eurealist.co.uk

non partisan comment on the European Union and Westminster politics

 

The EU Splashing our money about

The Caribbean Export Development exists for the sole purpose of increasing exports out of the Caribbean, i.e. to increase its sales and its profits on the world market.

As I have mentioned before it does not seem to make sense for the EU to finance an organisation that

In a fair deal, Europe would fully open its markets to all exports without demanding reciprocation,

competes with EU businesses in the world market place. But that is exactly what has happened with a grant of more than $21 million from the European Commission.

Not that the Caribbean Export executive director Philip Williams was over enthused at the grant; he said that contribution, as well those coming from the annual contributions of CARIFORUM’s 15-member states, are not sufficient.
(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On May 18, 2008
At 4:51 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

Short Break

I will be taking a short break flying out to Spain this afternoon, hope to visit the El Acebuchal later this week to see the renovations for myself and do a post for my new food blog other than that I hope to do a little bit of swimming little bit of reading quite a lot of eating and drinking, the weather is better here than there so I am taking my raincoat.

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On May 11, 2008
At 12:54 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

The EU is still splashing our money about

This time it is 123 million euros to Togo
Concluded in Lome under the 10th European Development Fund, the agreement was signed Friday by EU Commission Head of Delegation Filiberto Sebregondi and Togolese Cooperation, Development and Planning Minister Gilbert Bawara.

46 percent of this money is aimed at boosting the economy through funding infrastructure projects.
Speaking during the same occasion, EU Delegation Chief Filiberto Sebregondi said that cooperation with Togo had already been set in motion by the signing, in early 2008, of an agreement covering three major projects, including the electoral process and remediation macroeconomic projects, at a total cost of 31.4 million euros.
In addition, macroeconomic support through the cancellation of multilateral debt and budget support accounts for 26 percent of the total.

No matter what the arguments to the contrary the EU is certainly already acting like a state, moreover one that has no democratic accountability, did any of us ever vote for our money to be so blatantly used to buy kudos for the European Union.

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On May 5, 2008
At 2:55 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

Climate Change Aids EU Intergration

Of course there is no chance that the EU will take the slightest notice of the facts on climate change as reported by Booker this morning.
as earth is not warming there is no need for international action to face the consequences.
The EU has far too much invested in the industry to allow little things like facts get in its way. The climate change scenario fits extremely well with the EU integration measures it could almost have been invented for just that reason, climate change is an aid to EU intergration so it will continue to change for as long as the EU wishes.

How many times have we been told that we need international action to combat the effects of climate change or that we cannot remain aloof because the fall out will effect us and that we must all pull together in the face of this forecast devastation. The mere fact that the forecasts are continually being proven wrong by time and the climate will be an unimportant sideline as far as the federalists are concerned.
(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem, Featured Articles
By Ken
On May 4, 2008
At 9:49 am
Comments : 0
 
 

The EU is still splashing our money about

The EU is still splashing our money about, lasts time it was for health spars in the Caribbean, this time as announced by Egypt’s Minister of Higher Education Dr. Hany Hilal, the EU is to donate an 11 million euro grant to Egypt. Dr Hilal Said the funds would be used to enhance Egyptian products and raise their competitiveness on the world markets.

This is right isn’t it, the EU is taking our money and instead of using it to enhance our products and our competitiveness on the world markets, it is gifting it to Egypt so they can use it to enhance their products and their competitiveness against us.

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EU, EU accountability, European Union, Egypt, grant

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 30, 2008
At 10:43 am
Comments :1
 
 

Surveys have replaced the vote

The Lisbon Treaty gives the EU power in civil and criminal law, justice and policing, anyone thinking that this will have little effect should be warned that the EU is already preparing the ground for harmonisation of civil and criminal law procedures throughout the 27 member states.

The EU tells us that almost three quarters of European Union (EU) citizens believe that measures should be taken to help them gain access to civil justice in other member states and citizens would prefer these measures to be taken at the EU level through common rules.

More than 80 percent believe that the EU should assist in the enforcement of civil court rulings in one member state involving payment to be made in another member state.

(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 25, 2008
At 8:14 am
Comments : 0
 
 

The effects of EU Citizenship part 3

The EU is already vying with its member states over the concept of citizenship something which is vital for the EU to progress towards its eventual goal. In order to maintain its advantage in the citizenship

a policy of prohibiting dual citizenship between member states would be seen as unreasonable and opposed to the spirit of European integration.

stakes, the EU has to enhance its claim to be our nation state and that it in fact does speak for its citizens. Rather than allowing the member states to maintain their position as guardian of EU citizenship the EU must eventually become the body which decides who would become an EU citizen.

Thus the central EU leadership begin the next steps in demolishing the nationality of the member states, because the EU feels that as the EU does not have legal authority to grant the status of citizen; which at the moment can only be acquired through nationality of a member state. It must therefore challenge the exclusive competence of the member states to determine who is a national, and therefore an EU citizen. It must open up a second avenue for acquiring Union citizenship and bypassing the gate keepers to union citizenship.
(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 18, 2008
At 5:34 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

The effects of EU Citizenship part 2

One of the problems for the EU in its push for direct power over the people, is that EU rules introduced under the banner of removing trading restrictions those prohibiting discrimination between nationals. Only applied to those few people who actually went to work in another member state, the rules did not reach down to the mass of people who did not, hence something was needed to further the interests of the EU.

EU Citizenship was first formally introduced in 1992 in the Maastricht Treaty but because of further developments in the extent of EU citizenship the states feared EU citizenship would undermine their basic sovereignty, so the clause was changed in the Treaty of Amsterdam
(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 15, 2008
At 10:05 am
Comments : 0
 
 

The effects of EU Citizenship part 1

Those who would suggest that the EU is not destined to become the United States of Europe as originally envisioned by the founding fathers of the project, might like to answer one simple question. If that were not the case, then why on earth do we continually have new treaties thrust upon us? No sooner than one treaty has been ratified but they are working on the next one, in fact there is already a “group of wise men” tasked with studying for the next treaty, even before the Lisbon treaty has been ratified

Are we really to believe the alternative, that the leaders in the EU are so stupid that they cannot write a simple treaty agreement and stick to it, instead of continually being forced to change it by events?
(more…)

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 14, 2008
At 7:57 am
Comments : 0
 
 

EU told off for interfering in China

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Jiang Yu has issued a statement telling the EU that it is not amused by the EU interfering in internal Chinese’s matters. In answerer to the resolution on Tibet passed by the EU Parliament which urged European Union leaders to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics unless the Chinese government resumes talks with the Dalai Lama.

China is resolutely opposed to and strongly indignant over the resolution, the Tibet issue completely belongs to China’s internal affairs which brooks no interference of any foreign country or international organization.

Jiang Yu said “We strongly demand the European Parliament respect facts, stop interfering into China’s internal affairs, give up provocation and antagonism, and discard double standards on human rights issues,”

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Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 12, 2008
At 11:32 am
Comments : 0
 
 

Keith Vaz is astonished

Council spy cases hit 1,000 a month

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On
At 7:22 am
Comments : 0
 
 

Regulations

If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law.

Winston Churchill

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 10, 2008
At 10:50 am
Comments : 0
 
 

Did the EU ever have the will

Kissinger believes EU losing will to go to war

PARIS - The reluctance of Europe’s leaders to risk soldiers’ lives in Afghanistan is rooted in the emergence of the European Union and the decline of nationalism and patriotism here, former U.S. secretary of state Henry Kissinger argued in an essay published Tuesday.

I have not read this essay but if the report is anything to go by perhaps Kissinger has a certain point but then on the other hand the EU is not actually asking us to go to war. Now he know who to call perhaps he is realising there is not much point calling?

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 8, 2008
At 6:00 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

Road Pricing back on the agenda soon

Remember the government road pricing scheme that was all the rage last year, but was then suddenly and quietly dropped for no good reason. Well I can confidently predict that it will soon be removed from back burner.

News today EU Transport Ministers gave their final approval for the Galileo satellite navigation project almost ensures that I am right, because the road pricing scheme was the intended method of raising cash for the project.

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On
At 12:51 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

Is this science?

Thanks for the chuckle!

So, using this new scientific method, I have made some predictions of my own:

  • Based on the last 5 years worth of data, the number of people killed in Iraq will increase to 10 billion over the next century and the number of buses and planes blown up by terrorists will be in the thousands annually by the year 2020.
  • Using data from the last 2 years, the price of a 3 bedroom flat in London will be £3bn by 2015.
  • Based on the last hour’s worth of data, I will drink 24 cups of tea and 24 cups of hot chocolate every day.
  • Finally. using data from the last 30 minutes, I will write a post on climate change every 2.3 seconds by the end of September.

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 3, 2008
At 7:54 pm
Comments :1
 
 

EU news Links

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 2, 2008
At 5:32 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

EU Soldiers Accused of Torturing Civilians in Congo

The Swedish military has accused French soldiers of torturing civilians during the EU-led Operation Artemis in the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2003, one of the bloc’s first joint missions.

Five years ago, the European Union sent some 1,500 soldiers to DR Congo as part of a UN mission to take action against the bandits marauding the north-eastern part of the country. The troops were there to protect the civilians.

Report MONUC

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Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On April 1, 2008
At 8:19 am
Comments : 0
 
 

EU Funding of NGOs

NGO Monitor has released a draft report this week examining European Union (EU) funding of political NGOs in the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The fifty page report, ‘Europe’s Hidden Hand’ reveals for the first time that between 2005 and 2007, the EU provided tens of millions of Euros from public money to NGOs whose activities directly contradict EU policy. The report also details the lack of transparency and accountability in EU funding of NGOs.

The report has already begun to have an impact, as a Member of the European Parliament has utilized the report to press the European Commission to explain the inconsistencies in their NGO funding policy and process.

Comment and Link from Dan K

This report does a very good job of illustrating the inconsistencies and lack of transparency in the EU system - If this study is anything to go by, who knows how many other examples are out there?

 

 

You can now access the full report at… Here

From the Jerusalem Post

NGO Monitor’s executive director Prof. Gerald Steinberg said. “This report challenges the EU to practice the transparency and accountability that it preaches to others, and to insure that the funding of NGOs does not undermine EU values and policies.”


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Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On
At 7:27 am
Comments :1
 
 

Test

<!– ckey=”64914C4A” –>

Test

Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On March 21, 2008
At 10:22 pm
Comments : 0
 
 

The Cenralisation of Knowledge

And moving swiftly on from any further debate about the Lisbon Constitution.

Already well entrenched in education the EU decides to step up its centralisation of education, information, and knowledge.

It has been agreed spring summit, that the EU should create a fifth freedom the Freedom of Knowledge to be added to the four original principles of free movement of persons, capital, services and goods in the European Union.

As part of the initiative, the bloc has pledged to boost cross-border mobility of researchers, students, scientists and university teachers, as well as labour markets and work conditions for European researchers and further reforms in high education.

http://euobserver.com/9/25838/?rk=1

It should be noted that the other four freedoms have all resulted in integration and unification.

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Filed under : A solution in search of a problem
By Ken
On March 15, 2008
At 11:21 am
Comments : 0