Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Worth reading.
Links at the bottom

Thoughts from the Eurozone:


Barroso says UK demand put EU internal market at risk
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso in Strasbourg, 13 December Mr Barroso said he had tried to find a compromise

The head of the European Commission has said the UK's demand for special treatment for financial services would have risked the single market.

Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament the UK's stance had made compromise impossible at last week's EU summit on economic integration.

The UK vetoed a new treaty for the 27-member EU, arguing it had to protect Britain's financial services industry.

But at least 23 other EU states agreed to forge ahead with deeper ties.

Speaking before Mr Barroso in Strasbourg, the President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said he hoped to see the new fiscal deal signed by most EU states by early March.
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This is not an agreement at 17-plus, but an agreement at 27-minus

Jose Manuel Barroso European Commission president

European debate live

They envisage an intergovernmental treaty, or "compact", on stricter fiscal rules.

"Early March at the latest, this fiscal compact treaty will be signed," Mr Van Rompuy said.

The fiscal compact is designed to allow closer monitoring of countries' spending, in order to prevent a repeat of the eurozone's current debt crisis.

British Prime Minister David Cameron's use of the UK's veto in Brussels has strained relations between his Conservative Party and Liberal Democrat coalition allies.
'More Europe'

In his speech to MEPs, Mr Barroso said: "As you know, one member state was opposed to amending the Lisbon Treaty.

"The United Kingdom, in exchange for giving its agreement, asked for a specific protocol on financial services which, as presented, was a risk to the integrity of the internal market.

"This made compromise impossible. All other heads of government were left with the choice between paying this price or moving ahead without the UK's participation and accepting an internal agreement among them."

Mr Barroso said the "greatest" risk of the summit, a split between the 17 euro states and the other 10, had been avoided.

"This is not an agreement at 17-plus, but an agreement at 27-minus," he said.

"Last week, most heads of state or government of the member states showed their willingness to move ahead with European integration towards a fiscal stability union. They showed that they want more Europe, not less."
'Blunder of a lifetime'

Tuesday's plenary session of the European Parliament heard wide condemnation from the floor of the UK's position within the EU.

French MEP Joseph Daul, who chairs the parliament's centre-right European People's Party group, told Britain jokingly: "Don't worry, we're not coming with tanks and Kalashnikovs before Christmas."

He said that "26 of the 27 states [had] shown responsibility", agreeing that "shared sovereignty is better than sovereignty taken over by the markets".
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What Mr Cameron did was just a defence of his country's national interest

Jan Zahradil Czech leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group

German MEP Martin Schulz, who leads the Social Democrat group, blamed speculators in the City of London for the financial crisis.

Guy Verhofstadt, the Belgian former prime minister and leader of the Liberal group, piled condemnation on the British prime minister's position at the summit.

"David Cameron will come to the conclusion that he has made the blunder of a lifetime," he told MEPs.

"There is one golden rule in politics: you only walk away if you are sure that the others will follow," he said, adding: "When you are invited to a table, it is either as a guest or you are part of a menu."

Jan Zahradil, the Czech leader of the European Conservatives and Reformists group which includes Mr Cameron's party, sought to defend his British ally.

The British Conservatives, he argued, had been made a "scapegoat" for European divisions.

"What Mr Cameron did was just a defence of his country's national interest," he said.

But Mr Cameron also came under attack from a Lib Dem MEP, Sharon Bowles.

The deal may have "fooled the Lib Dems in London, but it hasn't fooled me", she said, telling fellow MEPs she "abhorred" Mr Cameron's use of the veto.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16156183

Labour's lax regulation of the City contributed to RBS collapse watchdog
FSA says Labour leadership had encouraged it to take a 'light touch' on banks and must
take share of blame for financial crisis


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/dec/12/labour-regulations-city-rbs-collapse

Some Tory Bod is so "desperate for attention" on this thread that he or she have had to resort to posting the same link twice.. No names of course -):

New York, New York.....

Fred

Are you going for the record of getting the most anti British quotes from Europe onto one post ?

Is Hague spelt Haig or the former ?.....not sure that if he were drunk his speeches would not come out exactly the same way !....I like the way we have not signed up to the european thing because it's not good for Britain.....no explanations as to why or any details...just the usual waffle nonsense and at the end of it you are none the wiser as to why or why not !?... !.....is this a decision to try to appeal to the voters ?.....might backfire once again...ohh...let's have instead some more jolly..tipsy WH speeches !....

Might be an interesting listen for any "well balanced" person on here http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0184rg8 On now R4.

Stan

Its from The Guardian so it must be true , i posted it twice because it takes a long time for you to understand the long word's.

Thanks Skinny, well put.

That's the propaganda channel......you need to filter that stuff....

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Hope you don't class youself and Fred as well balanced

Other Nonsense!!!!!

Other Nonsense.. indeed, Sir I'm also outraged !!!

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Its all-right skinny , she only meant Fred and Stan's post's

I'm keen to watch whatever's on TV regarding an announcement concerning the discovery (or not) of the Higgs boson.

Anyone any idea as to what time and what channel it might be on?

All I know is that its sometime this afternoon.

Now..... that is interesting !.