26 to 1 – auf wiedersehen Grossbritannien!
Comments (2)Notwithstanding my own thoughts about Cameron’s folly, the view of Europe’s media is very interesting indeed. Today I have scanned the German media and found, without exception, that the
UK is isolated, will continue to be so, and is the butt of many jokes. ZDF is never shy of inserting amusing graphics into its reports. Last night the map of Europe had the UK sprouting sails and heading west. The broadcaster was also keen to utilise those very useful statues by Anthony Gormley (right) that are gradually submerged by the oncoming tide to make some obscure point! Images of 
Victoria and allusions to empire also accompany harsh commentary.
Incredulity, is perhaps, the word that sums up much of the thinking in Germany. The Suedeutsche Zeitung broadsheet newspaper this morning dedicated a whole page to Cameron. He was thoroughly caricatured and that British sense of ‘fog cuts off the continent’ mentality was again exploited.
How interesting, moreover, that it is that a few weeks and months ago we were discussing which country will 
be leaving the Eurozone. Now the talk is about the ‘inevitable’ exit of the UK from the EU. What an image, also, of Cameron travelling back to Chequers, his country retreat, and inviting 30 or so fellow sceptics for dinner and a toast to a crazy and inept decision and negotiating position. Would it not have been better to have invited 30 ‘wise’ people to discuss how to move forward, how to retrieve the situation? This is not a time for backslapping, surely?
Then on the Today programme, this morning, George Osborne defended Cameron and the decision. John Humphrys expressed that European incredulity. And Osborne failed to explain how the decision was in the UK’s interest. Does it protect the City? Not according to the Editor of the Financial Times, Lionel Barber, also interviewed by Humphrys immediately prior to Osborne’s interview. Again, I have recorded these two interviews and uploaded here. The financial institutions will trade where it is in their best interests. Suddenly Frankfurt looks attractive.
What about the Coalition? The German media say little about it; it is incidental. In the UK, what should we expect? One would think that Clegg would call time and force a General Election. He surely senses, though, that that would be the end of his party. They would no longer be in coalition. The ‘power’ and privilege will have gone. For the German TV, Miliband is also a marginal figure. It is all about Cameron.
Osborne seems to think that the UK is going to be able to stop the 26 from using the institutions of the EU to establish a political and fiscal union. The UK is going to tell the other members that they cannot have their discussions over the Eurozone in EU buildings – I think not!
It is clear from the reporting in Germany that the UK is on its way out of the Union. I sense not only is it that the UK is on the way out, but it is also a case of good-riddance!
I was anxious going across the border last night. The border guard scrutinised my passport closer than normal. I suspect, when I depart tomorrow evening, they will not even look at it. Good riddance, Englander.
Michael Heseltine was also on Today – his interview is worth listening to (0810); he does his best not to criticise, but clearly he was not at the Chequers dinner last night.
Giving Northern Rock away
The sale of Northern Rock to Virgin at a loss to the taxpayer of £450m demonstrates something. First, nothing has been learned from recent experience. All this nonsense about bringing competition to the high street is meaningless in the world of financial services. One would have thought that if the government had wanted to develop competition then a second option might have been better.
That second option might have been remutualisation. Was it not the demutualisation of Northern Rock that got it into bother in the first place? And what happened to the government’s proclaimed love affair with co-operative ownership? I would have thought that mutual ownership was a viable and desirable option. The high street would have benefitted, businesses short of capital might have benefitted? But oh no. The taxpayer subsidises the transfer of a valuable asset – tens of thousands of viable mortgages – to an already very wealthy man. However, Jill Treanor writing in the Guardian on 2 December sees that large sums of money will also be transferred to existing senior managers:
The annual report for 2010 states that:
“The company will operate a long-term incentive plan for senior employees that will deliver financial rewards if the company achieves certain targets over a three year performance period. As the company did not make Ltip [long-term incentive plan] awards in 2010 it is the company’s intention to make awards in 2011 covering 2010 and 2011. The 2010 award will vest in March 2013 and the 2011 in March 2014 or upon successful exit from temporary public ownership if earlier” (emphasis added).
How convenient that the transfer occurs before the close of the year saving all of that unnecessary waiting around until 2014.
Now I understand.
Grant Shapps
Grant Shapps, the Tories’ Housing minister is demonstrating consistent imbecility. For example, on the Radio 4 programme earlier this week on squatting (From Frestonia to Belgravia: The History of Squatting: Frestonia_R4_1111), he equated the ‘crime’ of squatting with that of murder to Robert Elms. Today, on the Today programme, he demonstrates that he cannot organise his diary or coordinate announcements with the release of contradictory statistics. I feel compelled to record these for readers. He is truly egregious and dangerous. The Today recording can be heard here: Shapps_251111
Medvedev Tells NATO something
It is like the cold war starting again. The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, goes live to tell the Russian people that NATO’s 
missile shield with ‘facilities’ located rather close to Russian borders and installations is a threat. Enter talks or suffer the cosequences, he says chillingly to camera. Associated Press’s report can be found here: Medvedev
What exactly is going on here? It is not widely being reported with the print and TV/radio media preoccupied with the Leveson Inquiry into press intrusion. Did the story itself go under the radar, or has the media forgotten that superpowers flex their muscles when provoked? If so, what is the provocation? Is NATO planning to move against Syria, or more likely Iran? Or is Medvedev staking his place in history as his tenure fades?
Squatting
So the next attack by the Conservative Government on civil society is to outlaw squatting. Rather than outlaw empty properties at a time of housing shortages (at fair rents), the Government is proposing to spend more valuable parliamentary time to discuss further attacking civil liberties.
The house I live in is habitable now and functions as a co-operative because it was squatted. It was the subject of a compulsory purchase order a number of years ago for a road development that never happened. 14 years on the house and two more in the block provide housing for 12 people at affordable rents and empowers them to manage the properties – skilling members along the way.
Again, the property owning classes cannot countenance fair use of property. Better to have houses empty than be given an incentive to render them habitable. Greed. As for the Government, shameful.
Bob Diamond on Today
Bob Diamond, the CEO of Barclays Bank, was on The Today Programme on Radio 4 on Friday 4 November. He’d given the inaugural BBC Economics lecture the night before and came on to face John Humphrys in a kind of defence of banking. Listening to him, one might have thought that all was rosy in the the world of banking. These valued institutions have regrettably moved away from the Captan Mainwaring approach – sitting down with the local bank manager to agree a loan – but the branches are friendly and well decorated. A bit of miss-selling of financial products – in particular pension protection insurance – was nothing too serious. And paying lots of money for the best financial talent is justfiable. Himself included. It’s a global business. His own salary was a bit of a contention – he didn’t like being asked about it. As always in these situations, they generally argue that it is up to the remuneration committee to decide salaries. The fact that the global economy is on its knees because of these people seems not to have registered. Listen here
Nice tie.
Left Luggage facilities – Köln Hauptbahnhof
Originally posted: 9 September 2010
Germany is a little different. In München traditional left luggage lockers are abundant and reasonably priced. In Köln, the left luggage facility (pictured) costs 2 Euros 50 for up to 2 hours and 5 Euros for up to 24 hours. One places the case in the hole at the bottom, the door closes and luggage is taken to some underground storage area. One retrieves one’s case by inserting a card and waiting. So, it takes a fraction of the time to deposit a case and costs up to 1/3 of the price.
Please note, there are new facilities at Köln. Please see update
Ingolstadt lecture theatres
It is always interesting to visit other universities. Notwithstanding the people, the architecture usually says someting. Yesterday I was in Ingolstadt in Germany visiting a colleague. The campus such that it is offers a very relaxed and open environment for staff and students alike. There’s lots of glass – and hence natural light. Lecture theatres are always curious places as they are invariably enclosed boxes with steeped seating. One looks very much like another. Look at them from the outside and they are pretty anonymous. Not the ones at Ingolstadt, however!
Banana case
Originally posted 2 August 2010: Here’s a little innovation for you from Sainsbury’s. Those of you li
ke me who carry bananas around know only too well that they are prone to damage in one’s bag. The solution, a protective case in the shape of a banana!
However, the designers may not quite have got the curvature right. For my organic banana this morning, I found the curvature insufficient. This meant that I had to squeeze it in to the case. Consequently, when I retrieved it this morning after a typically strong cup of coffee, it was as bruised as if I had carried it uprotected in my pannier bag. On what basis did the designers decide on their average curvature?
Time now for a bit of a rant: easyJet! The route between Gatwick and Munich is troublesome. It is never on time, but now even worse it is prone to cancellation. Now there is another little trick. Instead of cancelling the flight, they ‘postpone’ it to the following morning. Actually, they put on a completely new plane – unscheduled – which one has to take even if it is no longer convenient. Normally, if they cancel the flight, one can make a no-cost transfer to a flight of choice that reflects one’s changed circumstances. What’s more, because the flight is not on the system, they force passengers to check in manually. I waited 2 hours to check in earlier this week, even though I only had cabin baggage. What was Michael O’Leary saying about easyJet’s performance recently? Suffice to say, easyJet, my next journey will by by rail.
Workbench
I’ve been doing quite a bit of DIY in the last few days in Germ
any. In executing my tasks, I have been to a number of Baumärkte to buy materials and tools. What I found particularly interesting is the origin of many of the tools on sale. In my experience, in the UK, many tools and materials are sourced from far-away places. For example, I recently purchased a workbench that was made in China. I expected the same to be true of German retail. In fact, the domestic sourcing in the German Baumärkte is extraordinary. This bench is a German brand made in Germany. The price was comparable; it was easier to assemble than my UK equivalent.
The extent to which this is a phenomenon of building materials and tools I am unsure. Further research is required. For example, kitchen equipment (I know that there are some high-end UK manufacturers making toasters, for example).
Be informed 