Chevrolet Cruze

Last week relations between three of the most powerful nations on earth, the USA, Germany and Russia took an unexpected nosedive.

The shock waves caused Germany’s Iron Frau Angela Merkel to choke on her spragel and phone Barack Obama in a hissy-fit. Meanwhile Vladimir Putin was left miffed and puzzled on the sidelines. The crisis had, for once, nothing to do with bearded terrorists, global warming or the positioning of missile shields. And don’t worry China, it’s not you either.

It could not have been an easy phone call for Obama to handle. Out of experience I can say that the only thing more frightening than an angry German woman, is a Russian one. Merkel was apparently seething with rage. And so, it would appear, was all of Germany. Thankfully, for Obama’s sake, Putin is a not a woman, and his response was one of bewilderment, rather than anger.

What was it all about? You won’t believe this, but the topic was Opel.

However, Opel was a mere innocent pawn. The culprit, in the eyes of Merkel, was General Motors. After months of meetings and discussions on the sale of Opel to Canadian parts supply company, Magna, with strong backing by Russia’s Sperbank, General Motors did a sudden U-turn and decided it would, after all, rather have another go at it themselves. And this caused Merkel’s famous bosom to start heaving uncontrollably.

Now, usually decisions such as this would not trouble world leaders, but the Opel situation has become this important because Merkel’s government provided bridge funding to get the deal done, and Obama’s automotive task force helped during negotiations. The thing is, if General Motors was to keep Opel, the thought was that a consequence would be many job losses, which is one of the reasons why Merkel heavily backed the seemingly more worker-friendly Magna deal in the first place.

But more importantly, General Motors did not inform the White House of its decision to keep Opel. Obama was blissfully unaware, thinking the Magna deal was all but done. Same story in Russia, where the sale was expected to give quite a boost to a domestic car industry, and specifically to GAZ. But no, the news exploded like a bomb shell. Now German workers fear for their jobs.

Merkel wants her money back. And she wants to see General Motors’ plan for Opel, immediately. Perhaps she should just have a look at the Magna proposals again, because apparently GM has said its own plan for Opel now looks a lot like that. The Russkies have some hope, though, because subsequently GM has stated that it‘s keen on doing business with GAZ, the company most famous for building that staple Russian saloon, the Volga, which I’ve driven, and which is kakashka.

I am delighted by all of this for some very personal reasons.

Growing up in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s and spending much of it on the back seat of the family Opel Rekord, reading in CAR magazine about Mike Briggs and the Kadett GSI clobbering its rivals in local racing every weekend, it was possibly inevitable that I’d end up being quite a fan of this German brand. I enjoyed the fact that Opel was always the underdog, and I especially enjoyed rubbing the Volkswagen fanatics at my school’s noses in another defeat come break time on Monday.

But then things started going wrong. Opel became more concerned about low-down torque and chasing Volkswagen up the ladder to the premium segment. This was doomed to be a long, painful process from the start, because unlike Volkswagen, which has a successful premium cousin like Audi to lend a hand, Opel doesn’t.

In fact, Opel has General Motors. And has had for a long time. This American company has made some iconic cars through the years and I really hope it gets back to full health, but I think its fair to say that for a very, very long time, General Motors’ idea of “premium” involved stick-on wood and chrome.

In its efforts to go up-market Opel ended up being stuck in the no-man’s land between being a car for the common man, and a car for those who look down on the common man. Thankfully I wasn’t the subject of much teasing from my now “premium-segment” Volkswagen friends at school, because all of this coincided with them becoming less interested in cars, and more interested in breasts.

As the years went by my concern for Opel continued to grow as General Motors seemingly got less interested in the brand each passing year. Of course, producing cars in Europe is an expensive exercise and importing them and selling them at competitive prices in distant South Africa is just as challenging. Locally this is made almost impossible because locals have certain expectations of Opel, which the mothership in Germany was moving away from.

Nevertheless, I still think there’s a hungry market for its cars here, and having inspected its latest products in Germany recently, I can say this – Opel is now seriously hammering on that premium segment door. Its products are now highly rated. The Insignia saloon has won numerous awards, the new Astra looks hot and there’s a clever new Meriva on the way.

But in South Africa, due mostly to pricing issues, we’re told, we’ve got a rapidly shrinking Opel line-up, soon to consist of only the Corsa hatch. The Corsa Utility bakkie will be rebadged as a Chevrolet soon.

And instead of the highly rated Astra, General Motors South Africa has elected to put the emphasis on Chevrolet instead, and as such we have the Cruze, which is based on the Astra platform anyway. The local emphasis on Chevrolet instead of Opel was an old-GM decision based on the concept of Chevrolet being its “world” brand, and South Africa being a “world” market. Opel was consigned to a “regional brand” task.

Now all this could change because GM is keeping Opel. Or so I hope.

Don’t get me wrong, the Cruze is a handsome car. We tested the first example (the top-line 1,8 LT) in the October issue and I thought it was smartly made, nicely specced and well-priced. The only problems, really, were the engine and transmission. In isolation, perhaps the engine is ok, and the same could go for the transmission, but together they are as pleasant as George Bush sitting next to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at a dinner party. And just as noisy and irritating. And as likely to end in swearing.

This past weekend, I took our long-term Cruze automatic for an 800 km drive to Mossel Bay and back. I expected it to perform much better as a cruiser, rather than in and around the city where throttle inputs sent its gearbox out on a hunt for horsepower which simply doesn’t exist under the bonnet.

Yeah, the ride is good, and the cabin well-insulated from road and wind noise. It appears to be economical, too. But General Motors, I’m sorry, this drivetrain simply doesn’t work. The throttle pedal appears to be a volume knob for the engine more than anything else. Overtaking requires the ability to predict ten minutes into the future.

And yet, on the few instances where I could enjoy the twists and turns of our again improving national roads, I was impressed with the basics of the suspension, steering etc. I like the interior design, too. And it’s spacious and comfortable.

Yes. There’s a good car hiding underneath the Chevrolet Cruze. And I suspect it’s called the Opel Astra. Now that General Motors is keeping Opel, chances are much better that we’ll see it here, eventually. And that’s great news.

We gooien er maar weer eens een VVV-tje tegenaan. Ook het trainersgilde kent haar veelplegers. En ons landje gooit daarbij hoge ogen. De Hollandse headhunter-huurling is een gewild object. Dat er vooralsnog slechts twee onzer oefenmeesters zeker zijn van deelname aan het WK, zegt dus helegaar niks. Wel heeft de reputatie een deukje opgelopen. Erwin Koeman kon de Hongaarse honger niet stillen, Beenhakker blies de aftocht met Polen, Advocaat wisselde een WK met de Aussies in voor Russische roebels. Zelfs Holy Hiddinks toverstaf deed Rusland niet in sprookjes doen geloven. En dan was er nog de grote verrassing dat Arie Haan met Albanië geen kwalificatie wist af te dwingen.

Maar denk nou niet dat Don Leo straks absent is als de camera’s volop draaien en de satellieten in de lucht zijn!  De Mexicaanse bondscoach Ricardo La Volpe wordt midden in de voorbereiding geveld door een mysterieuze griep en dus gaat Don Leo Leuter, uiteraard pas na enig zuchten, kreunen en steunen, naar alweer zijn 3e WK.  En Voetblah als advocaat van de duivel voorspelt dat mannen als Dickie en Louis niet vies zullen zijn van een parttime, desgewenst duo-vakantiebaantje en zullen reageren op – zo al niet zijn benaderd voor - de Vacatures Voor Veeltrainers.

Advocaat is persona non grata in Australië, dus Nieuw-Zeeland. Of een van de Korea’s. Van Gaal kan nog alle kanten uit. Een duo met Maradona zou geweldige televisie opleveren, maar is zoiets als Angela Merkel koppelen aan Sarkozy. Voor De Goddelijke Kanaries zou Louis fluitend tekenen, maar ook zichzelf verheffen tot goddelijke status. Althans zo vrezen de media. Wij denken eerder aan Frankrijk en smullen nu al van het défilé communiqué. En Guus Geluk? In Noord-Korea zit ie op een atoombom. Zuid-Afrika is voor het duo  Krol & Foppe. Brazilië of Argentinië? Het zou zomaar kunnen. Guus zou ook de VS in alle staten brengen. Maar wij gokken op Ivoorkust. Exotisch, eigenzinnig. Plus Drogba, Kalou, Eboue en een zwikje Toure’s!

Ps. Een knelpuntje is de populariteit van bondscoach Henri Michel aan de Ivoorkust. Echter, Domenech heeft bij Les Bleus zijn langste tijd gehad en wie anders dan Michel…
Louis D’Or kan nog alle kanten uit, toch?

Professor emeritus  Olof Ruin, diskuterar begreppen landsfader och landsmoder, i det utmärkta radioprogrammet Godmorgon världen – Sveriges Radio P1.

Han konstaterar att Vladimir Putin är en sorts landsfader för ryssarna, Fredrik Reinfelt  skulle eventuellt, under vissa omständigheter kunna bli detsamma  för svenskarna. Vidare att Angela Merkel är på god väg att bli en landsmoder för tyskarna.

Undertecknad konstaterar att Mona Sahlins chanser att bli en framtida landsmoder, torde vara mikroskopiska.

Lars Sjögren

Angela Merkel, die politische Freudendame der Bankster!

Die Konten der Massen wurden von ihren eigenen Banken geplündert und an die Wall Street überwiesen, ohne das Kundeneinverständnis dafür zu haben. Diese Billionen waren den Universumsdieben aber nicht genug. Die Banken mussten sich sogar selbst verpflichten, die sogenannten Investments der Wall Street zu kaufen. Und zwar vielfach bis zum Hundertfachen ihres Eigenkapitals. Die Regierung der BRD garantiert und garantiert in diesem Zusammenhang Billionen von Euro für diese Betrugsnummern.

Diese Summen, die in den Computern der Bankster entstanden sind, konnten gar nicht investiert werden, weil sie um ein Vielfaches höher waren als das Welt-Brutto-Sozialprodukt. Es gab für diese Summengrößen überhaupt keine Aufnahmemöglichkeit auf der Erde. Diese gigantischen Beträge wanderten alle in die Taschen der Bankster, wozu auch die billionenschweren Boni beitrugen. Das zeigt, dass es den Bankstern der FED und der Wall Street nur darum ging (und geht), Zinstribute in Billionen- irgendwann sogar in Trilliardenhöhe bis in alle Ewigkeit zugeschoben zu bekommen. Tribut in galaktischer Größenordnung, resultierend aus den Garantien der Regierungen für ihre Banken, die sich freiwillig diesem Betrug unterwarfen. Hier weiterlesen

The EU has a new council President.  As expected, the Belgian Prime Minister Herman van Rompuy won the leadership contest, and with the backing of most European leaders.  It is an appointment that satisfies the EU-3, and also the smaller EU member states.

The EU’s 3 big powers are happy.  France, Germany and to a lesser extent the United Kingdom, have chosen a President that will not overrule their integrity and power in the Europe and on the wider international stage.  It is also an appointment that continues to recognise Belgium as being at the heart of the European Union (also a founding member of the EU), whilst also valuing the contributions of the smaller and medium EU member states.

The appointment of Herman van Rompuy places the President in a more chairmanship role than an actual President.  UK Foreign Secretary David Milband’s intension of having a President who would ’stop the traffic’ seems to be replaced with a person that offers, according to Angela Merkel, ‘consensus’ among the European powers.  As BBC Europe Editor Gavin Hewitt says, “the person that is least objectionable”.

The EU President’s job will be to chair the meetings of Europe’s Heads of Government, work with other EU institutions, represent the EU in the global stage, encourage consensus within the European Council (Herman van Rompuy is certainly an expert here) and present a report to the European Parliament after EU Council meetings.  It could be said that Herman van Rompuy fits the bill perfectly.

High Representative

Despite the UK Government’s intention of pursuing Tony Blair to be appointed EU President, it can take great conciliation of the fact that Lady Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, has been appointed as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.  Known as Cathy Ashton among her European counterparts (so excuse the dropping of her title), she takes over from CFSP Chief Javier Solana and External Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

French & German power

As the French and Germans consolidated their support behind Herman van Rompuy for EU President, the UK Government effectively conceded Blair’s Presidential candidacy on the basis Cathy Ashton would become High Representative.  Yet her appointment as Trade Commissioner in October 2008 (following Lord Peter Madelson’s return to UK Government) no doubt increased her chances in becoming High Representative.

A potential issue I can identify with Ashton’s appointment is her lack of Foreign Affairs experience.  The High Representative’s job is now as important as ever with more responsibilities.  Negotiating on behalf of 27 member states with many countries abroad could prove problematic for her.  Furthermore, her relative obscurity does no positive attributes for her work abroad.  Yet her work as Trade Commissioner has at least increased her limited international profile.

It is important to remember that before Cathy Ashton is formally sworn into her new role, the Commission President will have to agree to her appointment, and the European Parliament (the people’s representatives in the EU) will be able to scrutinize the choice. The European Parliament will then vote on whether to approve Ms. Ashton.

Other appointments

It was not just the EU President and High Representative appointed during Thursday’s working dinner.

Also approved was Pierre de Boissieu as Secretary-General of the Council. Pierre de Boissieu’s predecessor Javier Solana acted as both High Representative and Secretary-General.  These roles have now been split, and Solana will seemingly leave the EU.

Up next will be the appointment of a new College of Commissioners.  The mandate of the present team of EU Commissioners ended on 31 October 2009, but they continued their work into November to deal with the business of the Lisbon Treaty, and the subsequent EU appointments.

With Cathy Ashton now High Representative elect, another new Trade Commissioner will at least need to appointed.  It is speculative as to whether Commission President José Manuel Barroso will seek another term, and who the new Commission appointments will be.

In reflection

The roles of EU President and High Representative could have been given to more high-profile politicians.  Yet Herman van Rompuy and Catherine Ashton were both appointed because of their relative obscurity.  Both appointees people will not overshadow the wishes and diplomatic power of the EU-3, with London, Paris and Berlin still likely to be consulted first when a crisis erupts, not Brussels.  Yet at the same time, the new President and High Representative will still give the EU an increased powerful voice on world stage, and will speak for the Union when there is consensus between all 27 member states.

So the EU moves forward…it has a new President and a new High Representative, and both will begin their work soon. The EU lives on compromise: everything the organisation does is on the basis of consensus between all 27 members states, all political views and all European visions.  Here we have 2 politicians that both unite Europe, yet does not overshadow its big powers.

Schon wieder so ein Wortmoloch, aber hat es jemand von Euch bemerkt? Selbst bei angeblich renommierten Sendern, und hier ist es unerheblich, ob TV oder Radio, wird jede Zahl, die mehr als  fünf Nullen aufweist, übrigens ein interessantes Wortspiel mit den Nullen, jede dieser Zahlen ist plötzlich Milliarde.

So ist die Menschheit zwischen 22 bis 30 Milliarden Jahre alt. Die BRD (BRRRRD, woran erinnert mich das nun wieder?) hat zur Zeit etwas über 81 Milliarden Einwohner. Und dann soll meine Rente nicht sicher sein? Upps, ich schweife, aber Ihr seht oder hört doch selbst, sogar gewiefteste Journailleisten und Moderedeatoren sind überfordert mit diesen Nullen. (Verdammt, fast ein Running- Gag).

DON´T PANIC

PS: Apropos Nullen: Warum hat Angie Guidu nicht gesteckt, dass Miles & More nicht für eine Frau stellvertretender Bundeskanzler/in gilt?

PPS: Das Alter unseres lustigen Planeten wird auf 4,5 Milliarden Jahre geschätzt! Nicht auf den Tag genau, aber so ungefähr!

PPPS:  Laut der Bibel ist unsere Welt jedoch nur…ich spare mir die Blasphemie! (ca.6.500 Jahre alt) Genau! Wieviel Weihrauch muss man kiffen, um so dumm zu sein?

On November 22:

1574 Discovery of the Juan Fernández Islands off Chile.

1718 Pirate Edward Teach (best known as “Blackbeard“) was killed in battle with a boarding party led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard.

1808  Thomas Cook, British travel entrepreneur, was born.

1819  George Eliot, (Mary Ann Evans) British novelist, was born.

1859  Charles Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species was first offered for sale, in London.

1899 Hoagy Carmichael, American composer, was born.

1890 Charles de Gaulle, President of France (, was born.

1913 Benjamin Britten, British composer, was born.

1914 Peter Townsend, British Equerry and air pilot, was born.

1919 – Máire Drumm, Irish civil rights activist, was born.

1928 The premier performance of Ravel’s Boléro took place in Paris.

1943  Lebanon gained independence from France.

1958  Jamie Lee Curtis, American actress, was born.

1963  US President John F. Kennedy was killed and Texas Governor John B. Connally is seriously wounded by Lee Harvey Oswald.

1975 Juan Carlos was declared King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco.

1977 British Airways inaugurated a regular London to New York City supersonic Concorde service.

1998  British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher withdrew from the Conservative Party leadership election, confirming the end of her premiership.

1995 Toy Story was released as the first feature-length film created completely using computer-generated imagery.

2005 Angela Merkel became the first female Chancellor of Germany.

Sourced from NZ History Online & Wikipedia.

Van Rompuy, presidente permanente del Consejo Europe

Dos desconocidos llevaran la representación exterior de la UE, digo dos desconocidos quitando que casi nadie los conoce en Europa ya que no tienen ninguna experiencia en política exterior y nadie los conoce fuera del entorno burocrático de Bruselas, concretamente los elegidos han sido el premier belga, Herman Van Rompuy, que será presidente permanente del Consejo Europeo; y la comisaria europea de Comercio, Catherine Ashton, que sustituirá a Javier Solana como Alta Representante de Política Exterior. Estos nuevos rostros han decepcionado bastante a muchos políticos y diplomáticos ya que no supone un aire nuevo a las instituciones europeas, han sido designados por ser los candidatos que menos suspicacias ni problemas iban a causar entre los diversos Estados miembros, hasta su votación ha resultado muy extraña ya que en muy contadas ocasiones hay una unanimidad de todos los Estados miembros de la UE para elegir un cargo de gran responsabilidad. Estas cosas son las que hacen que la gente crea menos en las instituciones de la UE ni vayan a votar en sus elecciones ya que creen acertadamente que lo que piensen ellos va a ser decisivo en Europa.

Catherine Ashton, Alta Representante de Política Exterior de la UE

Van Rompuy que llevaba hasta el otro día diez meses como primer ministro de Bélgica, un hombre que no quería ni gobernar el conflictivo país que es Bélgica con sus problemas internos entre francófonos y flamencos, político xenófoba que odia a los musulmanes y niega la entrada de Turquía en la UE, ahora le ponen a gobernar a los Veintisiete, tarea mucho más complicada y difícil por la gran diversidad de opiniones que hay, es un político muy discreto que veo muy raro que sea el autentico líder que necesita ahora mismo la UE frente a la China de Hu Jintao y EEUU de Obama que son los líderes del mundo en la actualidad, es un político de bajo perfil por lo que si no cambia, será una institución la suya, la de presidente permanente de la UE al servicio de Alemania y Francia, respecto a Ashton la han elegido sobre todo por el hecho de que es mujer, y es conocido la gran presión que ha tenido las UE para que tengan mujeres en los altos cargos, esta laborista inglesa no tiene experiencia previa en política exterior, es increíble que ahora la pongan al frente de la diplomacia europea, y sobre todo siendo del Reino Unido, país que no destaca por su europeísmo y no está ni en la zona Euro ni en el espacio Schengen, es como he leído en varios medios de comunicación, le han dado a los británicos la tutela de la diplomacia europea, todo un regalo a Londres que vio como su candidato Blair debido a su ego y a su participación en Iraq no gustaba mucho en Bruselas.

La reunión que ha tenido lugar para elegir a estos dos altos cargos parecía la elección del emperador en la Antigua Roma, un sitio donde se elegía a gente sin tener la más mínima experiencia, y con una total falta de transparencia sobre el que ha primado la relación franco-alemana, es decir, la relación de Merkel y Sarkozy, los dos no quieren competencia que les reste el gran protagonismo que tienen en la escena internacional, esto es bastante preocupante ya que aunque sus economías sean de las más fuertes de la UE, no representan la totalidad de las ideas y políticas comunitarias, esto en vez de ser una medida en beneficio de la UE que está perdiendo interés e importancia en la escena internacional, parece todo un circo de intereses nacionales de quitar y poner a candidatos dependiendo de si les gusta o no a las grandes potencias que siguen siendo Francia, Alemania y en menor medida, Reino Unido.

Sarkozy y Merkel, impulsores de estos nombramientos en la UE

Estos cargos son de enorme importancia para la UE, uno de ellos ya viene de antiguo, concretamente el de Alto Representante de Politica Exterior aunque lo han modificado dándole más responsabilidades e importancia, este cargo venía siendo ejercido por Javier Solana con sus aciertos como su gran labor diplomática por todo el mundo y desaciertos como el reconocimiento de Kosovo como Estado independiente saltándose el Derecho Internacional, el otro cargo es novedoso ya que no existía antes, se creó por el Tratado de Lisboa en 2007 que configuró este cargo dándole un gran poder que entrará en vigor el próximo 1 de Diciembre junto con Ashton como jefa de la diplomacia europea.

Estos mandatarios que serán junto con el presidente de turno de la UE cada seis meses y el presidente de la Comisión Europea, los altos cargos institucionales que representaran a todos los ciudadanos de la UE y darán la cara en el mundo, tienen que enfrentarse de momento a varios problemas, algunos de ellos grave, como asegurar la salida de la recesión económica que sufrimos desgraciadamente en toda la UE junto a crear empleo de manera urgente a los millones de europeos que sufren el desempleo, deben reformar todo el sistema financiero para evitar que en el futuro las crisis no golpeen de la manera que lo ha hecho ahora la economía real, debe consolidar y aumentar el papel que tiene en el mundo que como decía antes, China cada vez tiene un mayor protagonismo quitándoselo a la UE que hasta hace unos años, era el árbitro del mundo y donde se decidían las más importantes decisiones relativas a la paz y seguridad mundial, todo esto a la vez que debe resolver cuestiones fundamentales como la dependencia energética, liderar la lucha contra el cambio climático, etc..

En definitiva, aunque no veo lógico que hayan designado a dos personas sin tener ni idea de política exterior, esto es como todo en la vida, habrá que esperar a ver como lo hacen y podremos juzgarles y criticarles por las decisiones que hayan hecho, ya que son los cargos más importantes de la UE, de momento les aconsejo a estos altos cargos que se lean libros de política exterior, relaciones internacionales para que entiendan y aprendan lo difícil que es el mundo donde vivimos actualmente.

På ytan kan det ju se ut nästan som den svenska alliansregeringsbildningens variant på ‘varannan damernas’.  Som ett lagom olyckligt S/M-äktenskap. Eller som något ur Svindlande höjder. Catherine och,  ja, inte Heathcliff, men väl flamländskt koleriske  Herman ropar förgäves till varann över stormaktens ödsligaste hedar av snorhala polityrgolv.

Men i kulisserna väntar en kritstrecksdominans av sällan skådad omfattning - och de kritstrecksränderna känner vi till, likt kompisar från förr. Med andra ord, de går aldrig ur. I Aftonbladets artikel om den icke-valde EU-presidenten Herman van Rompuy heter det:

“Som den franske EU-korrespondenten Jean Quatremer konstaterade: ‘det ser ut som en kristdemokratisk version av den saudiarabiska regeringen’. “

När då dessa kostymkompisar råkar i luven på varandra bildas nya vakuum, entropin ökar och därmed också utrymmet för de mer anonyma och informella makthavarna vars inbördes vikt vi ännu inte känner tyngden av. Men vi kommer att bli varse, var så säker.

Att de stavas neokolonialism kan vi för det första kallt räkna med. Vilka bokstäver som kommer sen återstår att se. Dock är det högern som är på uppmarsch för den innehar regeringsmakten i de folkrikaste länderna – Tyskland, Italien, Frankrike och snart också England, för att inte säga Polen, Spanien eller varför inte Tjeckien. De två ledarna som nu valts kan då visa sig stå för något annat än vad den modesta ytan ger för handen. Och med vetskapen om att Lissabonfördraget i sin filibusterskrift rymmer ritningen till en diktatur bådar det inte gott.

Den Nya  socialmoderata (M)enigheten kan strax bli något plötsligt föränderligt, på grund av luftgropar i tomrummet.

Nickedockorna som pratar Newspeak vet man aldrig var man har - och det vet de kanske inte själva heller, då den som håller i ledbandet kan vara osynlig.

En EUrokrat som tillika är katolik och “en doldis med diplomatisk talang som enligt den franska tidningen Le Monde skulle göra succé i just Vatikanen“ kan visa sig vara mer civilisationskrigisk än man kunnat ana, och den kvinnliga fägringen kan visa sig vara ett passande staffage för en alltigenom kvinnofientlig politik – som en eftergift åt de kvinnor som är beredda att fortsätta sila könskvotering i företagsstyrelser samtidigt som de sväljer abortförbud, skilsmässoförbud, legalisering av prostitution, nedmonterad barnomsorg, avvecklad offentlig arbetsmarknad, anorektisk välfärdssektor, främlingsfientlighet och uppblossande världskrig, som villkor för att få sitta med vid maktens bord och dela ut smulor till den återstående folkspillran när högerstormarna rasat färdigt.

Se tidigare bloggpost – En kall politiker fryser, Tomtar på loftet, Vatikanen silar mygg och sväljer kameler, Demokratiutredningen och partifinansiering i omutliga Sverige, En jul i hatets tecken? Vatikansk diplomati, En riktigt GOD jul, Italien hjärta Sverige = Sant?, Den socialmoderata (M)enigheten,  Parlamentet blir parlamentet

Läs: Expressen – De blir EU: s nya ledarpar, SVD1,    SVD2,   SVD3, SVD4,  SVD5, SVD6,  SVD7,  AB1,    AB2,  AB3, AB4,  DN1,   DN2, DN3,   DN4,    , DN5, DN6, DN7, Expressen1,    Expressen2,  Expressen3,   AB2,

Bloggarna: Johan Norberg.net – A Blow to European Democracy,  Mark Klamberg – Regeringen har utsett FRA-domare och FUN-ledamöter,  Texplorer – Att sätta stopp för FRA-kablarna,  Badlandshyena – Gör engelska till officiellt språk,  Ett hjärta RÖTT – Kaos och uppgivenhet,  Ett hjärta RÖTT2,    HAX – Det blev i vart fall inte Tony Blair,  MOGI – Ett liv på A-kassa,   Röda Malmö,   Alliansfritt Sverige – Moderaterna har en alldeles särskild förmåga att få ihop det,

Georg Grosz hälsar

Le Soir

Herman Van Rompuy, premier Président de l'Union Européenne

Au 1er janvier 2010, Herman Van Rompuy entrera en fonction en tant que premier président de l’Union européenne. La Britannique Catherine Ashton, elle, a été nommée Haut représentant de l’UE aux Affaires étrangères. Ceci dit, qui Obama pourrait-il appeler en cas de besoin pour joindre l’UE ? Les dirigeants européens ne savent pas très bien… La Maison Blanche, elle, a déclaré que le partenariat avec les Etats-Unis sera renforcé par ces deux nominations.

Par Jurek Kuczkiewicz

Herman Van Rompuy, inconnu sur la scène européenne il y a un an encore, a été choisi à l’unanimité par les 27 chefs d’Etats ou de gouvernement pour devenir le premier président permanent du Conseil européen, une des deux nouvelles fonctions créées par le Traité de Lisbonne qui entrera en vigueur le 1er décembre prochain.

Il assumera ses nouvelles fonctions à partir du 1er janvier 2010, ouvrant ainsi l’épineuse question de sa succession au Seize rue de la Loi. Avec une présidence stable pour un mandat de deux ans et demi renouvelable une fois, le système actuel de présidence tournante tous les six mois est remplacé. Le Premier ministre quitte le 16 rue de la Loi pour le nº 175, au Juste Lipse, siège du Conseil de l’UE.

« L’Europe est une union de valeurs et elle a la responsabilité de jouer un rôle important dans le monde », a déclaré le nouveau président de l’Union. Il a toutefois dit vouloir se contenter, dans sa fonction de président du Conseil, d’un rôle de facilitateur de compromis entre les pays de l’UE. Il a affirmé vouloir rester « discret » et ne pas se répandre en interviews dans les médias.

M. Van Rompuy s’est dit par ailleurs favorable à ce que « l’Union européenne continue à s’élargir pour inclure d’autre pays » dans les années à venir, « à condition qu’ils remplissent les critères » demandés. Une manière de répondre à ceux qui l’accusent d’être un opposant à l’entrée de la Turquie dans l’UE.

Une femme vice-présidente de la Commission

La Britannique Catherine Ashton a été désignée Haut représentant de l’UE aux Affaires étrangères. Elle va prendre la succession de l’Espagnol Javier Solana, mais avec un portefeuille aux pouvoirs nettement élargis. Elle sera en même temps vice-présidente de la Commission européenne.

En la désignant en début de soirée chef de la diplomatie, les huit chefs de gouvernement socialistes ont levé le dernier obstacle majeur : l’obstination de Gordon Brown à maintenir sur la table la candidature de Tony Blair à la présidence du Conseil européen. L’adhésion du Premier ministre britannique a ouvert la voie royale à Herman Van Rompuy pour le poste de Conseil européen, soutenu par le duo Merkel-Sarkozy.

La baronne Catherine Ashton de Upholland, actuelle commissaire européenne au Commerce – elle y a remplacé il y a un an son compatriote Peter Mandelson –, est tout sauf un grand format diplomatique. Cette spécialiste des questions d’éducation de 53 ans n’a d’expérience ni diplomatique ni à un quelconque haut poste politique, en dehors des 12 derniers mois où elle n’a pas beaucoup fait parler d’elle.

Mais elle a été nommée par la grâce de qualités de circonstance : le poste devait revenir à un socialiste, puisque celui de président doit échoir à un dirigeant de centre-droit ; elle répond au souhait, largement médiatisé ces deniers jours, qu’une femme figure dans le top des fonctions européennes ; et enfin, elle est britannique, ce qui permettra à Gordon Brown de revenir à Londres en ayant arraché une victoire pour son pays.

C’est donc un trio Barroso – Van Rompuy – Ashton qui représentera l’Union européenne pendant les deux années et demi à venir. La Belgique aura de quoi pavoiser. Mais il faut bien constater que l’UE a adjoint au premier, deux parfaits inconnus dans le monde, sans aucun passé diplomatique, pour incarner l’Europe sur la scène internationale.

Los 27 de la Unión Europea han elegido a dos perfectos desconocidos para liderar la nueva UE: el belga conservador Van Rompuy para la presidencia y  la británica laborista Catherine Ashton en Exteriores.

Cuenta el Financial Times que “David Miliband, el ministro de Asuntos Exteriores de Gran Bretaña, dijo el mes pasado que Europa necesitaba un presidente que ‘parara el tráfico’ en Pekín y Washington. Anoche los líderes de la Unión Europea nombraron un nuevo presidente y alto representante de política exterior que tendría problemas para parar el tráfico en sus propias ciudades.

Nikolas Sarkozy, Angela Merkel y Gordon Brown no querían figuras de peso y relieve internacional que les pudieran hacer sombra o imponer sus criterios,  como Tony Blair o Felipe González.

Esta vez Europa ha carecido de ambición y todos se han plegado a la complejidad  de elegir candidatos por consenso de los 27 estados miembros de la UE. Entre muchos expertos, la decisión ha sido acogida con conmoción, decepción, asombro. Un ejemplo, el ex presidente de la Comisión Europea y ex primer ministro italiano  Romano Prodi se ha preguntado: “La Ashton, pero quién es esa señora?”

 En definitiva, un fracaso porque, con esos nombramientos de muy bajo perfil, Europa no puede mostrar su peso real en la escena internacional.

European Liberal Democrats, meeting at the annual congress of the ELDR in Barcelona, this morning passed a resolution (which I proposed) stating clearly our support for Turkish accession to the European Union, providing Ankara fulfils all of the so-called Copenhagen criteria for membership. This is in sharp contrast to the negative comments about Turkey´s EU vocation made recently by conservative leaders such as President Nicolas Sarkozy of France and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, as well as the newly appointed President of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy.

The resolution noted the progress that Turkey has been making with regard to the Copenhagen criteria — as acknowledged in last month’s report from the European Commission – while pointing out that more needs to be achieved in areas such as freedom of expression and the media. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s initiatives towards resolving Turkey’s longstanding Kurdish question were welcomed.

The resolution — which was finalised in consultation with the German Liberal FDP (now in charge of the Federal Republic’s Foreign Ministry) – also called on the European Union to do more to facilitate a settlement of the Cyprus dispute and to end the isolation of Turkish Cypriots.

Link: www.eldr.org

Foto: Alice Drogoreanu

O mare imensă de creștete încremenite. Parcă ar fi fost un câmp acoperit cu bostani scobiți precum cei de la Halloween. Găvane goale din care ochii s-au scurs și s-au uscat, guri știrbite, rotunjite într-o mirare (sau prostrație) tâmpă. Cățărat pe spinarea unui pitic care stătea cocoșat, Traian, singurul îmbrăcat elegant ca un veritabil dandy, își purta privirea peste această masă încremenită.

”Ăsta-i poporul meu?” mormăi el ca pentru sine. Glasul nu i se auzi decât pentru cei din imediata preajmă. ”Pentru ăștia mă sacrific eu zi și noapte, futu-mi capu’ meu! Căcați! Gunoaie! Nu mă merită!” se tângui îndurerat și o lacrimă i se prinse de colțul genei, aruncând sclipiri. ”Nici să-i scuip nu merită! Uecs!” trase el o flegmă ce se lipi ca o marcă de scrisoare trimisă prin Poșta Română, de un bostan din apropiere.

- Vreau să aud doleanțele voastre! Sunt comandantul vostru! Al tuturor! încercă el să-i anime. Vă iubesc! gâjâi el și o grimasă de silă îi trecu precum o umbră, pe chip.

- Și noi te iubim Măria Ta!  Excelența Voastră! se auzi un glas pițigăiat, singular, în mulțimea de mormăituri.

- Vrem pâine! îndrăzni o voce, surprinsă ea însăși de faptul că izbucnise. Găvanele dovleacului căutară ezitant înspre Regele de pe spinarea piticului.

- Ce-a zis ăsta? se întoarse el spre cei doi halebardieri aflați undeva, în planul secund, pe o vâlcea. Tăiați-i capul!

- Nu vrem nimic! Vrem să te slăvim! scandară câteva voci și ceilalți îi îngânară.

- -Mic! … Vim!… Mic!…

- Bine, hai, gata! Dacă nu vreți nimic, mă duc la Palat! Mitingul s-a încheiat, gata! La muncă, toată lumea! Gărzi, puneți-le lanțurile, să nu-mi fugă vreunul! Deja am omorât prea mulți! Montează cei doi sori alternativi, să nu li se pară ăstora că s-a-nserat și să tragă la somn! Nu doarme nimeni în Împărăția mea! Hai, la revedere! Să ne vedem cu bine!

”Vedea-te-aș cu vată-n nas!” se revoltă, în mintea lui, unul dintre gardieni. Traian se întoarse brusc, îi auzise gândul. ”E un exemplu prost să-i scot mațele aici…” îi fulgeră acestuia prin minte. ”Pot să citesc gândurile! Asta-i cu adevărat magistral!” se bucură el și păși țanțoș înspre Palat vizualizând cum o să-i mănânce creierii care-au gândit necuviințe, acestui necioplit.

Purtătorii de dovleci se îndreptau înșiruiți, cu umerii căzuți și abia târându-și picioarele, spre cele două porți. Acolo îi așteptau gărzile care îi montau fiecăruia cătușele legate cu  lanțuri pe gleznă.

- De ce ne mai legați? Că și-așa nu avem unde ne duce… rosti șoptit o voce. Nu-i Imperiul lui peste tot? Unde să fugim? Am ajuns ca vitele…

- Eu zic să te abții de la asemenea aserțiuni, își împinse ochelarii spre rădăcina nasului și-l scrută scurt unul dintre supraveghetorii gărzilor. Împăratul ne aude și gândurile dacă vrei să știi. Am renunțat la mijloacele de interceptare. Nu mai aveau niciun sens! Te-am omorî dar nu mai e loc la bazinul de reciclare… mai spuse acesta plictisit, în timp ce-și îndreptă atenția spre unghiile pe care și le curăța tacticos cu o așchie de lemn.

 Motivul adevărat era acela că, după ce omorâseră cu sârg aproape jumătate din dovlecime, nu mai aveau forță de muncă suficientă pentru a extrage aurul de care era atâta nevoie… și supraveghetorul își blocă gândul care tindea spre o idee împotriva sistemului. Acela că aurul era folosit exclusiv pentru concubina regală. Ce făcea cu el, când întregul pământ era la bunul lor plac, nu se știe. Și supraveghetorul nu avea chef să mai simtă menghina noetică tasându-i neuronii și vălmășindu-i dendritele. O pățise o singură dată și-i fusese de-ajuns.

Personajul subțiratec și cocoșat, cu privire haină și piezișă își răsfrânse nările în vânt și-și ciuli urechile. Mirosea a ceva bun dar nu-și dădea seama a ce anume, scormoni în minte să identifice mirosul. Și se auzea o unduire de râs cristalin. Traian se aburcă dintr-o săritură pe tronul de aur după ce urcase în fugă cele 11 trepte care duceau la el.

- Cine cântă?

- Mă duc să văd Luminăția Ta! se ploconi una dintre gărzi.

- Adu-mi aici sursa acestei voci!

Traian făcu un semn imperceptibil unei însoțitoare și aceasta se apropie imediat cu un clondir uriaș montat pe un cărucior, îl balansă și turnă într-un pahar de cristal cât o bardacă. Acesta se scotoci în buzunarul interior al hainei, scoase de-acolo un drapel împăturit, îl privi o clipă apoi îl aruncă în vasul cu foc nestins vădit nemulțumit, băgă iar mâna și scoase un furtunel. Mulțumit, se răsfrâse între perne și trase încântat din furtun.

- Aduce-mi-ți-l …ptiu drace! spurcată limbă!  Aduceți-mi-l pe Volodea să fac un pokeraș cu el. După ce-l înving prin mijloace necinstite, îl dau la tigrii lui, Amur. Și aflați-mi ce se gătește azi la bucătăria planetară. Să nu mai văd conserve chinezești! Și ăla cu sursa muzicii unde p.. … mă-sii s-a dus? În Cosmos? Și zi-i Reginei să mai termine cu toaletele, să vină să-mi țină de urât!

- În aduc pe Volodea, mai întâi…

- Adu-o pe mă-ta! Vă mișcați ca niște reluări! și mai supse o dată cu sete din furtun, lăsându-se pe spate între perne și închizând ochii. Brusc îi reveni în minte prima lui zi de domnie. Coborî, din nou, odată cu imaginea atât de dragă din memorie, din Dacia Logan în fața Uniunii Statelor Planetare. Stătu, preț de o secundă, lângă mașină. Apoi se îndreptă cu pași hotărâți către Comitetul de Primire adunat în cinstea lui. El, care cucerise Lacul Rusesc și toate teritoriile până la Cape Town, se bucura acum de recunoaștere.

La capătul scărilor îl așteptau Hussein Barack Obama, Angela Merkel și Dmitri Medvedev, cu capetele plecate, rușinați, i se adresară, gudurându-se:

- Părintele și Binefăcătorul nostru! Ce bine arătați!

”Mă invidiază că eu îi fut pe-ai mei și nu se revoltă” își zisese satisfăcut. ”Sper că ăștia nu citesc gândurile” rânji el în sine.

- Da, arăt bine, normal! Voi ce p … mea arătați ca niște curci plouate? Și, tu, băi umflato – i se adresă Angelei – ce dracu’ bagi în tine ca sparta? Fă dracului o cură!

- Doriți să facem o fotografie? se aplecă, slugarnic, ca în fața Împăratului Japoniei, Obama.

- Du-te-n … …! Ce, tu ești Bercea Mondialu? Cu țigani împuțiți îmi fac eu poze?… Uite, cu Dmitri, da. Nu de-alta, da să i-o arăt lu Putin să se oftice în plus, când îl bat la poker!

(Va urma)

Hatte Angela Merkel schon mal eine Affäre? War Guido Westerwelle schon mal im Darkroom?

So bricht spricht es aus der Hauszeitung des linken Spießers

- wer will, mag das für einen Fortschritt halten. Es ist schließlich noch nicht allzu lange her, da berichtete die Zeitung von einer Affinität homosexueller Männer zur NPD.