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OnDoutside
OnDoutside's Journal
OnDoutside's Journal
August 31, 2017
Link : https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/why-little-england-brexiteers-miss-the-point-of-the-european-union-1.3203765?mode=amp
Why Little England Brexiteers miss the point of the European Union
https://www.irishtimes.com/polopoly_fs/1.3203762.1504113854!/image/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpgWhen Voltaire suggested that If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him, he was not denying the existence of God. Or, as some of his followers have argued, cynically putting down religion. On the contrary, the line forms part of a poetic polemic against atheism. And his point is that a God is an imperative to good social order, a necessary foundation of ethics, morality and co-operation: This sublime system is necessary to man. It is the sacred tie that binds society.
Which brings me, convinced atheist, somewhat improbably you may think, to Brexit and to the fundamental flaw in the UKs negotiating position: its inability to come to terms with the reality, pace Voltaire, that, in this age of globalisation and sovereignty-sharing, If the European Union did not exist, it would be necessary to invent it.
Or reinvent it by another name, in broadly the same form, a process we are painfully witnessing in Brussels in the Brexit talks, and the reason why the British are finding it so difficult plausibly to explain where they stand.
SNIP
Take Theresa Mays apparently visceral hatred of the EUs European Court of Justice (and of the Council of Europes European Court of Human Rights ironically, in no small measure, a creature of British initiatives). The prime minister considers the involvement of foreign judges in ruling on British law anathema so one of the UK red lines consists of no longer having to abide by this court.
But the UK wants to do a trade deal post-Brexit with the EU, and all trade deals now involve some means of judicial arbitration between the parties over disputes of interpretation. So it is inevitable that the UK will have to agree to establish and accept the jurisprudence of an international tribunal staffed in part by foreign judges, British judges and, heaven spare us, EU judges. An ECJ by another name.
SNIP
You dont have to love the European Union to acknowledge its necessity in some form in the modern age. Yes, it has a democratic deficit. Yes, it appears to work more for business than for ordinary citizens. But Brexiteers Little Englander obsession with the idea itself, with its otherness, misses the point.
Link : https://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/why-little-england-brexiteers-miss-the-point-of-the-european-union-1.3203765?mode=amp
August 11, 2017
The segment is on Randi's full Friday show, which is up on Youtube at 1:33:00
Randi Rhodes did a great segment on her show about Manafort's daughters and
the darknet website leaking of texts between them. I hadn't heard of this before but Politico did a story on it back in March
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/manaforts-ukrainian-blood-money-caused-qualms-hack-suggests-235473
Manaforts Ukrainian blood money caused qualms, hack suggests
Trump, Yanukovych work concerned the family of Trumps former campaign chairman, texts appear to show.
Paul Manaforts family expressed misgivings about the political consultants work for both Russia-aligned Ukrainian strongman Viktor Yanukovych and Donald Trump, according to text messages allegedly hacked from one of his daughters' phones.
The texts, posted on a darknet website run by a hacktivist collective, appear to show Manaforts family fretting about the ethics, safety and consequences of his work for Yanukovych. And they reveal that Manaforts two daughters regarded their fathers emergence as a key player on Trumps presidential campaign with a mixture of pride and embarrassment.
In one exchange, daughter Jessica Manafort writes Im not a trump supporter but i am still proud of dad tho. He is the best at what he does. Her sister Andrea Manafort responded by referring to their fathers relationship with Trump as The most dangerous friendship in America, while in another exchange she called them a perfect pair of power-hungry egomaniacs, and asserted the only reason my dad is doing this campaign is for sport. He likes the challenge. It's like an egomaniac's chess game. There's no money motivation.
SNIP
In one March 2015 exchange that appears to be between the two sisters, Andrea Manafort seems to suggest that their father bore some responsibility for the deaths of protesters at the hands of police loyal to Yanukovych during a monthslong uprising that started in late 2013.
Don't fool yourself, Andrea Manafort wrote. That money we have is blood money.
In another hacked exchange a few months later with someone else, Andrea Manafort wrote that her fathers work and payment in Ukraine is legally questionable.
SNIP
In a text exchange in early April, Jessica Manafort tells her sister that her father, who maintained an apartment in Trump Tower, where the campaign is located, seemed to be thriving on the campaign.
Dad and Trump are literally living in the same building and mom says they go up and down all day long hanging and plotting together, Jessica Manafort wrote. Gross, Andrea Manafort responded, prompting Jessica Manafort to come to their fathers defense.
Its really amazing opportunity at 67 years old. And he is basically running the campaign now He is so happy, Jessica Manafort wrote.
When WikiLeaks released a massive tranche of hacked emails from the DNC ahead of Clintons nominating convention in late July, Jessica Manafort seemed to assume that it was her fathers doing, texting her sister Dad is brilliant. Andrea Manafort responded Well it wasn't dads doing. It was hackers, adding But dad has to be thrilled about this. It's overshadowing the whole convention.
The segment is on Randi's full Friday show, which is up on Youtube at 1:33:00
August 2, 2017
Here are other interviews he has done on the subject
Ryanair's Michael O'Leary: UK is in denial over impact of Brexit on air travel - BBC Newsnight
Both O'Leary and British Airways' Willie Walsh are in rare agreement, that the UK are going to be in serious trouble if they do not start an Open Skies agreement with the EU asap. Even interviewer Kirsty Wark wanted to talk about Ryanair rather than Brexit.
Here are other interviews he has done on the subject
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