click for a free hit counter
html hit counter

Monday 22 November 2010

Back to the future

It's a long time since I could raise enough energy or interest to face writing this blog. Apparently, an overwhelming interest in politicians ands their antics can do that to you.
Overwhelm you, that is.

The political landscape of Great Britain has changed in the intervening months. Labour has been replaced by a curious hybrid called ConLibDem. Much like the changing of the guard, although the personnel may differ, the replacements seem to be wearing exactly the same uniforms and performing precisely the same drills.

David Cameron, once if not Eurosceptic at least Eurowary, has obviously been guided into the same inner sanctum where his immediate immediate predecessors were first made to see the Euro light. Like them, he is already making lots of noise about "fighting" to protect British interests while appending his signature to any and all documents placed before him with little apparent resistance. Thus, he flies into Brussels on the wings of a stern pledge to hold the EU to zero increase in its bloated budgets. Then pronounces a great victory in restricting them to a mere 2.9%. Thanks Dave. It will certainly help stave off national bankruptcy, having to donate a few extra billion or so a year to the Eurocoffers.

Next, despite the fact that he has been in power for such a short period he has barely had time to learn the names of his LibDem cabinet colleagues, he has managed to strike up such a cosy relationship with Sarkozy that, very chummily, we have agreed to share one of our yet-to-be-built aircraft carriers with them. Oh yes, and also agreed that a French dockyard can have the contract for maintaining them once they are built and in service.

Not that this arrangement in any way furthers the plans for a joint Euro Army/Navy/Air Force at all. Oh No, this is just a couple of long term allies simply deciding to share assets, much as we did at Agincourt, Crecy and Waterloo. Justin a slightly different way.
Amazing what can be organized via a couple of friendly texts, isn't it?


Promises to protect Civil and individual liberties have gone much the same way. Theresa May has, with little pomp and absolutely no consultation either in Parliament or with the public, committed us even further to the reality of a Pan-European police force and Judiciary, reinforcing the reach and scope of foreign governments to track down and arrest British citizens without the intervention of the British courts. All we need to hear from Saint Theresa now is Labour's favourite old saw. You know the one: it goes something like: If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear.


Across the water, the Irish tragedy is unfolding. It is truly ironic that a country that fought tooth and nail for independence from the British Empire looks as if it is about to meekly surrender and allow itself to be sucked into the ever-widening maw of the new, Greater German Empire. If you hear a lot of thunder over the next week or so, it will be the sound of the old Teutonic gods of war laughing themselves silly. All the years, all the men killed and blood shed by successive Reichs to bring first Europe and then the world under German domination and now matronly Angele Merkel is achieving that very objective without a shot being fired in anger. Greece was first. Now it's Ireland's turn. Next it will be Portugal, Spain and Italy. And, if little George Osborne continues to put our money into the pot for each bail-out, despite the fact that we are not part of the Euro Zone, then it will, inevitably, be the turn of what was once Great Britain.


It's good to be back.