Monday, 5 December 2011

There is a Tide .....

Merkel and Sarkozy have had their little chat in Paris today which has failed yet again to deal with the euro problem and seems to have done little even to address the symptoms of sovereign debt and lack of banking liquidity. The rabbit they will produce from the hat on Friday at the EU summit meeting will be one suffering from myxomatosis which will survive at best say into the middle of January before the markets bury it. Germany and France are now quite openly running the show and as far as I can see we are in the humiliating position of being on the sidelines where matters that concern us are discussed and agreed behind our backs. That this country, which has saved Europe on various occasions, should be shunted into the twilight zone with little say in how the cosy club is run and yet is expected to pay for the privilege is shameful.  We have absolutely no need to be a member of an uncompetitive, rule ridden block and the next time the Americans ask 'who do we contact when we want a European response?' we should respond 'not us, for God's sake. We'll give you an answer though about how we feel on the subject if you want it.' "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune; omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries. On such a full sea are we now afloat, and we must take the current when it serves, or lose our ventures." Perhaps Cameron will baulk at taking advice from Brutus but the advice was good even if the fortune of which Brutus was talking involved acting in a manner rather more extreme than I am contemplating.  

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