| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:One of lifes great mysteries - Mr Hawkes and his changing stances | |
| Posted by: | John Hawkes | |
| Date/Time: | 15/06/25 14:13:00 |
| Mr Brigo I felt it rude after all of the effort you expended to dig up some some old posts of mine from many years back, not to respond and give some explanation of changes of mind I have had after time and reflection on these two issues. My 'pro-Remain' posture was a carry over from the time when the organisation now called the European Union was known as the Common Market. I was all in favour of our economy and trading skills taking advantage of the opportunities in a bigger market place. However the Germans and French in the main were more interested in a political union that would subsume the political rights of free nation states within a new super-state with its own politburo. Hence an HQ in Brussels, a great place for expensive restaurants and seafood if you are on EU level salaries and expenses. But even this did not satisfy the French such that we have the farce described below - 'After the creation of the European Economic Community in 1958, much of the work done by the European Commission and the Council of Ministers came to be concentrated in Brussels. Since Parliament's work involves closely monitoring and interacting with both these institutions, over time Members decided to organise more of their work in Brussels. By the early nineties, the present arrangement was more or less in place, with committees and political groups meeting in Brussels and the main plenary sessions taking place in Strasbourg. A major part of Parliament's staff is in Luxembourg. The 1992 decision had important consequences for the working arrangements for the Parliament: its official seat and the venue for most of the plenary sessions officially became Strasbourg; parliamentary committees were to have their meetings in Brussels; and Parliament's Secretariat (its staff) would be officially based in Luxembourg. In 1997, this whole arrangement was incorporated into the EU treaty'. So - "Once a month the European Parliament moves from Brussels to Strasbourg at a cost of £150m a year as lorries transport paperwork". Then we have those unelected officials that really run the show - 'The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union (EU), responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, and managing the day-to-day operations of the EU. Its main roles include: Proposing new laws: The Commission is the only EU institution that can initiate legislation. Ensuring compliance: It oversees the application of EU law and ensures that member states adhere to treaties. Negotiating international agreements: The Commission represents the EU in international negotiations. Allocating funding: It manages the EU budget and allocates funds for various programs. The European Commission operates independently and is composed of commissioners from each EU member state'. More jobs for the boys - or girls. At one time I believe Neil Kinnock was a commissioner and Glenys Kinnock a MEP. Now the show is run by - 1) European Parliament President – Roberta Metsola Term: July 2024 - January 2027 Elected by: Members of the European Parliament 2) European Council President – António Costa Term: December 2024 - May 2026 Appointed by: national leaders (heads of state or government of EU countries) 3) European Commission President – Ursula von der Leyen Term: December 2024 - November 2029 Appointed by: national leaders (heads of state or government of EU countries), with the approval of the European Parliament. What do all of these people do ? And could the opinion of ordinary people ever or ever have percolated up to them ? A great big talking shop getting in the way of free trade and the political rights of nation states. As regard climate change, I can only say that reflection has lead me to believe that if the climate is 'changing' then it has been doing so, sometimes in more extreme forms than is claimed for it now, for millennia. And I doubt if we really know why. As Chairman Mao was reputed to have said when asked about the impact of the French Revolution "it was too early to say". Bigger data centres or more cheap flights if they have any effect at all are at noise level. The fact that as in 'Family Fortunes' - "One thousand scientists were asked 'is this change all man made and leading us to extinction unless we change our lifestyle dramatically'" and all said "yes" is of course worthy of some reflection. But the theory cannot be proved 'scientifically'. Scientific proof requires a theory backed up by repeated and repeatable experimentation giving the same result. Obviously not possible in this context unless we wind down industry and commerce and then as in the Industrial Revolution ramp it up again. Volunteers ? |