Speaking of Speaking Too Soon...
Talk about being over-run by current events! In a recent post, I praised Britain for its tough stance, and gave credit to the always-outrageous Daily Sun for its tractor antics.
Of course, in the two days since Tony promised to take a "firm line" in protecting the rebate, and he vowed that he would only be rid of it if France dropped its extensive agriculture subsidies (for those outside the EU, that roughly translates to "when hell freezes over"), he's completely changed his tune and now insists that the rebate is an "anomaly that has to go." He wants a wider "budget restructuring" that will involve French farm subsidies. Of course, Chirac will never negotiate them, as they are the only thing keeping France's bloated agricultural sector afloat. It seems that Tony will make more sacrifices for the sake of "the project" with no clear benefits. In fact, the UK pays far more into the EU and gets very little out of the deal. It is enough to make one wonder when enough is enough. Certainly, even an Americanised Bulldog such as myself marvels at the inability of Tony to stand up to the EU and his own Europhile ministers. I remember his programme of "red lines-" national prerogatives such as taxation, defense, criminal justice, and foreign policy that Tony swore he'd never give in to the EU. Now it seems the EU is setting up its own diplomatic service and with it its own foreign policy, a Common Defence Procurement Agency outside of NATO, the ability to issue arrest warrants in thirty-one areas, including the vague "racism and xenophobia" charge (remember, any criticism of the Union is, by its nature, racist or at least xenophobic), and a proposal on how member states should tax their people, and more wild proposals for a direct EU tax. Every single red-line has been crossed. Some of them were crossed before he even made up the term.
Tony's self-control when it comes to EU programmes is about as bad as mine when I walk into Cabela's. He can't resist giving more power to the Union, despite massive public opposition. This demonstrates that, nowadays, opinion of a number of bureaucrats far outweighs one's own electorate. Such is the nature of post-modern government.
Further news in the Pessimistic Section, the Planetary Society Solar Sail that I helped fund is silent. The best-case scenario is "unplanned orbit." More likely, the submarine launch and jury-rigged boost engine destroyed it. What a shame.
For good news, I see that the excellent Fulton Armory has expanded their FAR-15 AR-15 type rifle selection. These folks are seriously good at what they do. If you're interested in owning an AR-15 style rifle, or an M14 or Garand, pay them a visit.
I've also started Herman Hesse's master-work novel Magister Ludi. This is a deep novel. So far, I've agreed with most of his ideas about a lack of intellectual rigor in modern education. Years ago, people read Latin and Greek in high school. Nowadays, most people in my college lit class can barely read English. More thoughts will come as I read it further.
Of course, in the two days since Tony promised to take a "firm line" in protecting the rebate, and he vowed that he would only be rid of it if France dropped its extensive agriculture subsidies (for those outside the EU, that roughly translates to "when hell freezes over"), he's completely changed his tune and now insists that the rebate is an "anomaly that has to go." He wants a wider "budget restructuring" that will involve French farm subsidies. Of course, Chirac will never negotiate them, as they are the only thing keeping France's bloated agricultural sector afloat. It seems that Tony will make more sacrifices for the sake of "the project" with no clear benefits. In fact, the UK pays far more into the EU and gets very little out of the deal. It is enough to make one wonder when enough is enough. Certainly, even an Americanised Bulldog such as myself marvels at the inability of Tony to stand up to the EU and his own Europhile ministers. I remember his programme of "red lines-" national prerogatives such as taxation, defense, criminal justice, and foreign policy that Tony swore he'd never give in to the EU. Now it seems the EU is setting up its own diplomatic service and with it its own foreign policy, a Common Defence Procurement Agency outside of NATO, the ability to issue arrest warrants in thirty-one areas, including the vague "racism and xenophobia" charge (remember, any criticism of the Union is, by its nature, racist or at least xenophobic), and a proposal on how member states should tax their people, and more wild proposals for a direct EU tax. Every single red-line has been crossed. Some of them were crossed before he even made up the term.
Tony's self-control when it comes to EU programmes is about as bad as mine when I walk into Cabela's. He can't resist giving more power to the Union, despite massive public opposition. This demonstrates that, nowadays, opinion of a number of bureaucrats far outweighs one's own electorate. Such is the nature of post-modern government.
Further news in the Pessimistic Section, the Planetary Society Solar Sail that I helped fund is silent. The best-case scenario is "unplanned orbit." More likely, the submarine launch and jury-rigged boost engine destroyed it. What a shame.
For good news, I see that the excellent Fulton Armory has expanded their FAR-15 AR-15 type rifle selection. These folks are seriously good at what they do. If you're interested in owning an AR-15 style rifle, or an M14 or Garand, pay them a visit.
I've also started Herman Hesse's master-work novel Magister Ludi. This is a deep novel. So far, I've agreed with most of his ideas about a lack of intellectual rigor in modern education. Years ago, people read Latin and Greek in high school. Nowadays, most people in my college lit class can barely read English. More thoughts will come as I read it further.
posted by The Admiral at 12:33 AM
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