Actually, beware of anyone uttering the word "solidarity". Anyone, anywhere, any time taking it at cosy face value as a friendly arm around the shoulders displays only solidarity between the ears. The word is entrenched deeply in socialist and controlling/dictatorial lexicons. It is code not for a warm embrace but a crushing bear hug, around the throat if necessary, and means conform or else". It is a word of the controller, dictator and/or bully. Treat it therefore with extreme caution.
It is therefore no surprise that it cropped up in the wake of the treacly self congratulation indulged in by those EU leaders who so ridiculously accepted the absurd Nobel Peace prize for not having marched into or over each other since 1945. The Times' picture of the heads of Mrs Merkels, President Hollande whose countries fought each other in World War 2 and Mario Monti of Italy whose nation cleverly fought on both sides all close together , each with their own variations of what is probably meant to be a triumphant smile is priceless and worthy of a major caption competition. Maybe the uniting factor was that David Cameron wasn't there to spoil the rather good party (no cheap wine again this week, that's for sure), There is no sign in the photos of Dave's emissary, the lad Nick, but he was there somewhere glowing at being at least in the same room as the big boys and the Head Girl.
The "s" word then cropped up again in this week's Eurozone success when the same players agreed to bind themsleves more deeply and more expensively into driving on with the artifical one-size-fits all fiscal impracticality, the Euro, yet again denying the awful cliff edge somewhere ahead just beyond,- and maybe not very far beyond,- their headlights. Intoxicated by the resultant cameraderie up popped the unelected head of the unelected European Commission the sharp suited Barroso saying that the agreement heightened the need to drive on to further political unity,-or solidarity. To him and many other very well fed (thankyou European taxpayers) Brusselscrats the answer to any Eurozone or EU problem is a call to push further into unity and centralisation rather than to pull back, reflect and back away from visions of an even more stifling regime of undemocratic centralist control . The option of veering away to the much lower cost, more democratic and more sensible,practical and desirable notion of a free trade rather than fully controlled and micro managed Europe.
The purveyors of solidarity have therefore had a good few days and are glowing suitably as well as growling or glaring at or simply ignoring the perfidious British who mainly don't like what they see coming, and Lib Dems apart , never really have done.
To celebrate all this and administer a further dose of solidarity, the usual suspects have, regardless of Britain's early protests, voted to increase the EUs budget and thereby the Commissions abilty to meddle in anything they care to. All this increases the cost of the whole Brussells apparatus at a time when none of those who pay the bills have any spare cash and are cutting back on their governmental spending extravagances back home (Well, some are. Others are asking for more time and meanwhile remaining on the beach afraid of going cold turkey after decades of dependence on state funds). The rest of the world, especially the parts which are working 24/7 to secure better standards of living for themselves and the next generation, look on with amazement as the already fat, happy and self indulgent Europe adds further costs/overheads to its activities and doing business while continuing to indulge in all kinds of limitations on its own productivity and prosperity and to generally tie its own hands and feet together. This world beyond shakes its heads in disbelief, shrugs and gets on with designing and building the future. Unthinking "Solidarity" is the way to ensure that Europe doesn't have one.
It is therefore no surprise that it cropped up in the wake of the treacly self congratulation indulged in by those EU leaders who so ridiculously accepted the absurd Nobel Peace prize for not having marched into or over each other since 1945. The Times' picture of the heads of Mrs Merkels, President Hollande whose countries fought each other in World War 2 and Mario Monti of Italy whose nation cleverly fought on both sides all close together , each with their own variations of what is probably meant to be a triumphant smile is priceless and worthy of a major caption competition. Maybe the uniting factor was that David Cameron wasn't there to spoil the rather good party (no cheap wine again this week, that's for sure), There is no sign in the photos of Dave's emissary, the lad Nick, but he was there somewhere glowing at being at least in the same room as the big boys and the Head Girl.
The "s" word then cropped up again in this week's Eurozone success when the same players agreed to bind themsleves more deeply and more expensively into driving on with the artifical one-size-fits all fiscal impracticality, the Euro, yet again denying the awful cliff edge somewhere ahead just beyond,- and maybe not very far beyond,- their headlights. Intoxicated by the resultant cameraderie up popped the unelected head of the unelected European Commission the sharp suited Barroso saying that the agreement heightened the need to drive on to further political unity,-or solidarity. To him and many other very well fed (thankyou European taxpayers) Brusselscrats the answer to any Eurozone or EU problem is a call to push further into unity and centralisation rather than to pull back, reflect and back away from visions of an even more stifling regime of undemocratic centralist control . The option of veering away to the much lower cost, more democratic and more sensible,practical and desirable notion of a free trade rather than fully controlled and micro managed Europe.
The purveyors of solidarity have therefore had a good few days and are glowing suitably as well as growling or glaring at or simply ignoring the perfidious British who mainly don't like what they see coming, and Lib Dems apart , never really have done.
To celebrate all this and administer a further dose of solidarity, the usual suspects have, regardless of Britain's early protests, voted to increase the EUs budget and thereby the Commissions abilty to meddle in anything they care to. All this increases the cost of the whole Brussells apparatus at a time when none of those who pay the bills have any spare cash and are cutting back on their governmental spending extravagances back home (Well, some are. Others are asking for more time and meanwhile remaining on the beach afraid of going cold turkey after decades of dependence on state funds). The rest of the world, especially the parts which are working 24/7 to secure better standards of living for themselves and the next generation, look on with amazement as the already fat, happy and self indulgent Europe adds further costs/overheads to its activities and doing business while continuing to indulge in all kinds of limitations on its own productivity and prosperity and to generally tie its own hands and feet together. This world beyond shakes its heads in disbelief, shrugs and gets on with designing and building the future. Unthinking "Solidarity" is the way to ensure that Europe doesn't have one.
