A minor European war has broken out but it doesn’t seem to get much media profile;

Well, this is my birthday weekend (21 again tomorrow, plus VAT) so am not about as much as normal. But you would need to have  heart of stone not to smile at this news;

Dan Hannan hits the topic pretty much on the head…

“Do you remember that scene in The Simpsons where Homer, King of the Springfield Mardi Gras, is rolling downhill in an out-of-control float and commands his ‘subjects’ to throw themselves before the wheels so as to slow his descent? Well that, more or less, is the attitude which eurozone leaders are taking to their peoples.

Listen to the self-pitying tone of their New Year messages. While David Cameron struck an upbeat and patriotic note, the chanting from the palaces and chanceries of Europe was like some monkish threnody. Nicolas Sarkozy called for stoicisim in the face of ‘the worst economic crisis since the war’. Angela Merkel said that 2012 would ‘without question be worse than 2011’. Mariano Rajoy announced the end of mid-week public holidays, telling his countrymen, ‘this is no time for fiestas’.

” The reason that the eurozone faces such hard times is that its leaders have decided to keep the single currency together at any cost. The coming recession is not some inexorable force of nature; it is a consequence of the policies being pursued by Merkozy, Monti, Barroso and the rest.”

Exactly. It is the burning desire to keep “the project” alive that will cause the misery to come. Even worse, they will fail to keep the currency together and so all the pain will be in vain. That pain, of course, will not extend to the political classes who now urge austerity.

The question is; what should the UK do when the Euro finally dies? Does that sound melodramatic? Perhaps, and it is something that few people seem to want to contemplate but the harsh reality is that the Euro IS going to crash, very likely in 2012, and plans have to be made;

Dealing with economic incoherence is such a thankless task but here goes;

“Agency workers in the UK are set to receive a pay and conditions boost as new rights come into effect. The Agency Workers Directive gives such workers equality with directly employed staff after 12 weeks in a job. This could mean pay rises and rights to holidays, sick pay, maternity leave and access to private health benefits. Trade unions have welcomed the move, but some employers say it could discourage firms from hiring casual staff. The move comes after the UK government implemented the European Union directive, which was introduced on 1 October.”

So, this is a EURO ruling which we have meekly submitted to. What will happen is that whilst all these new “rights” are banked and no doubt rigorously enforced in the lumpen public sector, in the REAL world, employers will take a view on the additional costs of these “rights” and make the necessary workforce adjustments. The market always adjusts.   Just like the minimum wage farce, it costs jobs and reduces rates of pay differential but try explaining that to a Leftist who feels all warm and good about forcing employers the rate to pay employees.

Watching the usually-hidden workings of the European bunch, including the Commission, the Council and the various sewage departments, as they vent their fury upon a Union Member (the United Kingdom), as we had the sheer audacity to say ‘No, Thanks’ to yet another bandage job (or treaty, as they prefer it to be named), I did not realise the amount of acid which was being splashed in our direction.

So, Cameron, for the first time, showed a tiny proportion of intelligence as he stated that he, and of course Great Britain, did not wish to envelop ourselves in yet another Treaty which had not even existed even in a draft format when it was presented to the Council. Bitter experience, as with the Lisbon, Maastricht and all the other Treaties which promised one thing, and strangely enough ended with something entirely different, had shown Cameron that if he had signed, he would have been consigning his nation to evermore ‘collective rule’ by the ‘colleagues’ in Brussels.

So he walked away, and has been perhaps vindicated in a way perhaps special to the Brussels Dictatorship. Because the draft Treaty, when finally published, shows that it would become Law when nine of the seventeen nations ratified it, with no referendums or blocking Parliaments allowed to interfere with a decision of those same ‘Colleagues’!

I do not know how this oily crowd are planning to get around  Article 4.2 of the Treaty on European Union , but, rest assured, they will find a way!

Just think, if you will, of the uproar within the Westminster Parliament, never mind the so-called Eurosceptic newspapers, if they were told that, because the Prime Minister had signed up, they would not even be allowed a vote, because it would not matter!

The MSM, led by the BBC, is claiming that UK PM David Cameron is “isolated” from the great Euro debacle. I say that is a good thing but looking at the polls, Cameron is certainly NOT isolated from UK opinion.

“The Times reports that a Populus poll finds that almost six in ten people (57%) declared that David Cameron was right to use his veto at last week’s EU summit after EU leaders refused to agree to safeguards on the single market and financial services regulation. Only 14% opposed the move. A Survation poll for the Mail on Sunday found that 62% of people agreed with the PM’s stance, with 19% against. In another opinion poll for ComRes, UKIP polled above the Lib Dems for the first time.”

So, the PM is reflecting the overwhelming view of the BRITISH public. I know that may seem radical to leftists but it seems very sensible and dare I say it – democratic, to me. Little wonder the little Eurocrats are incensed.

The question is simple; Should the United Kingdom remain in the European Union? Yes or No. My view is an unequivocal NO.

The first poll conducted since the acrimonious Brussels summit shows that a total of  62 per cent of people agreed with the Prime Minister’s defiant stance, with just 19 per cent against. 

Furthermore, most people believe the euro is doomed to fail and almost half think the EU will break up. They also fear the summit has given too much power to Germany.

If there was a referendum today on whether the UK should quit the EU, it would be likely to produce a resounding Yes. Nearly 50 per cent say we should go our own way, with 33 per cent in favour of staying in.

I fully endorse the decision by Cameron to veto the Merkozy deal but I do agree that the UK will be more isolated as a consequence. The problem is that we are not isolated enough. Despite all the rhetoric, Greece, Spain, Portugal,  Italy, Ireland …they remain mired in debt and there is no plan to solve this short of imposing unelected “technocrats” and thus bypassing the democratic process. Who wants to part of THAT sort of Union? None of the core financial problems have been addressed and the markets know this.

Sarkozy is playing the “short game” – in every sense of the word. He is up for re-election next year and so his calculated insult to the UK will undoubtedly play well to the home audience. If it wins him another term, then the terms of the deal that alienate the UK have been worth it. But the money markets have just downgraded 3 of the biggest French banks so one wonders why he fiddles whilst Paris burns?

The UK is better off in every way by removing itself from the EU. Remember that we are a NET contributor of £9.2bn per year to this crumbling edifice.

Let’s cut to to the chase; Cameron had no choice but to veto a Treaty designed to further hollow out and undermine the UK, and our financial services in particular. Berlin and Paris envy the achievements of the London Financial powerhouse and seek to crush it. We must not allow this or OUR economy will further weaken and with Financial Services contributing a staggering 10% of taxes.

Well, what a surprise!

The Turkish President, Abdullah Gul, says his country still wants to join the European Union despite the euro zone crisis. Mr Gul, who will arrive for a three-day state visit to Britain later, told the Sunday Telegraph, Turkey would strengthen the EU. The Turkish head of state has various ceremonial events, public engagements and political talks this week.

As you know, UK PM David Cameron, that well-known..cough splutter..”eurosceptic” is outraged that Turkey is not already in the EU. Cameron believes that Europe will immeasurably benefit from having 70 million more Muslims streaming across it. You couldn’t make it up!