I sense a lot of talk in England about a referendum on EU membership - though curiously very little of that in Wales and Scotland - so I thought I´d just remind everyone who is an EU citzen that we have all, jointly, won this year´s Nobel Prize for Peace. Seriously!
It is going to be awarded on 10th December to the whole of the EU for our combined efforts in keeping the peace over so many decades. A pretty remarkable record given Europe´s history prior to the EU.
And we are going to give the prize money to help kids in war zones - so that´s pretty cool of us all too - I always knew we were a pretty cool bunch! More info at: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/1 ... Y720121114
I know opinions will vary over EU membership - and as someone who has worked closely with European institutions over many years, my own views are mixed on how effective it can be (but then I would say the same about national, regional and local governments too). It is just worth remembering that membership is not all bad!
I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
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Barcelona Pat
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
hmm the nobel peace prize........
the alfred nobel "peace" prize......
the alfred nobel, inventor of dynamite, co founder of cannon and machinegun makers bofors and bullet makers dynamit nobel, "peace" prize.......
never could get my head round that.
the alfred nobel "peace" prize......
the alfred nobel, inventor of dynamite, co founder of cannon and machinegun makers bofors and bullet makers dynamit nobel, "peace" prize.......
never could get my head round that.
Dave
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Barcelona Pat
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
Nice one Dave. Wasn´t there a pistol called the peacemaker? Perhaps the same thinking? :laugh: :laugh:davsato wrote:hmm the nobel peace prize........
the alfred nobel "peace" prize......
the alfred nobel, inventor of dynamite, co founder of cannon and machinegun makers bofors and bullet makers dynamit nobel, "peace" prize.......
never could get my head round that.
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Richard Simpson
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
Nor could he.
A newspaper ran an accidental 'pre-death'obit of him, in which the expression 'merchant of death' was used for the first time.
Horrified by this vision of how he would be remembered, he set up his foundation.
that's supposedly the background to it.
A newspaper ran an accidental 'pre-death'obit of him, in which the expression 'merchant of death' was used for the first time.
Horrified by this vision of how he would be remembered, he set up his foundation.
that's supposedly the background to it.
Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
Noble funded lots of other prizes as well, not just peace and he admitted it was because he felt guilty about what his work could be used for.
The EU has done an amazing job keeping the peace as this economic crisis would have likely caused another war by now going by Europe's history. However, NATO has also played a major role in that as well.
The EU has done an amazing job keeping the peace as this economic crisis would have likely caused another war by now going by Europe's history. However, NATO has also played a major role in that as well.
YBR125 > KLE500 + KLE650 Versys Tourer
Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
NO ... ive won it. 
Alright then dont believe me, fight you for it ... its mine. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Seriously, nowt wrong with money goin to a good cause providin it gets there.
Alright then dont believe me, fight you for it ... its mine. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
Seriously, nowt wrong with money goin to a good cause providin it gets there.
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Old Git Ray
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
So does this mean that I am now a nice guy.
Perish the thought !!!
Perish the thought !!!
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father zed
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
A very interesting post!
It seems to be a mixed bag.
The EU could have proved very useful, as a means for lots of relatively small countries to have a fighting
chance against the economic giants: China, the USA, India, and the other up and coming power houses...
Collectively, we have good expertise in technical odds and ends.. But it seems that that isn't going to be
enough, when up against staggeringly cheap labour. Protectionism seems to be the only viable
means of combatting this, but with Chinese businesses being major stakeholders far and wide, it is
wholly understandable that governments don't want to cheese off Beijing.
It seems difficult to assess where the current trends will take us presently, as unlike more distant times
populations are becoming increasingly aware of standards in West. So, what took centuries to happen here
may run out in only decades in China (and elsewhere).
It's unfortunate that the EU has allowed itself to become a machine for producing bureaucracy on some
of the most absurd of subject matters; and strayed into matters which are bound to rub the inhabitants of
nation states up the wrong way; and the lax approach to immigration (largely attributable to post-Imperial
stress disorder --> guilt) seems set to bite us in our backsides sooner rather than later..............
It is fair to say that the EU and predecessor versions worked to successfully pre-empt another
major European war. But I am not wholly convinced in the validity of this argument.
After WW2 (or as Hobsbawm would have us call it, World War One, Mark 2), Germany was but a ruin,
and was occupied in the East until 1989. And still remains so in the Western bit, albeit for a limited time
now. It's economy laid in ruins, as was its economy, and what dregs of society there were, were entirely
turned off the idea of war -- bar a very limited number of die hard loonies. Throughout the period
1945 - 1989, the only likelihood of war came from farther East - a (possible) war for which the EU cannot
attribute its existence to - and one which was also not very likely; as we now know that Stalin and
his latter peers were relatively happy with the considerable zone of influence they had, and could also
not match the West in nuclear deterrent technology in the later stages of the Cold War. It was actually
one of Washington's better moments, sussing out that they could bankrupt the Eastern Bloc through the
Arms Race, (and Afghanistan), and through an economic war of attrition, finally 'won' the Cold War.
Other reasons that the EU nobel prize is questionable: the number of campaigns beyond
European borders which featured European troops:
Afghanistan
Iraq Mark 1 and 11
Falklands
Aden
Yemen
Malaysia
Korea (50 - 53)
Egypt (Suez, 1956, until DC stabbed the UK in the back)
Vietnam (French Indo-China)
Algeria (war of independence)
India (civil war after UK collapse)
I've probably missed a few, but that's just off the top of my head.
Sorry for going on, but difficult to condense this sort of stuff
It seems to be a mixed bag.
The EU could have proved very useful, as a means for lots of relatively small countries to have a fighting
chance against the economic giants: China, the USA, India, and the other up and coming power houses...
Collectively, we have good expertise in technical odds and ends.. But it seems that that isn't going to be
enough, when up against staggeringly cheap labour. Protectionism seems to be the only viable
means of combatting this, but with Chinese businesses being major stakeholders far and wide, it is
wholly understandable that governments don't want to cheese off Beijing.
It seems difficult to assess where the current trends will take us presently, as unlike more distant times
populations are becoming increasingly aware of standards in West. So, what took centuries to happen here
may run out in only decades in China (and elsewhere).
It's unfortunate that the EU has allowed itself to become a machine for producing bureaucracy on some
of the most absurd of subject matters; and strayed into matters which are bound to rub the inhabitants of
nation states up the wrong way; and the lax approach to immigration (largely attributable to post-Imperial
stress disorder --> guilt) seems set to bite us in our backsides sooner rather than later..............
It is fair to say that the EU and predecessor versions worked to successfully pre-empt another
major European war. But I am not wholly convinced in the validity of this argument.
After WW2 (or as Hobsbawm would have us call it, World War One, Mark 2), Germany was but a ruin,
and was occupied in the East until 1989. And still remains so in the Western bit, albeit for a limited time
now. It's economy laid in ruins, as was its economy, and what dregs of society there were, were entirely
turned off the idea of war -- bar a very limited number of die hard loonies. Throughout the period
1945 - 1989, the only likelihood of war came from farther East - a (possible) war for which the EU cannot
attribute its existence to - and one which was also not very likely; as we now know that Stalin and
his latter peers were relatively happy with the considerable zone of influence they had, and could also
not match the West in nuclear deterrent technology in the later stages of the Cold War. It was actually
one of Washington's better moments, sussing out that they could bankrupt the Eastern Bloc through the
Arms Race, (and Afghanistan), and through an economic war of attrition, finally 'won' the Cold War.
Other reasons that the EU nobel prize is questionable: the number of campaigns beyond
European borders which featured European troops:
Afghanistan
Iraq Mark 1 and 11
Falklands
Aden
Yemen
Malaysia
Korea (50 - 53)
Egypt (Suez, 1956, until DC stabbed the UK in the back)
Vietnam (French Indo-China)
Algeria (war of independence)
India (civil war after UK collapse)
I've probably missed a few, but that's just off the top of my head.
Sorry for going on, but difficult to condense this sort of stuff
Frustrated Nomad (but one day, things will change)
(but one day, things will change)Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
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magicroundabout
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Re: I´ve won THE NOBEL PEACE PRIZE for 2012
So we now get a prize for not killing each other, where have the judges been. Remind me what are the good points of being in the EU.
