Rompuy wants the EU to slither onto the world stage

2trueblue

I do not want some Eurocrat deciding where, how much, and in what form my money is donated. The EU are worse at managing money that Liebore; look at the CAP. Also what about insisting that the accounts are audited before we let them get their greasy fingers any further into our pockets.
Liebore/Blair gave back the rebate and there was an agreement that the re-evaluation of the CAP would occur. Well we know what happened; we were not even included in the talks.There is no benefit for us in the EU. We need our voice represented on this matter, Liebore, yet again stole and lied to us about that promise. No delivery that is what Liebore stands for, lots of talk and promises.

Publius

Please, someone, just cut off the money to these ghastly people! As many have said in the past, with them, whatever the problem, the answer is: more EU.

I suppose, after the vile cynicism of Brown/Balls, nothing should surprise... and I suppose it doesn't. But it still sickens.

Yam Yam

"So when an earthquake strikes, Scottish aid with Scottish money leaves a Scottish airport on behalf of the Scottish people."

Ahem, Fraser. Shouldn't that read 'English' money recycled through the Barnett Formula?

Kevyn Bodman

The EU is evil.
It is based on deceit and theft.

The deceit is that national governments pretend to respect the wishes of their electorates, but then betray them in the interests of the EU itself.

The theft is the money taken from us and used in ways that consistently fail audits.

It is not inconceivable that in the not too distant future it wolud be a crime to make my statement that the EU is evil because it is based on deceit and theft.

The EU cannot be repaired,reformed or improved.
Withdrawal is the right policy for the UK.

And why would anyone want to be a force on the world stage. If you want to give aid then give it because you want to give it as the right thing to do, not to 'big yourself up'on the world stage.

M Walker

His surname is van Rompuy, why do you insist on getting it wrong?

In2minds

No doubt David Cameron will go along with what Rompuy wants to do.

Colin

Let the EU slither where it wants. The more ordinary people get to know it, the more they hate it.

Daniel Korski

Fraser

Like the idea or not, you can hardly blame/credit Van Rompuy with it.

May I refer you to the Lisbon Treaty, which in Article 214.5 states "In order to establish a framework for joint contributions from young Europeans to the humanitarian aid operations of the Union, a European Voluntary Humanitarian Aid Corps shall be set up. The European Parliament and the Council, acting by means of regulations in accordance with the ordinary legislative procedure, shall determine the rules and procedures for the operation of the Corps."

In other words, this has a legal basis in the treaty and is nothing new....

Daniel

Joe Veragio

That'll be handy for all sorts of things, in the future too, like eg. ensuring reluctant Nations pay their Climate Dues.

Such opportunism...

The intention is clearly betrayed in the 'F' word.

A humanitarian mind would be more inclined to a :-
Humanitarian Emergency Aid Response Team, or delivered perhaps by a:-
Civil Aid Response Team
or by an even Faste Action Response Team.

but how would such an ostensible humanitarian capability be better than the UN ?

Kittler

'different countries have different priorities' so Scotland needs its own defence and foreign policy?

Scott

Sure for Scotland you mean statehood, for Scotland is already a nation?

joe parale

"

....., it’s a great tactic – because it seems heartless to object to such a mission. It should, of course, be quashed as needless duplication.

& not to mention the shameless duplicity.

Publius

In the coming months and years, I expect we'll see many smug reminders like Mr Korski's of what lies buried in "the Treaty" whenever we dare to express disgust. Already the velvet glove is being removed from the iron fist.

As far as I am concerned, the Treaty has no legitimacy. It was composed with the deliberate aim of duping not only the electorates, but even the politicians who were conned, bullied or bribed into signing it.

Mr Korski can cheer it on all he wants. Neither it, nor he, commands any credibility.

In2minds

You learn something every day, eh Fraser?

Dorothy Wilson

And, according to Germany's Federal Constitutional Court "the EU of the Lisbon Treaty does not satisfy the minimum requirements of a democracy of the type described in the German constitution".

The German constitution was, of course, framed as a model to prevent the return of dictatorship.

Meanwhile, according to Open Europe's Press Summary Archive, an article in the Mail on Sunday has reported that the UK might be lumbered with contributing some £7bn to a bailout for the Greek economy. It seems that under "Article 122 of the EU Treaty" all EU members could be liable and not just those in the eurozone.

Article 122 does seem to specify that aid should be provided to a member country in exceptional circumstances "beyond its control" and it might be stretching a point to describe Greece's economic plight as such. Nevertheless, it appears voting on this would be on the basis of a majority decision so the UK would not have a veto.

Joe Veragio

"
Dorothy Wilson
January 19th, 2010 5:39pm

And, according to Germany's Federal Constitutional Court "the EU of the Lisbon Treaty does not satisfy the minimum requirements of a democracy of the type described in the German constitution".
"

Well, what if they were to call it the Democratic European Republic (DER) ?

Would that help ?

Daniel Korski

Publius
I make no excuses for having read the thing; perhaps you should have too.
Daniel

Cuffleyburgers

Korski - a quite astonishing remark given that reading it was

a) designed to impossible (on the admission of the french git who wrote it) and

b) the tiny problem that there was nothing we could do about it anyway seeing as how we were denied the referendum promised us.

Therefore the only thing left to us is to complain, to point out the illegitimacy (as opposed to legality) of it, and to seek to influence our spineless legislators in London to resist further integration, demolition of our nationstate and culture, our economy (its bad enough having scots wrecking it but at least we can eventually kick the rascals out).

Your remark has angered me not inconsiderably by its smugness.

It is obvious that the EU will eventually collapse in acrimony, and the longer it struggles on the more violent the acrimony will be.

And in the immortal words of citizen smith, you mate will be first up against the wall.

TGF UKIP

Now then, Fraser, I have a bone to pick with you, far more important than Rumpy Pumpy's toings and froings.

On Sunday you quite ruined my breakfast. There I was, toast, marmalade and Fraser Nelson's NoW column And quite brilliant it was "Aid is what OUR troops need too" laying into Cameron for his quite misbegotten priorities. The piece had me cheering out loud, thumping the table and waving my toast but then right at the end you must have remembered that as well as NoW columnist you were also editor of the Cameron Tory Party house magazine.

For what do we then get but "I trust Cam's instincts. I just wish that he'd trust them too."

Come off it, Fraser, instincts are what defines successful commanders in chief and we've had four years observing Cam's instincts in that role for the Tory Party and massively deficient they have been.

Just consider three of the most important instincts to get right for any C in C:

1)Choosing the right ground to fight on: OK, Fraser, do you think letting Brown jerk him round and forever dictate the battleground (50% tax, NHS spending etc) is the right instinct. And what about matching Labour's tax and spend and PC priorities and putting "Climate change" above all else - have they been sound instincts for a TORY C in C seeking the most appropriate ground to fight on?

2) Raising the morale of the troops - and to test the instincts of your beloved "Cam" here, Fraser, you really need go no further than this Coffee House. Setting aside people like Verity, Stapworld, Vulture and myself on one side and our counterparts the handful of genuine Camerloons on the other and what do you get on this most Tory of websites? A quite damning but prevailing view best expressed as "We know he's not up to much, he's not what we want, we think he's wrong about many policies but he's all we've got and he isn't Brown so we'll have to vote for him." Wow! He may well be another toff but another Wellington he certainly ain't, Fraser.

3) Any good and successful C in C must above all have the right instincts in his selection of field commanders. So what did youthful, inexperienced but extremely arrogant Dave do on his accession, he selected as his commanding generals his mirror images in Osborne and Hilton and what a complete disaster has followed so that Britain's worst ever government by a distance still has everything to fight for and at least an even money chance of preventing a Tory victory.

So come on Fraser, what are these mysterious Cam instincts that so beguile you?

I know next Sunday I'll have my breakfast first before tackling your column.

PS Best thing to appear in the house mag for ages was Ross Clark's brilliant swingeing attack on Dave's instincts last week "Has Dave abandoned the self-made man?" Can only think it must have somehow by-passed the editorial process.

JohnAnt

If there's one thing that could worsen the situation in Haiti even further - and little else could - it's the intervention of an EU official delegation, all bickering about the Unequal Position of the Woman in Post-Earthquake Haiti, and complaining to the hotel manager about the lack of air con.
But when they do send out all that nice EU-Aid, including all the helpful leaflets ("In Case of Fire, Shout 'Fire' - Do Not Wait To Alert the Femme de Chambre") they could dub the lovely blue, star-circle-on-rear-doors delivery airplanes 'Van Rompuy Vans'.
(And good luck at the airport! Don't argue with any US marines, is my advice.)

Dorothy Wilson

Joe Veragio: It doesn't matter what the hell they call it. It is what it is and what it does that matters.

Joe Veragio

Dorothy:- Does it matter, what anyone's Constitutional Court thinks of it ?

Dorothy Wilson

Joe: Yes it does because it show the shalllowness of the legal status of the whole thing.

No it doesn't because the EU elite carry on regardless of both constitutional issues and public opinion. And that is frightening.

Simon Stephenson

"It’s all part of the slowly-slowly method of presenting [my edit] voters with a fait accompli"

Perhaps you're too young to be able to appreciate the changes of the last 20 years, but "presenting voters with a fait accompli" has become the central focus of modern "democratic" politics. It is as though the political class has become so impatient to impose policy that the process of reassuring intellectual doubters and skeptical opposition has come to be treated as a nicety to be disregarded in these modern times. It is considered enough to gain the non-hostility of the limited-thinking majority through deceitful persuasion and propaganda, and this works because it's so straightforward to make a convincing case with lies to an audience who have an in-built need to believe. The key is to by-pass all engagement with those who are less ready to accept everything they are told as the gospel truth.

Just look at Iraq, passive smoking, global warming and the vilification of bankers for examples of how majority opinions have been constructed by propaganda rather than from reality or fact.

Minnie Ovens

Daniel Korski
January 19th, 2010 3:56pm

Mr Korski, can I suggest you make your personal opinions internally and not slither onto a compatriot's article.

Barbara

I for one will never accept the EU even though we are told it's been ratified, so what, we didn't give permission so for me it's illegal and against democracy. We can 'unratify it' by refusing to accept it and force the next govenment to give us the choice we should not have been denied a vote. We should vote to withdraw, and of course most would vote NO, and rightly so. We in this county are on a precipice if we go over, we will be lost has a nation if we stand and fight we will recover this nation for us and our children and grandchildren. So, this man from Brussels can posture all he likes it means nothing to me I choose to ignore him. Has for this government who have betrayed us so valiantly may they be sent into oblivion after the next election, but who we have to follow is the divining question. For me it will be the new and the old will be dumped just like they dumped this nation and lets hope the get dumped far enough for us to not hear from them again.