Funny, isn't it. I
can't think of a modern Western state which wasn't formed by the
people - in one way or another - booting out an autocratic government
and installing democracy. A bottom-up process, in short. And then we
have the EU superstate, being steadily formed top-down by
self-serving politicians, technocrats and bureaucrats, who can all
talk a good story. As for democracy? Well, it's subordinated, isn't
it. By (and to) those who know better. And who all have big salaries,
big expense accounts and big cars. Something about all this doesn't
smell quite right, does it?
Which reminds me . . .
There a comparison doing the rounds between the US and Spanish
systems of government. The statistic which jumps out is that the US
has only 416 official cars, whereas Spain has 20,000. Just a
guess but I'd say this reflects the possibly redundant extra layer(s)
of government in the regional and/or provincial administrations. And
the lack of control over them, of course.
To return to the EU . .
.There's an almighty struggle going on at the European Central Bank
on whether to hose cash into the banking system ('quantitative
easing'), as in the Anglo economies. Needless to say, the cautions
Germans are agin it and will probably (as usual) win the day.
Meanwhile, here and here are 2 articles on this from our Ambrose. As
ever, he's not optimistic. In brief, Ambrose's
opinion is: I have no criticism of Mr Draghi. He has worked wonders,
given the political constraints. His management of the ECB has been
nothing less than heroic. I agree fully with the logic of his cri de
coeur in Finland a week ago. The ultimate success of EMU, he said,
“depends on the acknowledgment that sharing a single currency is
political union, and following through with the consequences”. Or
put another way, once you have launched a monetary union, you have
automatically launched a political union too. That is what EMU means.
The euro means a single government and a European superstate, and
implicitly the abolition of Germany as a fully sovereign independent
state. To pretend otherwise is intellectually infantile. To resist
this truth - yet to proceed doggedly with EMU anyway - merely
condemns Europe to rolling crises and permanent depression. . . . Mr
Weidmann is equally right in thinking that the headlong charge
towards debt pooling and de facto fiscal union by monetary means is a
mortal threat to German democracy and the rule of law. The stakes are
very high. A showdown must surely come within months, one way or
another. So, is it too late for the only state which seems to matter
to decide enough is enough, that democracy is on the line and that
things have to go backwards now? Perhaps towards the original 'common
market' that the naive Brits thought they'd signed up to?
And talking of banks .
. . You have to laugh. Bankia is the dustbin into which 7 or 8
struggling savings banks were dumped 2 or 3 years ago, after which it
was floated on the stock market. And, guess what, the Board fiddled
the numbers, falsely increasing its value. More long trials? Surely,
there's a sit-com in all this. Details here.
I don't know why it's
taken so long, nor what particular event (if any) prompted it but the
percentage of Spaniards concerned with corruption shot up from 41 in
January to 65 in September. The other 35% are presumably either
cave-dwellers or Spain's over-numerous politicians. Or both.
Finally . . . Here's an
answerphone message recommended for grandparents. Though possibly not
for the Spanish variant:-
Good morning. At
present we're not at home but please leave your message after the
beep.
Beeeeep.
If you are one of our
children, dial 1 and then select the option from 1 to 5 in order of
birth date so we know who it is.
If you need us to stay
with the children, press 2
If you want to borrow
the car, press 3
If you want us to wash
your clothes and do ironing, press 4
If you want the
grandchildren to sleep here tonight, press 5
If you want us to pick
up the kids at school, press 6
If you want us to
prepare a meal for Sunday or to have it delivered to your home, press
7
If you want to come to
eat here, press 8
If you need money,
press 9
If you are going to
invite us to dinner or take us to the theatre, start talking . . .
We're listening!
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