The Other McCain

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

Updated: Irish WTF? VIDEO: Notwithstanding Daniel Hannan, Is Nigel Farage The Only Man In Brussels With Hair #1?

Posted on | November 17, 2011 | 15 Comments

by Smitty

Via Tyler Durden:

Now that he has been proven correct, he has every right to gloat, which he does to everyone’s delightful amusement in the European parliament. The look on the unelected von Rompuy’s face, especially as he watches his decade-long bureaucratic nirvana crash and burn every single day, quite priceless.

As I am fond of saying, “People don’t scale.” The sooner we can put to bed the Progressive Utopianism here, and the Europeans can load-shed their Utopianism there, the sooner we can return to capitalism and pursue improvement.

Update: underscoring Farage’s point, via Crooked Timber:

THE GOVERNMENT has complained to the European Commission over the release in Germany of a document disclosing confidential details about new taxes to be introduced in Ireland over the next two years. In a deeply embarrassing development the document – identifying austerity measures of €3.8 billion in next month’s budget and €3.5 billion in budget 2013 – was made public after being shown to the finance committee of the German Bundestag yesterday. … Germany’s federal finance ministry confirmed yesterday that it had forwarded troika documents to the 41 member Bundestag budgetary committee in line with its legal obligation under European Financial Stability Facility guidelines. … Taoiseach Enda Kenny said last night he had “no idea” how details of the forthcoming budget ended up being discussed in the Bundestag in Germany. “Let me confirm something to you, the Cabinet has made no decision in regard to the budget which is on December 6th,” he said, referring to the documents [sic] specific references to the budget.

Dublin whines to Brussels that Berlin controls the leprechaun’s pot o’ gold. Cor, flog me gently with a rainbow.

Update: linked at The Conservatory.

Category: Foreigners, Video

Comments

15 Responses to “Updated: Irish WTF? VIDEO: Notwithstanding Daniel Hannan, Is Nigel Farage The Only Man In Brussels With Hair #1?”

  1. Anonymous
    November 17th, 2011 @ 9:18 pm

    “Now is not the time for elections, but the time for action!”

    Classic European fascism is the new black.

  2. TC_LeatherPenguin
    November 17th, 2011 @ 9:21 pm

    Nigel and Hannan just rock when they get on a roll!

  3. Anonymous
    November 17th, 2011 @ 9:30 pm

    The Italian Prime Minister and his cabinet contain not one elected person.
    Prime Minister Monti’s government has passed it’s first test.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15782923

  4. JeffS
    November 17th, 2011 @ 10:52 pm

    Nigel better watch out should Van Rompuy or Merkel sets up a modern version of the Gestapo.  He’ll be at the top of the list.

  5. smitty
    November 17th, 2011 @ 11:19 pm

    Oh, they probably derive more amusement from letting Nigel go slowly, rather than hastening anything.

  6. JeffS
    November 18th, 2011 @ 1:02 am

    Maybe so.  But Rompuy looked mighty pissed, and there’s no telling just how petty a petty bureaucrat can be.

  7. JeffS
    November 18th, 2011 @ 1:06 am

    RE update: 

    Why would Ireland whine about German oversight?  They were neutral in WWII.  While not directly supporting the Third Reich (they were more about pissing off England, IIRC), they certainly didn’t oppose the Nazis. 

    So why complain about the Fourth Reich? 

    (And, yes, the question is rhetorical.)

  8. Adjoran
    November 18th, 2011 @ 1:52 am

    Of course, all these machinations are far too late to make any difference in the outcome.  The 2008 banking crisis exposed some of the flaws and precipitated what we are seeing today, but the accounting would have come anyway, just a couple of years later than it is.

    Greeks are protesting today against ANY austerity measures, and the ones their government promised for the last two bailouts haven’t been implemented yet.  Greece cannot collect the taxes on retail and service businesses as they promised, either:  they haven’t been able to do that since the military junta was overthrown.  Any idea they won’t default on every penny they owe is simply insane.

    Italy has yet to implement any serious austerity, including the timid steps they did pass as Berlusconi left power.  Their bond interest is already over 7%, a level which almost certainly guarantees that absent a drastic austerity program of the sort Italy will never accept, they are eventually doomed to the same fate.

    Ireland is upset their austerity measures have been made public because they haven’t been able to enact as much as they need – every time they try the public revolts, so they hoped to keep this secret until right before the vote.  Their collapse isn’t as imminent, but their trajectory still means they will end up in the same place.

    Spain and Portugal will be imploding soon.  ECB and IMF together don’t have enough for all these bailouts in the pipeline – and if they did, it would just be money thrown away.

    France’s bond yields are also rising as investors realized how much exposure their banks have in Greece, Italy, and Spain.

    Unless Germans are willing to give up their vacations, see their savings reduced to fractions, and their own retirement postponed so they can ensure that Greek civil servants can still retire at 50 with full salary and benefits, the Euro and the EU are doomed.  I’m guessing the Germans will decide that if they must sacrifice and spend that much, tanks and missiles would be better investments.

  9. Anonymous
    November 18th, 2011 @ 3:22 am

    I suspect that Rompuy is the one who should be wary.

  10. Anonymous
    November 18th, 2011 @ 3:32 am

    Italy’s bond rate dropped below 7 while Monti was giving his confidence vote speech. Part of his austerity program involves cracking down on the Mafia which I suppose is a major part of the black economy. I’m sure this will end splendidly.

  11. JeffS
    November 18th, 2011 @ 9:09 am

    I agree, if you assume that there are sufficient Europeans who value their freedom enough to throw Rompuy out onto the street.

    That’s the problem.  I don’t think that’s a valid assumption.  I would love to be proven wrong.

  12. Anonymous
    November 18th, 2011 @ 9:19 am

    I believe that at some point enough Europeans will remember what freedom is or was. Even if they don’t the money that’s bought complacency is gone, when real hardship becomes wide spread someone will have to pay.

  13. Anonymous
    November 18th, 2011 @ 9:38 am

    The real concern is for what happens after it all implodes.  The Eurozone and the Euro at least gave them all a reason to at least pretend to get along.  The collapse of the welfare states that feed off of the Germans will be the perfect opportunity for the classic Great Man to step in and make the trains run on time.

    At least the more recent military juntas had the stabilizing effect of the Cold War to keep them in line.

  14. JeffS
    November 18th, 2011 @ 10:52 am

    Better to say, “When their backs are against the wall, they’ll grow a spine.”

    Whereupon we’ll see another cycle of blood baths (World War I, World War II, Balkan Wars, etc).  From which the Euroweenies will again learn the wrong lesson.

    Who, me?  Cynical?  Could be.

  15. A Preview of Coming Attractions
    November 18th, 2011 @ 4:19 pm

    […] Via Smitty, Nigel Farage rips the unelected rulers of the new and insolvent Europe a new one: […]