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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Chill out Denis

Former Europe Minister Denis MacShane has reacted to Stuart Wheeler’s call today for a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty.

MacShane said a referendum would be:

"a feast for all the xenophobic and isolationist forces in British politics and be a major boost for the BNP, UKIP and those 'better off out' Tories who want Britain to quit Europe".

"David Cameron… would plunge Britain into the maelstrom of a feast of anti-Europeanism by campaigning to repudiate the decision of the Commons and Lords this year to ratify the Lisbon Treaty.”

"The BNP, UKIP and all other anti-European forces would join in to indulge in months of xenophobic and isolationist hysteria.”


Reading this in the office, it struck us that MacShane's increasingly fiery rhetoric could be a product of 'curry addict synodrome'.

As regular vindaloo-eaters will be aware, the hotter the curry, the less able you are to taste normal foods afterwards - meaning everything needs to be overspiced for you to taste anything at all. Perhaps MacShane just doesn't see anything out of the ordinary in using this sort of language - it's just his default mode of communication...

8 comments:

prziloczek said...

Well now.
The louder the protest, the more insecure the protester?

Charles Efford said...

I am not surprised that Dennis McShane has declined the opportunity to put the case for Britain in Europe to the British people. He and his fellow disciples of the European Union have been stating their intention to put the case for Britain's membership of the European Union for over 30 years, and since the 1975 referendum, in which the British people were gravely misled about the true implications of continued membership, they have consistently failed to do so. This is for the simple reason that the case for Britain's membership in the European Union is not tenable. Once it is fully analysed the severe disadvantages of membership would be seen to overwhelm the trivial benefits and the enormous cost.

The case for Britain's membership is apparent to senior politicians and bureaucrats who see personal benefits to themselves, in terms of self-importance, career advancement and prestige, and wilfully interpret these as benefits for Britain as a whole. This explains the gulf between the government and the people on this issue. The government is incapable of convincing the people that they benefit from European membership, yet it is similarly incapable of telling the European Union that the British people simply do not share their dream and wish to be fully independent.

In this regard the British government does not represent the feelings of the British people, so Dennis McShane and his colleagues can do no more than obstruct a national debate and deny the British people a voice on this most important of issues. This is this is the greatest example of the British political system failing to provide a democratic outcome.

For Dennis McShane and his fellow disciples the European Union is a faith, belief without evidence. The European Union is a secular religion, which has built a godless vatican in Brussels that is dedicated to the worship of itself. It has no other purpose than its own continued existence to provide lucrative careers for its operators. It is, in fact, the ultimate bureaucratic parasite.

Anonymous said...

Denis MacShane's party promised the people a referendum. They did not give the people a referendum. Neither he nor the europhile majority of Labour MPs have any authority to speak on this matter. Nothing they say on this matter can be respected, trusted or believed.

Ray said...

You are right, isn't it funny how useful "democracy" can be when you want to justify a tainted decision to go to war, but it is ignored and abused when it suits people with axes to grind. When I think of the the EU I think Corruption, when I think of the government that Mcshane is a part of I think corruption, so what have these people to gain from this abuse of our freedoms

Anonymous said...

It's the EU which is isolasionist - it closes of its outside borders with protectionism. We in Britain want to sail the seven seas and trade freely with the world.

Anonymous said...

All your comments trace back to the fact that our Parliamentary political system no longer serves our political will. The tail is wagging the dog and nothing can be changed without updating & modernising the system which should represent the voter not their MP or Political party above all else, as is now the case.

So how tipical that Dennis McShane should speak out as he has. For anyone disagreeing with his vision of the paradise on earth that is the EC, an up to date version of the witches ducking stool awaits!

In 1975 we listened to Edward Heath and others who lacked faith or any vision of a future Britain as an independent and prosperous world-trading nation.
Heath and the other leaders of the time were mediocre leaders interseted in managing Britain's decline. They saw, within the confines of their own narrow political outlook, a future which they were careful to sell us as the EEC an European Economic Community.

In doing so they convinced us to exchange the potential of a worldwide trading market in our Commonwealth & trading partners for an inward and backward looking protectionist economic model that has stiffled growth & development.

The EC has only suceeded in providing power & prestige for second rate politicians and for the fat pay cheques for countless burocrats at our expence.
As Dennis McShane's utterances demonstrate only too well, voters rights in this 'democratic' system have been ignored and discarded when they fail to agree with the EC's leadership's decisions, and there seems little that we can do to stop the tail wagging the dog!

Anonymous said...

Charles Efford is right about "gravy-train" Mc Shane (appologies to cockney bloggers).I met him at a junket in Paris a while ago, even had dinner with his entourage. He is typical of those eurocrats who have a contempt for election manifesto commitments and even democracy itself.

A new museum in Marseille has been opened dedicated to "Europe and Mediterranean civilisation". Its dedication plaque could have been dedicated to the likes of Mr Mc Shane. It recognises the indespensible contribution made by dictatorships to the elaboration of the European Union. What we are not told is that this union cannot operate on such an ambitious scale and remain democratic.

Chiarina said...

I will gladly feast on anti-Europeanism. Pass the salt.