Democracy British style?
It had been my intention to write a piece on the Euro summit, but having read this by Sturdyblog (from whom I borrowed the illustration), I'm inclined to feel that he has done a far better job than I would have.
Questions are bound to arise, though, about where the Liberal Democrats stand on Cameron's decision to be more Eurosceptic than Thatcher, but I see that Scot goes Pop has that subject neatly and amusingly tied up here.
It only remains for me to ask then... was it necessary for him to explain his decision to his backbenchers over dinner at his country estate last night? And who paid for it?
Just a thought, Clegg is now realising that he could position himself to switch to the Tories and be their touchy feely new Leader.
ReplyDeleteYes, I expect there is a job for him there. He's most assuredly not, as James's piece points out, Liberal.
ReplyDeletetris
ReplyDeleteYep! an Englishman fighting for London and not for 'ANY' other English region even in a slimy southern conservative way ..FFS
as for other nations Just Feck off you foreign wankers seems to be standard response
Apparently our influence in Europe won’t be diminished... “Call Me” said so...so it must be true! And he hasn’t sold us all down the river to protect the square mile of London bankers and big Tory donors and quell a worse rebellion among his eurosceptic awkward squad! Now the UK will be at the bottom of the list for all potential Euro handouts and Scotland will as usual be at the very bottom of the UK list as per usual. And of course David, Wullie and Nick will be the first people the other 26 European countries come to consult over decisions about common policy!!
ReplyDeleteI was listening to the radio, this morning, as you do but, in my case it was over the net.
ReplyDeleteON came an old Johnny Cash number, well it has to be old but, this was as up to date as you can find.
It sums up the dilemma of the English voter; which way to vote, Tweedledum, Tweedledee or Tweedledumber
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luQhAc6RNqI
Incidentally, did you know that J Cash traced his lineage back to Falkland and his daughter Joane Cash has performed several times at the Falkland Festival, for expenses only.
Niko,
ReplyDeleteHe was fighting for 1 square mile, from which comes a considerable amount of his party's income.
Can't disagree with any of that Munguin.
ReplyDeletetris
ReplyDeleteread this you being a noted Francophile can say if it reads true or not
which is why one French official likened him to "a man attending a wife-swapping party without his wife".
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/camerons-long-nights-journey-into-the-political-unknown-6275037.html
Wolfie, Very good.
ReplyDeleteDanny (our man in America) is a JC fan, and introduced me to his work and the Carters.
I didn't know that about the Falkland Festival though. Bravo to her for doing it for expenses only. She must enjoy it.
LOL Niko. It does sound just like the French.
ReplyDelete(Mind you, although he dislikes Dave almost as much as I do, and has a great deal more opportunity to show it, I can't abide Sarkozy!)
PS: Niko, I didn't know I was "noted"!!! I hope it's not by MI6!
ReplyDeleteI've just come over from Dean's blog. I didn't know that you had one and, more to the point, I didn't know you were a fellow 'kettle boiler'. [unless the term 'kettle boiler' is classified as derogatory].
ReplyDeleteI've added you blog to my list of blogs.
Very welcome, Gedguy. I have been known to boil the odd kettle (on the maid's day off, you understand).
ReplyDelete:)
I thought you just liked to stir it a bit tris.:)
ReplyDeleteCammy has just proved what we have suspected for years that the City of London is the centre of the universe the biggest black hole invented by man which produces 10% of UK GDP and 90% of London's economy is in the financial sector.
tris
ReplyDeleteMI6 if only you
knew
Robert Fisk: Bankers are the dictators of the West
ReplyDeleteWhat they have really divined, however, albeit a bit late in the day, is that they have for decades bought into a fraudulent democracy: they dutifully vote for political parties – which then hand their democratic mandate and people's power to the banks and the derivative traders and the rating agencies, all three backed up by the slovenly and dishonest coterie of "experts" from America's top universities and "think tanks", who maintain the fiction that this is a crisis of globalisation rather than a massive financial con trick foisted on the voters.
I wasn't aware of Johnny Cash's Scottish connection. Thanks.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/feb/07/johnny-cash-scottish-roots
Cameron has surrendered all British influence and secured precisely no concessions to protect his precious bankers in return.
ReplyDeleteThey call it a success?
It is game over for the unionist argument that Scottish interests in the EU are best made via the UK body...
What Cameron has done is he went to Europe determined to do nothing, did nothing when he went out there then came back and accepted the applause from the London centric media for...yes, you got it; nothing!
ReplyDelete"So how would he explain the British decision, made at 4 am, by one Englishman, while the premiers of Hungary, Sweden and the Czech Republic decided to go home and consult the parliaments of their countries?"
ReplyDeleteSimple
It was taken for his personal benefit and survival was in no way or means taken for the benefit of "his" constituents; the great unwashed disenfranchised.
Q Why can he do that?
A Because he can. The UK has no written constitution detailing the limits of power of Westminster and this loophole has been hijacked by career politicians (aka political gangsters. cf Putin) who use to be unaccountable except for once every 4 years when they choose the grounds upon which to campaign.
All 3 UK parties use this glaring gap in the Westminster model of democratic process to feather their nest and to Hell with everybody else.
Any chance we will get a written constitution from Westminster? SFA I would say and if we get frozen out or chucked out any chance of European legislation being applicable in the UK goes too.
Time for pitchforks and scythes or votes for independence.
Cameron betrayed our inevitable European destiny. He is a traitor.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there is something in an independent Scottish EU member-state. ...
ReplyDeleteCH> I do:¬)
ReplyDeleteThe economy of the south is so badly balanced, thanks to Mrs Thatcher's belief that nice respectable service industry was Britain's best option for the future.
No one would deny how badly broke industry was in the 1970s, but it didn't need closing; it needed proper management. People with some vision and some man management skills.
Not the useless half wits running it like it was still the 1950s.
Mr Spalton gave a good example of man management earlier.
It's amazing that they always say that the unions brought the country to its knees. Rubbish, although they certainly didn't help with some of their daftness.
The management were supposed to be the smart ones. But they weren't very bright despite the university education, the high salaries and the company cars. The trade unions were running rings around them.
Crivvens Niko. Is that you? (Tris waves.)
ReplyDeleteI read that article in the Indy earlier today CH. It was impressive and built on the documentary we watched the other night.
ReplyDeleteThere you are Danny. Every visit to Munguin's Republic is an education...
ReplyDeleteYes Dean. In my view it has ever been thus, but it is cheering to see others come to that conclusion too.
ReplyDeleteBut Gedguy, there are rather a lot of papers which aren't really praising Cameron. Independent, Guardian, and the Mirror, which we might have expected. Even the New York Times. But the Wall Street Journal?
ReplyDeleteThis is like one of Gordo 'McCavity cat' Browns budgets, makes a good splash, but rapidly unravels subject to week-long scrutiny.
ReplyDeleteAnother one of these "not a lot of folk know this" but
ReplyDeleteBob Dylan was influenced by Scottish traditional music and lyrics.
He was friendly with Jean Redpath who introduced him to them.
He readily admits this.
All he needs to do is to come to Scotland and sing.
The lack of any concrete written constitution is I guess (as Danny keeps telling me/us) deplorable. it wouldn't be allowed in a third world state, why should it be here?
ReplyDeleteI mean you wouldn't join a tennis club or even the darts league in the local, without there being written rules, or by-laws. I'm not sure, but I don't think you can charge a membership fee unless there is some sort of constitution, enforceable by law.
Companies are obliged to have memoranda of association. So how can we have a whole country without any rules.
When the Attorney General goes off to consider whether something is constitutional or not, against what does he judge it? What happened on the last similar occasion in 1843? And, if it is in 1548, could it apply to Scotland? Well of course it could, if they say so.
They make it up as they go along and change the rules to suit themselves.
Even the role of the head of state is not properly defined except by tradition.
In theory the Queen could refuse to sign a bill into law, dismiss or refuse to approve ministers. We know she won't but there is only tradition to stop her. (Watch Charlie do it.)
'That's the way we like it; it works for us', so the great and the good tell us. You bet it works for them.
Good god, Dean... Did I just read that aright?
ReplyDelete'Maybe there is something in an independent Scottish EU member-state. ...'
Glass of water for Tristan, please.
LOL Dean. It started early enough. But as more and more implications come to light, it seems to me that it will unravel more.
ReplyDeleteWell Wolfie
ReplyDeleteThat's what I like about being on here. You learn so much, and the subject spread is wide....
One minute the constitution; the next Bob Dylan.
Has he never toured here?
Don't think so and now, as he over 70 I don't think he will.
ReplyDeleteHmmmm. Pet Clark is nearly 80, and she's just recorded an album in Paris and done tv and concerts there, is off to New York for a season of concerts (2 shows a night) and then is touring Australia for a month before coming back to promote the new album in France and Canada and then do some concerts in the UK... then she'll have her summer holidays.
ReplyDeleteTell him to get off his butt and get over here after all, The Times they are Achanging! You're not old at 70 any more.
"Good god, Dean... Did I just read that aright?"
ReplyDeleteTris, if there is one constant to my politics, it is my Europeanism.
I would never work to undermine Europe. I am incredibly disenchanted by Cameron.
I seek a more inviting outlet for my Euro-passions.
Even under the influence of G+T's Dean!
ReplyDeleteI've only had like 2, I mean every word. My Europeanism comes before my Britishness, it is a question of identity for me.
ReplyDeleteFair enough Dean. How would you rate your identity after European...Scottish or British?
ReplyDeleteTris,
ReplyDeleteNever been a great fan of the man Bob Dylan when I found out that he was a wife-beater; his music is superb though.
If I was you I wouldn't just blame the management for what happened to the British industrial machine post war. It is a little more complicated than just a stupid management. There were two opposing factions, post war, that was fighting for the life of the UK.
One: The UK still tried to retain as much of its empire, after the war, and spent [borrowed] a huge amount of money that it didn't have to try and maintain its stranglehold on the empire that it was ripping off.
Two: The unions were riddled with KGB informants trying to destroy the economy of the UK so that the communist party could take control. The USSR knew that it couldn't take over western Europe with its military might because the Americans told them that they would bomb the hell out of them, so, they thought to do it by subterfuge. All this happened during the cold war. It got to the stage that, during the Wilson period, any information passed onto MI5 from the CIA was immediately passed onto the KGB. Hence the coup d'tat in the UK in 1973 when Wilson was undemocratically pushed out of office.
While all this infighting for control and money was going on the top managers knew exactly what was going on and had to watch their manufacturing industries going down the toilet because the government was using the money which was needed for investment in maintaining a military presence around the old empire and the unions, on the other side, trying to disrupt the country as much as possible hoping to bankrupt it. Which they succeeded in doing.
Tris,
ReplyDeleteEuropean ... [currently, and subject to change, based on the former] British, Scottish
That would well become:
European Scottish ... if Britishness looses its purpose as a means to my European end.
:)
ReplyDeleteGedguy
ReplyDeleteWell, I take on board what you are saying about communist infiltration, but the management was crap too.
My mum was a personnel officer and she knows just what a load of stupid idiots the senior management were.
Some of the stories she tells.
If Britain had just tried to run itself after the war instead of keep up with America in the nuclear field they might have had a bit more of the vast sums of money paid out under the Marshall plan to modernise their industry.
But they would keep on pretending that they were important and still are today... bloody idiots.
Anyways. Off to bed guys.
Good debate.