Rise of the Holy Barroso Empire
Great news from the heart of Euro land. The Euro has been a massive success! As a currency it is stable, strong, and has produced massive economic growth. The inevitable conclusion is that there should be even greater economic as union, with yet greater control in the hands of the Commission. The logic is stark, compelling and unavoidable.
As we all know, it is all rubbish. The Euro zone is in crisis. Greece, which should never been admitted, may or may not default. But if it does not it is because the tax payers of the central and northern European nations (naughty word, that, “nations”) will be asked to stump up billions of their and their children’s income to prop up the system.
Enter the Europhiles and President of the European Commission, one Jose Manuel Barroso. Mr Barroso is from Portugal, one of those countries so renowned for their financial profligacy and mis-management that they have of course become known by the ironic acronym the “PIGS”, suggesting greedy and self interested creatures: that’s Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain to you and me.
I understand that I am a citizen of one of the countries in Europe. Mr Barroso is a politician who holds office in Europe. But I have a problem. I do not remember having voted for Mr Barroso! So I cannot vote him out if I do not like what he does or says. If my taxes pay in part for his salary, how does that work?
This is odd…
Greece is bust in reality, Ireland, one step away, and Portugal and Spain are pretty shaky. Given a good run on the currency they are all turkeys waiting for Christmas in the shed.
So, if I was looking for guidance on how to manage international financial affairs, I maybe wouldn’t start in those places, unless I found a rebellious prophet who had warned about financial Armageddon. I don’t see Mr Barroso as that.
Meanwhile Mr Barroso has been preaching the Euro federalist agenda. The Euro Zone has too many economies with different agendas to sustain one currency. OK, I see that. Therefore, he argues like a zealot, the answer is to place more, or sole, control of economic affairs in one authority. His authority!
Hmm. I grant you, it’s logical. The currency must not fail, therefore control of economic policy must pass to a trans-national, supra Europe authority to stop that happening.
Well, I have a problem with that. You see, as I have mentioned, I have never voted for Mr Barosso. Or indeed anyone else at this mysterious “Commission”. A sinister and self important name.
Indeed, I am not altogether sure who appointed him. I know that his Wikipedia page contains interesting complaints about stays on a Russian billionaire’s yachts and total fuck wittery over the Portuguese deficit, but that is mere allegation and tittle tattle.
Rubbish, of course! Or not
But remain certain that that I have not voted for him, and that as far as I am aware, he has never so much as run a car boot sale at a break even, let alone a profit. I am not aware that he has ever canvassed or considered my views.
This is the heart of the problem with Euro land. It is run by a self serving soi- disant elite, for a self serving soi-disant elite.
It is a nascent tyranny.
It may be that at heart I am a Marxist, in that I recognise that political freedom and control can only be achieved in conjunction with and through economic means, usually by an aspirant middle class, the driver of democracy through modern European and American history. It is that which underpinned the crux of the both the English Civil War and ironically the American Revolution, and it is neatly summed up in the slogan “No Taxation Without Representation!”
The converse is that to take away economic control is to take away political freedom and accountability.
The EU has not had its accounts cleared since Abraham was boy. It is intellectually and in real financial terms corrupt. I would not let it run a toy train set.
The Nazis were the last people who tried to take control in Europe without a vote. Now failures like Barroso want to take it.
I say: No!
Gildas the Monk
September 30, 2011 at 12:00
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We need a revolution to escape from these bastards……….how ridiculous is
that coming from a reactionary conservative?
But it’s true.
Anyway, what I want to know is why UKIP have not had the people on the
street saying, ‘No to the EU’?
In the 2010 election UKIP held the balance in almost 21 constituencies. Of
course not all UKIP voters would’ve voted Tory, but they’re far more likely to
vote blue than red.
See below – with such power, why has not Farage been thumping the
table?
> Bolton West: Labour 18,329; Conservative 18,235;
losing margin 94
votes…….UKIP 1,901 votes
> Derby North: Labour 14,896; Conservative 14,283;
losing margin 613
…………UKIP 829
> Derbyshire NE: Labour 17,948: Conservative 15,503;
losing margin
2445…………UKIP 2,636
> Dorset mid & Poole: Labour 21,100; Conservative 20,831;
losing
margin 269…………..UKIP 2,109
> Dudley North: Labour 14,923; Conservative 14,274;
losing margin
649………….UKIP 3,267
> Great Grimsby: Labour 10,777: Conservative 10,063;
losing margin
714…………..UKIP 2,043
> Hampstead & Kilburn: Labour 17,332; Conservative 17,290;
losing
margin 42…………….UKIP 408
> Middlesbrough South: Labour 18,138; Conservative 16,461;
losing
margin 1,677…………UKIP 1,881
> Morley (Ed Balls): Labour 18,365; Conservatives 17,264;
losing
margin 1,101…………UKIP 1,506
> Newcastle-Under-Lyme: Labour 16,393; Conservatives 14,841;
losing
margin 1,552…………UKIP 3,491
> Plymouth Moor View: Labour 15,433; Conservatives 13,845;
losing
margin 1,588…..……..UKIP 3,188
> Solihull: Lib-Dem 23,635; Conservatives 23,460;
losing margin
175……………UKIP 1,200
> Somerton & Frome: Lib-Dem 28,793; Conservatives 26,976;
losing
margin 1,817…………UKIP 1,932
> Southampton Itchen: Labour 16,326; Conservatives 16,134;
losing
margin 192……………UKIP 1,928
> St Austell & Newquay: Lib-Dem 20,189; Conservatives
18,877;
losing margin 1,312………….UKIP 1,757
> St Ives: Lib-Dem 19,619; Conservatives 17,900;
losing margin
1,719…………UKIP 2,560
Telford: Labour 15,977; Conservatives 14,996;
losing margin 981……………UKIP
2,428
> Walsall North: Labour 13,385; Conservatives 12,395;
losing margin
990……………UKIP 1,737
> Walsall South: Labour 16,211; Conservatives 14,456;
losing margin
1,755………….UKIP 3,449
> Wells: Lib-Dem 24,560; Conservatives 23,760;
losing margin
800……………UKIP 1,711
> Wirral South: Labour 16,276; Conservatives 15,745;
losing margin
531……………UKIP 1,274
- September 30, 2011 at 18:30
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“….why UKIP have not had the people on the street saying, ‘No to the
EU’?”
Because Farage and the plane crash kippered pygmies have their snouts and
all four trotters firmly in the EUSSR expenses trough, aka yours and mine
wallet.
- September 30, 2011 at 00:55
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No wars in Europe you mean. Plenty elsewhere.
- September 29, 2011 at 20:19
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The European UNION is GOOD. The problem is their organisation, heirarcy,
power share. POWER being the real problem. No wars for the longest period in
history [well, at least not “here”], a stable [stop laughing at the back,
please] CURRENCY, too much control & ruling about nitty-witty, yet no
serious control until today about the more importantly eachother’s finances
and other serious matter. It’s understandable looking back at the history of
the rise of the EU, but this should be repaired. Unfortunately … Barosso’s
proposal is preposterous and so rule the major of politicians [who, for once,
may be right]. I’ve been working for the European Commission for 20+ years and
could tell you stories, but … I won’t.
- September 30, 2011 at 01:04
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“POWER being the real problem.”
Exactly and there’s a very easy solution: Don’t give them any. At all.
Ever.
Because it ALWAYS results in them wanting more and more.
You could reset the EU to whatever level you think suitable and it’ll
just start growing again as soon as it possibly can. You could put in all
sorts of controls, limits, anything you wanted to try and hold them back.
And they’d all be ignored in the first year or so.
These people want your money and they want you to do as you’re told. The
EU is only good for itself and the big businesses it works with.
Everyone else is left poorer and with less freedom.
I’m afraid I’m neither smart enough, or well-versed in double-speak
enough, to see how that qualifies as “GOOD”.
- September 29, 2011 at 18:13
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Apart from the fact that we’d all get arrested for pollution offences, I’d
be tempted to organise a symbolic dumping of a chest of tea into the Thames
opposite Parliament when they have their debate on whether our government is
going to cravenly give Barroso&Co what they want with the financial
tax.
I’m not sure that wearing feathered headdress will be enough to keep the
police at bay.
-
September 29, 2011 at 14:55
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“Nascent tyranny” is a phrase I too have been using about the EU for some
time. The extent of the disconnect between the bureuacratariat of the EU and
us common folk is now beyond measurement. There will be blood, methinks, as
Greece heads for turmoil – does anyone see the population paying their new
property tax enhanced electricity bills? I think not – even if the Unions
allow them to be printed, which they are suggesting they will not.
Off with their heads, as someone once said.
- September 29, 2011 at 13:52
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Call the EU what it is: a fascist state
It’s unelected &
unaccountable, grabbing more & more power & control to the centre, in
cahoots with big business -that’s an almost perfect definition of Fascism.
- September 29, 2011 at 22:28
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Hard to disagree with this, and I’m no little englander, I’ve lived and
worked in mainland Europe and various other places. Only got back from a
quick trip to H. Vienne this afternoon.
Trouble is here both local and
national govt is run by the overpaid and unelected, with the aid of elected
noodles, all of them detached from the electorate. And they all think
they’re doing us a favour.
Sometimes wonder if we’re living in a kind of
1984 with consumer products, or maybe Brave New World, with Brakespears Gold
instead of soma.
Just a view. Nice bit of sun.
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