So,
more can-kicking from Europe's leaders, creating yet more uncertainty
and fear, not just in Europe but also around the world. Yet, in
truth, what can one expect from Brussels and the EU? They're not
exactly designed for crisis management. Or even bad times
management:-
-
An artificial union of 27 members of widely differing cultures,
politics and economies.
-
An artificial monetary union of 17 members, not backed by fiscal or
political unions.
-
An artificial democracy of 754 anonymous European MPs, all riding a
gravy train.
-
Not one but two un-respected Presidents whose functions no one
understands.
-
An artificial management 'team' of 27 national leaders, representing
nations which differ hugely in cultural, political
and economic perspectives.
-
A total lack of solidarity between member states which makes Spain's
Madrid-Barcelona spats
look like love-ins.
Frankly,
what else can the EU's leaders do but agree 'solutions' based on the
lowest common denominator? Which the national leaders can then try to
sell to their increasingly sceptical constituencies. And what else
could happen other than might (Mrs M) will be proved stronger
than right (everyone else).
The
result is that - while there may be talk of a Grexit - laughingly
dismissed as impossible only a few months ago - we don't know whether
there's a contingency plan for this. Or whether, if there actually
is, it will be good enough to prevent (or even mitigate) the
inevitable knock-on effect on other EU economies considered weak.
Including, of course, Spain's. The end result - for me, at least - is
a set of word pairings:-
Cat
- Mouse
Carrot
- Stick
Threat
- Counter-threat
France
- Germany
Germany
- The Rest
Playing
- Chicken
Piss-up
- Brewery
Gun
- Head
Brinkman
- Ship
No
- Plan
Right-hand
- Left hand.
Markets
- Panic
Self-fulfilling
- Prophecy
This
is a game you can try yourself at home, of course. But possibly
not if you have some Greeks staying with you. Could be the end of your crockery.
As
happens in Galicia, the temperature here has suddenly increased from
12 degrees to 23 or more. But it's different here; the heat is just not as
pleasant, as the humidity (I guess) makes things muggy. Which is
bochornoso in Spanish, I believe. Which reminds me - I met
the second of my intercambios yesterday evening - a young
engineer learning English while looking for a job here. Just like the
other one. Anyway, he's from Granada. Meaning that he has an Andaluz
accent and says, for example, ma inglé instead of mas
inglés. Tough times ahead.
Where
I live in Galicia, on the hill overlooking Pontevedra, I'm in walking
distance of nothing except the granite carvers' school. Where they
don't sell Cadbury's chocolate. Here in Leeds there's a petrol
station seven minutes away which has a shop stuffed with items
attractive to students. Fatal. Even when I'm going to the gym I have
to walk past this, trying to block my ears to the siren calls of one
choccy bar or another. But I'm as impotent as Mr Wilde when it comes
to temptation. So, naturally, I've stopped going to the gym.
When
I was reading the book entitled Jesus the Jew, I came across
the following dictum of JC, quoted in both Matthew and Luke,
respectively:-
-
Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy
of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not
worthy of me.
-
If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and
sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
I
understand these (Abrahamic?) sentiments have caused problems for
Christians, which is hardly surprising. I'd be interested to know
what the resolutions are.
The
other thing that confused me - Jesus appears to have told his
disciples to abandon their families and follow him in his work of
exorcising devils and, I assume, curing the sick. And very
occasionally, raising the dead. But was this paid work? If not, what
the hell did they live off as they went about doing this stuff? It
being a Jewish society, they may have been paid good money for
successful exorcisms or medical cures but I rather doubt they were
showered with charitable donations wherever they went. The Bible is
silent on these issues. By the way, why don't we see as many (very
lippy) devils these days? Are even they shocked by the excesses of
our society and feel that their work is done? And how many priests
would know how to deal with a devil, if one did come along mouthing
obscenities in English? Is it something still taught in seminaries?
Finally
. . . I saw this on a university web page this morning:- A best
practise guide for schools. I wonder if this included spelling.
P.
S. I rather liked this comment, read long after I write the post
above:- At last night's great
Euro-crisis dinner the leaders dealt with all the big questions: red
or white? Still or sparkling? Cheese or dessert?
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