Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

The horrible truth starts to dawn on Europe's leaders
(U.K.) Telegraph ^ | Nov. 21, 2010 | Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Posted on 11/21/2010 6:43:34 AM PST by fightinJAG

[snip]

Mr Delors told colleagues that any crisis would be a “beneficial crisis”, allowing the EU to break down resistance to fiscal federalism, and to accumulate fresh power. The purpose of EMU was political, not economic, so the objections of economists could happily be disregarded. Once the currency was in existence, EU states would have give up national sovereignty to make it work over time. It would lead ineluctably to the Monnet dream of a fully-fledged EU state. Bring the crisis on.

Behind this gamble, of course, was the assumption that any crisis could be contained at a tolerable cost once the imbalances of EMU’s one-size-fits-none monetary system had already reached catastrophic levels, and once the credit bubbles of Club Med and Ireland had collapsed. It assumed too that Germany, The Netherlands, and Finland would ultimately – under much protest – agree to foot the bill for a ‘Transferunion’.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: eu; euro; socialism; sovereigndebt
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last
To: esopman

He also covered the Oklahoma City bombing .


21 posted on 11/21/2010 11:26:28 AM PST by katykelly
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]

To: Minn

Because occasionally the start-up of the article goes on and on before it gets to the point that seems most relevant to the present political situation.

In this case, my thinking was that it was very relevant to point out how the EU is collapsing from within, economically, which is leading to calls for it to create a more powerful central political government.

If the excerpt didn’t work to pique your interest in the article, I apologize.


22 posted on 11/21/2010 11:47:49 AM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: rogue yam
What the EU leaders are attempting to do is not federalism.

I agree with you.

However. If the EU is looking, not at what federalism actually is/should be, but at what it has become in the United States -- a gargantuan Leviathan called the "federal government" -- then, maybe their nomenclature isn't so wrong after all. Sadly.

IOW, it's pretty clear how easy it is to take the actual concept of federalism and, with liberal judges and so on through legislative incrementalism (especially "no crisis will be wasted" responses), turn it into the diametric opposite of limited central government.

Moreover, it's also pretty clear how difficult it is to put the cat back in the bag once "federalism" has been bloated into omnipotence by the welfare state.

23 posted on 11/21/2010 11:52:29 AM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Squantos

Ha, they even call it a “Transferunion.” A union based on and for the purpose of sharing (”transferring”) the wealth.


24 posted on 11/21/2010 11:55:36 AM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: I_Like_Spam

It sounds as though it’s actually possible that the EU will break up, at least in terms of currency unity. That takes some wrapping of the mind around.

But then what?

Your conclusion may still stand. There will be a lot of animosity between countries rise up again. Look at this article, Greece has already been bringing up how Germany owes them because of what the Nazis did.


25 posted on 11/21/2010 11:59:09 AM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Old Teufel Hunden
At the same time, though, they have an unbelievable Muslim problem, and it is getting worse day by day. There are limited options once you have allowed your country to be undermined from within.

In this article, A Continent of Losers, the author wonders whether ethnic Europeans will, so to speak, consolidate into 3-4 countries and leave the rest to be given over to become Eurarabia.

26 posted on 11/21/2010 12:03:12 PM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: r9etb

That may be so, but I can’t think of any reason why the fundamental facts he has pointed out here are not a problem, or at least a potential problem.

I think it would be almost impossible — unless sheer cataclysm occurred in Europe — to walk back the Euro. But I think there are a lot of people who would be willing to try if push came to shove.


27 posted on 11/21/2010 12:06:37 PM PST by fightinJAG (Step away from the toilet. Let the housing market flush.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: I_Like_Spam; henry_reardon
I think we’re heading quickly to another European war.

Some years ago I spoke with a German national who talked of "retaking lands stolen from Germany". When I asked him where they were, he said "The land that Poland has now". Seems like there's plenty of old wounds to pick at.

28 posted on 11/21/2010 1:14:45 PM PST by Oatka ("A society of sheep must in time beget a government of wolves." –Bertrand de Jouvenel)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: dsrtsage

sorry, of course you’re right. I must have been bitterly clinging to my guns and religion when I posted that rot. /s


29 posted on 11/21/2010 7:09:03 PM PST by henry_reardon
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: henry_reardon
yup, europe is certainly overdue for another war.

We should sit this one out.
30 posted on 11/21/2010 8:55:38 PM PST by Kozak ("It's not an Election it's a Restraining Order" .....PJ O'Rourke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-30 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson