I'll be penned in with the rest of the press corps tonight at the European Council building, waiting for Angela Merkel and the other leaders of the member states to choose the new president of the Council; well, actually just waiting for Merkel to choose. Nobody else matters as much. Meanwhile, here is a list of some of the names in the mix for the new head of state of this country called Europe. Practise pronouncing them so you know what to say next time you want to blame David Cameron for agreeing to allow this curse of Euro-presidency to stay upon the British people. Herman Van Rompuy, prime minister of Belgium, Jan-Peter Balkenende, prime minister of the Netherlands, Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg, and Vaira Vike-Freiberga, former president of Latvia. While you are at it, you might as well practise saying Olli Rehn, Massimo D'Alema, and Miguel Angel Moratinos, any one of whom could end up as the new EU foreign secretary, but not one of whom sounds like One of Us. How times change. It seems like only yesterday this country's head of state was called Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Here is the TaxPayers' Alliance's new cinema advert on EU costs. I especially like the shot of the Spanish trawler -- named El Banco, what else? -- hauling in a catch of dosh from the £2.8bn a year the common fisheries policy costs the British. As I've said before, it would be impossible to isolate Britain. Despite the damage of the Blair-Brown years, Britain remains one of the financial, industrial and military powers of the world. The other countries of the EU, whether Britain is in or out, will want and need to continue to trade with Britain. But quite apart from the protection this international muscle gives to big Britain, look at how little Norway, a European country of just 4.6m people, lives in prosperity and independence outside the EU. The Norwegian people have been asked twice in referendums if they wanted to join the EU. Twice they have voted No. Here is the result. Norway is an oil-rich country which has been left to direct its national riches entirely to its own benefit. Yesterday in a report in the Financial Times, the result of this independent use of national wealth was apparent (though of course the euro-fanatic FT did not mention the connection between independence and national benefit -- can anyone be surprised that now most of the FT's readers are outside of Britain? It has become a paper for European homogenisers, not for British businessmen.) Norway's sovereign oil fund is now the biggest investor in European stock markets. The fund has just registered the best three-month performance in its 13-year history: a 13.5 percent return on investment. Almost none of the wealth is being spent by the government. About 95 percent of it is being invested for future generations, for the distant time when the oil runs out. Some would say Norway has the freakish advantage of its oil wealth to protect its independence. They are wrong. Independence is only protected by the will of the nation. Britain once had (for example) fishing wealth, but gave that away. I suspect, rich or not, the Norwegians would not want to buckle to Brussels. More, Britain has the potential for similar riches: if not in oil (Britain blew its oil wealth years ago) then in its financial skills. The City could be a great, continuing wealth generator for Britain, once the financial vampire squids are prised out of the banks. So what is happening instead? The Brown Government is about to cripple Britain's own engine of prosperity by agreeing to EU French-style over-regulation. Wall Street, of course, will take the wealth instead. One Norwegian banker I know here in Brussels is delighted that his country is independent, but yet is part of the no-passport EU Schengen Area. He notes he can fly from Oslo to Berlin or Paris and not have to show a passport: 'You can't do that from London.' Norwegian businesses, industry and financial services can trade as freely across the EU as any businesses or industry in any EU member state. Norwegian citizens face no restrictions on living and working in the EU. So what we have in Norway is a government which represents its people, and which negotiates with the EU on their behalf. Unlike half the Foreign Office, Norwegian diplomats do not arrive at Brussels negotiating tables with the intention of showing how their country must capitulate or risk 'isolation.' Look around at life and prosperity in Norway. If this is 'isolation' from the EU, bring it on
19 November 2009 10:44 AM
Hail to the Chief, if you can manage to say it
16 November 2009 12:49 PM
Coming attractions: the EU costs each Briton £2,000 a year
12 November 2009 9:48 AM
'Isolated?' Bring it on
The blessed thing about Norway is that it is the single best reply to those euro-quislings who insist that if Britain ever threatens to leave the EU and regain its sovereignty, it will be come 'isolated.'
Sunday, 22 November 2009
Posts
