31/05/2013
When magicians are trying to pull off their tricks, they will often distract their audiences, to divert attention from whatever manipulation it is that forms the basis of those tricks. This is known as "
misdirection", otherwise called "managing the audience's attention".
And this is what William Hague is doing, with
his call for a Brussels "red card" on unwanted EU laws - the idea that national parliaments should have a veto over EU proposals.
There is absolutely nothing new about this â it was touted in 2002 by Gisela Stuart at the constitutional convention hosted by the European Parliament, and was
kicked around for
a while, even being entertained by the Poles, Czechs and the Dutch as late as
2007 before being thrown into touch.
As
Autonomous Mind points out, this is going nowhere, but then it never was intended to go anywhere. William Hague is simply distracting attention from the substantive issues â not least the UK's exit plan from the EU, which the Conservative Party has yet even to consider.
Even if it was intended a a serious proposal, though,
the detail suggests it is a fatuous idea. Hague would have us believe that it "would result in greater democratic accountability from the European Commission". Even to suggest this shows the man is not in the real world.
Strangely, though â according to
Reuters - Hague saved his strongest words for the proposed EU limit on bankers' bonuses and a planned tax on financial transactions.
"If we strangle ourselves with regulation that drives away business, you can be sure that Singapore, Dubai and New York will be ready to take advantage of our folly", he said. EU regulation risked setting "our feet in concrete", he added, then saying that: "If we impose excessive requirements on financial institutions, we throttle businesses' access to lending".
Based on the popularity of the Swiss move in capping excessive bonuses, however, the EU cap is probably one of the more acceptable measures the EU has proposed. It has played well in Germany and there is little sympathy for over-paid bankers here.
By throwing his comments to the media, though, Hague can be certain that some journalists will
chase after them, much as a dog races after a stick thrown in the park â unconcerned as to its shape and size. It gives the appearance of purposeful activity and will possibly attract some wavering Conservative voters back into the fold.
And needless to say, Hague's initiative is supported by
Business for Britain, which is exactly what you would expect from an Uncle Tom organisation dedicated to keeping the UK in the EU. Thus do we get an
unreserved welcome from this group.
Whatever else, though, this is not serious politics. The man, as always, is taking us for fools, which probably says more about him than it does us. And it certainly tells you all you need to know about Business for Britain.
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