There was never the slightest chance that David Cameron will achieve any significant “renegotiation” of Britain’s EU membership terms. This fictitious “renegotiation” is the fig-leaf with which Cameron has sought to appease euro-sceptics, promising an in-out referendum once the non-existent “renegotiation” is completed.
When a non-existent process can be deemed complete is an interesting question.
On Cameron’s side, it has only ever been a fig-leaf to buy time, though I do not entirely discount Britain’s extraordinary capacity to delude itself about its ability to “punch above its weight” diplomatically. The book of modern British diplomatic triumphs would be a slim volume indeed.
But the Emperor has made the mistake of pointing to his dangling naked penis. Cameron stated starkly that the election of Jean Claude Juncker to head the European Commission would be evidence that Europe would not adopt Cameron style reform.
Yes, David. Exactly. Thanks for pointing it out. Personally I never thought you were wearing any trousers anyway, but if anyone did you have now dangled it right in their faces.
Cameron has made it even more plain by linking Juncker’s election directly to Cameron’s thesis that national governments must always be paramount in Europe. Juncker’s election is in accordance with an agreement that the leader of the largest party in the European Parliament will head the Commission. Thus, as Cameron pointed out, the very process itself is an advance of Euro-federalism and Euro-democracy, irrespective of Juncker’s views. Absolutely. Cameron’s thesis that national governments must be paramount over European institutions has already been defeated in what Cameron himself made a symbolic fight. The complete fatuity of Cameron’s re-negotiation claims is exposed.
Personally I am very pro-EU. But whatever your stance on the EU, the outright dishonesty of the Cameron approach must be condemned.
I published a couple of weeks ago that Juncker does not share Barroso’s hostility to Scottish independence: as a former Prime Minister of Luxembourg he does not see the problem with small nations. The British media has been extremely keen to puff up the opposition to Scottish independence by foreign leaders. Cameron and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have invested huge diplomatic capital into persuading Barack Obama and Li Keqiang to make statements against Scottish independence, while standing next to Cameron for the cameras.
The media failed to pay the same attention to a much more significant occasion – Angela Merkel refused to do it. Standing right next to David Cameron at a press conference in Sweden, Merkel rebuffed intense British diplomatic lobbying when she refused to back the continued existence of the state the man next to her was representing. It was a stunning slight, as Merkel knocked back the same question fed to Obama and Keqiang with the sensible (though entirely untrue) reply that she never answers hypothetical questions. Cameron stared at the floor, discomfited.
There was never the remotest chance that an independent Scotland would be excluded from the European Union. And the two people who are most important in that decision – Jean Claude Juncker and Angela Merkel – have not been amenable to the FCO’s frenetic anti-Scottish lobbying. They both are in positions much more vital to Scotland’s future than Barack Obama and Li Keqiang – both of whom will change their tune post-independence anyway.
Cameron’s headaches are multiplying.
Li Keqiang’s family name is Li, so if you are going to talk of Obama and him, you should say Obama and Li.
Craig:
This is the funniest one-liner I’ve encountered in quite some time.
Regarding Cameron’s promise of an EU referendum, yes it probably is just an empty promise to attract the Euro-sceptics, but is there a danger that it might develop its own momentum and become unstoppable? It would have a number of influential newspapers backing it.
So pro-EU Scots had better vote Yes, or risk being dragged out of the EU by the Little Englanders.
Craig, I think this blog post should have been called ‘David Cameron’s Penis’.
Keep rowing hard Dave!
http://www.jonworth.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/boat-breakingapart.jpg
From this section of Jon Worth’s blog
http://www.jonworth.eu/category/eu-politics/
I was installing air conditioning in 2 rooms in a newly built mansion. Dangling from the ceiling was a nest of fat cables like car jump leads. ‘ What are these for? ‘ I enquired. ‘ I don’t know ‘ the owner replied. The only use for this type of cabling and air conditioning I could think of was bright lights for porn filming.
So David Cameron, why do you make a fuss about Europe? Is it as Craig so perceptively points out to display your dick in the brightest possible spotlights?
Guano
” The only use for this type of cabling and air conditioning I could think of was bright lights for porn filming. ”
Err, yes – that may say something about you :-)!
Porn studio? Or a cannabis farm?….whoops.
Gorgeous
http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/coffeehouse/2014/06/listen-george-galloway-makes-the-case-against-scottish-independence/
“Or a cannabis farm?”
Err, yes – that may say something about you.
” There was never the remotest chance that an independent Scotland would be excluded from the European Union. ”
I don’t believe there was ever any suggestion that it would. The question has always been would Scotland automatically be a member post independence or would it have to apply.
Err, yes – that may say something about you.
So relieved to see you developing a sense of humour. You actually got the joke.
Kempe-
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/scottish-independence-eu-bid-extremely-difficult-says-jose-manuel-barroso-9131925.html
It would be “extremely difficult, if not impossible” for an independent Scotland to get the necessary approval from the member states for it to join the European Union (EU), the president of the European Commission has said.
February this year. Prior to that the impossibility/difficulty of joining in its own right was the accepted wisdom. There’s been some substantial backtracking since.
“There was never the remotest chance that an independent Scotland would be excluded from the European Union”
Surely that can’t be true. Even if there were no objections in principle to Scottish membership, it could nevertheless all go pear-shaped over the details. Membership could not be finalised for instance until Scotland and the EU agreed on what Scotland’s annual contribution to EU coffers should be.
Spain won’t veto it.
If they did then the Galician fishing industry would collapse, leading to the subsequent collapse of PP funding & support in Galicia. Take a guess who the Galicians vote for now 😉
Turkeys don’t vote for xmas as they say…..
The idea of EU-wide political parties, or mergers to form them, terrifies me a little, I don’t think people are ready or desire such a leap, such things could so easily be out of touch, internally divided, power-hungry and awesomely corruptible right through, which could, given just enough time, be a result of election “in accordance with an agreement that the leader of the largest party in the European Parliament will head the Commission.
I’m certainly in favour of an European Union of sorts, that guarantees equality and human rights, public safety and protection, a social and trading union of peoples. I fear the EU as presently set up, has an air of something organised purely as a test run, a sort of pilot EU, a rough mock-up just to see how things go and the details, ‘trivial’ things, such a veneer of democracy, accountability, to be added later as a result of that experience, which then, despite its prototype status has gone on to entrench itself almost without change or any of the flaws, thought initially understandable, excusable as temporary expedients, now set in stone and solemn writ. It still has the air of a rehearsal about it, assurance of good intentions and outcomes to be taken on faith alone.
When will we get EU-Mark II, with the worst faults fixed or better hidden and some new ones introduced. Will it come with a warranty, and in colours other than bureaucratic beige? All corruptible power absolutely concentrated in one easily accessible place, one set of controls, one cockpit, turns as backseat driver made available to the highest bidding, lobbyist, oligarch, blackmailer or other ne’er-do-well.
Tonight. Not much notice.
Event: The radical case for Scottish independence
Thursday, 26 June 2014 7pm-8:30pm in Committee Room 14, House Of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
One of the most important events for Britain will be taking place in September: the Scots will be able to vote for independence. Yet public discussion in England has been set by political parties arguing that independence is a reactionary and retrogressive step. Red Pepper and openDemocracy are bringing Scottish independence campaigners to the heart of the establishment, Westminster parliament, to hear their case and determination to vote Yes.
Book your place for a discussion with:
Cat Boyd, Radical Independence Campaign
Pete Ramand, co-author of Yes: The Radical Case for Scottish Indpendence
Robin McAlpine, Jimmy Reid Foundation
David Greig, playwright
Joyce McMillan, theatre critic
Neal Ascherson, writer
This is an opportunity to understand the importance for a whole section of the Scottish people of seizing the opportunity to establish a different state. The opposition sets a negative tone: you’ll lose the pound, there will be no oil, you’ll be pushed out of the EU, you will be defenceless… But what we in London have not had is any flavour of the passion and determination increasingly heard in the fervour of discussion now sweeping through Scotland.
/..
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/radicalcase/
Something else for Dave.
Save our Bees. Please.
Our bees are in danger again! On Tuesday, David Cameron and his cabinet are going to decide whether to allow banned bee killing pesticides to be used on fields across the UK.
Unbelievably, a mega pesticide company called Syngenta has just made an emergency appeal after their product was banned across Europe last year due to the risk it poses to our bees.
We’ve not got long to act. But if enough of us make a huge fuss right now, we could persuade David Cameron to throw out Syngenta’s request and uphold the ban.
Can you sign a petition to David Cameron right now demanding that he protects our bees?
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/a-ban-is-a-ban
This is Syngenta.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syngenta
Turnover $14,688 billion !!
The Board
http://www.syngenta.com/global/corporate/en/about-syngenta/governance/management-and-board/Pages/board-of-directors.aspx
Mary: that’s 14.688 billion, not 14,688 billion.
I’ve often found it strange how the media in Scotland gave extensive coverage of Barroso’s remarks where he wrongly compared Scotland to Kosovo,yet gave almost no coverage to remarks he made about Cameron’s plan in October 2013. The Huffington post article found here – http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/10/04/david-cameron-barroso-_n_4042166.html states:
“David Cameron’s plans to claw back UK powers from Brussels are ‘doomed to failure’ as all 28 member states would fail to back Britain’s ‘unreasonable’ demands, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has warned.
Barroso poured scorn on the Prime Minister’s plan to bring legislation from the EU back into the UK’s control, insisting that it would only be achievable by reviewing over 150,000 pages of EU law on a case-by-case basis.“
We’re rapidly becoming (the UK) the leper of the EU, as evidenced by Cameron’s assault on Juncker unifying support for Juncker. My view is that we’re in too deep to get out now, and we are committed to lying back and thinking nostalgically of England. That’s one option. Another is to get out and become the 51st State in name as well as everything else. Those are the globalist options. Alternatively, the UK could assert its independence, relearn its manufacturing and piratical skills and be a thorn in everyone’s side. I rather like that one, and the Scots might even appreciate its boldness and stay in.
@ MJ
Most of Europe uses a comma rather than a full stop to indicate a decimal place so its probably that rather than an attempt to inflate the turnover 😉
“” There was never the remotest chance that an independent Scotland would be excluded from the European Union. ”
I don’t believe there was ever any suggestion that it would. The question has always been would Scotland automatically be a member post independence or would it have to apply.”
_____________________
Kempe is exactly right.
The first bit of the above is just another straw man (from Craig).
“Most of Europe uses a comma rather than a full stop to indicate a decimal place”
In my experience it’s Americans who do it. And no, most of Europe don’t.
Yes, Thatcher got brownie points for renegotiating a European deal which had been particularly bad because we were late joining. There is no negotiating leverage for Cameron but I guess as her protege he thought he could do the same thing. No chance. He’ll be leaving office with nothing. “What did you do as prime minister Mr Cameron?” “Er.”
If Scotland votes Yes it will be a double whammy. Achieved nothing while in office but presided over the breakup of the union. No wonder they are pulling out all the stops to get a No vote!
Answer to the question to CameraOn John
‘I wrecked your NHS. We’re alright though. We all have private health insurance for as you know we are all in it together.’
Yes you are correct MJ! My bad. Don’t know what’s wrong with my eyesight today and I have just had an eye test. Everything was the same as 2 years before. I don’t need glasses thank goodness.
I’ve never understood the sense of opposing Juncker. The question of Scottish independence will be decided by the people of Scotland. If they want independence, the UK will have to live with it and should therefore prepare for every eventuality (perhaps this is happening in secret, for all we know). I hope Scotland remains in the UK, but if not, the UK must make every effort to be on the best of terms with those North of Hadrian’s wall. We need to be like Sweden towards Norway if that happens, IMO.
Vestas
Firstly, welcome to the blog. If you are not here to vent an obsession or two, then you are doubly welcome.
Re fisheries. It may well be the case that the Galician fisheries industry is dependent – perhaps even heavily dependent – on catches around the British Isles, but I believe that the concentration of effort is in “English” waters (and mainly SW England) and the Irish Sea, and not in “Scottish” waters.
Furthermore: even if there was an important Spanish (Galician or whatever)fishing effort in “Scottish” waters, it is certain that the question of maintaining some if not all of those catch possibilities in newly independent Scottish waters would be an important feature of the negotiations on Scottish re-admission into the EU and would be something on which Spain would insist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Having said that, I do not believe that any member state would attempt to block Scottish re-admission for reasons of “principle”. As the Juncker affair shows, questions of principle tend to fall away in the face of what is considered to be the need not to rock the boat.
I really don’t think he cares that much,either way.
Dreoilin
““Most of Europe uses a comma rather than a full stop to indicate a decimal place”
In my experience it’s Americans who do it. And no, most of Europe don’t.”
_________________
The original commenter is correct and you are wrong, Dreoilin (about Europe).