So the European Union won the Nobel Peace prize for “having over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.”
Is this a joke? Nigel Farage thinks so, exclaiming that ”this goes to show that the Norwegians really do have a sense of humour.”
The award of the prestigious prize sparked a mixed response in Greece, where living standards have crashed as the economy has contracted 20 per cent in the last three years, despite bailouts totalling 240 billion euros (£200 billion).
With social tensions still high, more than 7,000 police had to be deployed to protect Mrs Merkel on a visit to Athens this week, when she was derided by some as a reincarnation of the Third Reich.
Rena Dourou, an MP for the Left-wing Syriza opposition, said of the award: “At first, many people thought this was some kind of joke. It is a very big surprise.”
The European economic system really isn’t working. Many predicted at the inception of the Euro that a single monetary policy could not work for such a wide and diverse collection of countries and economies with many language barriers, many nationalisms, and very low inter-state labour mobility. Indeed the architects of the Euro admitted that they did not have the policy tools at the inception of the Euro to make the system work.
Instead of fostering “peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights” as the Nobel Committee contends, as the ideological integrationists have pushed for more and more integration the European system has in recent years led to more friction between the nations. In the early years of the Euro, Eurozone nations could access to credit at a single rate:
Cheap capital flowed into nations like Greece, Spain, Italy and Portugal, leading to property bubbles and the acquisition of unsustainably high levels of government and household debt. Once the global economy weakened, the Emperor was left wearing no clothes as the property bubbles burst. Such an unsustainable debt spree would have typically led to large-scale money printing operations in the periphery to keep the debt serviceable, but under the new European regime, nations can no longer do this. This has been a shock for the periphery, which is struggling to come to terms with the new reality of spending cuts, tax hikes and elevated unemployment. Here’s industrial production in Spain, Greece and Italy compared to the United States during the Depression era:
Unsurprisingly, trust in European institutions is collapsing:
And as a result, support for extreme political parties is rising. Opinion polls suggest that an election in Greece today would put the Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party in third place. Simply, the European system that was supposed to bring Europe together could well be on the verge of tearing Europe apart.
Awarding the Peace Prize to the war-mongering, extrajudicial-assassination-approving, NDAA-signing, promise-breaking imperialist Barack Obama was not enough for these clowns. They seem fully determined to obliterate any last semblance of respectability the Nobel Peace Prize once had.
The Banksters have deliberately undermined the European ideal with their pushing of easy money…. Getting everyone in hock so that the Union will break up… it is called divide and rule!
Is this a genuine Max and Stacy site?
@Sandi
This is THE Max and Stacy site. But I sort of agree with you – my mantra is that neoliberals are destroying the EU but that is probably the same thing anyway. Others on this site hold that the EU was always a neoliberal project. And so it goes around and around.
@Sandi
PS for me it is a no brainer that the Wall St. banksters were out to destroy the EU given all the seemingly well-timed downgrades emanating from the US ratings agencies.
George Orwell would have no trouble recognising the era in which we live –
“war is peace”. This is almost as good as giving the Nobel Peace prize to the world’s great warmonger – Barack Obama.
Perhaps a retrospective appreciation of Henry Kissinger, George “Dubya” Bush and Tony Blair might be in order – LOL
Chappelle “there will be peace in Israel, finally”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQ2dquaHO7Q&feature=g-vrec
I think this will work by inspiring Euro citizens and luring investors back with a regained confidence in the Euro.
[I live in an ivory tower with my head firmly up my ass and occasionaly pull out to read Krugman blogs].
Nobel Peace Prize 2013 NATO
2014 Benjamin Netanyahu (for fighting (starting WWIII) against the “axis of evil”)
2014 Lloyd Blankfein (still doing God’s work)
2015 posthumous George Orwell (for seeing the way to solve our problems)
I still believe the Nobel Peace Prize should be given to “The Hillary Clinton”. Obama needs to dispatch her ASAP to Iran.
Dear Europe,
Thank you so much for not starting ANOTHER world war. Here’s your sign, er, prize.
Sincerely,
Those rascals in Oslo
Stacey a great lead do the research. http://internacional.elpais.com/internacional/2012/10/12/actualidad/1350068689_062464.html
This prize really sucks.
I shall order my own Grease Prize (pizza) and not wait for delivery, but go and pick it up.
Herman Van Rompuy, President of The European Council,said, “We are all very proud that we receive this Nobel Prize, recognition of the work of the European Union as a peacemaker.”
European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said, “I hope now that all of us who have a responsibility in European institutions and in the European Union governments will take this responsibility very, very seriously.” lol
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/video/2012-10/13/c_131904083.htm
Wonder how much the EU paid in kickbacks and brown envelops filled with 500 euros to buy these swedish prostitutes called Nobel Prize. Nobel prizes are a joke ! Specially the ones related to Peace (rhymes wonderfully with piss) and the Nobel Prize of E- Con -nomics. Nobel that scum made money killing people with his dynamite than any other european industrialist. Nobel has nothing noble indeed.
I think they misspelled Peace Prize…what they meant was “Piece Prize”… as the dominant EU countries want a piece of the lesser ones.
I heard they were originally planning to give it to Jimmy Savile.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtUuOIXLawg
The establishment in the UK appears to be tearing itself apart. One faction outs the phone-hackers, another faction hits back by outing Savile. These were obviously open secrets within the braoder elite – now they are being used as ammo in some kind of war. The world has gone Deek Jackson.
@Seemorerocks
“George Orwell would have no trouble recognising the era in which we live –
“war is peace”.”
You said it!
@Febo
“The establishment in the UK appears to be tearing itself apart. One faction outs the phone-hackers, another faction hits back by outing Savile. These were obviously open secrets within the braoder elite – now they are being used as ammo in some kind of war. The world has gone Deek Jackson.”
Current “interweb” speculation is that our “Jimmy” was a procurer of children for the elite.
I’m sure Savile had a lot of dirt to dish on his bosses and colleagues and that’s what kept him safe from prosecution when he was alive.
North-Korea is next.
@ Sandi Dunn
100 % The original Site
Nice place to hang out if ya wanna Know whats Goin on
From the Esoteric to the Beyond !!!!!!!!
lolz
Hic