Oddity

The world is really an odd place. New evidence turns up each day that confirms this statement. Two stories which particularly struck me this morning are the comment by Merkel that she'll cancel the EU summit next month if Britain refuses to do approve any increase in the EU Budget and the report of the result of a case in Italy where 6 scientists are to be imprisoned for 6 years for failing to give spot the coming and giving warnings of the Aquila earthquake. Until very recently I had dismissed stories about the German desire to rule the EU by use of its pre-eminent financial and industrial muscle as fanciful but now that it is clear Merkel thinks she can dictate whether or not an EU summit can be held I am no longer persuaded that the stories are untrue. If the EU is to be run as a German fiefdom for the greater good of the German economy rather than for the greater good of all europeans then that is reason alone for us to leave. Germany is not the repository of all wisdom as we know only too well in this country and so does the rest of Europe. The extraordinary Italian law that allows people to be fined and jailed for getting earthquake forecasts wrong is another reason for leaving the EU. Which Italian scientist will now be willing to offer any opinion at all on the strength and imminence of an earthquake for fear of being found guilty of underplaying what happens. How could scientists have known what numbers would be killed, what buildings would be destroyed or damaged or the exact position and extent of infrastructure failure. No one in their right mind would fail to pass on information that would save lives. If scientists are forced to express an opinion then they will veer on the side of excessive caution no doubt resulting nine times out of ten in unnecessary costs and inconvenience to the frustration of all. There are some things in this life which are wholly or largely unpredictable and no one can be blamed for what used to be called acts of God. What was not an act of God was the well documented (by economists at least 10 years ago) disaster the euro would turn put to be. The perpetrators of this appalling catastrophe are guilty as hell for having ruined the lives of thousands upon thousands of people and they not the scientists should be in prison. Even now the guilty ones want to make matters worse by continuing the euro folly. Furthermore the Germans do not wish their landesbanks to have to reveal the extent of their reckless purchases of both subprime and Greek debt. Their purchases would of course have to be brought into the light of day if the euro were to be abandoned. Other governments want to save the euro to cover up their criminal mistakes but as Iceland has shown that, despite the pain of devaluation, a country can grow again in short order if it devalues. No country can of course devalue unless it leaves the euro. Another remarkable story of a different kind came to light today - that of a seven year old girl who not only plays the piano and the violin quite beautifully but has written an opera and is in the process of writing a concerto. A genius? Her name is Alma Deutscher.