Fishermen blamed for crisis in stocks (The Herald, p.4): "The European Commission will deliver a hammer blow to the remains of Europe's fishing fleet today. New report on the future of the controversial Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) effectively admits that many years of conservation measures have failed - and blames greedy fishermen. Fishermen have been told for years they must endure short-term sacrifices to allow main fish stocks to recover and secure the fishing industry's long-term future .But today's report confirms that stocks are still in dire straits, with fleets accused of prolonging the agony by exceeding annual catch quotas and delaying the time when fish are plentiful once more. he finding is a damning indictment of the CFP, established in 1983 to carve up EU fishing waters between the national fleets." (Geoff Meade)
Ralph's Comment - The EU aren't just wrong but they won't take responsibility or alter their barmy laws - the Fishermen are just the latest scapegoat. EU regulations make fisherman throw back large parts of their catch into the sea dead as they are not allowed to land it but can't avoid trawling it up. We need a system like that of Iceland. They fish a sector of sea for a set period or until they have a set catch tonnage - then that sector is closed for the rest of the year and patrolled. If UK politicians had stood up to the EU like Iceland did to the UK in the cod war then our fishermen could still make a decent living.
Friday, 24 April 2009
Kumarasiri
letter from N. J. Beresford, Calverton in the Nottingham Evening Post, p 14, 21 Apr: "Mr Kumarasiri didn't expect to lose his job? If I was employed to serve customers but instead turned them away to promote my own political agenda I would expect to be shown the door fairly rapidly. Does his next potential employer need to speak perfect English and be aware of, in his own words, his legendary status, and the fact that he is, in his own opinion, the mouthpiece for the majority of ethnic minorities? ... Does our country need another right-wing MEP living it up in Brussels at the tax payers' expense, telling us how to live our lives? Aren't there more important issues than whether people live up to Mr Kumarasiri's patriot standard?"
Ralph's Comment - Mr Kumarasiri simply pointed out that it would shorten queuing times in his post office if immigrants would learn to speak English. When I go to someone else's country I at least try to learn their language and I speak Spanish because I lived in several parts of the Hispanic world. I expect immigrants to my country to make an effort. Given English is our National language in England and a major international language it is clearly of advantage to those immigrants seeking work to learn English. As for accusing Mr Kumarasiri of being right wing he was a Lib Dem councillor before being unfairly ejected - their loss is UKIP's gain. I would happily accept an immigrant of Mr Kumarasiri's calibre and attitude for every white member of the chattering classes who agrees to leave and never return.
Ralph's Comment - Mr Kumarasiri simply pointed out that it would shorten queuing times in his post office if immigrants would learn to speak English. When I go to someone else's country I at least try to learn their language and I speak Spanish because I lived in several parts of the Hispanic world. I expect immigrants to my country to make an effort. Given English is our National language in England and a major international language it is clearly of advantage to those immigrants seeking work to learn English. As for accusing Mr Kumarasiri of being right wing he was a Lib Dem councillor before being unfairly ejected - their loss is UKIP's gain. I would happily accept an immigrant of Mr Kumarasiri's calibre and attitude for every white member of the chattering classes who agrees to leave and never return.
Tuesday, 24 March 2009
BUREACRATIZING THE BURGERWALD
As a complete aside those interested in the Teutoburgerwald (Where Herman trashed Varus's three legions, might like to know that last week in the Euro Parliament in Strasbourg, the EU were displaying a cluster of pseudo Roman standards topped with grimacing theatre masks in order to celebrate the battle as a great moment in the formation of a United Europe.
GENDER BENDERS
The Euro Parliament has been obsessing about 'Gender Neutral Language for years. I remember a UKIP MEP interrupting a diatribe on the subject in 2006 to ask if Manchester would have to be renamed. I passed him a quick note whilst the jeers died down and he went on to congratulate the German MEPs present on the name of their National hero 'Herman the German' being safe.
Friday, 13 February 2009
IT'S PLAIN ROBBERY
Just how good is the security of the European Parliament? EUseless and it's a fact. As long as you have a credit card sized piece of plastic in cerulean blue you can flash it on your way through the security gates to indicate you are a member of staff. (Trainees get red and visitors get white) If you are at one of those entrances where you have to place it on the gate activator and it doesn't work, a helpful security guard will use his ID and wave you through. If you go PING! in a metal detector along the way, the guards simply ignore it. Today someone wandered through security and onto the indoor street of the main EP concourse then proceeded to rob the EP branch of the ING bank. Then they walked back out of the Parliament. Because the three banks inside the Parliament are deemed secure the staff do not even have a transparent security screen to hide behind.
The story broke as EP security dashed about telling people to lock themselves in their offices whilst they scoured the labyrinthine buildings. They were phoning each other to find out if they were allowed out to the bathroom yet. The Euro Parliament news service kept staff officially in the dark for four hours after the 4pm raid and when people complained sent out a snooty e.mail stating that it's remit was to talk to journalists not MEP's and staff.
Of course if the bank raider chose to stick around there are lots of unlocked empty rooms to hide in odd corners of the Parliament, then there are several cafeterias, a canteen, a gym, a barbers, a laundry, a newsagent, a supermarket, a travel agents for when he's ready to take a holiday with all that cash, perhaps using the Commission to Cayman Islands Shuttle. If he or she fancies another go there is a choice of three bank branches in one EP building and two more in another, an international cash till and a post office are also available.
Then again the EU is plain robbery to start with.
The story broke as EP security dashed about telling people to lock themselves in their offices whilst they scoured the labyrinthine buildings. They were phoning each other to find out if they were allowed out to the bathroom yet. The Euro Parliament news service kept staff officially in the dark for four hours after the 4pm raid and when people complained sent out a snooty e.mail stating that it's remit was to talk to journalists not MEP's and staff.
Of course if the bank raider chose to stick around there are lots of unlocked empty rooms to hide in odd corners of the Parliament, then there are several cafeterias, a canteen, a gym, a barbers, a laundry, a newsagent, a supermarket, a travel agents for when he's ready to take a holiday with all that cash, perhaps using the Commission to Cayman Islands Shuttle. If he or she fancies another go there is a choice of three bank branches in one EP building and two more in another, an international cash till and a post office are also available.
Then again the EU is plain robbery to start with.
BABY SPIES AND BEAUJOLAIS
The European Commission fears that its confidential documents are increasingly at risk from spies "We are not only pointing the finger at journalists. It could be the pretty trainee with the long legs and the blonde hair," commission spokeswoman Valerie Rampi said on Wednesday (11 February).
UK (Tory) MEP Brigadier General Geoffrey Van Orden formerly of the intelligence Corps pointed out that the EU is institutionally incapable of keeping a secret. 'Vin Ordinaire' as he is known to his friends when they want to make his face twitch, is a typical Tory of the Janus Club. Two faced like the Roman New Year God, a sceptic to his constituents, but a Europhile in Brussels. It is unusual of him to criticise the Commission but then he is only stating the obvious.
Nevertheless a big bold beaujolais for the brigadier.
I myself have heard that the Euro Commission and Parliament are so wide open that Brussels is where the World's baby spies are trained. They can hang around in cafe's around the Commission picking up juicy gossip before moving on to a job infiltrating the Commission as a Eurocrats assistant then moving up to being a cleaner - It would take more humility to be a cleaner - a commodity Eurocrats are short of.. Presumably the baby spies have to take on NATO to graduate.
UK (Tory) MEP Brigadier General Geoffrey Van Orden formerly of the intelligence Corps pointed out that the EU is institutionally incapable of keeping a secret. 'Vin Ordinaire' as he is known to his friends when they want to make his face twitch, is a typical Tory of the Janus Club. Two faced like the Roman New Year God, a sceptic to his constituents, but a Europhile in Brussels. It is unusual of him to criticise the Commission but then he is only stating the obvious.
Nevertheless a big bold beaujolais for the brigadier.
I myself have heard that the Euro Commission and Parliament are so wide open that Brussels is where the World's baby spies are trained. They can hang around in cafe's around the Commission picking up juicy gossip before moving on to a job infiltrating the Commission as a Eurocrats assistant then moving up to being a cleaner - It would take more humility to be a cleaner - a commodity Eurocrats are short of.. Presumably the baby spies have to take on NATO to graduate.
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