Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Ponters Pensées: 12.7.16

Spanish Politics: Seven months after the first round of elections and a couple of weeks since the second round, Spain's politicians are still showing no signs of maturity or concern for anything but themselves. And the unpopular and discreditied (acting)President Rajoy is still refusing to step down as part of a coalition deal with any other party. And his own PP party is clearly incapable of doing anything about it.

In contrast . . .

British Politics: Even El País is impressed with the outcome of the frenetic activity of the last  few weeks in the world's most successful political party, the British Conservatives. Here's an amended version of the usual crap Google translation of today's leader:- Giving a commendable lesson in British efficiency and pragmatism - which, like all themes, has a basis of truth - the Conservatives are about to overcome one of the most dangerous pitfalls arising from its defeat in the referendum on the UK staying in the European Union. Tomorrow, a few hours after the three week anniversary of the vote that gave victory to Brexit, David Cameron - the architect of the risky and disastrous referendum - will present his resignation and will be replaced as prime minister and Tory party leader by the hitherto Minister Interior, Theresa May.

EU Politics: Like the Luxembourg and Brussels bureaucrat he is, President Junker continues to rant and rave about what he sees as the lunacy of the referendum decision. I supect he has no idea of the concept of 'the wisdom of the people' who've had a democracy for hundreds of years. Albeit an imperfect one, of course.

Politics of the Left: My ex stepson and I are at different points on the left-of-centre spectrum but we remain in touch, on the basis of a love-hate relationship. I love him and he hates me. You can possibly see why from this email I sent him this morning:-
THE RULES OF DEMOCRACY OF THE FAR LEFT
1. First select your subset
2. Label this the relevant demos
3. Claim there is 100% support for you in this demos of people who voted for you
4. Despise, vilify, sue or even, imprison and kill those in the other subset(s) of the Left.
5. Claim God, Marx, Lenin, Orwell, or at least Tony Benn is on your side.
6. Switch off the majority of left-leaning voters
7. Allow the unrepresentative Right - from Franco to May - a free hand
8. Moan about the unfairness of all this
9. Slink away with your tail between your legs to lick your self-inflicted wounds
10. Leave the majority of left-leaning voters without a voice
11. Blame the electorate for its stupidity
12. Take specious cold comfort in your 'purity'
13. Never experience power

All very reasonable, I thought.

Spain and the EU: It now seems pretty clear that Mrs Merkel will lose another battle and both Spain and Portugal will be given only a 'symbolic fine' for flagrently breaking the deficit rule, year after year after year. It's even suggested that this 'fine' will be nil euros. One wonders if the EU, as we say in the UK, could run a whelk stall. Or organise a piss-up in a brewery. Groucho Marx's comment about club membership springs to mind. Frequently.

Finally . . . I've just seen a woman sporting a black T-shirt with the intials D and G written large on it. I guess this signifies Dulce & Gabbana(?) but, given the position of the initials, it's possible they're the names of her breasts.

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