They've learned NOTHING!
EU Referendum post: ...Of equal interest is Booker's second story, which concerns what the Government describes as "a small, technical and non-controversial" Bill now being nodded through Parliament. This will give the equivalent of diplomatic immunity to the employees of a range of 'international organisations", mostly organs of the EU. The "privileges and immunities" it grants will be enjoyed not just by staff members of these bodies, but to all members of their families and 'households'.
Although questioning of this curious Bill has been led by the tireless Eurosceptic Lord Pearson of Rannoch, it has raised the eyebrows of even such a committed Europhile as Lord Wallace of Saltaire. He was surprised to discover that, since his wife is a director of the Robert Schuman Centre, part of the European University Institute, he will share her "immunity from domestic taxation" and other privileges, as her "dependent spouse".
The danger of this Bill, according to Lord Wallace, is that it will create "two classes of people- those of us who are subject to domestic law and pay our taxes and parking fines, and an increasing number of people who do not". While insisting he is a "strong supporter of the further development of the European Union", he regards "the powers, privileges and status of the Commission and many of its agencies with mixed feelings", fearing that "there is a real danger of a popular backlash against the emergence of this privileged elite". The significance of this is that, as Lord Wallace himself pointed out, there are ever more of these EU bodies whose staff enjoy privileges above national law. In response to a question from Lord Pearson, the Government itself only named 28, ranging from the European Railways Agency and the European Plant Variety Office to the European European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia, although the Foreign Office concedes its list will have to be updated "as new bodies are added".
What the Foreign Office would never explain, however, is how these fast-proliferating organs in many ways now represent the true government of our country. Just why therefore the privilegentsia which works for them should be granted the immunities traditionally accorded to diplomats of a foreign power is likely to inspire not just puzzlement but, as Lord Wallace suggests, very great resentment....
Posted by: anonymous2u ||
02/13/2005 12:24:11 AM ||
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#1
Oh, ferchrissakes.
I knew Europe was fucked, but I didn't think they'd go out of their way to speed it up.
Throw off your chains before it's too late, Europeans!
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/13/2005 0:37 Comments ||
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#5
This differs in no significant way I can see from the "promoting no more than its own self-interest" position of the New New Left in America, per tipper's excellent The Real Engine of Blue America post. The Tranzis are playing for keeps, and themselves, of course.
1) The Institute of Directors has come out firmly opposed to the UK ratifying the constitution following a poll of its membership. An unrelated MORI poll of big businesses found the same proportion - about 60% - opposed.
2) One of Blair's closest aides and allies has reinforced speculation that the PM would quit if he lost the referendum for which he will be campaigning for a Yes vote - that would be about a year into the next Parliament. The Tories, if they won, would reject the constitution out of hand.
#13
Some brief googling seems to indicate that the "Plant Variety Office" is an office concerned with the patenting of agricultural breeds.
The article is making me believe that this is the UK government pushing forward the bill, not the EU. If this is the result of some EU directive, it's not stated.
#15
It's clearly a Bill to pre-empt the astonishing taxation-and-legal immunities which will be required by the proposed European Constitution. Such "immunities and priviliges" are standard for organisations such as the UN, the CE and NATO. But then, none of the above have anything like the power and ambitions of the EU with its many-tentacled arms. It's a run-of-the-mill Labour paving-the-way-for-the-Superstate exercise, and just another part of the current British Government's efforts to expand EU powers at the expense of national sovereignty. Nothing to see here...
#16
Bulldog - y'all need to figure out a way to take your country back while you still have one.
Quick.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/13/2005 12:38 Comments ||
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#17
y'all need to figure out a way to take your country back while you still have one.
If UK is still a democratic nation, then the way is obvious: Convince a majority of his countrymen that they should withdraw from the EU.
Btw, mind if I ask what state you come from? I ask because .com had tried to convince me a while back that no true Southerner ever uses an apostrophe in "y'all". Thanks.
#18
If UK is still a democratic nation, then the way is obvious: Convince a majority of his countrymen that they should withdraw from the EU.
The British public don't need me to convince them. The EU and its supporters are doing a great job themselves. The majority of opinion polls show that an overwhelming majority don't want the UK to ratify the proposed constitution, indicating that they consider further integration EU integration undesirable. According to the latest Eurobarometer, as many Brits think membership is a bad thing as think it's a good thing, and almost half (47%) think the UK has not benefitted from membership (as opposed to 30% who think otherwise).
It's only a matter of time before we pull out, the way things are going.
#19
Aris - I'm from Virginia. Lived here most of my life, except for short stints in Texas, Maryland, New York, North Carolina, and Germany.
I missed that post by .com, but I usually use the apostrophe when writing "y'all" anytime I would pronounce the word "y'all" when speaking, particularly when writing to (or to be read by) people who aren't Southerners. People who are native Southerners would recognize "yall," and probably non-southern Americans would, but I'm not sure non-Americans or people for whom English is a second language would.
(Obviously, "you all" is understandable to everyone, though non-southerners don't seem to understand that "you all" is NEVER singular. When we say "you all" to a single person, as in "you all come see us" (though it's usually pronounced "y'all"), we're including their immediate family and sometimes their cousins and their crazy aunt, too.) ;-D
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/13/2005 14:23 Comments ||
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#20
It's only a matter of time before we pull out, the way things are going.
Hope it works out well for you, Bulldog. The UK is a great nation, but it looks to me like the tranzis have gotten far too much control.
Next y'all need to work on getting some of your freedoms back. I understand there are those who have already started. :-)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
02/13/2005 14:27 Comments ||
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I love this country. I came here almost 19 years ago and have spent the majority of my adult life here.
It pains me to say it, it really does. But the fact is that in so many areas and walks and ways of life, the United States is now a better country than Canada.
There, I've said it. Because I'm so very tired of the way, particularly in the last two years, that we Canadians have come to define ourselves not by who we are but by who we are not...
#1
In Canada, this sort of column is usually a farewell piece. It does, however, have the ring of truth, just not what I expected to see in a Canadian paper.
#3
I'm not so certain the people of Massachusetts have low standards. The Kennedy Machine there is extremely powerful. Similar to our situation in Alabama trying to get rid of George Wallace. What really has to happen is for the Republicans to find an extremely strong candidate to run against him and even that probably won't work. He survived the death of Mary Jo so he can probably survive anything. It's really unbelievable how much power the Kennedy Machine has in Massachusetts.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/13/2005 8:29 Comments ||
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#4
Deacon Blues, the K-machine may be powerful and that, but peepul of Mess-a-choo-sets are the ultimate arbiters.
#7
" It's really unbelievable how much power the Kennedy Machine has in Massachusetts "
Fascists !!
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
02/13/2005 10:37 Comments ||
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#8
It says a lot about the people of Mass. that they keep electing him.
Two problems contribute to this - 1) Kennedy worship and 2) a historically weak state Republican Party which, to a large degree, is RINO. In the state Senate Republicans don't have toe votes to kill vetoes, so Romney (governor) tends to get rolled. A lot.
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...Of equal interest is Booker's second story, which concerns what the Government describes as "a small, technical and non-controversial" Bill now being nodded through Parliament. This will give the equivalent of diplomatic immunity to the employees of a range of 'international organisations", mostly organs of the EU. The "privileges and immunities" it grants will be enjoyed not just by staff members of these bodies, but to all members of their families and 'households'.
