HvR John Donne, undone

We are told (way too often) that the best thing about the President of Europe, that shadow in the room, Mr van Rompuy is that he is a published poet.

If so how can he justify this, PC, bowdlerising of one of the great poems of all time? Talking to a Chinese audience he said this,

“No man is an island. Every man or woman is a part of the main.” This is more true then
ever!

Gaaah, Donne's Meditation XVII

No man is an island entire of itself; every man
is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

But that is hardly the worst of this speech. It is disarmingly honest, mind bogglingly delusional in equal parts and then just scary.

The honesty

The euro is not a sudden economic experiment.
Not sudden: because it is based on fifty years of preparation.
Not purely economic: because the euro is, at bottom, a political project.

Well yes, it is a political project, without political legitimacy. That of course would require democratic consent, something never asked for, and never granted.

Delusional

Together, we are 500 million Europeans, living in a prosperous, stable and free continent.

Interesting on a day the Commission reveals the following statement,

Euro area and EU27 GDP down by 0.3%

And the downright scary,

Therefore a period of crisis, such as the one we are living through now, does not distract us
from our sense of direction and from our goal: “more Europe”.

More Europe eh? And how are we to bring this about? By all means necessary it seems,

In the current crisis, beyond the money involved, it is a common European destiny which is at stake. That is why you should keep this political motivation in mind to understand why European leaders, when in difficulty, will do whatever it takes to maintain the euro and the financial stability of the eurozone.

Errrr... Whatever it takes! What does that mean?

Political leaders are showing real courage, in all member states, to convince their parliaments and public opinions of what is at stake. Some governments were forced to resign for taking unpopular decisions, but all the new ones are committed to adopting and implementing reforms.

Oh right, yes they were forced to resign... by whom perchance. By the EU and the IMF and teh Troika, not by their own people.

The rest of the speech is characterised by Herman telling the Chinese that the EU/Europe and China are remarkably similar.

What as in anti-democratic autocracies that drive through policies against the wishes of the people?

One interesting snippet. China should support the EU, because it is not the US. Or at least that is how I read this little comment,

Europe and China share a wish to live in a multi-polar world. A world which is "united in diversity", where we work together to find global solutions to common problems.
A world not dominated by one currency alone. That is why “a currency for Europe” is vital for you, too.

How far can a man disappear un his own jacksie?

Meet Daniel Caspary. Daniel is the fresh faced young CDU MEP, blogger and all round bright eyed-thing. (The poor lamb his blog has eight entries in the last year and only three comments, so it would be humane if you are a German speaker to go there and let him know how you feel).

Anyhow he has taken to sending birthday cards (see above) to all other MEPs. Which is sweet I guess - though funded by the taxpayer, but why oh why does he have to have a picture of his own grining visog on it?

There is a politician more deluded than Gordon

I thought our ursine PM was bad, but this, reported by AFP really is in cloud-coockoo land,

In a New Year’s message delivered live from the Elysee presidential palace, Sarkozy said the task of reforming the country was “huge, given that France is lagging so far behind the rest of the world”.“But believe me, my resolve is unfailing,” said Sarkozy, dressed in a dark suit and tie, and seated next to a French flag.“Despite the obstacles, despite the difficulties, I will do what I promised to do,” he vowed.

With France set to take the helm of the European Union in the second half of 2008, Sarkozy said the country was ready to take on a role as a leading player in the world.“Let France lead the way! This is what the people of the entire world expect from her,” he said. “Our Old World needs a new Renaissance. Well then, let France be the soul of this Renaissance! This is my warmest wish for the year to come.”

Looking back on his first months in office, Sarkozy said he had tackled the most “urgent” tasks such as tax reform and bringing France back into the European fold with a proposed new EU treaty.“With the start of 2008, a new phase is beginning,” said the president, adding that the next measures would underpin what he called a “policy of civilisation” that deals more broadly with societal issues.The president said that despite a gloomy economic outlook due to the financial crisis, “the first results of the measures undertaken should begin to take hold”.