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Previous posts in this discussion:
PostFailure of the EU: No Roots, No Future (Eugenio Battaglia, Italy, 11/07/18 5:31 am)
It has been some time since we've discussed the so-called European Union.
Presently there is a big row between Italy and the Brussels bureaucrats about Italy's planned 2019 budget. There is no solution in sight.
I believe that, as Enzo Erra wrote in his book L'inganno Europeo (The European Deception), the problem existed from the outset.
The fools who wanted to write some kind of European Constitution did not find the roots of Europe from which it was born. After the terrible civil war of 1914-1945 that completely destroyed Europe, they completely failed to find a way to help it rise again.
The cupidity of servility towards the Empire has prevailed, and the new EU was created in a politically correct manner, based only on "peace" (of course this means peace according to the Empire, by which wars are operations for peace), multiculturalism, multi-religious, market and banks all dominated by the worst globalism and liberal-capitalism.
The Greek and Roman civilizations, the German Holy Roman Empire, global explorations, the wars against the invaders from the East and all the beautiful arts have been cancelled out and the new generations are pushed to forget.
An attempt to invent a Jewish/Christian tradition (but in Europe there never really was an important Jewish tradition; instead there were only scattered Jewish minorities) had completely failed too. But that was a good thing.
All the past, prior to 1945, has been removed. There has been no union among Latins, Germans and Slavs or among Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox. The new so-called European Union has no roots that can inspire the new generations for their resurrection. As an olive farmer, I can tell you that no organism without good roots can survive.
Even olive and oak trees without strong roots fall on the ground and I, unfortunately, can attest to this.
JE comments: Let's make olives the theme of the day. Don't they also symbolize peace, Eugenio? To my mind, a European "project" based on peace was an awfully good place to start. And except for the Balkans, Ukraine, and other isolated bloodbaths, the European continent hasn't seen a war since 1945.
How can anyone say there wasn't an "important Jewish tradition" in Europe? You should visit Aldona's city of Lublin someday, with its Yeshiva, its cemeteries, and its historic (and nearly all-Jewish) medieval downtown. Almost any city in Poland has a similar history. And what about the Rothschilds, who invented modern global banking--thus giving the financial base for Europe's takeover of the world? Or the great European Jewish thinkers--Freud, Einstein, Marx...?
Visits: 141
A Prediction on the EU
(Nigel Jones, UK
Sigh! No matter how often anti-EU Europeans such as Eugenio Battaglia (November 7) and myself (who actually have to live inside the belly of the beast) point out the corrupt, inorganic, undemocratic and doomed nature of the monster, it seems to have no effect on Europhiles like our esteemed editor. In fact it seems to me that the more distant they are from Europe, the greater their affection.
It all goes to reinforce my conviction that once an idea has taken root inside a person's mind, it becomes impervious both to rational argument and to evidence.
Before the Brexit referendum I repeatedly pointed out on WAIS that it would happen, as the EU and Britain were incompatible. No one believed me until it happened.
I will venture another prediction: the EU will fall apart within a few years. The forces that are destroying it are too strong for such a flimsy and unnatural structure to withstand.
As recent and current events have shown, there is nothing good about the EU. Think about it: when did a positive news story last emerge from Brussels?
Eugenio's olive tree analogy is apt: the EU has no roots in history, politics, culture or economics. As for John praising it for preserving peace in Europe--not so. That was down to the Cold War and NATO. Despite the absurd Macron's efforts, there is no prospect of a European army emerging. I repeat for the umpteenth time: The EU, like all evil Empires, is doomed. You won't believe me till it happens though.
JE comments: Flogging taken, Nigel! I hope we can agree that there is no way to prove why a major war never broke out in Europe after 1945. But can't we say that the raison d'etre of NATO was to prepare for war--and simultaneously, Einstein be damned, to prevent it? Fortunately the latter turned out to be the case.
I do not consider myself a Europhile, although I see some positives: Schengen non-borders, infrastructure development in the formerly impoverished Member States, the common market. Negatives: the destruction of certain sectors of regional economies, a heavy hand on regulation, and the worst of all for this lifelong numismatist: hideous banknotes with no sense of history or local "feel." Their collectibility factor: nil.
Shall we take up Nigel's prediction: will the EU collapse in a few years?
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Does the EU Have a Future? I Agree with Nigel Jones
(John Heelan, UK
I agree with Nigel Jones (November 8th) when he predicted the demise of the EU.
As Deep Throat said in Watergate, "Follow the Money." In the EU's case, the Eurozone will lead the collapse following Brexit when the EU budget will no longer be able to sustain investment in the 22 out of 27 Member States that are net beneficiaries of the money put into the kitty by only 5 Member States.
Then there is the undemocratic nature of its governance controlled by the EU Commission and the various EU central banks. Most EU governments have by now been infiltrated by Goldman Sachs acolytes (as has the IMF) supporting US capitalist ideology. Even the Bank of England continues its "Project Fear" campaign about threats to the UK economy should there be a "No Deal Brexit." It preaches about a resulting flight of UK financial services to other EU capitals, closing its eyes to the EU Commission plan to exercise an EU Financial Transaction Tax on very financial transaction that will wipe billions of euros from the profits of those financial services.
In summary, the Eurozone is slowly collapsing through poor productivity and high unemployment (especially in the under-25s) in the eastern Member States. The faux democracy provided by the EU Parliament is a mockery that will also collapse as soon as MEPs realise that their "gravy train" will slow down and stop though lack of funding.
The danger for Europe is that there might well be yet another Franco-German Reich being created.
JE comments: The current EU model of governance may indeed be unsustainable, but note that 2 and 1/2 years after the Brexit vote, no country has joined the UK in leaving. John, the final divorce is just four months away--can you update New Worlders on the state of negotiations?
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Will Deficits Bring Down the EU? I Don't Think So
(Carmen Negrin, France
If you follow the money, as John Heelan asks on 9 November, where is the USA's money?
How many billions of deficit? If the US stands, why can't the EU? Please explain; I am a total ignoramus in this field.
All I can see is that Italy seems to be the one pulling down at this point, and Brits don't seem to be so pleased about their initial vote on Brexit.
JE comments: Perennial deficits in Washington don't put US survival in danger, so should Brussels be any different? Because of history? Something vaguely "organic" about national identity? Like Carmen Negrín, I hope someone can explain this to us.
We'll begin today's WAISing with a number of EU-related posts. Next up: John Heelan on Brexit.
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- Predictions on the EU: An American's Perspective (Istvan Simon, USA 11/09/18 11:48 AM)
Nigel Jones's passionate opposition to the EU is well known to WAISers. I would like to make just a few comments on his most recent post on the subject (November 8th):
1. I have disagreed with Nigel on this subject before, and like John Eipper, Nigel thinks that this is because I am an incorrigible Europhile. But nothing could be further from the truth. I am not a Europhile. In fact I am neutral on the subject, so since Nigel is so passionately against it, maybe just maybe John Eipper and I may be more objective on this than he is.
2. It is not true, as Nigel said, that the farther you live from Europe the more you are "enamored" of the EU beast, as he calls it. We do have WAISers who live in Europe and are favorable to the EU. In fact their numbers seem to be at least as large as the European opponents in this Forum.
3. I have no horse in this race, so therefore I do not fear if Nigel turns out to be right and the EU will disappear in the near future. I do not believe that this will happen anytime soon, but if it does, so be it. After all I believe in self-determination, and if the people involved do not want the EU, it is fine with me. But...
4. I am an independent thinker and I think with my own head. So the question in my mind is, would Europe really be better off if the EU did not exist? The reason I disagreed with Nigel in the past is not that I think the European Union is great, but that when I think with my own head, I do not see major advantages to the European countries going their separate ways. And I see major disadvantages.
5. I continue to think, despite Nigel's best efforts to convince me otherwise, that Brexit was a mistake. The failure of negotiations so far in Brexit confirms what I have said on this subject, not what Nigel predicted. The fact that he now virulently blames Theresa May for this does not change the fact that those who predicted an easy divorce highly favorable to Britain were simply wrong.
6. I am not a Europhile, but I am definitely a UK-phile. I love England and wish it the very best within or without the EU.
JE comments: I don't see how to disagree with Istvan's point 5: there's been no easy divorce for the UK.
Europhile, UK-phile--these are interesting concepts. What exactly makes one a "phile" of a country other than one's own? Romantic idealism? Wanderlust? A thirst for the exotic? Let's discuss this.
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Theresa May and Brexit: We Need a General Election
(John Heelan, UK
JE commented on Istvan Simon's post about the EU (10 November): "There's been no easy divorce for the UK. "
JE's choice of words might well be significant. However one should also remember the widespread "Project Fear" PR programme being spread not only by EU mandarins and apparatchiks (more significant words?) but also by their acolytes in the UK media (including the BBC that should be ashamed of its taking a political stance on the matter). Some of those acolytes stand to maker their fortunes by taking forward positions on currency dealings and thus their opinions should be considered in that light.
My own preference would be for Theresa May to call a General Election before March 2019 with the sole policy of gaining a mandate from the UK electorate to "walk away" from the EU, no matter what dire forebodings the gainsayers, feathering their own nests. will put in counter-argument. One of those arguments that I hear frequently is that would hand electoral victory to Corbyn and the Labour Party (or in reality the Hard-Left activists of Momentum). Over the last 50 years of General Elections in which I have voted for various parties, I have more faith in the UK electorate's choosing the party with the ideology needed at the time to correct the heading of the UK ship of state.
JE comments: John, barring a deal with Brussels before March, will the default event be the so-called "hard divorce"--with no trade agreements, etc?
Nigel Jones (next) has also weighed in.
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- EU: Europe is Not a Nation (Nigel Jones, UK 11/10/18 6:30 AM)
We have to believe Istvan Simon (November 9th) when he claims to be "neutral" on the subject of the EU, and to have "no dog in the fight." If that is truly so, one wonders why he posts so frequently on the topic!
If there are European WAISers who are pro-EU, I can only say that they have kept remarkably quiet of late. Perhaps understandably, since there has been no good news coming from the EU for...oh, about twenty years or so.
I will repeat, yet again, what is wrong with the EU. It is a project, dreamed up by a couple of mediocre French civil servants (Monnet & Schumann) in the wake of WWII, which takes no account of European history. It is therefore inorganic, antidemocratic and increasingly dictatorial.
It has beggared half the continent, allowed the influx of an unassimilatable army of Muslims within its walls, and either caused or failed to prevent wars (Yugoslavia and Ukraine). It is the continuation of the project of German hegemony defeated in two world wars, and I find it extraordinary that Istvan, with his own experience of Communist totalitarianism, fails to recognise what Mikhail Gorbachev (who should know) described as the resurrection of the Soviet Union on European soil.
What Istvan describes as the European states "going their separate ways" simply means their continuation as free nations running themselves as many of them--especially Britain--have done for about 1,000 years.
Why in the name of reason, would they (we) wish to surrender those hard-won rights, liberties and freedoms to a bureaucratic nightmare dreamed up to stop Germany invading their country (again)? I don't see Istvan arguing against the US or Israel "going their separate ways," so why should we?
I suppose what it boils down to is that Man does not live by bread alone. In other words, Europe is not a nation, and cannot be made into one by fiat of an unelected bureaucratic elite.
JE comments: Especially relevant here is tomorrow's anniversary: 100 years since the Eleventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month. The Armistice and aftermath of 11 November 1918 probably defined today's world more than any other single day in history. I hope we'll have a good conversation about it.
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True Roots of Anti-EU Sentiment: Xenophobia and Racism
(José Ignacio Soler, Venezuela
Recently Eugenio Battaglia and Nigel Jones have insisted on their mantra forecasting the European Union's collapse under different arguments. For Eugenio it's the lack of substantial "roots" in the Union, the disappearance of Europe's cultural roots in the Greek and Roman civilizations, the lack of union among Latins, Germans and Slavs, a blind submission to the "Empire," and so on. In the case of Nigel, it's his well-known mantra of the "corrupt, inorganic, undemocratic and doomed nature of the monster."
They might be both partially right, but I believe they are not.
Nevertheless, it is a fact the EU is facing a crisis, but the root causes are xenophobia and racism, though in different intensities in the different European nations. Xenophobia and racism are causing the current crisis and the rise of the populist Europhobic political movements. Other argued reasons, perhaps for the purposes of political correctness, are mere intellectual speculations to disguise the real one.
Roman and Greeks societies, as well as old and more recent European empires and nations were, and continue to be, xenophobic and racist. This is a fact. To be afraid of foreign invasions in the past or uncontrolled immigration in the present is common to all communities and societies. Considering one's own culture and traditions to be superior, the fear of losing one's identity or jobs, a perceived rise in crime, etc., are all natural instinctive reactions for protection and survival against the foreigner.
The current level of racism in each of the European nations is an interesting question that it has been addressed in several studies. Some in English and Spanish can be found below:
and of course Wikipedia
But I have not found any research on the more complex question of xenophobia and racism simultaneously. They are different but related concepts. For instance I suspect that French, as well as British, are more xenophobic than racist, and that Germans are more racist than xenophobic, as well as Spanish and Italians. But this is my humble opinion and personal perception; do not take them seriously.
Finally and by the way, I still wait for Nigel Jones to respond my repeated invitation to illustrate why the European Union is "corrupt and undemocratic." This "obvious" fact for him might not be so evident for more ignorant people like me. I still expect someday he will have the courtesy to enlighten me.
JE comments: Nigel Jones has pointed out the unelected nature of the Council (undemocratic) and the lordly lifestyles of the MEPs (corrupt). But he certainly could phrase this with more pizzazz.
So Euroskeptics, how do you respond to accusations of xenophobia and racism? Is the other common argument about the EU's insolvency and financial recklessness merely a disguise to hide the real motivation--namely, fear of a demographically changing Europe?
José Ignacio Soler's second link makes for fascinating reading. It's in Spanish, but the several maps of Europe show national attitudes towards questions such as "Would you be comfortable if your child had an intimate relationship with a African/Muslim etc?" The Eastern European countries tend to be the least comfortable, with Slovakia and the Czech Republic at the very top of the "racism scale." The least racist (by this measure at least): Scandinavia.
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EU Insolvency: Would You Invest in It?
(John Heelan, UK
(Juncker): "Brussels has urged the EU's 27 member states to pay more money into the bloc's joint budget, which is facing a black hole of up to €13bn after Brexit."
Add to this: the failing Eurozone, low productivity, high unemployment (especially in younger people), the Soroses of the world betting on currency depreciations, reductions in contributions to the EU's net beneficiary Member States (22 out of 27), ambivalence of the Trump Administration on whether the EU survives as a trading bloc in competition with the US and China, and so on.
Would capitalists (even Goldman Sachs) invest in such a venture?
JE comments: Excellent points, John, but GS knows the EU can print its own money. To paraphrase Joe Biden, that's a big [@#%&] deal.
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Why is the EU Insolvent?
(Carmen Negrin, France
In response to John Heelan (November 13th), the EU has unemployment, yes but with an income. It's expensive too, but what would have happened to Greece or Spain if not for Europe?
The UK does owe a lot millions to the EU. And taxes are spent on something useful, albeit with a few exceptions.
JE comments: Great question: what would have happened to Greece and Spain without the EU bailouts? Euroskeptics might respond that the EU was the cause of their financial crises, in that both countries could otherwise have devalued their way out of the mess.
A question we've never addressed on WAIS: is there any serious talk in Brussels about belt-tightening? For bureaucratic behemoths, this is the hardest thing of all to do.
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- What Would the NEU Look Like? A Question for Nigel Jones (Istvan Simon, USA 11/12/18 5:24 AM)
Nigel Jones (10 November) questioned why if I am neutral on the EU subject I have posted frequently about it. It is simply because I continue to think with my own head.
Unlike Nigel, I do not see Monnet and Schumann as mediocre at all. In my opinion they were brilliant. They created the Common Market that was hugely successful, which Britain eventually was eager to join, because it was so successful.
It is because Nigel does not acknowledge, passionate as he is in his opposition, that polls show huge segments of the UK as either regretting the Brexit vote, or of having abstained in the Brexit vote, in spite of preferring to stay within the EU. The young in particular seem largely opposed to Brexit. WAISers in general are from an older generation, where anti-EU sentiment seems to be most prominent. From what I have read Brexit has morphed into Regrexit. I did not invent this term. It is used by the free press to describe the phenomenon.
Nigel asks why the pro-EU European WAISers have not written about it recently. This he needs to ask of them not me, but my understanding is that for example Jordi Molins, Mendo Henriques, and historian Ángel Viñas all have written favorably about the EU. I do not wish to put words in their mouths, they can correct me if I am wrong, but this has been my perception in reading their posts over the years on this subject. Further, John Heelan too, who agrees with Nigel on the EU, has nonetheless acknowledged one of the advantages I see in the EU, namely the need for a common defense. He expressed this as trusting more his nearby neighbors and allies than the United States for the same purpose.
Nigel misrepresents my position on the United States and Israel. He asks why I am happy with the United States going it alone. I am not at all happy about that. I am firmly in favor of the United States being in alliances with other countries and trying to forge supra-national organizations and alliances. I am opposed to Trump's every policy, opposed to his primitive destructive racist nationalism and neo-isolationism. I am opposed to his tariffs, in favor of NAFTA, in favor of NATO, in favor of the OAS, and less so but still in favor of the UN.
I disagree in part with Nigel on Muslim immigration. It is true that some of this immigration has been a failure, that some Muslims do not seem to integrate well into Western societies. But there are also examples of the contrary. The Turkish immigration into Germany of a couple of generations ago seems to have been largely successful, and so was the integration of many Indian and Pakistani Muslim immigrants in the UK. There were notorious examples of the opposite as well. London at one point was called Londonstan with preachers openly engaged in calling for violence and Al Qaeda propaganda based in London. Fortunately, some of these people have been arrested and their preaching of hate ended.
Nigel calls the EU anti-democratic and a re-creation of the Soviet Union, but he never successfully explained to my mind why a more democratic supra-national organization would be impossible or desirable. I understand in fact that Nigel is in favor of NATO and the Commonwealth; is he not? I have asked before, and he failed to seriously address it, how he would design NEU (Nigel's European Union), which would minimize the negative aspects he sees in the EU, be more democratic, and yet preserve the many positive aspects of the EU, the free movement of people, goods and ideas, common defense, the commercial advantages, common positions in the relationship with the United States, and so on.
How to design a supra-national organization of European nations that would willingly give up part of their individual sovereignty, for the sake of cooperation for the common interests, peace, and the common good?
JE comments: Carmen Negrín (France) has also posted in defense of the EU. Indeed, Eugenio Battaglia is perhaps our only Euroskeptic on the Continent. (To be sure, way too many WAISers haven't shared their views on this. Are you a long-silent WAISer in Continental Europe? Please weigh in about the EU.)
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How Would I Re-Fashion the EU?
(Nigel Jones, UK
Istvan Simon (November 12) continues to belie his claim to be "neutral" on the EU with another passionate defence of an organisation he fails to understand.
If the EU had remained the "Common Market" which Britain joined in the 1970s, I, and most other Europeans, would have no problem with it. Sadly, its not-so-secret aim has always been the construction of a totalitarian single state Empire: A political project which is increasingly rejected by the peoples of Europe.
Istvan--perhaps influenced by the left-liberal US media--falsely claims that opinion in Britain has shifted against Brexit. This is not so. If anything, because of the anti-British hate spouted by the EU since the referendum, if a second referendum were held, there would be an even larger majority for Leave.
Britons don't like being bullied.
Like Istvan, I too am firmly in favour of my country being allied with friendly countries.
That is why I support NATO. Sadly, though, the EU is morphing into an anti-American project, which is presumably why Macron called last week for a new European Army to defend against Russia and the USA! (This in the week that his miserable country was commemorating the thousands of American who died defending France against Germany.)
Finally, Istvan asks how I would re-design the EU. I would simply re-fashion it as a loose organisation of free nations trading with one another. But that is not what the EU is about.
It is about creating a totalitarian state. But it is failing on every front.
You don't have to believe me. Believe the elections in almost every European country which are seeing a massive rise in "populist" anti-EU parties. Next up: May's elections to the fake European Parliament. The hideous Tower of Babel is doomed.
As a postscript, José Ignacio Soler (Nov 12) challenges me to prove the corruption of the
I will give him just one instance: The EU is so profoundly corrupt that its
own accountants have declined to audit its accounts for the past 15 years.
Enough said, I think.
JE comments: That's a "sic" on the "miserable country." Nigel, I hope you were referring to France's rain on Armistice Day. Speaking of France, what are we to make of Macron's public shaming of Trump on the issue of nationalism? Franco-American relations may be at their lowest point since..1754?
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- Supranational vs Multinational; Patriotism vs Nationalism (Carmen Negrin, France 11/13/18 4:09 AM)
I would just like to point out, regarding Istvan Simon and Nigel Jones's posts, that there is a notable difference between supra-national and multinational.
The UK never stopped using the pound and of all the European nations, only 19 out of 28 are using the euro. So I don't really see that "supra" weight. The same confusion between supranational and multi- or inter-national is willingly exploited by Trump when talking about the UN.
I understand why Putin (Ukraine among others) or Trump ("do it my way or stop existing"--nothing supranational with that of course) would want a weak Europe. I don't understand why a British citizen (unless totally misinformed) would want that.
I understand what a national monument is, given that we have borders, even when non-materialized, but I still don't know what national values are, in particular distinguishing one European country from another. I only see geographical differences leading to different types of agriculture and thus cuisine, different languages due to isolation or immigration or even invasions--although they were more or less the same invasions leaving more or less visible traces. And of course, there are, everywhere, different interpretations of different events and different political goals.
Example: Italy wants to loosen laws concerning the use of guns. Their Prime Minister refers to "national values." Except for the Mafia, I don't know what values the Prime Minister is talking about. Maybe it would be best to say that he is receiving something from the NRA via the Bannon Foundation (just a supposition) and then we would understand that those values are traditional corruption. Or that he wants borders and that such a law might force the bordering countries to set them up again. Chi lo sa!?
I suggest Nigel get his DNA done and then we can continue discussing perhaps. In Europe, we are all mixed, African, Northern African and Eastern European, thus Christian, Arab and Jewish blood, white and black.
As Macron rightly said during the WWI November commemorations: "Nationalism is the exact opposite of Patriotism, it is its betrayal." I don't usually quote him, but in this case he put it very simple and clear.
JE comments: The Macron Disjunction may become the Quote of the Year for 2018. I've been thinking about it for the last 24 hours. In the US we commonly see patriotism and nationalism as synonyms. "Progressives" (whatever that means) tend to view both terms with suspicion, opting instead for "love of country" or pride in one's culture.
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Want to Criticize the EU? Start with France
(Jordi Molins, Spain
The recent discussion about the future of the European Union is interesting, but possibly too polarised.
The valid criticisms of some British WAISers should be directed not towards the whole EU, but mostly to France. France has a huge importance within the EU: Strasbourg and Brussels (Wallonia and Brussels are clearly associated with France) are the main EU locations. The main celebrations of WWI took place in France. But the European Union is much more than France.
France is mostly associated with the "New World Order": instead of all individuals being the same with respect to the law, the NWO creates special privileges for some groups of people. France, with its massive top-down bureaucratic structure, and (undeserved) national pride, is the only European country which can commit the mistake of advancing the NWO agenda. Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, the Scandinavian countries and the Visegrad group are far from that ideology.
The "Frenchization" of the European Union (France, parts of Spain, parts of Italy, and Greece) is, in my opinion, what some WAISers despise about the European Union.
But the EU, as a customs union, a currency union, and even a military union, makes all the sense in the world in front of the multipolar world we will live in (or suffer) for the next decades.
As a consequence, the EU's survival does not hinge on Brexit or Italexit, but on reducing the malign exposure of the Frenchization within the EU.
JE comments: Quite unexpectedly for me, France has been getting a bum rap today on WAIS. I never thought about it before, but the Strasbourg-Brussels "axis" is very Francocentric. By contrast, Germany is traditionally the focus of Euroskeptic ire.
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France and the "New World Order"? Not at All
(José Ignacio Soler, Venezuela
I agree with Jordi Molins's latest defense he made of the EU as a "customs union, a currency union, and even a military union," adding that it "makes all the sense in the world in front of the multipolar world we will live in." Well done, Jordi.
Nevertheless Jordi surprised me when he redirected Europhobia against France and "some parts of Spain, parts of Italy and Greece."
By connecting France to the New World Order ideology, or the The "Frenchization" of the European Union, Jordi seems to focus and blame Europhobia on this nation's "malign" influence.
It is true that France, Germany and Great Britain have been the leaders of the EU for many years, and except for GB they will continue to be the largest Eurozone economies, supporting its growth and prosperity. This is not out of disinterest of course, but to believe that any "NWO" ideology is strategically behind its actions is, with all my respect, nonsense unless Jordi can provide more facts and data on this regard.
To start with, there is not a clear concept on what a New World Order ideology is, nor has it ever been clear. The concept has been used in many different contexts, since WWII, by many world leaders and politicians to express a vague and ambiguous idea of a world led by a superpower in unspecific multipolar political scenarios, usually only in reference to a new period of history characterized by a dramatic change in world political power. However, the concept is very often associated with a worldwide totalitarian conspiracy. The leading role in this conspiracy is more often connected to the USA, not France, as an emerging superpower after the Great War and especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
It is not my purpose to discuss this supposed "ideology" now, but the idea that France's "malign" influence based on this "ideology" might be responsible for Europhobia, as well as to focus Europhobia on parts of Spain, Italy and Greece, strikes me as absurd. It is perhaps not really hard to guess what parts of Spain (surely Catalonia excluded) or Italy Jordi is including on his judgment.
I would like to be wrong on my guess for the sake of Jordi.
JE comments: What does New World Order mean? I'll agree with José Ignacio Soler that there's definitely a totalitarian conspiracy about it. In the US we have images of ominous black helicopters (or pro wrestling). Those of us who've read a bit think of Orwell. But blame the French? I hope Jordi will clarify.
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More on Europe's New World Order
(Jordi Molins, Spain
John Eipper and José Ignacio Soler (November 14th) suggested the New World Order concept is related to conspiracy theories. By Occam's razor, a conspiracy is a "high entropy" solution, and as a consequence, highly unlikely. The viral spread of a meme (also known as as an ideology) is an easier explanation of the phenomenon.
Being pro-European, I ask myself when Europe became a prison for those people wanting to get out, like in Brexit.
Being pro-immigration, I ask myself when Sweden started to think that an amnesty for those owning automatic weapons respects the motto "the law is the same for everybody." Or when the UK started to decide a refugee should not be accepted in the country, under the argument that refugees who have already been accepted in the country, who in fact are not refugees, would kill her there (which is the reason why she is a real refugee).
In Catalonia (one of the European territories where the NWO is more widespread) I am told that with these opinions I am ultra far-right. Before, I thought I was a classical liberal or, at the maximum, a libertarian.
I have two explanations: either I have become crazy, or society has become crazy. And I cannot decide myself which is the correct one.
JE comments: Society is a bit nuts of late, Jordi, not you.
José Ignacio Soler and I weren't endorsing the New World Order conspiracy theories. We were arguing rather that NWO itself is associated with them. Thus my reference to the black helicopters. Around the new WAIS HQ in rural Onsted, there are no helicopters, although we do have armies of deer and geese. Perhaps we should reconsider the terminology. How about the New Europe or the European "project"?
Jordi, when time permits, can you explain what you mean by the NWO being widespread in Catalonia? And how would you fit nationalism into the mix?
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Molotov-Ribbentrop 2.0? Catalonia's New World Order
(Jordi Molins, Spain
John Eipper asked me on November 16th: "Can you explain what you mean by the New World Order being widespread in Catalonia? And how would you fit nationalism into the mix?"
I define NWO as the ideology supporting the destruction of "law is equal for everybody." Gramsci's "cultural hegemony" is the target: Neo-Marxists have decided that in order to control society, they do not need a Communist dictatorship. They only need to control the memes.
In Catalonia, after more than three decades of Franco dictatorship, and more than three centuries of Spanish oppression, the average knowledge of the Catalan language was limited to oral conversations. There was no media in Catalan. As a consequence, a Catalan government media company, "Televisió de Catalunya" (TVC), was created with public funds.
TVC, especially the news, is controlled by Neo-Marxists. Never in the more than three decades of TVC, has a single positive thing been said about US Republicans or Israel, for example. The manipulation of the language has been so ubiquitous (and there is no other Catalan media company that can be compared to TVC) that Neo-Marxism is already implicitly considered as the "center" by the average Catalan citizen.
Neo-Marxists can manipulate Catalan society at will. Since the definition of which "special groups" require a "special treatment" by the law is fully arbitrary, and it can become as fine-grained or coarse-grained as the Neo-Marxist journalist wants it to be, the result is a chaotic, logically inconsistent set of emotionally charged "news," with the Gramscian purpose to subvert the "law is equal for everybody" motto.
Since no other media in Catalan exists, non-Neo-Marxist ideas are basically unthinkable. As a consequence, we have a society pushing for a crazy politically correct ideology, without any kind of ethical constraint.
Independentism is completely the opposite to Neo-Marxism, representing the fight against political correctness imposed by Francoism (the specular image of neo-Marxists). In fact, the interests of Neo-Marxists and Neo-Francoists are so well aligned in so many fields of society, that one could a bit jokingly describe their common attitude as a Molotov-Ribbentrop 2.0. Let me emphasize that extreme left political parties in Catalonia (those benefiting from TVC the most) are mostly pro-Spanish and anti-independentist.
The apparent logical inconsistency here is that an overwhelming majority of independentists call themselves "left wing." However, it is important to explain this wording from a non-Catalan point of view: Catalans consider the political "right" as a synonym of Franco dictatorship. As a consequence, the "right" is by definition "bad," so every independentist calls himself or herself as "left-wing." But when we compare traditional centre-right political values with the opinions of independentists, one can find the half-half distribution between social-democrats and moderate-conservatives, typical of Continental Europe, also holds in Catalonia.
JE comments: This logical inconsistency is difficult for us to grasp over here. First we should untangle the terminology. I believe our confusion on New World Order has to do with the popular perception in the US that associates NWO with totalitarian dictatorship. Orwell comes to mind, with ubiquitous surveillance and thought police. Of course they also want to take your guns. It's the kind of vague dystopia that Tim McVeigh declared war on.
Nor would I ever have associated Catalonia's neo-Marxists with the Francoists. I'll remember Jordi Molins's description of Molotov-Ribbentrop 2.0. Neo-Marxists in America tend to be confined safely to the (increasingly irrelevant) halls of Academia.
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- Where is the EU Headed? None of Us Know (Timothy Brown, USA 11/14/18 3:09 AM)
To paraphrase a mantra: "Man does not live by intellect alone, but also lives by who he is." (Please feel free to de-gender this if you'd like.)
I worked in several European countries, plus on the EU, but never met a German who wanted to be French, or a Spaniard who wanted to be an Italian. And there are lots of sub-national peoples inside the EU--Catalans that want to be neither Spanish nor French, Basques that want to be neither French nor Spanish. These are truisms that national politicians understand but all too many Eurocrats keep forgetting. And the EU's expansion, both in identity and economic terms, have strained the EU to, or almost to, the limit. To strain another mantra: "Neither man nor woman lives by bread alone, but also by who they are, not who others want them to be."
While I believe that a united Europe is by and large an extraordinarily positive path to both peace and prosperity through unity, I also believe if it acts like a bulldozer and not like a well-controlled carriage, it has within it the seeds of its own destruction. Put simply via yet another cliche: "Softly, softly cachee monkey." Perhaps none of us will live to see the end of the road the EU is taking. But if it acts slowly and carefully and respects both the similarities and differences between each member-state, it can be successful.
And apologies for the cliches. But sometimes they make more sense than mere opinions.
JE comments: Yes, if the EU collapses, it will be because of identity politics, not ideology politics. (This of course begs the question of whether "identity" is itself an ideology. See Pres. Macron on patriotism and nationalism.)
Tim, if I may pick your diplomat's brain: where did the EU fail to go "softly" in pursuit of its elusive monkey? With the immigration issue? The PIGS crisis? Expanding too quickly? Introducing the single currency?
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- A European Army? Merkel in Brussels (Nigel Jones, UK 11/14/18 2:09 PM)
Lest anyone still had any doubts at all, Angela Merkel has just settled all discussion on the true nature of the EU.
The Empress told the fake European Parliament that Europe needs "a real, true European army."
Now if the EU is truly a peaceful trading bloc, as Istvan Simon and others naively believe, why on earth would it need an army when NATO already exists?
The EU, and let us face facts, is the Fourth Reich--a totalitarian dictatorship in embryo.
JE comments: Merkel's call received applause and boos. Note the lack of any timetable beyond "one day."
There are many ways to interpret the Chancellor's "modest proposal." Might it be nothing more than a sign of Europe's profound distrust of the mercurial Trump? What about the funding, the command structure, and most important of all, the point of a European army?
We can be sure of one thing: With a shared army, France and Germany can no longer go to war with each other.
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A European Army?
(John Heelan, UK
Regarding Angela Merkel's appeal for a European army, John E commented on November 14th: "We can be sure of one thing: With a shared army, France and Germany can no longer go to war with each other."
That might be true. However, we should be fully aware of the multiple wars between England and Franco-German regimes.
JE comments: And don't forget Orwell's Oceania (the UK and the Americas) vs Eurasia (all of Continental Europe). The wild card for the Merkel Wehrmacht: will Russia be invited to join, or is it the whole reason for creating the army?
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- A European Army? (Istvan Simon, USA 11/17/18 9:34 AM)
Nigel Jones asked, "why on earth would Europe need an army when NATO already exists"?
It is surprising that Nigel would ask this question, because the answer is obvious: Europe needs its own army, because it can no longer rely on NATO alone, as our the US president has undermined NATO. There is a lot of fence-mending that will need to be done to undo all the damage caused by Trump when he finally ends up in prison for his crimes. The latter fate is inevitable in this observer's opinion, and it is now only a matter of time.
The political consequences of the results of the Blue Tsunami that I predicted in this Forum, which indeed happened in the November 6 elections, is that Trump's ultimate fate is now pretty much settled. The country has massively repudiated Trump and his policies. Trump is flailing like a frightened little fish out of water.
Trump fired AG Sessions and replaced him with a corrupt con-man, guilty of commercial fraud himself. Matt Whittaker is an unethical man who promoted big foot items for sale for the masses--I kid you not. He is also a fierce declared opponent of the Russian interference and Obstruction of Justice investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Thus his appointment to oversee that investigation is illegal, and an additional crime of Obstruction of Justice.
It is also simultaneously futile and ineffective because it will not save Trump. The fact is that even if Trump were to fire Mueller, he is now powerless to stop the investigation. That is because Congress has independent power, which can investigate and subpoena people and documents at will. In the hands of Democrats it will continue and complete Mueller's investigation, no matter what Trump does. For example, Congress can subpoena Trump's tax returns, which in turn will reveal massive corruption of the Trump organization.
JE comments: This post started with a comment on the European army, and turned into something very different. The big question for the new year: how much real damage can the Democratic House do to Teflon Trump? Time will tell.
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- Italy and the EU: Response to Carmen Negrin (Eugenio Battaglia, Italy 11/15/18 9:56 AM)
If the supporters of EU are all like Carmen Negrín (13 November), the Euroskeptics (who, by the way, still want a different Europe) have a milk run in front of them.
By insulting Italy and its government, Carmen resorts to the worst insinuations but tempers them with "just a supposition" or a wider "chi lo sa!"
JE comments: Eugenio Battaglia was irked by Carmen Negrín's suggestion that either the Mafia or Steve Bannon may be behind the Italian government's move towards laxer gun laws. But the more one thinks about it, why would the Mafia want freer access to guns--for everyone? Wouldn't they lose their comparative advantage in firepower?
Eugenio, what is Italy's current debate on guns?
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- What About EU and the Environment? (Tor Guimaraes, USA 11/15/18 10:18 AM)
Carmen Negrín (November 13th) seems really to know what she is talking about regarding the pros and cons of the EU.
No one likes bureaucracy, big government, lack of democracy, etc. Clearly there are many problems in every country, and a conglomerate of nations like the EU is no exception. On the other hand, why go crazy and throw the baby out with the bath water? If there is a problem or two, why not try to fix them?
John Eipper stated, "Euroskeptics might [say] that the EU was the cause of [Greece and Spain's] financial crises, in that both countries could otherwise have devalued their way out of the mess." There were serious economic unbalances in both countries to start with, but the US big banks (i.e. Goldman Sachs) and peripheral financial institutions triggered the world financial crisis. The US government bailed out our financial institutions. Why should the EU government not do the same with their nations and institutions at risk?
Last, I want to bring one more issue into the discussion: There are around 8,000 chemicals thought to be potentially threatening to human health. Of those, in the US there are 12 completely banned chemicals from human consumption. Many harmful chemicals are kept hidden from consumers by our big business-biased labeling laws. The horrible, corrupt, undemocratic EU government has somehow identified and banned more than ten times the number of toxic chemicals in products than the democratic USA.
Do Euroskeptics think about that and what it means?
JE comments: I'm glad Tor Guimaraes has brought up the environmental impact of the EU. How would a post-EU Europe (and businesses working there) deal with 28 different sets of environmental regulations? Manufacturing will by default go to the nations with the laxest laws, provoking a regulatory "race to the bottom."
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- If the EU Weren't Democratic, Could the UK Have Left? (José Ignacio Soler, Venezuela 11/16/18 2:59 AM)
I usually disagree with Carmen Negrín's political ideas, but in the case of her November 13th response to Nigel Jones I cannot agree.
First, Carmen distinguished between the supranational and the multinational. If I understand correctly, she means that the EU is not a supranational but a multinational institution. The fact is that the EU is both: multinational, because is constituted by several nations, and partially supranational because many of its rules and regulations are mandatory for all members. Some powers are negotiated and delegated to a supra-authority by its members, particularly regarding commercial trade and production standards. Nevertheless, most of the sovereign rights are not given up by its members; this is why Great Britain could maintain the Pound Sterling and its right to leave the Union, the unfortunate Brexit.
Is it not this fact a demonstration of the EU's democratic values as an multi-supra-national institution?
My second comment concerns Carmen's quote of the recent Macron statement, "Nationalism is the exact opposite of Patriotism, it is its betrayal." I could not agree more with this sentence.
As I wrote in my WAIS post of April 4th, "Although patriotism and nationalism might appear to be the same concepts, and they are commonly used to express the same idea, perhaps because they are inspired by a sense of belonging to a place. Both terms are sentiments related to one's nation; however they are very different." I further explained, "nationalism has been the origin of borders among societies, invasions, racial and religious persecutions, humanitarian crimes, massacres. [It] is likely the main cause of most wars and conflicts in human history." Moreover, "Patriotism... is more a positive feeling that an individual has for her or her own country, nation or community. Patriotism is inclusive and not necessarily inspired by supremacy feelings. It is generally a pride and lovely feeling of belonging to a place, a family, a culture. Patriotism is not chauvinist or supremacist."
We should not confuse them.
In this regard I consider Brexit a product of nationalism, as is most of the populist Europhobic political movements in Europe, all of them inspired by xenophobia and racism.
Finally, I appreciate Nigel Jones's explanation of the "corruption" in the EU, albeit in an unclear and insufficient manner, but he said nothing about its antidemocratic character.
JE comments: José Ignacio Soler poses the central question: how undemocratic can the EU be if Member States are allowed to leave? By this metric, the United States in 1860-'61 wasn't democratic. Granted, the analogy is not perfect. Brussels has no army to punish Britain for seceding.
Perhaps Samuel Johnson really meant that nationalism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
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- Undemocratic Nature of EU, and a 2008 Post from Alain de Benoist (Bienvenido Macario, USA 11/14/18 3:28 AM)
I am surprised we are still discussing Brexit and the EU instead of a post-Brexit Europe.
Then I realized Istvan Simon was absent from the Forum for awhile. Here is one post from Alain de Benoist (20 June 2008) that he must have missed and others must have forgotten or overlooked.
"The European Union is something very different from the IMF, World Bank or the UN. To add something to what Nigel Jones (18 June) wrote about the undemocratic nature of the EU, do American WAISers know that, in the countries belonging to the EU, it is impossible (unlawful) for the elected members of the Parliament to adopt any law or to take any decision which could contradict what has been decided by the unelected members of the European Commission?
"Do they know that currently in France, for example, around 60% of the laws adopted by the Parliament are mere applications of what has been decided in Brussels by these unelected people?"
JE comments: Can it really have been ten years? Nigel Jones's Euroskepticism has become rather mainstream in the ensuing decade. Yet the EU soldiers on. The only substantive change is Brexit.
Thank you as always, Bienvenido, for your tireless work in the WAIS archives. How many of you use the search function on our homepage? (waisworld.org or wais.stanford.edu) With 40,000+ posts, you can find w(a)isdom on just about anything.
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Is the European Commission Undemocratic?
(José Ignacio Soler, Venezuela
I am surprised by Bienvenido Macario's post of November 14th. He quotes an older post by Alain de Benoist in which he stated that the members of European Commission are unelected and for that reason it is an undemocratic body, because it imposes its decisions on the EU member states.
With all my respect to Alain de Benoist, I believe his statement is wrong. If the EU´s by-laws are interpreted correctly, they state clearly that candidates to the Commission are proposed by national leaders on the European Council, taking into account the results of the European Parliament elections (a democratic process in each country). They need support from a majority of members of the European Parliament in order to be elected.
Furthermore, the Presidential candidate selects potential Vice-Presidents and Commissioners based on suggestions from the EU countries. Candidates must explain their vision to the European Parliament and answer questions. The Parliament then votes on whether to accept the nominees as a team. Finally, they are appointed by the European Council, by a qualified majority. The Commission could be removed eventually by European parliament with a 2/3 vote.
If this is an "undemocratic" process, then all my life I have been mistaken as to what a representative democracy is.
Finally, the Commission only proposes laws and regulations; they do not impose them. The parliament must give final approval to any of them. The fact that many of these regulations are accepted by EU members is part of the conditions when membership is accepted.
After I wrote my last post with my argument about xenophobia and racism being the real reason for Europhobia, John Heelan sent another post about the demise of the EU, this time with economic arguments, as well as stressing the EU´s "undemocratic governance" and a supposed US-dominated, Goldman Sachs and IMF capitalist "conspiracy."
The "conspiracy" question is surely mere speculation. Does John have data and unquestionable facts to prove it? The undemocratic character of the EU´s governance, or as John phrased it, the "faux democracy provided by the EU Parliament," remains also to be demonstrated with solid arguments, as I recurrently kindly asked Nigel Jones to provide.
The economic argument has several interesting aspects.
First, John argues that the "EU budget will no longer be able to sustain investment in the 22 out of 27 Member States that are net beneficiaries of the money put into the kitty by only 5 Member States." It is a fact that some of the EU's more advanced and more industrialized economies contribute a greater amount to the EU budgetary system. But is it not a basic democratic coexistence principle of any community, society or "state" that those having greater resources must give greater contribution? Furthermore, is this greater contribution for "free" and without any form of compensation?
The answer to this last question is pretty obvious. The net effect of their contributions to other less developed nations is intended, not always successfully, to increase their standard of living and consequently their power of consumption. As result of these contributions and the rise in consumption, their industrial products have free access to other greater markets, which increases their own production systems and economies and creates more jobs for their people.
It is clear that those contributions are not for free. I invite John to do the numbers on this equation at least for Great Britain in the last 50 years or so. I did and shared the results of this exercise some time ago on WAIS. To believe that governments and economic forces give money away for the sake of generosity, is to be naïve or shortsighted.
Maybe John is overlooking the deep concern about the British economy that the financial and industrial sectors in the UK (and at least 50% of the population!) are really having about Brexit. The fear of losing those commercial and financial privileges is not a promising scenario, despite the British government's efforts to achieve an agreement to preserve the free transit of goods and capital, without the free transit of people (product of xenophobia?), and furthermore without having to contribute to the EU budget.
In summary, it could be argued that British chose the benefits of belonging to the EU, which they despise, without having to pay the price of membership.
JE comments: Isn't the European Commission an example of indirect democracy, or democracy "once removed"? US Senators used to be elected this way. Our presidents still are.
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Will the EU Financial Transaction Tax Keep Banks in UK?
(John Heelan, UK
Nacho Soler (18 November) floats the usual Project Fear scheme that the UK will lose its financial industry to other EU capitals. Nacho overlooks that these financial industries, should they decide to move to the EU, would be subject to the new EU Financial Transaction Tax in their new homes. This would remove substantial billions of euros from their profits (unless they passed those charges on to their clients).
As to the infiltration of Goldman Sachs into the upper ranks of government of EU Member States, the EU Commission and the European Central Banks, it would might be worth his looking at the Financial Times interview with admittedly talented Christine Lagarde (https://www.ft.com/content/78648e1a-3019-11df-8734-00144feabdc0 ) and GS alleged involvement in the Greek sovereign debt problem and the recent horse to join the GS international stable, Barroso. (See https://corporateeurope.org/revolving-doors/2016/08/barroso-gold-plated-revolving-door )
JE comments: What do we know about the Financial Transaction tax? If you were an EU bureaucrat, wouldn't you keep this on hold for a few more years, to coax institutions to abandon London City for the Continent?
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- An Appeal for a New Convivencia (John Heelan, UK 11/08/18 3:58 AM)
JE commented on Eugenio Battaglia's post of November 7th: "How can anyone say there wasn't an 'important Jewish tradition' in Europe? You should visit Aldona's city of Lublin someday, with its Yeshiva, its medieval downtown. Almost any city in Poland has a similar history."
Indeed! It's a history of "Man's inhumanity to Man" or Hannah Arendt's "banality of evil."
The continuing evidence of the medieval ghetto structure in many such towns across Europe demonstrates that Christians were still blaming Jews for the death of Christ. (Actually it was the Romans who condemned him to death, urged by the Sanhedrin!)
I have visited many old "juderías" during my work in al-Andalus, such as those in Córdoba, Seville's Barrio Santa Cruz (sic) where I lodged for a time, Segovia, and many others. Even those Jewish houses during the "Convivencia" of al-Andalus when Muslims, Christians and Jews lived relatively peacefully side by side (although Ronald Hilton disputed this!) did not have any windows overlooking the streets for some reason. In Sevilla, many of today's Christian churches were previously mosques or synagogues. In Córdoba, even the famous Mezquita has a similar history. The Mezquita has a Christian cathedral within it. I visited many ancient synagogues in the old quarter of Córdoba.
It is shameful that the three monotheist religions are unable to reach a new Convivencia, even though their individual Gods demand that they should do so. Until they do, they will continue to hold the world to ransom with and their religious leaders face Hades in the afterlife.
JE comments: The biggest irony of the inability of the monotheists to get along: they purportedly share the same single God. If this god were different in each case, then the animosity would make sense.
But there is hope, such as the following. Good for the Canadians:
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Blaming Jews for Killing Christ: Reflections from Ric Mauricio
(John Eipper, USA
Ric Mauricio writes:
John Heelan (November 8th) wrote, "The continuing evidence of the medieval ghetto structure in many such towns across Europe demonstrates that Christians were still blaming Jews for the death of Christ. (Actually it was the Romans who condemned him to death, urged by the Sanhedrin!)"
I find this logic by Christians who blame the Jews for the death of Jesus quite twisted. Yes, it was the Sanhedrin, who were the Jewish elite, who called for the execution of Jesus because he was a threat to their power. Yes, they were Jewish, but to blame all Jewish people because of this is hardly logical. After all, Jesus himself was Jewish, as were his disciples and all his early followers. To blame the Romans, specifically Pontius Pilate for the execution of Jesus, one needs to understand that Pilate was caught between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he couldn't find a legal reason to execute Jesus, but on the other hand, he had to keep the peace, especially amongst the power elite (the Sanhedrin). So he "washed his hands."
JE comments: I vividly recall an experience in Spain (Granada) in 1985: an elderly widow--my host "mother"--asked a visiting Jewish friend why she (she, not "you people") killed the Lord. Fortunately, my friend laughed the whole thing off, and responded that to her knowledge, she had not.
Could the "Christ Killer" narrative be the foundational myth of all cultural othering? Ric Mauricio omits one theological detail: suppose the Sanhedrin had ignored Christ and let him keep preaching. What then of the entire death and resurrection? If Christ had died a natural death, Christianity would have lost much of its "oomph."
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- An Appeal for a New Convivencia (John Heelan, UK 11/08/18 3:58 AM)
- Will the EU Financial Transaction Tax Keep Banks in UK? (John Heelan, UK 11/20/18 9:49 AM)
- A European Army? (Istvan Simon, USA 11/17/18 9:34 AM)
- Where is the EU Headed? None of Us Know (Timothy Brown, USA 11/14/18 3:09 AM)
- Molotov-Ribbentrop 2.0? Catalonia's New World Order (Jordi Molins, Spain 11/20/18 3:50 AM)
- More on Europe's New World Order (Jordi Molins, Spain 11/16/18 2:40 AM)
- France and the "New World Order"? Not at All (José Ignacio Soler, Venezuela 11/14/18 12:45 PM)
- Supranational vs Multinational; Patriotism vs Nationalism (Carmen Negrin, France 11/13/18 4:09 AM)
- What Would the NEU Look Like? A Question for Nigel Jones (Istvan Simon, USA 11/12/18 5:24 AM)
- Why is the EU Insolvent? (Carmen Negrin, France 11/14/18 3:47 AM)
- EU Insolvency: Would You Invest in It? (John Heelan, UK 11/13/18 5:31 AM)
- EU: Europe is Not a Nation (Nigel Jones, UK 11/10/18 6:30 AM)
- Predictions on the EU: An American's Perspective (Istvan Simon, USA 11/09/18 11:48 AM)
- Will Deficits Bring Down the EU? I Don't Think So (Carmen Negrin, France 11/10/18 4:05 AM)
- Does the EU Have a Future? I Agree with Nigel Jones (John Heelan, UK 11/09/18 3:48 AM)


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If you have five or more of the symptoms in the list and if the symptoms persist for more than two weeks, please do seek help. You may think that you're just going through a long phase of sadness, but it's better to be tested by an expert and rule out the possibility. Depression is a clinical problem with a variety of treatment options.
While talking to someone does help in clearing the minds and gaining support, the severity of your blues may need the intervention of a mental health expert. An expert will help you understand why you're feeling the way you are and equip you with methods to cope.

subset: commoncrawl


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Surrounded by forests and rice paddies, Nirjhara is located a few minutes away from the picturesque Tanah Lot temple, one of Bali's most revered Hindu sanctuaries.
The hotel is nestled in a tropical enclave a short walk away from the volcanic-sand beaches of the southwest coast of Bali. Nirjhara is secluded enough to offer a truly relaxing experience while remaining only 15 minutes from the up-and-coming coastal village of Canggu, 30 minutes away from the energy and excitement of Seminyak, and 45 minutes away from Ubud, the spiritual heart of Bali.
Nirjhara was designed as a luxurious enclave set amidst verdant surroundings to foster a genuine connection between the ancestral Balinese culture, immaculate natural landscapes and discerning guests seeking a haven of peace and relaxation on the idyllic island of Bali. Merging contemporary architecture and modern comfort with authentic local influence, Nirjhara blends seamlessly into its environment. The property combines recycled wood, natural stones sourced throughout the archipelago, and traditional sirap roofing to create a sense of destination where travellers may feel at home yet utterly transported.
Nirjhara Hotel is expecting to open on March 2020.


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Chapter 3. The office
Quietly pushing up into the HVAC, the old style air chamber was not engineered for constant air velocity which was good for him, because all his equipment fit, even the big flintlock. He climbed up and crawled through the space where there were no locks or doors towards the back of the building without the worry of being challenged, making good time. Counting to the tenth vent, he quietly opened it.
Dropping down into the watch commander's office, he plugged in a USB memory stick to the back of the computer. He stretched out a USB data cord and plugged the other end into his tablet computer and overrode the fragile operating system written by a small team in Washington State.
In thirty seconds his clock ran out and knew it was time to go when the first of the impacts of the breaching ram hit the men's room door.
The police only had to get it open just enough for the trip-wire flashbang grenade to pull loose and roll into the foyer where the group of police stood. Two more grenades would go off. One more flashbang and a stinger grenade, it would be an exciting evening for the local law enforcement in Croix Bay.
Back up he climbed. The furry hat with its little winch hidden inside did its job well as it assisted him to climb back up into the plenum chamber of the air delivery system of the main floor of the police department.
A series of booms echoed along the airshaft, the police had succeeded in forcing the armored door, designed to protect people in case of an attack, with their battering ram. They had a shock when the booby-trapped door rolled out a multi-bang stun grenade. He tucked an earplug in his opposite ear to protect on the next series of bangs that he knew were coming and continued to crawl along the tube that was not listed. It ran along the path of the smaller plenum chamber that was in the blueprints. This was a fortunate, but worried him, if they had engineered the airflow so to keep the air velocity up, he could be compromised and need to change the plan.
Turning the corner, he peeked down a vent, hanging half down the hole and saw that he was right in front of the elevator, behind a camera that looked down the hallway in the opposite direction, just as shown in the plans.


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Celebrity-Related Incidents
Aspen has long been recognized as a luxury vacation destination for celebrities and high profile people of all industries. Not surprisingly, friction can often arise between these "famous" people and the average person. Alan Feldman has a history of successfully advocating for people who unfortunately have had an altercation with someone famous. If your rights have been impinged by a celebrity or their entourage, we understand that their money, power, and prestige can be intimidating. Alan is not impressed by celebrity culture and is here to stand up for you and your rights. He has successfully returned settlements against numerous celebrities who overstepped their bounds.


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City District Government Karachi (CDGK) Education Department's local bodies wing ten officers have been caught red handed while they were preparing letter of appointments against illegally forged documents while the personnel whose services have been immediately suspended have been alleged to distort money from the would-be appointee.
The education department has been placed at the top rank under strict monitoring while the recent recruitments were ensured on merits. However, corruption prevails at vast scale in the education department and several enquiries were conducted in past on charges of corruption and induction of ghost employees in the cadre of school teachers but the authorities have yet to bring to the involved to task.
City Nazim Mustafa Kamal has after he had received information about the alleged scam, constituted special monitoring team, which developed secret contacts with the involved officers. On the day, when fake appointment letters were being processed, the monitoring team had alerted the City Nazim Mustafa Kamal for foiling the entire scam.
Immediately after the successful raid, Kamal issued orders for suspension of the services of officers and subordinates on account of their involvement in the nurturing the corruption in the field of education through offering letter of appointment to 415 citizens on fake documents.
On the directives of the City Nazim, the monitoring team has taken all record pertaining to such illegal activities, which needs further scrutiny to ascertain the crime, the criminal and their links within the department and outside.
Kamal has also prompted orders for the initiation of stern disciplinary action against all those involved in the scam at the education department level. He has also ordered for submission of report carrying details after speedy completion of comprehensive inquiry into the matter.
Those whose services have been suspended include Razi-ur-Rehman (Admin Officer), Muhammad Mursalin, Mirza Jilani Baig, Saeed Ahmed, Zafar Ahmed Qureshi, Shakir Hussain, Muhammad Salim Khan and Aamir. Others from education department computer section include deputy district officers Akhtar Adil, Rizwan Ali Khan and Nadeem Hussain.
According to sources, the officers involved in the scam have links to influential political personalities and officers in CDGK and provincial set-up. The letter of appointments were being sold out at Rs 100,000 to 200,000,thus this leads to a scam worth multi-million rupees.
The involved would face first internal investigation and this would suffice to bury the entire scam after a short while, as is the track record of such cases. However, the enquiry officer that has yet to be nominated would face tremendous political and other pressures and the conclusion could be unyielding, claimed the sources.
It has also been learnt that certain officers in the CDGK education department have been in haste to move safer places on leaves until the scam is rather clamed down, added the sources.
It is also pertinent to mention that almost one and a half year ago, an enquiry against Keamari Town's education department was conducted, which had revealed that the officers and employees of the education department had embezzled salaries and funds on behalf of 44 ghost employees. The enquiry report had plainly exposed names of the culprits but true action is yet awaited.


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Agency Directory
Online Services
In general, refundable and nonrefundable tax credits and nonrefundable tax credit carryforwards are available only to the separate corporation that generated them.
An exception applies for the nonrefundable portion of the research expense credit and the research facilities credit under sec. 71.28(4) and (5) or 71.47(4) and (5), Wis. Stats., and the carryforward of these credits. A corporation may share all or a portion of the unused credit with the other members of the combined group in the manner provided under sec. 71.255(6)(c), Wis. Stats., and s. Tax 2.61(10), Wisconsin Administrative Code.
This sharing applies only to the two aforementioned credits; the super research and development credit, which became effective for taxable years beginning on or after January 1, 2011, and before January 1, 2014, under sec. 71.28(4m) or 71.47(4m), Wis. Stats., may not be shared.
Each member of a combined group reports its refundable tax credits on Form 6, Part III, line 13. Each member will report its nonrefundable tax credits on Form 6, Part V. Combined groups that share its members' nonrefundable research expense and research facilities credits should prepare
Form 6CS,
Wisconsin Sharing of Research Credits, and show the amount allocated to each member on the Form 6, Part V.
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE Corporation Franchise/Income Tax Assistance PO Box 8906 Madison, WI 53708-8906 Phone: (608) 266-2772 Fax: (608) 267-0834 Email additional questions to
March 15, 2019
Copyright © State of Wisconsin All Rights Reserved


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Haus Jakob – Alpine Ski Property for Sale
Haus Jakob is a beautiful ski chalet for sale in the magical Alpine village of Fieberbrunn. The chalet has recently completed construction and enjoys around 190m2 of luxurious living space. Spread across 3 floors, this ski chalet for sale boasts its own wellness area, and also three double bedrooms. Additionally, Haus Jakob enjoys an open plan kitchen-dining area, complete with wine fridge and designer fittings. The cosy galleried living area enjoys an authentic fireplace and reading nook. The chalet has a well-equipped ski room, perfect for storing your skis and boots after a day on the slopes.
Perfect Family Ski Chalet Location
Haus Jakob boasts an incredible location. The local ski area is a short walk through the village away, which enjoys 20km of wide entry level slopes, ideal for beginners or young skiers. Additionally, within a 10-minute drive you can access the Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Fieberbrunn ski circus and its 270km of varied pistes. Also within a 10-minute drive, you can access the Kitzbuhel Alps and its 469km of stunning slopes. Also, the glamorous town of Kitzbuhel and its high-end boutiques, 5-star restaurants and hotels is under 30 mins drive away.
Optional Furniture Collections
We work closely with some excellent interior designers and furniture companies, who would be delighted to fully furnish your chalet for you. This could be to whatever specification you prefer, as an optional extra. They would be able to supply a turn-key collection including soft furnishings, sofas, wardrobes, beds, bedding, and more, so that your new ski chalet is ready for you as soon as you pick up the keys!
Are you looking to buy a large ski chalet in the Austrian Alps? Click here to take a look at our family ski chalets for sale. We have the largest portfolio of ski chalets for sale in Austria and would love to help find your holiday home.
Thinking of viewing?
If you would like to view Haus Jakob in Fieberbrunn, or any of our ski property for sale in Austria, we would be delighted to arrange a viewing for you. Please either email us at email@example.com or give us a call on +44 (0) 20 7935 5132
We have representatives in all the resorts we sell in who would be delighted to meet you and show you around. If you would like some tips on where to stay and what to do, why not see our Fieberbrunn resort page.
For more useful information on buying a ski chalet or apartment in Austria, see our buyers guide which will explain the purchasing procedure and costs involved. If you are considering your purchase as an investment then check out our investment guide which will give you information on rental incomes and the possible tax advantages.


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Just like that financial investment disclaimer- 'Past performance doesn't equal future returns.' The same can be said of your limitations!
Abe was having a conversation with someone who wanted something in their life who didn't have it. And Abe reflected to them 'So... You're saying because you haven't had it and you don't have it, means you never will?!'
We can get settled into various grooves that we carve out for ourself. A ceiling on the amount of money, love or any resource that we have due to our life experience. Which is fair enough as that is what we've lived. However, this does not need to be what we recreate in our future if we do not want it to be!
In other words, everything is up for grabs. Yes, it may be difficult to expect, believe and think beyond where you're used to. But that is the work!
Start to write down, visualise, expect and know that you're capable of creating exactly what you want. Your goal is to start to train your consciousness to get used to whatever it is you wish to create.
Work within whatever mental framework you can. If the leap is too big and it feels too far and distant, then it'll probably stay that way, but maybe a slight increase from where you currently stand is more workable, then when you're used to that, you can add a bit more, and so on. Until you look back and realise how far you've come.
Your future is not set in stone, so werk it!
All is well!!!
Happy future-ing!!!
Lots of love, Nick Xxx
EYLE-NL Group Link: http://www.meetup.com/EYLE-NL/
Coaching: http://www.eyle-nl.com/store/c1/Featured_Products.html_
Kristina's Coaching Group: http://www.meetup.com/London-Life-Coaching-and-Self-Empowerment-Meetup/
Maria's Group: http://www.meetup.com/LOA-EMPOWER-TUNBRIDGE/
Nick's Law Of Attraction Group: http://www.meetup.com/Abraham-Nicks/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/EYLE_NL
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Empower-Your-Life-Experience-Next-Level-260848260927460/
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EYLE-NL Blog
Here are some of our reflections upon life! Enjoy, lots of love, the EYLE-NL team!!! Xxx
January 2019


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October – January*
Once you have experienced the waterfowling in Kansas – you'll find your way back every year! Skies filled with those fast whistling wings will make your eyes widen and your shotgun ring!
Please call/email us for more information on hunts! As hunts and rates will depend on availability, weather, and seasons!**
*Seasons depend on hunting regions/locations hunted
**Hunts do not include Kansas hunting license, shells, alcoholic beverages or gratuities.
September 1st, 2019 to November 29th, 2019
Come experience the fast flying fun of dove hunting. Dove hunting is fun and challenging way to get on a lot of birds. It is great for new hunters to practice their skills and retrieving dogs to get a lot of successful retrieves. We have 3 species of dove that regular our area, and it is always a fun way to get the season started!
*Hunts do not include Kansas hunting license, shells, alcoholic beverages or gratuities.
*Your retrievers are welcome to come hunt and stay in the lodge in a crate.


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The banner image you see above is nothing more than an animated gif image. It's simple and effective and can be used in places or sites that allow gif images but do not allow flash components. To create the image, you will need a series of images of the same size and Adobe ImageReady. Note that animated gif image can only display 256 colors so the quality of the image will not be as good as jpg. Gif images are also larger so beware of how many images you stack. The three images you see in rotation above results in a 252 KB file.
1. Open all the source images in ImageReady. (The images should not contain layers. If it does, flatten them)
2. You will need to create a layer for each of the photo you want displayed. To do this, copy each target image into a master image following these steps:
- select a target image
- press ctrl a to select all
- press ctrl c to copy
- select the master image
- press ctrl v to paste
- repeat for each of the images until the master image contains a layer for each of the images.
3. Open the animation window by going to Window-Animation
4. Activate the animation menu by clicking the > arrow on the top right hand corner. Select 'Create Layer for Each New Frame'. Choose Make frames from layers. You will now see series of frame.
5. Select how long you want each frame to be displayed.
6. Press play to preview.
7. When you are satisfied, go to the animation menu and select 'optimize animation'.
8. You must save this as a gif file for the animation to work. In the Optimize tab on the top right hand corner, select the following:
- Format: GIF
- Reduction: Selective
- Colors: 256
- Method: Diffusion
9. Now save 'optimize' as in the file menu.
That's it.


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I have no bones about making you jealous. Of many of my social circle, I can- and do- brag having the best view from my apartment.
So I see gorgeous sunsets pretty much daily, the rainy season yielding more dramatic colors with clouds.
Along with approaching storms:
Or really bad smog.
And most recently, where the fires are.


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37 Killed When Pier Collapses Near Niagara Falls
Grand Island is located in western New York on Lake Erie. It is the largest island in the Niagara River and 4th largest in the state. Originally settled by the French, it became British after the French and Indian War. The Town of Grand Island was organized in 1852. By the end of the 19th century it developed into a tourist town for those who wanted to enjoy Lake Erie. Many steamers left Buffalo, New York for the resorts during the summer months. Social organizations chartered these boats, often accompanied by their own bands. Eagle Park is a resort town located 12 miles above Niagara Falls.
On June 23, 1912 1,000 revelers who were members of the fraternal organization International Order of Foresters were stopped at Eagle Park. They had spent the whole day having fun and made the excursion there in 2 trips. Tired, many wanted to get home quickly. After the first group left by steamer the remaining picnickers waited impatiently. When the steamer was spotted coming to picked them up, they all rush onto the pier. As the steamer tied up along side, the overcrowding and jostling in order to board the boat first was too much for the old pier and it gave way. The center fell first and the rest began to crumple. 250 people went into the water, many caught and mangles in the wreckage of the pier. The current is very strong and several people weighed down by there clothing were carried downstream and it is feared the went over Niagara Falls. In all 37 people lost their lives.
(I must apologize for an error in covering this story. When I first encountered it, it was on a website "Grand Island Pictures From The Past" : http://www.isledegrande.com/picpage/picpage2009.htm
They listed the date as June 12, 1912. I did not recheck it as I should and published it on that date. I am sorry and hope things like this will not happened again. There are many factual errors online and sometimes I catch them and sometimes I don't.)


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The language of movement on a rooftop in Mexico.
This video combines the choreography of Karen Bernal (Ilaii AC, Mexico) with 'La Torre', music taken from 'Onironautiche', the new album by Sara Calvanelli. Concept, filming and editing by Isberg Design Company.
Music by Sara Calvanelli (voice & accordion) Giovanni sollima (cello), Danila massimi (Drums, Cajon, Tibetan Bowls).


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To build up the immunity of my family I would normally boil herbal soup depending on the weather. As the weather is so unpredictable nowadays, it is best to feed them with not too cooling or heaty soup. A person must have a balance of ying and yang to maintain good health.
Chicken ginseng soup is the favourite soup. As the weather is so hot and humid it is advisable to use white chicken rather than black chicken as the latter is more heaty and normally suitable for the weak and those who had just recovered from sickness. American ginseng is used as complement which is bittersweet and cold in nature.
I bought a normal size white chicken and stuffed it with ginseng, red dates, woolberries and glutinous rice. Red dates promote blood cell formation and strengthen the body. To reduce heatiness of the soup, it is best to deseed the dates. The soup is boiled for half an hour and left to simmer for at least 3-4 hours before serving.