Over the course of its existence, the EU has established a reputation for outstanding achievement in one area of activity. The plutocrats of Brussels, aided by an army of petty bureaucrats, have successfully created mountains of regulations and mile upon mile of red tape.
Unfortunately, the EU’s reputation for crisis management is lower than a snake’s belly. The bloc currently faces two huge emergencies. Firstly, there’s the ongoing migrant crisis, focused at the moment on the border between vassal member state Greece and an increasingly belligerent Turkey. Then there’s the existential threat posed by Coronavirus; in addition to the massive toll of human misery, the epidemic is likely to flush an economic shitstorm down the pipe.
Now I humbly ask, where is the EU amid this mess? It gives every appearance of behaving like a sloth on Mogadon, wallowing in inertia as a creeping paralysis sets in. Okay, maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the EU elite isn’t hunkered down in the Brussels fuhrer bunker, quaffing champagne and oysters, while the continent writhes in torment. Perhaps, even as I write, a massive EU contingency plan is set to unfold, bringing aid to the beleaguered nations of the Union. The trouble, however, is that the EU gives every IMPRESSION of dither, procrastination and delay, and appearances count for much. The plutocrats appear to be sitting with their fingers up their arses when the situation cries out for determined, decisive leadership, together with the implementation of practical measures designed to mitigate against the worst excesses of the situation. The EU needs to be seen to be walking the walk.
As an adjunct , I reckon that it’s a fair bet that this hidebound monstrosity will try to use the crisis as a pretext to push for an extension to the period of post-Brexit trade negotiations. Naturally, they’ll consider themselves entitled to continue plundering our fishing waters and our coffers for the duration of the extension.
Well I’d say that more and more people in the UK are coming to see the EU for the racket that it is. If any good is to come from this mess as we come out the other side, it’s that many more people elsewhere, particularly in Italy, may start to question just what the EU is for. To paraphrase from ‘Monty Python’s Life of Brian’, ‘What has the EU done for us?’ It’s a very good question. ‘That’s the EU for you’, I’d reply. When the chips are down, it’s as much use as a one-legged man in an arse kicking contest.
Oh, and while we’re on the subject, I’d bet that Il Papa could find the odd billion or so down the back of his pew to help out…
Nominated by Ron Knee



