There goes the UK's future
My triumphal graduation post shall be delayed for a time while I try to wrap my mind around exactly how much of a jerk the UK electorate seems content to elect into office. They've really got themselves into a fix this time. Their fearless leader, Tony Blair, has surrendered completely to the impotent ravings of the rest of the European Union. The budget rebate that Margaret Thatcher worked to secure has been surrendered. Tony Blair has given up £7 billion (10.5 billion Euros) from its 2007-2013 EU budget. This is half of Maggie's rebate for that five year period.
Why a rebate? Well, much of the EU's expenditure is on the ridiculous Common Agricultural Programme (CAP). This system of subsidies funnels enormous amounts of money to European farmers, much in the same manner of our own system except much larger. This money supposedly goes to agricultural development. However, oddly enough, more money goes to French, Spanish, and German farmers than to farmers in the other twenty-two countries combined! The disparity between what the UK put in and what it received was so great that the rebate, which covers this disparity, is now worth £3 billion per year.
This represents a problem for the Franco-German axis (with Spain's Zapatero playing the part of Harpo) is that it cuts them out of a great deal of CAP money. The European Commission also wants to expand its operations, requiring a bigger cut of the budget. This all came together to put pressure on Blair. Having no backbone, Blair eventually caved. One of his campaign issues was to keep the rebate. He then announced that he might surrender 15% of the rebate in exchange for CAP reform. He finally dropped about a third of the rebate in exchange for the possibility of a review of CAP reform (that the French can, and will, cancel) in 2008. Not to be outdone, Chirac demanded at the same press conference that the UK rebate be abolished entirely within the decade.
This is patently ridiculous. The UK rebate is being surrendered by turns, and what do they get in return? More onto this, the UK is abandoning its naturally strongest allies in the Commonwealth for European partners that are at best unreliable. The much-vaunted Anglosphere Alliance between the US, UK, and Australia isn't materialising. What we're seeing instead is a more geographic and economic division. The US and Australia have become strong allies. Japan has also joined this- Japan has strong ties in the realm of defence and economics with the US. Europe hasn't joined the party- it's too concerned with its radical anti-Americanism and amusing attempts to form an opposing power to the US. This takes money, and Tony Blair is more than willing to part with his taxpayers' cash.
Why a rebate? Well, much of the EU's expenditure is on the ridiculous Common Agricultural Programme (CAP). This system of subsidies funnels enormous amounts of money to European farmers, much in the same manner of our own system except much larger. This money supposedly goes to agricultural development. However, oddly enough, more money goes to French, Spanish, and German farmers than to farmers in the other twenty-two countries combined! The disparity between what the UK put in and what it received was so great that the rebate, which covers this disparity, is now worth £3 billion per year.
This represents a problem for the Franco-German axis (with Spain's Zapatero playing the part of Harpo) is that it cuts them out of a great deal of CAP money. The European Commission also wants to expand its operations, requiring a bigger cut of the budget. This all came together to put pressure on Blair. Having no backbone, Blair eventually caved. One of his campaign issues was to keep the rebate. He then announced that he might surrender 15% of the rebate in exchange for CAP reform. He finally dropped about a third of the rebate in exchange for the possibility of a review of CAP reform (that the French can, and will, cancel) in 2008. Not to be outdone, Chirac demanded at the same press conference that the UK rebate be abolished entirely within the decade.
This is patently ridiculous. The UK rebate is being surrendered by turns, and what do they get in return? More onto this, the UK is abandoning its naturally strongest allies in the Commonwealth for European partners that are at best unreliable. The much-vaunted Anglosphere Alliance between the US, UK, and Australia isn't materialising. What we're seeing instead is a more geographic and economic division. The US and Australia have become strong allies. Japan has also joined this- Japan has strong ties in the realm of defence and economics with the US. Europe hasn't joined the party- it's too concerned with its radical anti-Americanism and amusing attempts to form an opposing power to the US. This takes money, and Tony Blair is more than willing to part with his taxpayers' cash.
posted by The Admiral at 10:51 PM
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