Sticky End

 When the UK joined the then European Economic Community (EEC) in 1973 ......

Fanfare For Europe Football Friendly

A series of 'cultural events', such as a football match between old members and new entrants, were organised by a committee set up by the then Pro-European UK Prime Minister, Edward Heath.

And The Winner Is

By the time this post is published ....

One Of These Would Be King ..... Left Or Right

... the British voter will have spoken and likely chosen one of these two men to lead us.

All Quiet On The Western Front

I had an email asking if I was 'avoiding Brexit and UK politics', having had so much to say about it until the last 18 months?

 

British Politicians Often Fail In Europe

 

Well the answer is 'Yes', I am avoiding it.

Son Of Boaty

A couple of years ago we had the "Boaty McBoatface" scandal, when the public voted to give that name to a polar exploration ship ....

RRS Sir David Attenborough ... A Very 'Worthy' Name ...

..... but the snotty powers that be refused to accept the democratic vote (how familiar that sounds as Brexit approaches .... or not), and renamed the ship the Sir David Attenborough.

Learning Histories Lessons

Now that many think that we are possibly watching the collapse of our own version of a Western Civilisation that is based upon a Treaty Of Rome, I am reminded of the collapse of that earlier incarnation of our civilisation, one operating under a different treaty of Rome .... the Pax Romana.

A world that collapsed just as surely as ours may do, and under much the same pressures. Then the collapse was caused by an un-assimilated mass migration of peoples into the Western Roman Empire, who didn't speak the same language, worship the same gods, or share the same history (except via earlier conflicts) .... sound familiar?

The Fall Of Rome And The Western Civilisation
Didn't Happen In One Day ......

Strangely as that Roman Empire collapsed, many of its inhabitants also failed to recognise their world was finishing. Some even thought that it was being renewed by the new vigorous blood lines entering the 'Empire' (think 'migrant workers'). They were wrong of course, but they were too close to the events to realise the disaster unfolding around them.

Persistent Poverty Rates

What is poverty in the first world? Is it the same as poverty in the third world or can poverty only be measured against the lifestyles of those around you?

Persistent Poverty Rates Europe ......

Well the Office for National Statistics believes that not only is poverty measurable but it can be compared with other countries. Their definition of poverty is any household that subsists on less than 60 per cent of average national disposable income, which in Britain is a figure of £12,567 or below as disposable income but obviously differs for each country.

Scottish Blackmail Artists

Scotland, or rather the Scottish National Party, have adopted the ludicrous view that their devolved regional government of around 5 million British citizens, has the same powers and rights as the UK government of over 60 million citizens .....

The Gun Is Always Against Our Heads

.... that in fact a small Scotland, has the same political weight inside the United Kingdom as England, in what they persist in calling 'a partnership of equals'.

Blair or Bliar?

Tony Blair, the ex prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, who was also the Labour Party's most successful general election winner, is a man who just can't stop himself. Despite the fact that he is no longer popular, he has now decided that there is no one out there who can pick up the battered flag of the EU Remain Campaign.

Blair Praying For A Political Comeback? .......

It was found stricken on the field of battle by the arch political scavenger himself, and now raised to the ramparts again with the "mission" to persuade Britons to "rise up" and change their minds on Brexit.

Strapped To A Corpse

The thing about the idea of staying inside the EU is, that I can't help thinking its like a man stranded at sea strapping himself to a corpse for buoyancy. Sure its bloated and gassy, and floating, but at any time soon it could burst open and then sink, dragging anyone strapped to it, down into the depths.

We Risk Going Down With The EU Corpse

Played For Fools

Pretty soon we will get a last chance to decide whether to break away from the bear like hug of the European Union or finally fully accept the ever closer union. I say last, because the Tories will never offer another referendum, and the Labour Party would never even have even offered this referendum.

EU Brexit Referendum .... Last Chance To Leave?

 

The Labour Party used to be very 'Euro sceptics' in the 1970's, but have since realised what a generally 'Socialist' organisation the EU really is, what with all those federalists, spouting on about ever closer unions. The EU, with its unelected Euro-leadership, unbalanced budgets, corruption, graft and anti-democratic power structure, has made the Labour Party a real convert, and now it campaigns for the EU, with all the zeal that only a true believer and convert can muster .... well apart from its current leader, Jeremy Corbyn who is still lukewarm about it, having been forced by his new role to publicly adopt a more pro-EU stance.

 

Nil Desperandum Dave

David Cameron is a desperate man. He has to be! Because how else can you read his claim that Britain leaving the EU, would increase the chances of a war in the EU part of Europe, or even with that same part of Europe?

EU World War III

Now to say that the "Remain" campaign has been negative, is an understatement, it's been very very negative.

 

With virtually no positive reasons to stay in the EU being put forward, except as a reverse of a negative reason for staying. E.g "We will be worse off if we leave, because they might not trade with us" (the 5th biggest world economy) ... so by inference we will probably be better off if we remain in it. But as that can't be proved, we must infer it, while the negative message is the one promoted.

But even so this latest claim is almost unbelievable in its stupidity.

Western Civilisation On Brink

In the annals of stupidity we may well be living through a bumper time .... When else in history, is a civilisation committing such reckless behaviour with its future, as the Western European one is doing right now?

Perhaps it could be argued that the Roman Empires decision to entrust its defence to Germans, was, with hindsight a rather reckless action, and one which in the West at least, ended in disaster. But as its not conclusive that the Western Empire wouldn't in fact have fallen to the Huns or some other group even earlier, if not for the confederate German tribes, we can't be sure.

Is Rome Is Falling Again ....

The Law of Unintended Consequences

When Mother Merkel said something on the lines of  'Send us your poor Islamic masses, come to Germany!' .... she did so with little or no thought for the consequences.

Mother Merkel of Europa

 

Firstly for Europe, for whom those consequences have played out like a broken violin. In fact she may well prove to be the architect of the end of free borders inside Europe, and perhaps even the ever closer union itself.