Comments on: The Maginot Line http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/the-european-union/the-maginot-line/ European Opinion Sat, 10 Jan 2009 04:01:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: rjw http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/the-european-union/the-maginot-line/#comment-10549 rjw Wed, 31 Aug 2005 05:49:15 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=1822#comment-10549 Well - quite frankly, you should have known better than to make excuses for Chirac in the first place. I recall a nice speech he made to radio d'outre mer a few months back explaining why these departments should vote for the Constitution. His argument boiled down to : - this constitution gives the dom - toms special status as 'peripheral regions' with 'permanent geographical handicaps' - this means you will get more subsidies (well - we have to even out handicaps) and these will be cast in stone - (well the handicaps are permanent ...) - this is almost an exclusively french issue, so look how good a deal this is, and look how well we have done to get this into the draft constitution - so vote for the constitution Very communautaire, don't you think? What's worse, it's all true. The Treaty WOULD have done this. And the French would have got their extra piece of Brussels pork. I would take any pronouncement from Chirac about Community interests with a handful, not a pinch, of salt. Well - quite frankly, you should have known better than to make excuses for Chirac in the first place. I recall a nice speech he made to radio d’outre mer a few months back explaining why these departments should vote for the Constitution.

His argument boiled down to :

- this constitution gives the dom - toms special status as ‘peripheral regions’ with ‘permanent geographical handicaps’

- this means you will get more subsidies (well - we have to even out handicaps) and these will be cast in stone - (well the handicaps are permanent …)

- this is almost an exclusively french issue, so look how good a deal this is, and look how well we have done to get this into the draft constitution

- so vote for the constitution

Very communautaire, don’t you think? What’s worse, it’s all true. The Treaty WOULD have done this. And the French would have got their extra piece of Brussels pork. I would take any pronouncement from Chirac about Community interests with a handful, not a pinch, of salt.

]]> By: Bob B http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/the-european-union/the-maginot-line/#comment-10548 Bob B Tue, 30 Aug 2005 20:40:05 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=1822#comment-10548 Bastiat is an inspirational icon for all Europeans but sadly much neglected. Economic policy debates are notably short on satire but his petition on behalf of the candlemakers c. 1846 to France's national assembleby is an immortal exception: http://bastiat.org/en/petition.html Bastiat is an inspirational icon for all Europeans but sadly much neglected. Economic policy debates are notably short on satire but his petition on behalf of the candlemakers c. 1846 to France’s national assembleby is an immortal exception:
http://bastiat.org/en/petition.html

]]> By: Robert http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/the-european-union/the-maginot-line/#comment-10547 Robert Tue, 30 Aug 2005 20:08:48 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=1822#comment-10547 I think another Frenchman, Bastiat, had it about right when it came to "strategic" industries: while preserving an industry protects a nation against shortages in the event of war, making the nations interdependent through trade protects the nations against war itself. I think another Frenchman, Bastiat, had it about right when it came to “strategic” industries: while preserving an industry protects a nation against shortages in the event of war, making the nations interdependent through trade protects the nations against war itself.

]]> By: Bob B http://fistfulofeuros.net/afoe/the-european-union/the-maginot-line/#comment-10546 Bob B Tue, 30 Aug 2005 17:30:18 +0000 http://fistfulofeuros.net/wordpress/?p=1822#comment-10546 As with Stalin, the body of Colbert may lie amouldering in his grave but his spirit is still marching on: http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/colbert.htm As with Stalin, the body of Colbert may lie amouldering in his grave but his spirit is still marching on:
http://cepa.newschool.edu/het/profiles/colbert.htm

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