Europe where the buck never stops
Monday, April 19, 2010 at 4:09PM Which US president, that all CEO s now copy, said "The buck stops here"?
Not so long ago Europe where I live, was a region with distinct countries who made their own rules with autonomy and decided their fate and currencies themselves... The buck definately stopped. Then along came someone in Europe, who needed some fame, and decided a cartell would be a great idea for trade and to keep those pesky foreigners out, and so the idea for the EU was born. (Im told it was a Frenchman)
So they decided on a single currency, trade with each other, and an immigration policy.... brilliant!
Well in practice, the jury is still out. The Italians, who came early to this party, have never maintained their fiscal policies and financial balance as the EU would have it, flagrantly do it their own way, as do the French.
It was decided, that Brussel ( no thats not a spelling mistake, s on the end of any English word must be automatically dropped under EU rules, yes) would be the control and command centre from where this brilliant idea would be executed.
And that was were the disagreement started, and they have yet to agree on or decide anything since 2002. So thats OK, half the GDP of the EU goes to maintaining this drinking and eating army that lives in Brussel and drive around in black Mercedez.
Now I dont have any allusions of remedy, but I long for the independence of former years when nations could decide whether to send their planes up and how much actual chocolate was in their chocolate.
Four days ago someone who was awake long enough at the headquarter (no thats not a spelling mistake either) of EU, decided to shut down the airspace all over Europe, thereby demanding that everyone do like wise.
They dug out some old graphs and mock ups of a scientific paper on an 1892 #ashcloud caused by an eruption, and slapped a grey screen with photoshop over it, and demanded that it was fact. Iceland had attacked Europe and it was fighting back by shooting itself in the barely recovered economic foot.
Security was the name under which they made this sweeping generalization whose cost will run into tens of billions of lost revenue and airlines.
We are deep into our own travel and trade funk and the EU refuse to accept they may have done better to get some actual facts, before they switched the tap of life and moneyflows off. The elaborately named volcano, which sounded off loudly, has now run out of steam.
Now, I have a single request. Please, make the buck stop again. Please get someone who knows how to work a computer to do a reality check, and open up the airspace like Moses parted the red sea. I and a few other people need to get on a plane.
I have enjoyed seeing people helping each other out on twiiter and facebook.
Do the EU have a twiiter account? Oh I forgot, the computers are shut down too.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=111731495524306&ref=mf
Are you or have you or your friends been stranded? leave us a comment .
Donna Jackson
Wisequeen
Reader Comments (4)
well I don't really agree with you about Europe... completely. I think the general idea about the EU was great but as long as effed up countries like the UK can stuck to their stupid currency nothing will ever change. they take all the benefits of the EU basically without all the responsibilities. and hey no one ever said its gonna be easy... sometime you have to suck it up and go for it...
just sayin'
teymur.
This reminds me so much about the time I was stranded in the UK because flights were cancelled due to snow. Public transport contingency is either pathetically bad or non-existent. I'm sure this won't be the last time either.
I am supposed to be flying to the UK on Thursday, I don't have to go but it's for my son's birthday so I really want to. The airline has said that flights are resuming but I run the risk of losing my seat so they can clear the backlog of passengers. We'll see.
I agree with the bureaucracy of the EU, it's gone mad. Regulating things that really do not and should not be regulated.
The UK government is in turmoil at the moment as there are elections about to happen and no one know's who's best, they're all as bad as the other. Gordon Brown has tried to win votes by sending the Royal Navy to take holiday makers home. Too much and too late and who pays for that? Ok I guess I'd be happy about it if I was one of the passengers but it all looks like just political posturing to me.
By the way, the UK pays into the EU the same amount that Spain takes out so I can't see how Teymur can say the UK doesn't take on responsibilities.
My 2 penneth
Paul
Wow, we don't get that kind of reporting over here in the States. We're mostly told that the EU is strong, even with its ups and downs. Corruption and confusion is everywhere, I should know better!
Making rules and regulations to protect is always a bad thing. Protection is done from fear.
Be different, small and flexible.