I’m an optimist at heart … Brexit will offer the EU a chance to renew its founding principles.
Don’t ever tell a Dutch citizen its nation is a province of Germany… you’ll be cursed. There is bitter rivalry between the two nations, especially as a result of the German occupation and atrocities from 1940-45. For economic reasons the nations depend on another, especially through the port city of Rotterdam delivering goods, especially raw material to the industrial area of Dusseldorf. The Netherlands provides a logistics hub to Europe. On the political side the two nations are totally different and depends on the coalition in power. PM Mark Rutte is an outcast for Angela Merkel.
This weekend the foreign ministers of the six founding nations (EEC) of the European Union will gather for talks on Europe’s future. European leaders want to start the Brexit negotiations pronto!
Also meeting will be the core leaders of the six: Angela Merkel, Hollande, Italy’s Renzi with EU Council president Tusk of Poland. Indeed, PM Rutte nor any of the Benelux countries will be sitting at the table. Mark Rutte has performed as a lapdog of both David Cameron and Barack Obama and has joined in the NATO aggression against Putin and Russia. I’ve well covered this in recent years. Quite strange, as Dutch (PM Mark Rutte) has the presidency of the EU this half year. Mark him a F for failure.
- Ms Merkel expressed her “great regret” for the UK’s decision saying it was a “decisive point for Europe”. She emphasised the need for unity but also recognised that “Europe is varied and people in Europe are also varied” including in their “expectations from the EU”.
- Future initiatives must focus on “improving people’s lives”.
- But the EU also had to deal with the challenges of globalisation, she said.
- Ms Merkel added that the EU must recall its role in bringing peace to Europe.
“We must never forget, especially in these hours,
that the idea of European unity was an idea for peace.”
Indeed, tiny Holland puts its mark on production side of agricultural products as leading exporter next to the United States. The €82 billion is however just 19% of the total Dutch export.
As far as fossil fuels, it’s not oil but natural gas from Slochteren in Groningen that is a main export product, though not in any way sufficient to be of importance to Germany. For oil and gas, it’s Russia and Norway that lead the imports to Germany. Do recall the Northstream investment by Gazprom and the reward for former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder.
Are the Dutch as ready to jettison Rutte as the Brits were to dump Cameron?
Holland and Germany are different in one way, like the UK you keep a royal family around to do stuff like appear for photo-ops in regal wear and shake some hands (except your’s appear to cost taxpayers more than the UK’s). (heh — of course the western European royal houses were mostly populated by Germans who had the good sense to get rid of the archaic nonsense.
However does Germany manage to get along with non-member states like Norway and Russia?
Actually, wasn’t the removal of the German royalty required by the treaty that ended WW I?
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Most likele the two-track solution for Europe will be discussed. In the future there will ve a group of core countries leading to a more intgrated and democratic union. The outer members will have a chance to limit their particpation at the expense of less benefits and not sitting at the table of the first group. A federal Europe constituted by regions, similar to the federal states of Germany perhaps. The European leaders need a closer association with the citizens they represent and need to be elected and serve the people.
○ Italy PM Renzi says EU must become ‘more just and human’ | Reuters |
The Blairites in Labour should shut the f*** up.
Soon there will be openings in the conservative party of Cameron.
Good thing the EU referendum has shaken up British politics … the start of a revolution for economics with a social face. If the elites across all party lines don’t see the signs of the times they will be ousted.
It’s not up to Corbyn to unite the Tories … it’s their own Boris Johnson who took the lead to vote for Brexit and undermine PM David Cameron. Cameron only pushed the EU referendum to keep Ukip’s Farage from gaining more seats in Parliament. It was fear, not strength that caused today’s turmoil.
Labour lost all its seats in Scotland to the Nationalists due to former leader Milliband’s faulty policy. The Scots wanted to stay in the European Union. The Scots have been short-changed by Tories and Labour in the past. The promises of David Cameron made before the Scots’ referendum on independence have NOT been kept.
Looking at last Thursday’s results, one must subtract the Scottish votes! The Scots wiil seek a new referendum for independence. Northern-Ireland won’t join Ireland, perhaps an union with Scotland would offer an opportunity.
The Tories have a habit of not listening to their constituents or a large majority of all Brits. Just look at France’s Hollande and the mess he made of the Socialist party by confronting the Labor unions. Hollande stepped outside of parliament and democracy and ruled by edict. Waiting for the next French Revolution.
Europe must grasp this opportunity to drastically change its position versus the alliance with the UK and US on capitalism and neo-colonialism through means of perpetual war. Down with TTIP and stop NATO expansion into unchartered territory. Stop globalisation to avoid paying a living wage in the home nation. It’s small businesses in London and across Europe to hire cheap labor from Eastern Europe instead of keeping Brits/nationals on the pay-roll.
Nothing has changed in Europe for the last 50 years … companies in The Netherlands, for example, bringing migrants from Spain, Italy, Greece, Morocco, Turkey, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania …. get the idea?
As the saying goes in London City: the cleaning lady pays her share of taxes, the president-director manages to avoid most taxation. The inequality in the western world will force an abrupt change in politics and cause a revolution. It’s a matter of time.
Another example of classic colonialism is seen with the British citizens from its former Commonwealth of nations: Pakistan and India. The Dutch with its vast empire across Indonesia, keeping its citizens captive. The Dutch of the Reformed church participated in slave trade from Africa to the Americas and bear responsibility for apartheid in South Africa.
Before World War II, the Dutch-East Indies empire consisted of a vast majority of Muslims… how so Judeo-Christian culture and values. Believe the bs of Geert Wilders and his pro-Israel policy position. The Dutch couldn’t stand five years of German occupation and atrocities from 1940-45. How about the nations colonised by western powers throughout recent history?
The North Atlantic Alliance, NATO, colonizing nations should be warned their position is untenable. Brexit offers a great opportunity for change… president Obama and U.S. Congress have been a great disappointment.
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Watch the MSM and the ‘Westminster Game’ unfold to undo the result of the EU referendum. Blocking the political proces for a Artikel 51 Declaration. This will immensely irritate the 27 member states of the EU. Once the Brexit is initiated, the UK will fall prey to EU control and demands in the negotiations. How far has the Empire fallen! The Queen should abdicate while she can and hold onto her properties (castles) in Scotland. Soon she may require a visa to travel. 😉
○ The return of the Blairites is the last thing Labour needs | The Guardian – May 2015 |
○ Blairites should ‘keep their mouths shut’ and get behind Jeremy Corbyn | The Independent – Jan. 2016 |
○ The American connection: Clintonites and Blairites are the same people | The Economist – Nov. 1997 |
Funny that you picked up on that remark of mine about the Netherlands being a province of Germany. I’ve some experience of the situation since I’ve lived here for 40 years. Maybe Rutte has disobeyed Merkel, as the Netherlands disobeyed Hitler when the Nazis invaded. Nevertheless it comes down to a family squabble.
Indication I take comments seriously. Started as a reply, soon it grew into a diary statement. Due to immense lack of free time, I find it difficult to post my comments. Mostly halfway during the night I catch up on some reading and watching news items on satellite stations. 🙂
Brexit has long been coming and I too have grown wise as the years go by. I recollect the discussion whether the British should be accepted as member of the common market in 1973 in the first place. During the Thatcher years, UK pressure for a better deal had already been harmful to the common goal of the EU. The arrogance of the elitists to play political games at the cost of the common man.
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Your 40 years is still junior to my years in adulthood, so I too have lived, felt and witnessed history of Europe and specifically Holland and Belgium. In the 70s I could find my way easier in London than in Amsterdam.
Your perception about the German occupation is a view of history different from mine. It was Hitler and the Nazis who condidered the Dutch as part of the Aryan race and brothers of the German people. Nazi Germany wanted The Netherlands as a province as the German rich elites loved the coastline of this part of the North Sea during the summer. My fathers family lived in the area between The Hague and Haarlem. The family home was inside the Sperrgebiet of the Atlantic Wall line of defence.
Your account about the Dutch during the German occupation is highly contentious. As my family told their eyewitness accounts, as the war ended in defeat for the Germans, suddenly a majority of the citizens had worked for the resistance in the underground movement. By their own statements of course. No way! People live to survive and by reporting neighbours to the German administration for a reward, it was for many an easy choice. This fact made suspicion and fear grow in Dutch society under occupation and siege.
○ A Founding Myth for the Netherlands: The Second World War and the Victimization of Dutch Jews
Holland is liberated on May 5th, 1945 … back to business as usual!
○ Allied counter revolution, transformation from colony to Indonesian independence (1945-1950)
Oui, I’m very familiar with your view on all this. It is quite widespread. But not all Netherlanders were involved in what they call The War (instead of WW2 because they were not involved in WW1) in the same way. Enough of them collaborated, even more turned a blind eye. Later they mythologized the resistance to distance themselves as a country from the horror. Of course individual resistance members died and their families suffered while the royal family sat the war out on their fat, rich asses in London and Canada. Not to mention the miserable treatment of their Jewish compatriots who were even treated badly, literally shunned, when some of them managed to return from the death camps. Nonetheless the ties with Germany and the Germans are strong and deep. Their indignation at the Germans (Duitsers) is very self-serving, not in all instances, of course not, but across the board it isn’t as cut-and-dry as many would like to think. And lets not get started about Netherlands East India, now Indonesia.
I’d even say that hypocrisy of the Netherlanders is proverbial or at least not any less than anyjone else’s.