Comments on: Quote of the day http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/ Daily views on British politics and the Conservative Party from a centre-right thinker who writes letters on his blog to politicians, journalists and many others. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 16:48:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Shaun Pilkington http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14834 Shaun Pilkington Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:40:08 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14834 <a href='#comment-14833' rel="nofollow">@Tony E</a> - That's the real problem, isn't it? It's always about the *unintended* consequences. Did the high-minded prohibitionists mean to put a generation into sympathy with organised crime while funding the Mafia for 80+ years? Did we intend to blow over the twin towers when funding AQ & the Taliban to take out the Soviets in Afghanistan? Did the US mean to piss two generations up a rope to lose Vietnam that had nothing to do with the Domino Effect they thought they were fighting anyway? When we loosened the rules around wheel clamping did we envisage unleashing privatised hordes of metal-boot storm troopers running around on performance related pay? I'd wager not. And you're probably not being alarmist; I'm actively working on remaining calm and blog comments are a part of my self-administered therapy ;) But still - Stalin was called 'the grey blur' because nobody saw him coming as he amassed influence and authority by taking all the dull, s*** jobs on in the Soviet structure. That's how he positioned himself to take the leadership - and I suppose, in our anti-democratic EU bound world, you do have adequate reason to worry about it. The trick is to know when worrying or speaking about it becomes legally riskier than procuring the recreational pharmaceuticals required to tolerate it. And on that note, I'm off for a wee spliff!<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14834','Shaun Pilkington'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14834','Shaun Pilkington','<a href=\'#comment-14833\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Tony E<\/a> - That\'s the real problem, isn\'t it? It\'s always about the *unintended* consequences. Did the high-minded prohibitionists mean to put a generation into sympathy with organised crime while funding the Mafia for 80+ years? Did we intend to blow over the twin towers when funding AQ & the Taliban to take out the Soviets in Afghanistan? Did the US mean to piss two generations up a rope to lose Vietnam that had nothing to do with the Domino Effect they thought they were fighting anyway? When we loosened the rules around wheel clamping did we envisage unleashing privatised hordes of metal-boot storm troopers running around on performance related pay? I\'d wager not.\r\n\r\nAnd you\'re probably not being alarmist; I\'m actively working on remaining calm and blog comments are a part of my self-administered therapy ;) But still - Stalin was called \'the grey blur\' because nobody saw him coming as he amassed influence and authority by taking all the dull, s*** jobs on in the Soviet structure. That\'s how he positioned himself to take the leadership - and I suppose, in our anti-democratic EU bound world, you do have adequate reason to worry about it. \r\n\r\nThe trick is to know when worrying or speaking about it becomes legally riskier than procuring the recreational pharmaceuticals required to tolerate it. And on that note, I\'m off for a wee spliff!'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> @Tony E – That’s the real problem, isn’t it? It’s always about the *unintended* consequences. Did the high-minded prohibitionists mean to put a generation into sympathy with organised crime while funding the Mafia for 80+ years? Did we intend to blow over the twin towers when funding AQ & the Taliban to take out the Soviets in Afghanistan? Did the US mean to piss two generations up a rope to lose Vietnam that had nothing to do with the Domino Effect they thought they were fighting anyway? When we loosened the rules around wheel clamping did we envisage unleashing privatised hordes of metal-boot storm troopers running around on performance related pay? I’d wager not.

And you’re probably not being alarmist; I’m actively working on remaining calm and blog comments are a part of my self-administered therapy ;) But still – Stalin was called ‘the grey blur’ because nobody saw him coming as he amassed influence and authority by taking all the dull, s*** jobs on in the Soviet structure. That’s how he positioned himself to take the leadership – and I suppose, in our anti-democratic EU bound world, you do have adequate reason to worry about it.

The trick is to know when worrying or speaking about it becomes legally riskier than procuring the recreational pharmaceuticals required to tolerate it. And on that note, I’m off for a wee spliff!

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]]> By: Tony E http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14833 Tony E Fri, 20 Nov 2009 19:28:29 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14833 <a href='#comment-14829' rel="nofollow">@Shaun Pilkington</a> - Benign, until the wrong person gets the right job! It sounds crazy, and I wonder if I'm being a little alarmist when I type. Somehow I just believe that, whatever the intentions of those who put this 'plan' in place, (and I can understand that they believe that benign dictatorship is more stable and harmonious than democracy which has a less auspicious history in mainland Europe), it will be used eventually to create something that will be no different in principle from the Soviet Union.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14833','Tony E'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14833','Tony E','<a href=\'#comment-14829\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Shaun Pilkington<\/a> - Benign, until the wrong person gets the right job!\r\n\r\nIt sounds crazy, and I wonder if I\'m being a little alarmist when I type. Somehow I just believe that, whatever the intentions of those who put this \'plan\' in place, (and I can understand that they believe that benign dictatorship is more stable and harmonious than democracy which has a less auspicious history in mainland Europe), it will be used eventually to create something that will be no different in principle from the Soviet Union.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> @Shaun Pilkington – Benign, until the wrong person gets the right job!

It sounds crazy, and I wonder if I’m being a little alarmist when I type. Somehow I just believe that, whatever the intentions of those who put this ‘plan’ in place, (and I can understand that they believe that benign dictatorship is more stable and harmonious than democracy which has a less auspicious history in mainland Europe), it will be used eventually to create something that will be no different in principle from the Soviet Union.

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]]> By: Boudicca http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14832 Boudicca Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:03:05 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14832 Yet Cameron seems prepared to go along with this abuse of our Sovereignty! Where is a REAL leader when you want one, Dan?<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14832','Boudicca'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14832','Boudicca','Yet Cameron seems prepared to go along with this abuse of our Sovereignty! Where is a REAL leader when you want one, Dan?'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> Yet Cameron seems prepared to go along with this abuse of our Sovereignty! Where is a REAL leader when you want one, Dan?
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]]> By: Thomas Doubter http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14830 Thomas Doubter Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:20:41 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14830 I cannot for the life of me see why we would want a President chosen by democratic vote. Just look at what three general elections in our own country threw up over the past twelve years. It's been a nightmare! And there are signs that the lumpen proletariat might well throw a hung parliament at us next time round! If you look at the sort of people elected to sit in our HoCommons, you would surely prefer the results of a quick ask around.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14830','Thomas Doubter'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14830','Thomas Doubter','I cannot for the life of me see why we would want a President chosen by democratic vote. Just look at what three general elections in our own country threw up over the past twelve years. It\'s been a nightmare! And there are signs that the lumpen proletariat might well throw a hung parliament at us next time round! If you look at the sort of people elected to sit in our HoCommons, you would surely prefer the results of a quick ask around.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> I cannot for the life of me see why we would want a President chosen by democratic vote. Just look at what three general elections in our own country threw up over the past twelve years. It’s been a nightmare! And there are signs that the lumpen proletariat might well throw a hung parliament at us next time round! If you look at the sort of people elected to sit in our HoCommons, you would surely prefer the results of a quick ask around.
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]]> By: Shaun Pilkington http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14829 Shaun Pilkington Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:15:45 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14829 <a href='#comment-14825' rel="nofollow">@Tony E</a> - and 'benign', I'd suggest, is entirely in the eye of the beholder...<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14829','Shaun Pilkington'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14829','Shaun Pilkington','<a href=\'#comment-14825\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Tony E<\/a> - and \'benign\', I\'d suggest, is entirely in the eye of the beholder...'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> @Tony E – and ‘benign’, I’d suggest, is entirely in the eye of the beholder…
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]]> By: Demetrius http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14827 Demetrius Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:56:04 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14827 On the whole, I think I would prefer to have the Habsburgs back.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14827','Demetrius'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14827','Demetrius','On the whole, I think I would prefer to have the Habsburgs back.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> On the whole, I think I would prefer to have the Habsburgs back.
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]]> By: Tony E http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14825 Tony E Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:52:30 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14825 However bad it looks now, this is actually a great result for all of us who still believe in the nation state. She is a total nobody, and the President is hardly any better. Despite Clinton's praise, Obama will not be dealing direct with the EU president. He will deal with the heads of the countries who send troops out for NATO, and Clinton will deal with the Foreign Sec, not this apparatchik who has no real influence over the heads of state. The level of horse trading has made it very clear to all those who were undecided on Lisbon that democreacy has been declared to be 'dangerous' and unmanagable by the new elite, and that they intend to govern as a benign dictatorship. What they are competing for now, is to see who can occupy the 27 posts on the 'politburo' on the day when those seats cease to be held by the elected heads of state but become held by the incumbant permanently, with regional assemblies set up to give the impression of democracy with the dissolution of the nation state. I hope that with the appointment of such nobodies, that point may have been pushed back several years.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14825','Tony E'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14825','Tony E','However bad it looks now, this is actually a great result for all of us who still believe in the nation state. She is a total nobody, and the President is hardly any better.\n\nDespite Clinton\'s praise, Obama will not be dealing direct with the EU president. He will deal with the heads of the countries who send troops out for NATO, and Clinton will deal with the Foreign Sec, not this apparatchik who has no real influence over the heads of state.\n\nThe level of horse trading has made it very clear to all those who were undecided on Lisbon that democreacy has been declared to be \'dangerous\' and unmanagable by the new elite, and that they intend to govern as a benign dictatorship. What they are competing for now, is to see who can occupy the 27 posts on the \'politburo\' on the day when those seats cease to be held by the elected heads of state but become held by the incumbant permanently, with regional assemblies set up to give the impression of democracy with the dissolution of the nation state.\n\nI hope that with the appointment of such nobodies, that point may have been pushed back several years.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> However bad it looks now, this is actually a great result for all of us who still believe in the nation state. She is a total nobody, and the President is hardly any better.

Despite Clinton’s praise, Obama will not be dealing direct with the EU president. He will deal with the heads of the countries who send troops out for NATO, and Clinton will deal with the Foreign Sec, not this apparatchik who has no real influence over the heads of state.

The level of horse trading has made it very clear to all those who were undecided on Lisbon that democreacy has been declared to be ‘dangerous’ and unmanagable by the new elite, and that they intend to govern as a benign dictatorship. What they are competing for now, is to see who can occupy the 27 posts on the ‘politburo’ on the day when those seats cease to be held by the elected heads of state but become held by the incumbant permanently, with regional assemblies set up to give the impression of democracy with the dissolution of the nation state.

I hope that with the appointment of such nobodies, that point may have been pushed back several years.

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]]> By: LFAT http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14823 LFAT Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:09:00 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14823 Five years will never be enough for a Conservative government to undo the extent of Labour friends' enrichment that pervades the quangos in this country. She is a complete nobody who has been elevated to one of the senior politician in Europe without ever once having to prove herself to voters or achieve anything notable. Unbelievable.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14823','LFAT'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14823','LFAT','Five years will never be enough for a Conservative government to undo the extent of Labour friends\' enrichment that pervades the quangos in this country. She is a complete nobody who has been elevated to one of the senior politician in Europe without ever once having to prove herself to voters or achieve anything notable.\r\n\r\nUnbelievable.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> Five years will never be enough for a Conservative government to undo the extent of Labour friends’ enrichment that pervades the quangos in this country. She is a complete nobody who has been elevated to one of the senior politician in Europe without ever once having to prove herself to voters or achieve anything notable.

Unbelievable.

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]]> By: FLS http://www.lettersfromatory.com/2009/11/20/quote-of-the-day-432/#comment-14822 FLS Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:59:38 +0000 http://www.lettersfromatory.com/?p=5068#comment-14822 'She steered the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House, cancelling the referendum on it that all three parties had promised.' Thanks LFAT. I wondered how someone like her got this job. Good to see the old Commissar network is not letting us down. I'd wager that was the carrot for 'steering' the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House Democracy is soooo last century.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('14822','FLS'); return false;">Reply to this comment</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('14822','FLS','\'She steered the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House, cancelling the referendum on it that all three parties had promised.\'\r\n\r\nThanks LFAT. I wondered how someone like her got this job. Good to see the old Commissar network is not letting us down.\r\n\r\nI\'d wager that was the carrot for \'steering\' the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House\r\n\r\nDemocracy is soooo last century.'); return false;">Quote this comment</a></div> ‘She steered the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House, cancelling the referendum on it that all three parties had promised.’

Thanks LFAT. I wondered how someone like her got this job. Good to see the old Commissar network is not letting us down.

I’d wager that was the carrot for ’steering’ the Lisbon Treaty through the Upper House

Democracy is soooo last century.

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