Comments on: How the minority think

By: SJB

SJB — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:40:02 +0000

This morning, Germany’s Federal Court held that the Lisbon Treaty is compatible with German Basic Law. Ireland seems likely to vote ‘Yes’ in the October referendum, having received assurances on their neutrality stance, tax polices and abortion laws. The Poles have agreed to follow the Irish decision. That just leaves Klaus, the Czech President. Bearing in mind both houses of the Czech Parliament have approved the treaty any further delay on his part might risk a constitutional crisis. In addition, a recent poll reports that he is trusted by only 55% of his countrymen. So it seems possible that the provisions of the treaty may take effect from 1 January 2010.

Had a common EU foreign policy been in place prior to 2003 then perhaps the UK would never have taken part in the invasion of Iraq. In discussing how to cut back on public spending, please don’t forget the billions of pounds that we have been spent on Iraq – an overhead not incurred by France, Germany and other EU nations.

By: Robert K, Oxford

Robert K, Oxford — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:51:16 +0000

Reading the replies to this post suggests that most bloggers here share your frustration and impatience for change. If there is one common problem it surely is the stranglehold of vested interests that are actually very happy with the status quo. The factions in US politics that want to continue slaughtering arabs, who want to keep Guantanamo open, and who believe that a big state should nationalise the banks and the auto industry. In this country it’s a political elite that trades soundbites and pawns its principles in exchange for the levers of power, never intending to reduce the burden of the state on the citizen. In Europe, it’s a bureauctratic mafia interested in its own agenda of control. In each case the answer is the same: hand back power to the citizens through lower taxes, less legislation and less regulation.

By: Steve Hemingway

Steve Hemingway — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 07:04:10 +0000

Please keep the faith and challenge the assumptions of the political class on Europe and everything else. Too many MPs turn into ineffective and overpaid social workers.

By: Edmund Unneland

Edmund Unneland — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:40:56 +0000

Would it work for the UK to rejoin EFTA, and for EFTA to join NAFTA? A wise guy, like myself, might call it NAFTA with an umlaut (puckish humor is probably a hallmark of my Brooklyn upbringing).

By: James C

James C — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 12:32:27 +0000

The seminar attendees sound like “delusional nutters and fruitcakes”, but they made no assertions with which Dave Cameron would have disagreed, and this is what is profoundly disturbing.

By: AndrewSouthLondon

AndrewSouthLondon — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 07:17:56 +0000

When I went to University in the Sixties I was among the 3% of my age group who did. It is now closer to 50%, allowing for the expansion in places now called “universities”

Unless they are all on IQ tablets, the population is not noticably smarter, just more second-rate minds have been given some knowledge, but do not have the ability to think.

I guess that the expansion in second-rate students also applies to the expansion in second-rate teachers.

Opinions should be the final output of considerable effort and study of facts and counterarguments. Now people aquire the opinion first, often directly from the media who “interpret and explain the news to you, instead of merely reporting it. Thats why many of us spend a lot of time each evening shouting back at the television. Especially the pernicious BBC.

When you get back into power, as you will and must, there is a long march ahead…

By: james harries

james harries — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 23:57:24 +0000

It was your remark about people talking in sound bites that caught my eye, JR. That noone has time to listen, construct an argument or deconstruct another annoys me too. Now, let me be boring for a mo…

By: Julian

Julian — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:56:41 +0000

It so exasperating to listen to the eu enthusiasts. Most of us who do not support the eu do not have an antipathy for Europe at all. I do business with Europe, I go there on holiday, I employ people from other European countries and I’ve dated a couple of German girls. I just don’t want our country run by a corrupt, undemocratic and expensive foreign bureaucracy.

By: Andrew

Andrew — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 20:07:54 +0000

These people don’t do cold rational analysis. You have very ably shown that they don’t know anything

I partly blame our education system, which leaves many utterly unable to deal with things like logic and critical thinking, leaving us helpless when trying to differentiate between good and bad in any product or situation.

Functional ignoramuses and mindless buying machines that’s what we’ve become. The British need to switch to plain living and high thinking, for too long we’ve done the opposite.

By: Citizen Responsible

Citizen Responsible — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 19:09:44 +0000

JR “Obama walks on water”

One of the reasons Obama beat McCain to become President is
because the media in the US largely supported him and it seems the honeymoon is not over yet. I read some American blogs and there has been criticism that some of the American media have abandoned the basic responsibilities of a free press and are acting as propagandists for the President. I think he is sincere but naïve when it comes to dealing with the leaders of Iran. Saying in his Cairo speech that it was okay with him for Iran to develop nuclear power was not a good move. Not only is this worrying for Israel, but also for the other more moderate Arab states such as Egypt and Jordon.