Yes, we have more bananas
Posted on 02. Dec, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
Despite what Obama says, the war is over. The world’s longest-running trade dispute has come to an end. That’s right: the EU tariff on bananas… is slightly reduced.
The Common Agricultural Policy costs taxpayers £40bn, and increases food prices by another £40bn. The supposed ’saving grace’ of the protectionist CAP is just that: protection. But, err… how many banana farmers are there to protect in Europe? Well, at least they’re not spending it subsidising smoking. Oh, wait…
On hearing the news, the Foreign Secretary celebrated with a potassium-rich snack.
No shit, Monsieur Sherlock
Posted on 29. Nov, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
Mon dieu. Président Nicolas Sarkozy has said that the ‘big losers’ from the appointments to the new European Commissioner are, you guessed it, the United Kingdom.
We got a treaty that few Brits want. We failed to get our man into the Presidency (Ed: if Blair is ‘ours’, we really are boned). And the price for getting a non-entity into the non-position of Foreign Minister was that we didn’t get jack shit in the Commission. And what did the French get? Internal Market and Services, which includes financial services. The French in charge of the City? Bloody hell, no wonder Frenchy is happy.
Not content with just up-staging Gordon Brown at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, Sarkozy is just twisting the knife now. Brown pretends that his ideas have great resonance on the world stage, but does anyone actually listen to him? Hell no.
As the Commonwealth meeting shows, they only listen when Sarkozy’s by his side. Brown’s great contribution? Inviting Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe back into the Commonwealth. Retard.
Gordon Brown: supposedly a statesman, actually just shit.
Sarkozy and Rompuy laughing all the way to our banks.
The system works
Posted on 25. Nov, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
So the new Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has ruled that people are responsible for their own actions when it comes to bank accounts. The court may get stick from lots of sides for its opacity, its novelty, the role of the EU in its creation. But, this morning, when the chips were down, hell yeah, did it come up trumps.
Freedom of contract is the cornerstone of capitalism. Without it, nobody can prove they consented to anything. But the OFT and EU’s principle of whether something’s ‘unfair’ or not, after they’ve signed a contract saying they’ve accepted it, runs counter to that. Charges for overdrafts are standard practice, not sprung on people by surprise – and they’re the price we pay to be the only major country not to charge to use a current account. If they thought it was unfair, they shouldn’t have signed the contract.
Acceptance of primacy of capitalism over government fiat?
Rejection of the OFT’s attempted gold-plating of EU directives?
Refusing appeal to the European Court of Justice?
I’d call that a very successful day in court.
No to the Rompuy Tax!
Posted on 22. Nov, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
Herman Van Rompuy took all of five minutes as the new Supreme Ruler of Europe before proposing to destroy the British economy: a new Europe-wide Tobin tax on Euro transactions. More Euros are traded in London than the rest of Europe put together (Ed: What Would Ken Say?). To tax Euro transactions is to tax the UK and only the UK. And to that, we say no.
A thinly-veiled grab at the City of London’s wealth and power as the capital of world foreign exchange trading? No.
A stretch of even his vast powers under the European Constitution Lisbon Treaty? No.
A tax that raises money without oversight from the countries that he pretends to represent? No.
A tax to impose even more suffering on people during the economic downturn? No.
Non, non, et soixante millions fois non!
Ten Years On: A KRO Review
Posted on 19. Nov, 2009 by RK in United Kingdom
My sincerest apologies to Mark Wallace and colleagues at the Taxpayer’s Alliance to whom I had promised a swift review of their latest tome, “Ten Years On – Britain Without the European Union.”
In fact where as I had intended this to appear sooner, I was struck down by a deadly bout of man flu and forced to partake of nought but lemsip and season one of Boston Legal for the past week.
The text itself was described to me by an anonymous NGO head as,
“The culmination of the wet dreams of the entire TPA,”
An appropriate blurb indeed, fit for the jacket no less. But the book itself does in fact act as a frightening wake-up slap, as if to say to the reader and indeed the electorate, “You have sleep walked into this nightmare, and now you can’t wake up!” (Ed: Mmm, mixed metaphors.)
Ten Years On is also, however, a comedic and often hilarious self reflection of British-EU relations. This editor seriously enjoyed reading about the impending extradition of one Earl of Sedgefield.
A short, easy and gripping read, Ten Years On is an absolute must have for the libertarian, Euro-sceptic mind and can be ordered for free here. Don’t miss out.
KeepRightOnline rating (out of 10): Thumbs up! (Ed: What!?)
Where is our 5th November?
Posted on 05. Nov, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
Dan Hannan, on the European backbenches again after so very long, wrote a fine piece on the meaning of 5 November. Far beyond just the gunpowder, treason, and plot that we libertarian bloggers laud, it signified an embrace of our own way of life, and a rejection of foreign domination.
But only 83 years after the Gunpowder Plot was a considerably more important 5th November. The Glorious Revolution, the landing of the Protestant William of Orange at Brixham, was deliberately timed to coincide with the 5th November commemorations. He did this prove that the new reign of him and his wife Mary would mark a continuation of the British tradition, rather than the imposition of foreign ideas (Ed: sounds… oddly familiar…).
Before becoming monarchs, William and Mary accepted the terms of the Parliament, codified later in the Bill of Rights: the sovereignty of Parliament, judicial independence, taxation only through Parliament, a right to petition the government, freedom from a standing army in peace time, a right to bear arms, and freedom of speech being foremost amongst them. And where the fuck are our freedoms now?
The Glorious Revolution of 5th November 1688 deserved its name, and deserves its celebration by freedom fighters every much as the Gunpowder Plot does. But that heritage has been forgotten and trodden. Those freedoms have been eroded and cast aside. Where is the Bill of Rights now? Where is our William of Orange?
Mr. Hannan, I doff my cap to you…
Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by RK in United Kingdom
Admirable.
While we wholly respect and understand Mr. David Cameron’s realistic calls for the ‘never again’ strategy, and we take seriously the legal and constitutional hurdles that Britain would now face to repatriate powers from Brussels- we can’t help but feel an awesome romantic allegiance to Daniel at this stand.
Of course, many would call the move foolish- and more the foolish they are for that. The United Kingdom is severely lacking in principled politicians such as Mr. Hannan, and KeepRightOnline are enormously proud that he once wrote for us on the European elections.
Mr. Hannan, I doff my cap to you. You may have served just two months in your position, but that certainly beats a certain Conservative Future National Executive Member. (Ed: Er… Less of that.)
In Dave We Trust
Posted on 04. Nov, 2009 by OHC in United Kingdom
The party has been comprehensively out-manoeuvred on Europe, but David Cameron’s speech today was exactly what was needed. It was the most Eurosceptic message ever delivered by a Conservative leader. But it was grounded in practical policies that can move us away from an ever-centralising Europe and towards incremental repatriation of powers. This was the declaration of a truly conservative policy: a truly two-speed Europe.
Everything he promised today was what he said: necessary, realistic, and deliverable. We may well win a referendum on undoing Lisbon – at the cost of much political capital – but if the European governments were to then refuse our specific demand, and insist on negotiation instead, we’d be screwed for ignoring the referendum result.
As such, we need hard and fast pledges on the Westminster agenda – which we got – and a broad negotiating remit, with a mix of red line issues and aspirational issues. That is how diplomacy works; UKIP thinks that everything’s a red line issue, whereas Labour thinks that nothing is. That Cameron gets it shows that he’s far more of statesman than his rivals.
In Dave We Trust.
Update: It’s been brought to my attention that some people think this is some sort of europhile post. We want the UK out of the EU. But anyone that thinks Dave was going to announce that is off their rocker. The policy he did announce abides by what economists call the Theory of the Second Best; if unilateral withdrawal is impossible, unilateral anything else isn’t the best way to restore our sovereignty.
Quote of the Day: Treason Edition
Posted on 03. Nov, 2009 by OHC in Quote of the Day
A ’senior’ EU official has said:
It has been a long road with French, Dutch and Irish referendum rejections along the wayside but at last nothing lies between Europe and its destiny.
Wait a minute. I thought the French and Dutch rejected the European Constitution. But… this is a different document, isn’t it? Oh, so that would explain why we’re not getting a referendum. Thanks for clarifying, senior EU official.
Songs of Sound: Waving Flags
Posted on 01. Nov, 2009 by OHC in Other, United Kingdom
British Sea Power (Ed: sound name!) released Waving Flags in 2007 to celebrate the eastward expansion of the European Union. It was recorded in the Czech Republic, launched at a mini-gig at the Czech embassy, and contains numerous references to our new European partners ‘from across the Vistula‘.
These ‘barbarians’ have come so very far since the fall of communism. And whilst British Sea Power didn’t mean it, I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s a long way from being saved from totalitarianism in 1989 to saving us from totalitarianism in 2009. In our opinion, the astronomical person mentioned in the first line just has to be Vaclav Klaus!
Oh welcome in, we are Barbarians.
Oh welcome in, cross the Carpathians.
Oh we can fail, not with Czech ecstasy;
No we won’t fail, not with Czech ecstasy,
So welcome in.
#supportklaus