The EU Spin machine

I have gone on about this time and time again, but it bears repeating, as Justin Stares has done effectuively in Public Service Europe today.

The EU is beefing up its propaganda spending at a worrying rate. Here is Justin,

Austerity might be on the menu in most capitals of the European Union, but in Brussels the institutions are still hiring. Ever conscious of the need to battle Euro-scepticism and sharpen up its image, the EU has started recruiting around 65 spin doctors or "communications specialists".

Those boasting the appropriate language skills, a background as a journalist, press officer or communications consultant and a willingness to persevere with a tiresome battery of verbal, numeric and abstract reasoning tests - can look forward to a starting salary of €4,267 a month plus perks. Competition is expected to be fierce.

He highlights the information inbalance in Brussels. Between those who sell the message, and those who are supposed to question it.

Around 920 officials work for the commission's Directorate-General for Communication alone - handling the press, writing brochures and updating websites. Another 700, including support staff, are employed by the equivalent department in the parliament - while the council, the most secretive EU institution, gets by with just 200.


By comparison, there were around 1,000 accredited journalists in Brussels at the last count. EU spin-doctors may be multiplying like mushrooms, but hacks are beating a retreat. The UK permanent representation to the EU used to deal with what the press office called a "hard core" of around 60 Brussels-based British journalists. Today there are about 12.

It is amazing really when you think about it that any negative copy about Brussles exists at all. I guess the truth will out no matter how many millions you spend trying to divert attention.

God knows what the unwashed will do, but we shall eat cake

The Unions of the EU institutions are revolting. They are having a day of action tomorrow and are threatening strikes. But in a piece of fraternal love amongst these normally fractious spartists are uniting to fight against internal austerity in the institutions.

And to celebrate this,

Comme annoncé, Solidarité PE et Union Bruxelles vous invitent à venir échanger vos craintes et vos idées sur la prochaine réforme du statut lors de notre


Cake-Coffee-Break

Is Michalis Chrisochoides' job title the most Panglossian in history?

The poor chap was police Minister until recently, but now he glories under the title of,

Minister for Growth

in Greece

Euro Ligging redux (b)

And with this one, who knows it might be more fun than mere drinks

Euro Ligging redux

The latest in an ongoing series of ways that European Parliamentarians can get pissed for free. Today it is on Bulgarian wine and nibbles.



For this free drink you might have to listen to some people special pleading for funding to Bulgria's Stara planina.

Of course the answer is more Europe

Joseph Daul the Frenchman who heads up the EPP group in the European Parliament has spoken. And his words just reinforce the bubble in which the Euro Elite live,

"markets penalising the lack of Europe".

He seems to be atalking about a third bailout,

"It is only in these conditions that funds can be released. If these funds are used wisely, more funds could follow, if necessary."

But all in all his speech is virtually meaning free and incomprehensible. Go and read.

Meanwhile Guy Verhofstadt was on fine bullish form. He spoke very well, which may have distracted from the stark staring lunacy of what he had to say. He demanded that al power over teh econnomy be stripped from the nation states and be handed to the ECB and the European Commission. His reason being that you cannot trust the Nations to discipline themselves. His answer is not that the markets are free to apply corrections in a real world sense, but that their democracies be overthrown and power handed to the unelected Commisars of of Brussels.

Richard Howitt: Is this a misuse of public funds?

I only ask because of this tweet

It seems that Howitt, the oleaginous Labour MEP for the Eastern Counties has overstepped himself. Either he is overstating his role:

It is possible that he was invited by the Club Kingswood in Basildon to be there when they recived cash from the EU (no doubt to plant a windmill on their roof or something like that) . So he did not give them the money, he just happened to be there when it was recieved.

Or he did hand over the cheque in which case it is an outrageous misuse of taxpayer's money? For the EU to entrust the handing over of their largesse at our expense to a partisan pro-European politician cannot be right in any way.

Howitt should explain either his delusions of granduer and step down from his grand claim, or justify the way that teh EU has allowed him to propagandise with public money.

The public are a touch confused

We have just been sent the rewsults of a new Eurobarometer Survey

EUROPEANS AND THE CRISIS


European Parliament Eurobarometer (EB Parlemeter 75.2)

into the creation of a Financial Transaction Tax. The preffered method by which the EU dips into  your pockets without having any democratic oversight.

Predictably the people think that the idea is wonderful. But they seem to be a little confused as to the way forward for Governments in the crisis,

In the debate on whether to boost the economy or reduce public spending, the results at European level are stable: 40% (+2) of respondents are in favour of boosting the economy, 34% (-1) would like to reduce public spending and 22% (+4) would like both equally at the same time.

The most telling of all though is on Page 17 of the report,

Here we see that across Europe only 34% of people think that the Euro is helping, and a massive 57% now think that it is causing harm. OK so the question has been counched in as pro Euro way as possible but the message is loud and clear.

The people of Europe were never asked if they wanted a sinmg le cutrrency, and now they see that it is doing them real harm.

At some point the elite might wake up.

Ask me no Questions I will tell you no lies

Interesting new attempt to harness the net by Herman Van Rompuy our President.



You know what to do....

Maybe we should call it DampRag-o-Vision?

"improve the automaticity of decision-making"

It is a magnificent piece of jargon isn't it. But it has a serious import. What Mr Rehn our Finnish Commissioner is saying is that a system has now been created by which it is even harder for a country to block centrealised decision making.

It is all about the use of Reverse Qualified Majority Voting, which now formalised is a significant increase in power for the Commission and the European Union's bureacratic centre.

Back in September when I first highlighted this constitutional innovation my respected interlocutor Ralph Grahn suggested the following,

However, the scope of these proposals seem to be limited to the eurozone, which could open the road for freely cooperating nation states to agree intergovernmentally, i.e. outside the EU's institutional framework.

 Reading Rehn's speech this is no longer seems to be a matter solely for the Euro zone.

First they send over 'technical assistance'

It is one of those well worn tracks of international affairs. When one big powerful country wants to take over a smaller less powerful country. But wants to do it subtlety.

It starts with the offer of technical assistance. It is how the East India Company operated in India. It was what Kennedy described the first involvement in Vietnam. It now appears to be what is happening in Greece.

It is the provision of 'technical assistance'.

Here are some comments of Barroso quoted on Monday,

The Commission president said he had "no doubt" of the Greek government's determination to push through the necessary structural reforms. "But there are problems in terms of administrative capacity," he said.

This was quoted elsewhere on Agence Europe,

In Brussels on Monday evening the Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, is believed to have expressed his interest in this initiative. Technical assistance may also be forthcoming to help Greece to resolve a deficit in its "administrative capacity", said Barroso.

So what we are seeing here is the Commission will be sending over 'experts' to provide technical assistance and 'help' the Greek authorities carry out measures that the Greek people do not want, against their will.

The policies are those demanded by the suzerain overlords of Brussels.

UKIP predict Greek bailouts in Feb 2009

Here is John Whittaker, one of UKIP's former MEPs predicting the Greek bailouts in 2009, and predicting that they would fail.



You saw it here first

Be very careful of what you wish for

Is she saying that she looks forward to the day that China sends troops to Europe?

If the 21st Century was to be truly an 'Asian Century', the region, and in particular China, would have to match its growing economic prowess with greater "global leadership", said Georgieva.

The US sent soldiers to Europe to fight the forces of Nazism, noted the Bulgarian official.

"But like 1941, we aspire for Asian leadership in global affairs. With wealth comes global responsibility. That would earn the place in history of the 'Asian Century'."

I am sure she isn't really, but then what is she saying? She is definitely encouraging for China (still a Communist dictatorship FFS) to start sending its troops round the world.

Thems that own your debt owns you

Which is a leetle bit concerning when you look at the provenance of those in the mix when it comes to Europe.

Earlier in the year we saw that China was helping out, out of the kindness of their own hearts no less.

China has been increasing its holdings of European Union countries' debt, including Spanish government debt, since the outbreak of the European sovereign debt crisis,

Today their Foreign Minister made clear that they were a leetle bit concerned,

We have supported other countries, especially European countries, in their efforts to surmount the financial crisis," Fu said. "We have, for example, increased holdings of euro debt and promoted China-European Union trade."

Beijing has said in the past that it has bought Greek debt, but has never revealed the size of its investment.

Since euro zone debt worries first rippled through markets last year, China has repeatedly said that it has confidence in the single-currency region.

"We have hoped to help euro zone countries in overcoming the crisis, and this is also a measure that is beneficial to China's own economic development,"

Tpoday we learn that it isn't just kind Mr Wen Jiabao, who along with European debt is making Mr An Wei Wei disappear that is there for us. It is that nice man Mr Putin.

Pravda is crowing today,

Europe continues to drown in the swamp of the world financial crisis. The countries of the eurozone have taken tough measures to cut budget deficits, but the southern part of the continent faces a serious danger of bankruptcy. Russia appears to be an island of stability amid major wars between currencies. The IMF asked Russia for $15 billion to stabilize global markets - this is an outstanding event in the world of finance indeed. It seems that the fate of the joint European currency now depends on the Kremlin.

I mean seriously wouldn't it be better to just let Greece default and spare us the inevitable concerns of those two as best friends?

Look what the EU has in store for you this week

Our dear Chum 'Mao' Barroso has unveiled his plans in a speech in Brussels. It deserves to be read in full. My feeling is that the agenda for the Council meeting this week is so full for a purpose, and that is to throw chaff at the media so they do not gang up on the Greek Crisis.

So here we go,
On the economic governance package:

"It is important that we have this deal before the Summer break. I urge the European Parliament and the Council to put their differences aside. With a final push on both sides I hope the remaining issues can be resolved, because the adoption of the governance package is one of the central pillars in our comprehensive response to the crisis."

That Governance package, that'll be EU surveillance of the national budgets amongst other things.

On the Country-Specific Recommendations:

"They are focused, measurable and tailored to each country’s most pressing challenges. Of course, the representation of these Country-Specific Recommendations has led to frank and sometimes very intensive discussions with Member States over the last two weeks. But I am pleased that the overall result has maintained the level of ambition, and I expect the European Council will endorse our recommendations unanimously."

And the ability and power to suggest specific policy prescriptions to national treasuries

On financial sector taxation:

"To respond to the economic crisis, every sector needs to contribute, none more so than the financial sector. Yesterday, I announced in my letter to my colleagues in the European Council that the Commission will present a formal legislative proposal, after the summer, to put in place a financial tax within the European Union."

Holy cow, this is what will give the EU its own resources. It will allow the EU to raise tax (and set its own tax rates without democratic supervision). Of course it being a financial transaction tax the major payer will be the City of London.

On migration:
"The Commission has presented its ideas on migration setting recent and future policy initiatives in a framework that allows the EU and its Member States to manage asylum, migration and mobility of third-country nationals in a secure environment. "
"Migration, let's face it, is an emotive issue – one where perceptions matter. I have read many articles suggesting that the Schengen principles of free movement are being undermined. I don't agree and I think that we are going to see exactly the opposite. We are going to see a reinforcement of the European approach to migration and also to the free movement."
"Let me be crystal clear: this is not a rollback of the abolition of internal borders. This is a way of strengthening the European dimension of the system so that individual Member States do not feel pressured into acting unilaterally. I will be looking for a clear endorsement of this approach from the European Council so that the detailed Commission proposals can be finalised."
"I call on the European Council to lend its support to the completion of the entirety of the asylum package, as swiftly as possible within the agreed deadline."

Yup that is the EU take over of asylum policy (not that they don't have significant control already).

On Croatia's accession to the EU:

"There is still substantial work to be done and the Commission will continue to monitor progress closely, but I hope that at the end of the month we can sign off on the remaining chapters in the Accession Conference."

Another few million from a poor country with complete access to the UK.

On Greece:

"We know that many people in Greece are faced with deep cuts that have a real impact on their income. We understand how difficult this is. If there were an easier route out of the crisis, we would have taken it. But there is not."
"It is crucial that the new Greek Government receives the confidence of the Parliament tonight so that it can build the consensus the country needs for far-reaching economic reform. Next week is the moment of truth where Greece needs to demonstrate that it is genuinely committed to the ambitious package of further fiscal measures and privatisations put forward by Prime Minister Papandreou's government and agreed with the EU and the IMF. "
"My message today is that if Athens acts, Europe will deliver. There is a plan. I urge everybody to now act upon it. I think it is better to act than just to talk. There is a plan, let's put it to practice."
"I believe this is a time that calls for a more strategic use also of our European structural funds. And I think it is important to show to our Greek friends and partners that, yes, the way out is difficult but there is hope and there are solutions at the end of this path. That is why I would like to ask the European Council to discuss what we can to assist Greece, beyond its consolidation efforts, to enhance competitiveness and address the more urgent problems of unemployment."
"Greece has the potential to access a significant amount of EU money under cohesion policy. We should concentrate these funds on where it matters the most now: on improving competitiveness and employment. We should coordinate them, so that we make the most impact. We should find ways to frontload and accelerate them, so that Greece gets the benefit now."

Oh yes and ways to subsidise Greece with your money

The Russians quake in fear

Priceless headline spotted by @PlaceLux

Brussels to send vegetable negotiators to Moscow

Go on then, fill in the first paragraph of copy to go with it.

Does what it says on the tin...

No, I have no idea what it is about. I guess it has tobacco antecedants

Way to go Ben

From throw away comments great things grow.

I said

I am sure there may be a teensey little bit of public money floating around this august organisation.

And Ben Pile went and did this.

An evisceration of the funding behind EREC.

Here is the conclusion.

It is no surprise that the EU and governments, spurious quasi-autonomous organisations and NGOs are in cahoots. It has long been known that organisations such as Friends of the Earth and WWF are paid by the EU to lobby the EU in favour of the policies that the EU wants. And it is no surprise that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change takes research that benefits the agendas of governments. We all knew this much.

What is surprising is the sheer scale of this shameless enterprise. We all knew that 'grey literature' -- non-scientific and non-peer reviewed 'research' -- found its way into IPCC reports. What surprises is the extent to which 'grey organisations' -- para-govermental institutions with public functions, but little or no democratic accountability or transparency -- are involved in the production of policy and evidence-making, benefitting a narrow industrial sector and serving a particular political agenda.

Taking a look at the comments there seems to be a feeling that this is the tip of the famous iceberg and more work needs to be done.

Ho hum, no rest for the wicked.

We are all going to die, and the European parliament will save us

Seriously

Look at this sexy swimmer on the beach!

No really, that is the strapline for the latest EU, ho ho funny video ad. This time it is for the European Health card.


Toned bloke goes swimming on beautiful deserted beach, just ready for a perfume ad.

Toned bloke has horrid crab/jellyfish creature attach itself to his privates.

Toned bloke has European Health Card (where? up his arse crack?) Everything is fine.

But the desperation is apparent. Sex sells EU health insurance ?

The European parliament invites you to present yourself

Just listen to this, David Martin a Scottish Labour type seems to be suggesting that if somebody (most liklely a civil servant, but not necessarily so) refuses to accept the Parliament's invitation to appear then they can get the British authorities to take them to court.

Imagine you are a lets say, a banker and they want to haul you over the coals for having the temerity to run a sucessful bank. They say they want to speak to you.

You refuse, you are too busy creating employment after all.

They then instruct the British authorities to take you to Court....

The mind boggles.

Policy-based evidence-making

First set your policy, then find the evidence. That traditional scientific method.

A great line from Ben Pile over at Climate Resistance when he was looking at the IPCC's most recent report back in May. He goes through the authors of the report and notes that they are al part of the bureacracy of Renewable/para-governmental/lobbyist community that populates the IPCC and its cohorts.

Meanwhile Steve McIntyre at Climate audit has noticed a slight problem with the report's introduction/conclusions, in that they were pre-written by Greenpeace and a Brussels based body namely EREC, the European Renewable Energy Council.

I am sure there may be a teensey little bit of public money floating around this august organisation.

A tad odd

Yes of course it is a PR stunt, by a former PR man, but this on the Quadrant reportage of the David Bannerman defection just doesn't look right.

For David to writing his application to join the ECR on headed ECR paper just doesn't work, even within the confines of a PR stunt.

Surely it would be more straight, honest and effective if he used his own headed paper, no doubt UKIP branded, to write his application.

There again, I am not at all sure what his signature on a document is worth given his track record.

Weeks or Months Minister?

Chris Grayling, the Employment Minister has, according to PA, made the extraordinary revalation that the UK Government has no idea how many EU nationals ae claiming UK benefits, nor how much they are getting.

He said,

"The Government does not keep a record of how many people from other European Union (EU) countries claim benefits in Britain, Employment Minister Chris Grayling said today.

Mr Grayling said he had been "surprised to discover" that such records did not exist and pledged to ensure the figures were documented in the future.

Which is pretty extraordinary.

He claims that

"One of the things I was surprised to discover over the past few weeks is that the department (Department for Work and Pensions) does not, and indeed did not under the previous government, keep any record of the nationality of people who claim benefits.

"This is something we're now moving to address and find a way to make sure we do so."

OK, so far so ruddy useless, until Philip Hollobone asked the queston he hadn't bothered to do anything, or even find out. But then it gets weird, because in a follow up statement Grayling says,

"I have had many conversations in the last few months with fellow employment ministers in other EU countries and there is a mounting debate about a need for rule changes that will set exactly when and where benefits should and should not be paid."

Now if the minister has been talking to his EU counterparts about this, surely he should have known the extent of the situation? If he has been talking to them for months, he has blathering from a point of complete ignorance and hasn't bothered to inform himself. Which is pretty much the rule when it comes to EU discussions and negotiations under this government.

But then I start to wonder. Why are these statistics not collated? Why is he talking to his counterparts rather than ordering his department to publish the facts. Is it because he would be accused of discriminatory actions if he did so without EU approval?

And if so, as Paul Nuttall the UKIP deputy leader has just said,

"If he does need their permission it will never be granted, as a majority of EU states do not want light to be shed on the mystery. They do not want British taxpayers to know how much they are forking out for other nationals through their benefits system".

Don't advertise on the web

Well what I mean by that is that if you are one of those who share their talents for a few bob, you know a bit of piano, art, dance footy and you neglect to tell the taxman about Tarquin popping round to tinkle your ivories then get you services down off the web and pronto.

PRIVATE TUTORS will be the subject of the taxman's next campaign against tax avoidance, it announced today.
HM Revenue & Customs has said that there is a greater "risk" involved with those who provide private tuition.
It said this campaign will "address the risk posed by all professionals who, because of their field of expertise, are able to earn money from providing tuition and coaching - either as a main or a secondary income". It will cover people providing private lessons, "regardless of whether they have a teaching qualification, and could include, for example, fitness/dance/lifestyle coaches through to national curriculum subject tutors and others".

And trust me, where the taxman cometh, than the chap waving a CRB form will surely follow. Then the regulator, and the snare-toothed woman in ghastly NHS specs demanding that you have passed a EU certified qualification.

And I love that HMRC use of the term 'risk'. To whom?

To infinity and beyond

Over at Zero hedge is an amusing story of reality hitting idiocy.

Or in this case the situation where a slow dawning changes someone's mind. Back last year the Soverign Wealth Fund of Norway (and an enormous fund) at that decided that buying up Greek debt was a good idea.

The Nordic nation’s $450 billion Government Pension Fund Global has stocked up on Greek debt, as well as bonds of Spain, Italy and Portugal. Finance Minister Sigbjoern Johnsen says he backs the strategy, which contributed to a 3.4 percent loss on European fixed income in the second quarter, compared with gains on bonds in Asia and the Americas.
“The point is, do you expect these guys to default?” said Harvinder Sian, senior fixed-income strategist at Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, in an interview. “Norway has taken the view that they will not. The Greek holdings are particularly interesting because the consensus in the market is that they will at some point restructure or default.”

Interesting take on the European Financial Crisis, and one that was laudedby the Eurocrats at the time.

“One could say we are investing for infinity,” Johnsen said in an Aug. 27 interview. “It is important when you look at the time scope of the fund and the investments that there should be a portion of active management.”

The FT reports that the fund "recently announced plans gradually to reduce exposure to Europe, which currently accounts for half its equity holdings, as part of efforts to increase diversification but Mr Slyngstad said the fund remained bullish about the region in the long-run. However, he acknowledged the “enormous challenge” facing eurozone policymakers and voiced concern over the potential repercussions of a possible restructuring of Greek debts.

That would be a retreat under cover

Anuvver bubble award Ceremony

But this time the work of that unsung crowd, the MEPs is to be highlighted. You know how they are, beavering away for the betterment of mankind. They deserve your support. So please feel free to nominate that Bulgarian who did all the work on producing a common European grommitt or whatever.

The Parliament Magazine is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the MEP Awards 2011

Now in their seventh year, the awards aim to celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of MEPs in key policy areas.

European trade associations, NGOs and other interested parties can now submit their nominations online, with MEPs set to cast their votes from the end of August to the middle of September.

The awards ceremony will take place at the European Parliament, Brussels, on Wednesday 5 October.

Nominations close on August 12. Be sure to vote for your MEP at http://www.mepawards.eu/

If you would like any further information about the awards, please contact Rachel Hewett

Of courdse unless you can prove that you are an 'interested party' we don't really want to hear from you, because this is a bubble award for bubble people given by a bubble publication for the greater glory of the bubble, but that's the way it is.

You lot are merely the dumb recipient of all their good works, what do you know.

A land based solution for Somali piracy

Dear Baroness Ashton turned up in Budapest yesterday and amongst the normal series of platitudes announced the rather obvious point as tweeted here,

C#Ashton @ ASEM: "Over 500 people in captivity due to Somali piracy. Important for strategy to deal with piracy - solution lies on land"

Well yes, so what are you going to do abvout it. Despite the actions of the various naval detachments bimbling around the horn of Africa piracy is on the up. Worse still of course is the prospect that the other side of the Horn Aden is aflame as the dictatorship flounders and Al-Quaeda lick thier lips.

But of course there is a way to address this in part. There is of course a place that ecently celebrated twenty years of peace, stability and independence. Somaliland.

And what was the news from Somaliland on the day that Baroness was speaking?

This

Six Somali pirates were jailed by a Somaliland court for capturing an Italian vessel in April 2008 and receiving a $3 million ransom.
The Berbera Regional Court gave five of the pirates eight- year jail terms, while a sixth received a sentence of five years after he confessed to the crime, Osman Ibrahim Direi, head of the court, said yesterday. The six men were captured by Somaliland’s coast guard on March 24 near the coastal town of Maydh.

Think what they could do if we bothered to recognise their right to existance.

Piss up in the Space Escalator

No really, this time it is Hungarian wine and Folk music to accompany a series of artworks about Bridges.

What about having a top quality glass of Hungarian wine and greeting the unity of diversity of Europe?
Where? At the exhibition that I am organizing between June 14 - 16, 2011.
Save the date for the opening ceremony:

Bridges between European Nations
June 15, 2011 6.30 PM

Ground floor, Space Escalator

Oh that Roald Dahl was alive today

Oh the complications

The European Parliament is having a fire drill. Nothing contentious in that. But nothing is as simple as it seems. Somebody has sent me the details.

What happens?

· An alarm will begin ringing, area by area, triggering immediately the intervention of security personnel who will move to the affected zone:

· The evacuation will proceed by zone;

· NB: The evacuation exits will open; the fire doors will close automatically;

· The smoke extraction system will switch on automatically.

What to do?

At the sound of the alarm:
· take only your personal belongings;
· when leaving your office, close the windows and doors without locking them;
· do not use the elevators or service lifts;

· follow the green arrow markings leading to the staircase and the evacuation route until you have left the building;

· do not under any circumstances turn back;
· once outside the buildings, assemble in the places indicated by the security staff.

N.B: Persons with reduced mobility will be taken care of on a floor by floor basis by the security staff.

Well that is all pretty clear. So what could be the problem?

Dear Mr President,

I would like to thank you for informing us about the evacuation exercise that will take place in the coming days.

As the first deaf member of the European Parliament I would like to draw your attention to the fact that due to my hearing impairment I am afraid, I won't hear the alarm ringing. Therefore I would be more than happy to consult the body responsible for the accessibility of the Parliament's alarm system, in order to find a common solution and all disabled people working in the European Parliament can feel comfortable in the case of a real danger.

Looking forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours sincerely,

Ádám KÓSA MEP

Suggestions as to how to deal with this have ranged from the caustic,

A perfect emblem of what is wrong with society: systems are no substitute for people in making others comfortable.

Indignant, Cheltenham

To the caring

Surely a red flag-waving fireman could be assigned to him at all times he's in the building, ready to wave the flag in his face in the event the alarm goes off.

Celebrate good times, Come on.

Oh yes, ten years of success need to be celebrated. And that celebration will be with your money.

The puff however does have the teeniest hint that not is all well,

Over 330 million people in 17 EU countries now share one currency – the euro. A common currency makes many things easier, such as comparing prices between countries, travelling and trade, since fees for exchanging money and exchange rate fluctuations having been eliminated. It also reinforces the need for sound economic and financial policies.

I wonder what design we can expect for the 20th anniversary?

Update

A kind friend has come up with this design, any other ideas?

Always keep a-hold of Nurse

It appears that David Campbell Bannerman has written a self justifying piece for Con Home defending his decision to revert to the Conservative Party. He does not of course address the matter of honour involving his signature guaranteeing that he would stand down as an MEP if he wished to change his party, but as a double rat that would be too much to expect.

What is amazing is that he somehow feels that the current Conservative Party is a vehicle for Britain's exit from thw European Union, something that must have made his reading of Peter Oborne's magisterial piece in yesterday's Telegraph rather uncomfortable reading.

DCB's arguments just do not fly.

He makes the frankly bizarre assertion that the arguments about the EU are near as damn it settled, after all as he says,

Even the pro-EU Tony Blair surprised everyone by announcing a referendum on the EU constitution in 2004 saying that "the weather had changed" and in the Commons: "Let the issues be put. Let the battle be joined!".

And not just Labour,

the Lib Dems, have publicly backed a 'real' In/Out referendum. Whilst they were decisive in opposing a UK referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, Nick Clegg said in 2008 that "it is time to give its first chance in 33 years to decide if it wants to be in or out of the EU... we have been signed up to Europe by default: two generations which have never had their say."

Of course the Tories are to be trusted with their track record on the subject...

But for me the most telling phrase of all in this piece is the following, whilst stating that he has not recoiled from his 'Better Off Out'ness,

My official statement graciously acknowledged this,

Is it up to an individual to announce their own graciousness?

Denis Macshane, Dodgy arrogant slug and liar

The former Europe Minister and dodgy turfed out Labour MP Denis Macshane was up against Marta Andreasen on Newsnight.

The fact that he is up before the beak himself for dubious stuff does not shame him into accusing Marta Andreasen of hiding her own expenses.

He claimed to have searched her website for information but there was none there.

What none like this you snivelling allegedly corrupt liar?

Macshane accused Nigel Farage of boasting on TV that he had pocketed £2 million in expenses from the EU.

Not true,

Macshane and Farage were at a Foriegn Press Association event, which though public was not on Televised. Macshane asked Farage what he recieved as an MEP in "non-salary expenses and allowances", ie staffing and office costs.
Not pocketing. Farage was happy to reveal the cost of MEPs to the taxpayer. Even the Guardian reported it more reasonably than Macshane's comentary last night

When asked about this he went on Sky

In the light of history an interesting interview, if for nothing else the unadulterated venomn from the interviewer.