘mature’ Commercial Sector that couldn’t think their way out of a wet paper bag on their best days which clearly, are long past. We need to engage with our unemployed youth, right across the Western economies, now…

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The Economist is one of the most “Pro-Eu/Euro publications I have ever seen, all no doubt justified upon an idea of their “readership constituency” – all business, selfish etc. But today, they published a series of interesting articles with regard to the current crisis in the Euro Zone and explained quite well, the difficulties facing any country that wanted to withdraw from it.

http://www.economist.com/node/17629661/

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There was an interesting story today in that due to a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights, prisoners serving jail sentences should be allowed to vote. In fact this ruling was made 5 years ago following an application by a convicted killer John Hirst. The actual ECHR ruling in 2005 considered a “blanket ban” to be discriminatory and under the ruling each country can decide which offences should carry restrictions to voting rights.

As an “issue” I have never thought about it up until now but having considered it today, it seems fairly obvious that it is pretty much of a no brainer and the only thing to decide is what combination of length of sentence and type of crime, would automatically trigger ineligibility to vote, 5 years or more plus crimes involving violence and or children.

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As yet another major EU Summit is upon us, there is the usual uproar in the right wing British Press about ‘loss of sovereignty” and EU Budget increases, on the whole I agree with much of the sentiments, the EU is a crock of shit. However and oddly, I’m starting to see it increasingly as less of a threat to us in the UK because I suspect that it is crumbling and like the Hapsburg Empire, will before long be but a thing of the past.

Will it leave a legacy ? Perhaps in terms of a very reduced Eurozone based around Northern European countries that can be “trusted” by the Germans not to “Go Greek” on them. There is a very interesting article on the BBC site by Gavin Hewitt that is worth a read : http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/gavinhewitt/2010/10/unpopularity_and_the_eu.html

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