Friday 31 July 2015

European Outlook # 20, August 2015

Fiscal Responsibility

We British know all about being broke. We were bankrupt after both World Wars and relied on American and Canadian loans that were not repaid until 2006. But we also ran out of money in peacetime. The Labour government of James Callaghan was forced to go cap-in-hand to the International Monetary Fund in 1976. The IMF bailed us out on condition that we increased taxation and made cuts in public spending; the same regime that they are now applying to Greece.

The Germans have earned their high standard of living by hard work and discipline. But they have not always been so affluent. In 1953 Chancellor Konrad Adenauer convinced the leaders of the Western World that the West German national debt was unsustainable. The London Conference on German External Debt wrote off half of the debt and rescheduled the remainder. The final payment was made in 2010 following reunification.


When German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble lectures the Greeks on fiscal responsibility he should remember his history. The Greeks ran up their debts by borrowing too much money to fund infrastructure improvements. The Germans incurred their debts fighting two World Wars. But in both cases it was the people who suffered for the mistakes of their governments. Europe is a family of nations and families should not let their own people starve.

Christine Lagarde of the IMF has called for Greek debt reduction. Angela Merkel is opposed to such a move but it now looks inevitable.  When Europe is properly united with one government, one central bank, and an integrated economy, there will be no such thing as Greek debt, or German debt, and no talk of throwing out whole nations.  

Rewriting History

Ukip try to present the British as a separate race of people who have nothing to do with those foreigners on the other side of the English Channel, but history, geography, culture, language and biology tell a different story.


The British Isles were repopulated at the end of the Ice Age by tribes from mainland Europe. The Celts arrived during the Bronze Age. In the first century we spoke Welsh at home and Latin when dealing with the Romans. By the tenth century the country was occupied by Germanic tribes; Anglo-Saxons and Danes. In 1066 William the Conqueror invaded and French became the language of government. In 1154 the Plantagenet King Henry II united England with parts of France; this lasted until we lost Calais in 1558. Our language today is a mixture of German and French.

England has been united with Wales since 1536, Scotland since 1707 and Northern Ireland (officially) since 1922. In 1714 George Duke of Brunswick-Lunenburg became King George 1 of England. His Hanoverian dynasty was Anglicised in1901 in preparation for the First World War. The Royals started wearing kilts, shooting pheasants and attending the Church of England. So at various times in our history we have been united with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes, Normans, French, Germans, Welsh, Scots, and Irish.

Christianity has been our religion ever since Emperor Constantine the Great issued the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. People who only attend Church for weddings, baptisms and funerals are nevertheless upholding an influence on our morals, manners, politics, law, music, art and architecture. Christianity has declined in modern times but it’s still a powerful cultural force.

Britain has absorbed the best of the Iberians, Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Danes and Normans. We carry in our DNA the collective genius of Europe. We are in every sense European and no amount of propaganda can alter the fact. Nigel Farage cannot rewrite history.



European Union


“Confederation” and “federation” both mean the union of several states but confederation is preferred by cautious pro-Europeans who propose a group of sovereign states held together by treaty.

There are 47 member states of the Council of Europe – not counting Belarus which is suspended for being undemocratic. The European Union, including the allied states of Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, is only half of Europe. The physical centre of Europe is in Ukraine, which we think of as Eastern Europe but our continent reaches the Urals and culturally it spans the vast territory from the Atlantic to the Pacific.

The European Union and the EFTA states are united by treaty and committed to “ever closer union.” But if we include Russia and her allies we clearly have a long way to go. Europe’s defence forces belong to NATO; an instrument of American foreign policy that is still fighting the Cold War. The return of the Crimea to Russia was decided by referendum and justified by history. There is no reason for the hostility being promoted by NATO.

A confederation would have trouble holding together. The Swiss and Canadian confederations have a central government, a national army, and a single currency. A union of sovereign states would inevitably develop into a fully-fledged federation like the United States or Russia. This has been the experience of the great states of Europe. The United Kingdom is a union of four states; England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Germany is a federation of sixteen states and Spain and Italy both have autonomous regions.

A few “nationalists” are open-minded about Europe but most of them are opposed to any sort of union. They would do well to study the works of Guillaume Faye. In “From Dusk to Dawn” he argued for total union:

The Europe of the future must no longer be envisaged in the mushy, ungovernable forms of the present European Union, which is a powerless Medusa, unable to control its borders, dominated by the mania of free-trade, and subject to American domination. We need to imagine a federal, imperial Grande Europe, ethnically homogenous (that is, European), based on a single autonomous area, and inseparably linked to Russia. I call this enormous continental bloc 'Euro-Siberia.' Having no need to be aggressive toward its neighbors because it would be inattackable, such a bloc would become the premier world power (in a world partitioned into large blocs), self-centered, and opposed to all the dangerous dogmas now associated with globalism. It would have the capacity to practice the 'autarky of great spaces,' whose principles have already been worked out by the Noble Prize winning economist, Maurice Allais. The destiny of the European peninsular cannot be separated from continental Russia, for both ethno-cultural and geopolitical reasons. It’s absolutely imperative for America’s mercantile thalassocracy to prevent the birth of a Euro-Siberian federation


Julius Evola anticipated the caution of conservatives in his essay “Spiritual and Structural Presuppositions of the European Union”:

Circumstances have rendered the need for European unity imperative on our continent. Until now, this need has been fuelled principally by negative factors: the nations of Europe seek a defensive unity, not so much on the basis of anything positive and pre-existing, as because of the lack of any other choice in the face of the threatening pressure of non-European blocs and interests. This circumstance makes it difficult to see the inner form of any possible real European unity very clearly. Thought seems not to go much beyond the project of a coalition or federation, which, as such, will always have an extrinsic, aggregative, rather than organic, character. A unity which would really be organic could be only conceived on the basis of the formative force from inside and from above which is peculiar to a positive idea, a common culture, and a tradition. If we look at the European problem in these terms, it is clear that the situation is painful, and that problematic factors prevent us from indulging in an easy optimism.

It is natural to be wary of change. We are comfortable with the familiar and suspicious of change. But change is inevitable if we are to avoid fossilization. The fainthearted must confront their fears and embrace European unity. We have already had the Greek crisis and we are bound to have trouble in Ukraine. But these are teething problems that will be overcome. We already have the political infrastructure of the European Union; the Parliament, the Commission and the European Central Bank. All that is necessary for the triumph of unity is our courage and determination.

Democracy

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, and China's conversion to market capitalism, most of the world is governed by parliamentary democracy. There are a few exceptions, such as North Korea, Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States but even they have assemblies that represent the ruling classes. The USA, UK, France and Germany are supposed to be model democracies but they are totally in the grip of big business. The great international corporations fund the political parties and provide the advertising revenue that keeps the mass media going, and their corporate taxes are essential to national budgets.

Democracy is therefore denied. It’s not the will of the people that prevails but the will of big business. Rupert Murdoch was not exaggerating when he claimed to have won the 1997 UK general election by backing the Labour Party with his newspapers and TV channels. In the age of the Internet the big business stranglehold on the media is fading but popular newspapers still have a decisive influence on public opinion.



Switzerland uses referendums to decide political issues but as democratic exercises they are just as suspect as elections. People who buy cars, washing machines and insurance on the prompting of advertisements are likely to be influenced by government propaganda.  

Perhaps in the future we might have representative government based on information technology. We could have daily referendums using our phones or PCs, but at present we are stuck with parliaments controlled by international corporations.

It is our duty to educate the public. Some of them still believe that their MPs represent them when in fact they are doing the bidding of big business. Policies made in the boardrooms of New York are implemented by Westminster. The electorate chose the government but matters of importance are decided by the unelected officials of international banks and oil companies.

Democracy is further undermined by the "War on Terror", the increasing use of referendums, the proposed cap on government spending, and the disgraceful misconduct of parliamentarians. Labour peer Lord Sewel, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords, was recently filmed snorting cocaine with prostitutes. 

There will be no true democracy or national sovereignty until global capitalism is be made more transparent and accountable. This cannot be done by individual nation states that lack the necessary political and economic power but a geopolitical bloc like the European Union, with the right sort of government, could achieve democracy. The Eurosceptics see the EU as a tool of big business but it may be our only hope of escaping from plutocracy.


Letter From America



                         Robert Lyons

01/07/2015

Thanks for another interesting issue of European Outlook. Reading your publication keeps me updated on what’s actually happening in the UK and Europe these days. It seems we’re all waiting for the next foot to drop that will send us all spiralling into the abyss. That fella shooting the blacks in South Carolina was like the foot dropping for the Confederate historians and sons and daughters of Confederate Veterans, now there’s a rush to banish or destroy anything related to Southern history. It’s like what followed the tearing down of the Iron Curtain when all symbols of communism were banished, it’s happening here now with all symbols of the Confederacy and the Old South. In their efforts to destroy all thing Southern they forget that slavery existed under the US flag many more years than the four short years of the Southern Confederacy.

08/07/2015

Thanks for the very sad news of Beryl Cheetham’s death. I may have mentioned to you that I was in touch with Beryl and had been for many years, we last communicated at Christmas. I was hoping to visit her in Erding one day but could never make the connection during any of our trips, now I wish I had tried harder. I knew she was in very poor health, Beryl wrote about her failing health quite often. Beryl had put me in touch with Colin Jordan and I was able to speak to him shortly before his death. Thanks again for the sad news, all the old comrades it seems are now crossing over the river and resting under the shade of the trees, to quote Stonewall Jackson’s last words. Thanks again for the sad news. I really appreciate receiving it.

09/07/2015

The march of time is relentless and too many of our old comrades have left us. You’re so lucky to have your old pals club of former members of Mosley’s movement who meet twice a year. Unfortunately we have no such group as you do, but if we did it would make the transition so much easier when you’re able to discuss the situation with old comrades. Being able to talk it out with old comrades over a beer or two seems to lessen the pain. I’ve noticed the loyalty of former members of the Mosley movement and how you all have remained together as a support group for each other through thick and thin, I think that’s wonderful.

Beryl remained true unto death to her beliefs just like Savitri Devi and many others did from that time, too many to mention who are now no longer with us. I noticed a change in her very long note of this past Christmas, its tone was harsher, I could tell she was suffering. National Socialism was all that really mattered to her because she was a true believer. Savitri Devi as well as Rockwell have quite a following, more so now in death than they did in life. I’m proud to have known both of them in life and I still share their National Socialist beliefs.



                             Beryl and Savitri


Paranoia and Confusion

As soon as Dylann Roof was arrested for mass murder in Charleston the conspiracy theorists began posting their nonsense on the Internet. Never mind that he was caught red handed and made a full confession; they still said that it was a false flag operation by the American government. Faith is beyond reason and the conspiracy theorists are steeped in their religion; for that is what conspiracy theory is, a religion that answers every question and provides a guide to world history.

The basic premise of CT is that nothing is what it seems. Everything that happens is the result of a conspiracy and behind it all are the usual suspects. They vary slightly according to nationality. In the UK, and most Protestant countries Catholics feature prominently but in France and the Catholic states it’s Protestants and Freemasons that are in league with the Devil. The one thing they agree on is the Jews. They are blamed for everything from the crucifixion of Jesus Christ to the Kennedy assassination, the 9/11 atrocity, and the death of Princess Diana.

In fact the hit list is endless. No prominent person has ever died from accidental or natural causes according to the CT cult. General Paton was allegedly murdered to stop him invading the Soviet Union. Rudolf Hess was killed to facilitate the sale of Spandau Prison to property developers. Robert Maxwell was assassinated by Israeli intelligence agents because he knew too much. And Louis Mountbatten was blown to bits by the IRA, not because he was the Queen’s cousin but because he was involved in secret pedophile ring.



Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Franklyn D Roosevelt were Gentiles that were falsely accused of being Jews by conspiracy theorists who assume that anyone who offends them must be Jewish. 

They accuse people of terrible crimes without a scrap of evidence, and if you ask them for proof they usually say “but it’s a well-known fact.” Conspiracy theorists are not just harmless cranks. They spread malicious gossip without a though for their victims, and they tarnish the reputation of the dead who cannot defend themselves.

Accusations must be backed by solid evidence. Anecdotal evidence is worthless and so are unattributed quotations. They might say that Winston Churchill said he “wanted to exterminate the Germans” but they should tell you where and when he said it. Conspiracy theorists are driven by paranoia, informed by hearsay and sustained by confusion. They constantly warn us of impending disaster but, like the naughty boy who cried wolf, nobody will believe them if one of their conspiracies turns out to be true.

Patriotism

According to the Oxford Dictionary a patriot is a “champion, or lover of his country." That’s simple enough but first we have to define “country.” Britons of my generation were brought up to be British. Our flag was the Union Jack representing the four nations of the British Isles and the wider British Empire. We were proud to belong to a mighty empire and find it difficult to take “Little England” seriously.

Today the great expansive spirit of imperialism has been replaced by insular nationalism. The Scottish Nationalists have captured Scotland but most Brits are still in favour of the United Kingdom, including half the population of Northern Ireland.

Patriotism can therefore be the love of one country, or in the case of the United Kingdom, of more than one country. Those of us who support the European Union are merely extending our patriotism in the same way.

Anti-Europeans haven't got a monopoly on patriotism. Pro-Europeans are as patriotic as those who think that “Wogs begin at Calais.” It is not true that political and economic federation leads to loss of national identity. It has not happened in the 42 years since we joined the old Common Market and it will not happen in the future.

Ted Heath, the prime minister who took us into the Common Market, is a hate figure to the far-Right. He is accused of a catalogue of crimes but there is not a shred of evidence against him. What we do know about him is that he was the son of a maid and a carpenter who was educated at his local grammar school and won a scholarship to Oxford. He was a captain in the Royal Artillery who took part in the Normandy Landings and was mentioned in dispatches for his gallantry during the North West Europe Campaign of 1944-5. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel and awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1946. Ted Heath was hated by the Tory aristocracy for being a working class boy who achieved high office. And he is accused of treason by some people who have never served their country or faced enemy action.

We are all entitled to our opinions but it’s unfair and inaccurate to call people “traitors” when they love their country. There is nothing patriotic about risking Britain’s future by breaking away from the EU. And there is nothing treasonable about wanting Britain to be at the heart of Europe.

Patriotism need not be confined to a small territory. Americans love their huge federation from "sea to shining sea"; they do not confine their loyalty to their home state and nor should we.















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