What a joyous time for the U.K., the shackles of the treacherous and overly bureaucratic E.U. are finally being thrown off. After the communist Jeremy Corbyn led his Labour Party to a crushing and historic defeat a Brexit that has been wallowing and languishing for years finally happened just a few days ago. This blog post represents yet another case where I don’t need to add to much commentary but can link to others who explain the feelings of jubilation (or sadness) amongst the British and Europeans.
Above is an article by a man who opposed Brexit but has the self-awareness to realize that perhaps dragging it on for years and opposing the will of the British people might have some blowback.
An article written by Ms. Stefanie Bolzen who bemoans the loss of the U.K. from the jackboot of Brussels bureaucrats. She seems to have a rather low opinion of many E.U. member states (“freeloaders” among other unflattering terms) and just can’t understand why the British might not want to participate anymore. Par for the course, the author calls the main opposition party Alternative für Deutschland a bunch of racists.
It seems that Frau Merkel believes her position as Chancellor of Germany may be threatened in the next set of elections; she now wants to “drastically decrease” the number of migrants entering Germany. From the Yahoo News! story:
“Merkel has resisted pressure from allies within her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to put a cap on the number of refugees entering Germany, which is expected to top 1 million this year.”
Only one million huh?
“‘At the same time we took on board the concerns of the people, who are worried about the future, and this means we want to reduce, we want to drastically decrease the number of people coming to us,’ Merkel told broadcaster ARD.”
“Merkel, whose popularity has fallen over her handling of the refugee crisis, said the word ‘limit’ did not feature in the CDU’s main resolution which will be debated at the two-day party congress starting on Monday in the southern city of Karlsruhe.”
Perhaps it’s time to add the word “limit” to the CDU’s vocabulary.
“The chancellor added there was broad support in the CDU for her strategy to reduce the numbers.”
“This included working with Turkey to fight traffickers, improving the situation at Syrian refugee camps in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, and strengthening control of the European Union’s outer borders.”
How about strengthening the borders of European countries as well? How about E.U. member states regaining control over their countries?
“Merkel’s conservative critics want her to get the number of arrivals down before three state elections in March and say her hopes of running for a fourth term in 2017 would be in danger.”
I wonder if Merkel would admit to this?
“Her critics say her decision in late August to allow Syrian asylum seekers to remain in Germany regardless which EU country they had first entered had accelerated the influx of migrants.”
The migrants can’t get enough free stuff in Italy or Greece.
Here’s a video of these poor, oppressed, and peace-loving migrants turning down free food and water:
“‘Next year is about one thing in particular: our cohesion,’ she said. It is important we don’t allow ourselves to be divided. It is crucial not to follow those who, with coldness or even hatred in their hearts, lay a sole claim to what it means to be German and seek to exclude others,’ she urged, in a reference to ring-wing populists and xenophobic street rallies.“
I see that the Party media apparatus is hard at work. Anyone who disagrees with adding a million “refugees” a year and Sharia must be a xenophobe, right? I think that citizens of European countries are tiring of being called bigots and xenophobic. As I stated earlier the Socialist Party was crushed in recent French elections and the same may happen to the CSU/CDU in Germany soon. The United Kingdom is holding a referendum on European Union membership in 2017 and could easily exit the EU. If your interested you could always donate to the Leave EU campaign. Czech President Milos Zeman called the recent immigration wave “an organized invasion.” The EU is cracking up and I wonder how many years it will last? Bets anyone?
Martin Schulz is confused as to why not everyone sees the world the way that he does.
One of the most interesting articles that I’ve seen lately on Yahoo! News concerns how European Union leaders are worried about control of Europe slipping from their grasp. From the article “‘EU in danger’ of disappearing, warns Schulz” European Parliament President Martin Schulz believes that the E.U. may not last another decade.
“‘The European Union is in danger. No one can say whether the EU will still exist in this form in 10 years,’ Schulz said in an interview with German newspaper Die Welt.”
Free trade isn’t enough for elitists such as Schulz; he and his other central planners must dictate how European governments operate.
“In the EU there were now ‘forces at work to drive us apart,’ said the German politician.”
I thought that E.U. leaders claimed to care about democracy? Not when it gets in the way of their control it seems.
“We must avoid this because the consequences would be dramatic.”
You don’t say Schulz? Dramatic consequences such as not tying Germany, France, Portugal, and Greece to the same currency?
“The alternative to the EU would be a ‘Europe of nationalism, a Europe of borders and walls’ — a formula that had led the continent into ‘catastrophe’ repeatedly in the past, Schulz said.”
Schulz wouldn’t want citizens of European countries to think for themselves as it’s simply too dangerous. Never fear though, he will ensure the safety of Europe by: taxing its peoples of the majority of their incomes, controlling their lives, and bringing in millions of refugees while doing nothing to verify that there are no dangerous elements among them. What could possibly go wrong with such a plan?
“Germany is on course to take in one million asylum seekers this year, half of them from Syria.”
“Schulz voiced concern about a lack of solidarity by many EU members in hosting the refugees, and about moves by several eastern European countries to build new barriers.”
Schulz just can’t seem to get over the fact that not everyone agrees with him. Why should the proles, I mean citizens, think for themselves?
The world does not belong to those who would slander the Prophet!
Based upon recent election results in France I believe that French citizens do not care what people like Schulz think. The Front National has received more votes than both the Republicans and Socialist Party.
Look at this proud Party member. She’s happy that socialism has brought 25% unemployment rates to Greece.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras was victorious in his re-election bid with about 35.5% of the vote. The Syriza splinter group, Popular Unity, got about 2.8% of the vote. Since Popular Unity received less than 3% of the vote, they’re not even able to enter Parliament. The Guardian article that I’m getting this information from is pretty hilarious. One of the better statements was this gem: “Tsipras’s win in January marked the first time the radical left assumed governance in a country“. Was the Panhellenic Socialist Movement, which ruled the country for decades, not a socialist party? The New Democracy Party, which received 28% of the vote, is considered a “centre-right” party by The Guardian. Funny enough, the Wikipedia article calls the New Democracy Party a “liberal-conservative” party, as if the progressive concept of social justice is compatible with free markets and liberty. I suppose that if your not an overt socialist in Greece you must be right-winger.
Here stands the victorious socialist…
What’s in store for the Third Hellenic Republic? When will we find out? When will other countries give up on giving Greece more money? Will the Greeks finally dump excessive state intervention and socialism? Will another idiot start a CrowdFund campaign for the Greek government? Only time will tell…
Progressives just love to talk about how socialism in the Nordic countries is successful and seem to like the policies enforced in Continental Europe. But when the government gives out something for free, is it really free? Did countries like Norway, Sweden, and Denmark create a classless utopia and Worker’s Paradise? Let’s look at some data compiled by an individual who came from Denmark and has firsthand experience from Democratic-Socialism which is supposedly different than Socialism. It’s amazing that progressives will claim that Socialism is different from Democratic-Socialism.
Remember when progressives worldwide were hailing the election of communists in Greece? I’ll write more soon on the continuing Greek tragedy in coming posts.
And to close out this post, some fine automotive advice from a budding young technician.
Well the Greek referendum is over with and the Greeks voted with a resounding no (61%) on accepting bailout terms. Plenty of European leaders may say that they believe in the Euro and want Greece to stay in the European Union. The opinion polls that showed the Greeks at a dead heat which each other appear to have been quite wrong. The Greek banks don’t exactly have a lot of cash anymore so the drachma will have to make a reappearance pretty soon.There are no laws written on how a member state would leave the E.U. so now might be a good time for the bureaucrats in Brussels to figure something out.
They’re happy, but are they ready for what may come next?
Won’t see these two flags next to each other for much longer.
I don’t see how the Greeks can possibly maintain their current budgets and spending levels. I also don’t see how the people of Europe are willing to give up control of their currencies, much of their economies, and sovereignty to a body like the European Union. The intellectuals who believed and pushed for the Euro seemed to believe that a monetary union would bring political unification. Quite the opposite has happened though. Political differences and demands by different nations that don’t have a real Federal government or other institutions to bind them together are destroying the idea of European integration. Even space cadet Paul Krugman realizes that the Euro is a flawed idea.
The Greek government recently announced that banks would be shutdown for six business days, ATM withdrawals would be limited to €60 per day, and that the Athens Stock Exchange would remain closed on Monday. Time is almost up for Greece and the actions taken by the Greek government won’t solve any financial problems. PM Tsipras and the Greek government are still blaming everybody but themselves for this mess. Tsipras wants the deadline for the bailout program to be extended past June 30th to allow time for a referendum. The following are some statements made my Tsipras:
“It is now more than clear that this decision has no other aim than to blackmail the will of the Greek people and prevent the smooth democratic process of the referendum,” and “They will not succeed. These moves will have the exact opposite effect. They will make the Greek people more determined in their choice to reject the unacceptable … proposals and ultimatums of the creditors,“
They’re right you know, there’s no future for Greece in the E.U. Time to start printing million drachma bills out…I bet Greece’s Finance Minister is real happy right now. I wonder how he’ll blame this on the Germans?Members of left wing parties burn a European Union flag during a protest in the northern Greek port city of Thessaloniki, Sunday, June 28, 2015. Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the Bank of Greece has recommended that banks remain closed and restrictions be imposed on transactions, after the European Central Bank didn’t increase the amount of emergency liquidity the lenders can access from the central bank. (AP Photo/Giannis Papanikos)
Couldn’t Tsipras just be honest and say give my country more free money while forgiving our debt? If the Greek people are interested in regaining sovereignty they should vote to leave the E.U. and dump the Euro. The Greeks also need to reduce government spending and dump socialism. I suppose that there’s simply no way that anything will work out well for Greece. Even if Greece receives any help from the Russians or Chinese, the coming years will be even more painful than the last five have been. The Greek healthcare system has been going downhill for years now while Greeks pensions continue to stay fat. Obviously what Greece needs is more socialism and not less. I wonder how much higher the Greek unemployment rate can go, which is currently over 25%?
Here are some of the more interesting comments from the articles I linked to:
This game between Greece and its creditors somehow drags on. I really don’t understand why, the Greeks are showing few signs of making reforms. The Greeks have already received bailout money, aren’t willing to make any reforms, and continue to make demands of the ECB, IMF, Germany, and anyone else who loaned money to the Greeks and expected the Greeks to not act like total deadbeats. Like I’ve written before, there’s no writing a parody about this. The actions of the Greek government are a parody and complete joke in of themselves. I wonder how many people believe that the Greeks will actually pay back all of the money that they were given?
Isn’t PM Tsipras just full of smiles?
I suppose I can’t blame Greece’s creditors to harshly for keeping up the charade of negotiations. Who would want to take the blame for Greece default and going back to the drachma? Everyone has there limits though. IMF spokesman Gerry Rice stated: “There has been no progress in narrowing these differences,” and “There are major differences between us in most key areas“. I would read this as the Greeks just want free money and the IMF has had enough of that. European Union President Donald Tusk quipped: “The Greek government has to be, I think, a little bit more realistic“. Volker Kauder, the caucus leader for Merkel’s party in Germany stated: “It’s not possible that the borrower decides under what conditions the lender kindly gives his money”.
There goes Merkel, dour as usual. Why isn’t she more interested in giving the Greeks more money?
Perhaps the Greeks are right and from now on the debtor should dictate the terms of the loan contract to the creditor? That sounds plenty progressive to me! Having to pay back the money one owes should be relegated to the last millennium. Only evil capitalists and enemies of the state would want their money back. What’s wrong with Greek proposals to borrow more money to pay back debt? Forward comrades, the revolution awaits!
I wonder how much more common this sight will be in Greece soon?
I’ve written about the Greek debt situation a couple of times now, and it continues to bring on the laughs. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras recently stated the following concerning negotiations with Greece’s creditors: that Greece was willing to accept a “viable and long-lasting” deal and would refuse “humiliating terms“. PM Tsipras also stated the following: “Throughout, we have proven we are ready to make concessions in order to get a mutually acceptable deal. We demand of our partners the same respect and corresponding concessions. We have done our duty, it is now time for Europe to do the same,”. PM Tsipras is also claiming that the IMF is at fault for extreme terms such as: budget surpluses that are too high, reductions in welfare/handout programs, and not writing off debt.
A true people’s hero, fighting to get more money for nothing!
It would be hard for someone to write a better parody of the Greek government than what the Greek government itself is doing and claiming it will do. Syriza is asking for investment funding, infrastructure funding, debt write-off’s, to maintain excessive deficits, and blaming all of Greece’s problems on everyone but Greece. Some of Syriza’s brightest thinkers believe that leaving the Euro and going back to the Drachma will be no big deal. It’ll be just like the hyperinflation that the Weimar Republic experienced. Who else is ready to have a Greek million drachma bill as a souvenir?
I wonder if the Greeks are ready for this?A fine use for what the Greek drachma soon will be…
I personally believe that no European country should have adopted the Euro without actually becoming a federal state or just maintained their sovereignty. Especially with a country that’s contributing as little as Greece is, but there aren’t any easy choices concerning a Grexit are there? But if the IMF doesn’t just give more money to Greece, how will the Greeks pay for healthcare? It’s not as if the socialist government is able to provide much and clearly the Greek economy is suffering from bad policies. I suppose that Syriza will just blame “austerity” though…
Can’t get enough of that government run healthcare.
The leftist Syriza party has just won the Greek elections with between 35.5 and 39.5% of the vote. The man who will likely become Greece’s new Prime Minister quipped of the victory “The Greek people have given a clear, indisputable mandate for Greece to leave behind austerity.” Because if anything is worth trying again after years of failure, that would be more socialism. I suppose that when the Panhellenic Socialist Party (PASOK) was in control that they just didn’t do socialism correctly. One way or another, these guys will get it right. It’s funny how the left always says “austerity” whenever someone else says that perhaps the budget should be balanced once in a while. As we all know, living within your means is for losers. Just raise taxes and you’ll get all the money you need right? Just keep promising “free” stuff and the voters will put you in power apparently.
Moving onto the Eurozone as a whole, who wants to take bets on who will leave the E.U. and when? The Germans are certainly preparing themselves for such an event. Anyway, I still think it doesn’t make sense for sovereign countries to share a single currency. In light of events such as the Greek election, why should countries with different desires, ideas, and goals all be forced into some sort of supranational state? The whole Euro project was never a great idea to begin with.
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