The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

My Entry For Dumbest Political Statement Of The Year

Posted on | December 18, 2011 | 5 Comments

by Smitty

David Cameron’s decision to veto an EU-wide treaty change over eurozone rules was “largely political”, Business Secretary Vince Cable has said.

Perhaps we can come at it this way: just what portion of Cameron’s decision on the veto was not political? Cameron holds political office: aren’t the decisions of that office, by definition, political? How would Cameron make a non-political decision as Prime Minister? Would it be a decision that was made on wholly economic grounds? What would that mean, if possible?

George Bernard Shaw famously remarked “My way of joking is to tell the truth. It’s the funniest joke in the world.”  Where does one acquire such hilarity? By listening to people and taking what they say at face value.

Category: Great Britain, Politics

Comments

5 Responses to “My Entry For Dumbest Political Statement Of The Year”

  1. jwallin
    December 18th, 2011 @ 7:51 pm

    He thinks his job is Ambassador of Britain to the European Empire.

  2. Adjoran
    December 18th, 2011 @ 8:49 pm

    What is “politics” besides the process of determining policy?  And surely even Secretary Cable would concede, after a few sturdy glasses of gin, that changing the EU treaty is an important policy and political matter.

    I presume he meant Cameron was deciding on the basis of domestic political considerations instead of being a good Euro=peon and thinking only of what is best for Brussels and the dear chaps occupying positions in the grand EU bureaucracy (poor wretches – whatever will become of them?). It reminds me of when Rueben Greenberg was the relatively new Police Chief of Charleston, SC. At a press event, reporters challenged him on the city’s improving crime statistics. Wasn’t it true that Greenberg had NOT in fact reduced crime, but merely relocated it outside city limits?

    “Perhaps,” the Chief replied, “but it was this City who hired me, not the surrounding areas! I want all the criminals to relocate, I don’t care where as long as they leave here.”

    There was an old British comedy show from the ’80s called Yes, Minister which gives an excellent insight into how Cable’s sort of thinking works.

  3. M. Thompson
    December 18th, 2011 @ 9:10 pm

    Wait, so they don’t like how a politician who’s (theoretically) partially responsible to voters (and the Queen) makes his decision on that basis.

    Yeah, F—’em!

  4. ThePaganTemple
    December 18th, 2011 @ 9:40 pm

    Welcome to the world of European politics, where the elites never give up fighting the good fight. If the people don’t vote the way they want, they just keep on trying until they do.

  5. SDN
    December 18th, 2011 @ 11:30 pm

    And this would be different from our politics how?