Spinning Spinelli

I return to the Spinelli Group. Today we have Agence Europe on its internal server (no link - sorry) whiffling on about the importance of this new federastic Groupsicle. Agence Europe provides a run down of stories in and around the intitutions and is part of the EU establishment.

Its lead comment piece today is titled,

New “Spinelli” group could play important role in guidance and development of
European construction

The piece is written by Ferdinando Riccardi , publisher of Agence Europe (and by deduction son of the 1953 founder Count Riccardi). Riccardi is a recipient of an EU sycophancy prize, the Prix de l’initiative européenne doled out by the EU office in France to those who, in the words of the prize awards to those media epresentatives who work,

en faveur du renforcement de l'intégration européenne.

So a fellow whose impartiality we can of course trust. bAnyhow, back to his article today in praise of the Spinelli group. And his key focus for praise is the following,

I will provide a preliminary insight into the detailed indications, which readers can find in the following pages. Guy Verhofstadt indicated that MEPs will act as a political network and that the Spinelli Group will also launch new areas of construction, such as the creation of a European army. Daniel Cohn-Bendit underlined the foreign policy aspect (the EU does not even have a common position on an Afghanistan exit strategy) and also mentioned the relaunch of the forthcoming constitutional debate, which will, for example, give a genuinely Community character to European elections and put into practice the own resources for the EU budget. Both of them mentioned the possibility of moving forward through enhanced co-operation as stipulated in the Lisbon Treaty (which would allow, if necessary, the misgivings of one or another member state on a given subject, to be overcome).

Now as I have pointed out before this group is just another bunch of Eurocrats trying to do what they have always done, whish is to subborn democtracy in the aid of a centralised European superstate, and will have as much influence as it deserves, but this above gives a flavour ofthe ambition. I particularly like the honesty in the way they talk about the simplified revision process which wil overturn national democracy. Riccardi finishes by repeating their delusions,

It is now becoming apparent: the Spinelli Group considers itself as an operational actor in European construction, in the same way Altiero Spinelli was in his time. This is its strength underpinning its raison d'être.

I might consider myself Prester John, but that doesn't make me so.

One thought about this group and its very plain and open aims though. I notice that one of the signataries to the manifesto is one Andrew Duff. (Indeed one of the very few Brits invlved in the whole thing). The Duffer is an inveterate federast, and hardly hides his proclivities, but I wonder what the Coalition has to say about one of there representatives calling for an EU army, EU direct resources and applauding attempts to do away with the National veto? Surely the Deputy Prime Minister should be able to provide some discipline?

No, apparantly not, holding such views is sadly compatible with membership of ourcountries governing coalition.