Not that Dave would ever attempt anything as bold..........like kicking butt and telling those Brussels morons to halt the giveaway bonanza, to the Green NGO luxury holiday club - it goes something like this; advocate green policy, get large salary and live life large courtesy of the British taxpayers - all the while doing the work of the EU - FFS.




Just for this, frittering frivolity - we need to tell them [EU foie-gras-Krug-party organisers in the Berlaymont gin palace de Bruxelles] to get stuffed.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

I am sure you will have seen this Richard but if you haven't - it's enough to make us all weep bitter tears.



See here.

Edited by user 08 February 2013 00:28:43(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

In the normal run of things,It's hard not agree with Shulz's sentiments on this.Any state that favours research over agriculture is destined to go backwards.

Edited by user 08 February 2013 07:32:41(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Theatre.

I see that the French "finesse" is more than what is readily apparent:
http://news.sky.com/stor...ls-100-percent-horsemeat

But then who really expects a frog to be able to make proper lasagna anyway? Something probably just got lost in translation...
}:-]

I don't really do Frog food but when I've been over there, they do 'crepes' rather well.

New post on the subject ...

EU budget: not a foregone conclusion

http://www.eureferendum....ogview.aspx?blogno=83601

Mary-Ellen's observations on the EU "Budget" seem to be the most realistic.

Additional reminders:

1. The EU hasn't been successfully audited. How can a budget be allocated if one doesn't know the state of the books, the cashflow?
   
2. The EU cannot (IIRC) directly raise taxes from the population; it relies on henchmen.
   
3. Penalties imposed by the EU (which has no sovereign powers) on the people of member nations as well as the sovereign nations are arbitrarily "enforced" via courts which are answerable to no elected representative of the people to which the EU applies its laws (edicts, directives, regulations).
   
4. Despite bleating of "transparency", processes and shell-games prevent all but the most-persistent investigators from seeing the machinery.

How is this any different to the operation of an organized crime syndicate?

The EU syndicate has woven an intricate mesh into the fabric of European nations. That is the primary excuse for not simply walking away from the EU. The mesh has been carefully constructed with strings of support that rely on the strings that bind.

But the mesh can be undone. It'll take perhaps 20 years to systematically snip the binding strings of the mesh without destructive disruption to the self-sustaining affairs of member nations.

Edited by user 09 February 2013 05:18:29(UTC)  | Reason: prettified

I suspect it's all secretly agreed beforehand. The other EU heads of government know Cameron is a euro-plastic, not a genuine euro-sceptic. But he is what's available at present, & is assumed to be more likely to be sympathetic to the EU than any of his potential Tory rivals. So, to help him & other similarly positioned EU leaders out in PR terms, Van Rompuy etc demands more in EU budgetary terms than he really needs.

Then, after sufficient debate, a lower figure is accepted which makes all the EU PMs look as if they have fought hard & successfully for their separate national interests - when in truth it was all stitched-up beforehand. Part of the stitch-up will be that, if (once the dust has had time to settle) they find that they do need more money after all, then they will all get together again - & after a similar false display of political theatrics in late-night sessions - increase the budget to the new required level.

Meanwhile, us voters & the media are deceived by our own political leadership once again.

Watchet

.........and 20% will go to the continuing "Climate-related" projects!

http://www.thegwpf.org/b...250-billion-green-lobby/

I HAD hoped they were beginning to see sense.

Edited by user 09 February 2013 11:29:18(UTC)  | Reason: apparent inability to spell this morning

I don't find it strange that Conservative MPs such as Carswell and Redwood are cheering Cameron's great achievement. They're Conservatives.

It is odd that there's so little critical commentary elsewhere.

I put it down to a very superficial understanding of what's going on, but more than that the horrible thought that for all the show, we have virtually no influence in the EU and have to take what it dishes out. If you don't find that acceptable the only option is to get out, as there's clearly no possibility of messing around trying to reform it. Out is a big leap and it's more comfortable to ignore it and go along with the fantasy.