Daily Archives: November 7, 2012
Nigel Farage ~ Mrs Merkel, Tell Cameron It’s Time For Britain To Leave EU [Video w/ transcript] | Shift Frequency
Transcript ~ Good afternoon, everybody. Chancellor Merkel,
So you’re off to Downing Street to negotiate the EU budget with David Cameron. And you do so against the backdrop of the Court of Auditors, yesterday, for the 18th year in a row, failing to give the accounts a clean bill of health; you do so against the vote in the House of Commons last week where a majority of MPs were asking for reductions in the EU Budget.
And of course you do so with a growing anger in Britain – Why are we pumping £53 million a day of British taxpayers’ money into this Union? Not that it will matter a bit. Cameron is a very weak Prime Minister, I am sure you shall walk all over him tonight and win that negotiation. But the EU budget isn’t really the question. It is Britain’s place in this Union that is the real question. And increasingly Britain looks like a square peg in a round hole.
See:
BBC News – Cameron and Merkel hold ‘warm and friendly’ EU budget talks
Doesn’t she look ‘warm and friendly’?
David Cameron said the EU budget should be frozen “at worst”
David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel have held “open, warm and friendly” talks about the controversial EU budget, Downing Street says.
At the end of the hour-long meeting Number 10 said “both parties were at the same end of the spectrum”.
Mr Cameron had said the EU budget should be frozen or cut, but Mrs Merkel says an increase is necessary.
Officials said discussions on the issue would continue.
Ahead of the crunch talks between the two leaders, Mrs Merkel said she wanted Britain to remain in the European Union.
She was reacting to a call by UKIP leader Nigel Farage for an “amicable divorce” between Brussels and Britain.
Germany has indicated it is sympathetic to the UK’s arguments that the EU needs to cut costs, but says some increase in the long-term budget is necessary.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Mrs Merkel before their talks, Mr Cameron said: “We are both believers that European countries have to live within their means, as does the European Union and I know that we will discuss that issue tonight.”
Of the EU budget, he said: “At best it should be a cut, at worst a freeze.”
Mr Cameron said: “I believe our membership of the European Union is important and that is the basis on which we will be having our discussions tonight.”
‘Wonderful island’
Before their meeting the two leaders had dinner at Downing Street – a starter of spinach and mushroom tart, followed by venison and then traditional German cake for pudding.
Mrs Merkel said the EU budget would “loom large” in the pair’s discussions as Britain and Germany had shared interests as net contributors to the EU – and both had to reach a deal with other countries that “will stand up in the court of public opinion back home”.
She added: “We will not complete negotiations tonight but we want to do this in the spirit of partnership and friendship in order to focus our interests.”
She refused “to be drawn into discussion” of whether Britain should decide if it wanted to leave the EU as the bloc moved towards closer integration, as recently suggested by Polish European commissioner Janusz Lewandowski.
But speaking earlier in the European Parliament, Mrs Merkel had a direct message for the British people – who she called “the inhabitants of this wonderful island” – telling them: “You won’t be happy if you are alone in this world.”
She was reacting to a speech by UKIP leader Nigel Farage, who urged her to tell Mr Cameron the time had come for “a simple amicable divorce” as feeling in the UK runs completely against the tide of the greater EU integration being promoted by the German leader.
Mrs Merkel hit back by saying: “I cannot imagine that the UK would not be part of Europe.”
“I think it is also good for the UK to be in Europe,” the German chancellor said, adding she would do “everything” to keep the UK in the EU “as a good partner”.
In less than three weeks EU leaders will gather for a summit at which they will try to work out the next set of long-term spending plans for Brussels.
Speaking in Abu Dhabi, during his three-day visit to the Middle East, Mr Cameron said he would make a “very robust and strong argument” for an arrangement that forced the European Commission to limit its budget.
He said: “They are proposing a completely ludicrous 100 billion euro increase in the European budget.
‘Better deal’
“I’ll be arguing for a very tough outcome. I never had very high hopes for a November agreement because you have got 27 different people round the table with 27 different opinions.”
Last week the government was defeated in a Commons vote on the EU budget after 53 Conservative MPs defied their party over the issue.
Tory rebels joined with Labour to pass an amendment calling for a real-terms cut in spending between 2014 and 2020.
The amendment was not binding on ministers, but was seen as a blow to David Cameron’s authority on Europe ahead of the EU budget summit.
But one of the rebels, Tory MP Douglas Carswell, told BBC News the Commons vote would strengthen the PM’s hand, saying: “We might just be able to get a better deal.”
Any deal agreed by EU leaders later this month would have to be put to the Commons for approval.
Mr Cameron has said he would be prepared to veto any unacceptable proposal – which would mean that a deal would not go ahead.
If no agreement is reached by the end of next year the 2013 budget will be rolled into 2014 with a 2% rise to account for inflation.
via BBC News – Cameron and Merkel hold ‘warm and friendly’ EU budget talks.
NY-Alert: Special Weather Statement issued November 07 at 4:30PM EST by NWS New York City – Upton
Headline: Special Weather Statement issued November 07 at 4:30PM EST by NWS New York City – Upton
Activation Time: 11/07/12 4:30 PM
Expiration Time: 11/07/12 8:00 PM
Issued By: NWS New York City – Upton (Long Island and New York City)
Affected Jurisdictions: Nassau County (All)
Suffolk County (All)
Description: As Low Pressure Treks East And Then North Of Long Island Temperatures Will Fall Through The Evening And Into The Night. Precipitation Across Western Long Island Has Already Changed Over To Snow…And The Change Over From Rain To Snow Will Continue Across Eastern Long Island Over The Next Hour Or So. Snowfall Accumulations Through Tonight Could Be Anywhere From 1 To 3 Inches. In Addition…Roads Will Become Slick And Visibilities May Be Reduced In The Heavier Snowfall. Motorists Should Exercise Caution While Traveling.
Instructions: Please stay tuned to your local radio or TV Station for more information.
View On Map: (Click Here to View on Map)
via NY-Alert:.
Nor’easter: Flooding, Damage, Power Outages, Delays
The nor’easter taking aim on the Sandy-ravaged coastline will lead to another round of wind damage, spotty power outages, localized flooding and travel delays.
For continuous updates on this nor’easter, check out the AccuWeather.com live blog.
This system affected part of the South during Election Day, sparking a round of rain and thunderstorms from from Atlanta to Charlotte, N.C. Charleston, S.C. and Orlando, Fla.
The storm next took a northerly turn, paralleling the East coast Tuesday night and is now strengthening off the coast of New Jersey.
Periods of heavy rain broke out across the Outer Banks of North Carolina into the southern Delmarva Peninsula Tuesday night, bringing another 1 to locally 2 inches to areas that were saturated by Sandy.
Rain will continued to spread northward over the eastern mid-Atlantic Wednesday afternoon and then into southeastern New England Wednesday night.
Enough rain can fall along the coast to cause minor flooding problems.
Rain falling in urban areas where storm drains are blocked with sand and other debris can lead to street and highway flooding.
As the storm continues to move northward into progressively colder air, heavy snow will fall in some areas.
Coastal flooding is a significant threat from the nor’easter, especially in areas where dunes have been destroyed and sea walls have been damaged by Sandy just over a week ago.
Strong Winds in Store, Power Outages Possible
In addition to the heavy rain and the potential for some snow for the interior, strong winds will once again buffet the coast.
Strong winds will quickly develop during the day Wednesday and by the afternoon hours, winds will be gusting to between 50 and 55 mph from Long Island through the New Jersey coast and parts of the Delmarva Peninsula.
Gusts can be a bit higher in a few locations, especially on the eastern end of Long Island, as well as portions of Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts.
Farther inland, gusts to 40 to locally 50 mph will be felt from Norfolk, Va. to Philadelphia, New York City, Boston and Portland, Maine.
The strongest winds will continue through Thursday morning before the storm swings away from the region.
Winds to this magnitude can easily toss leftover debris from Sandy and topple trees which are already damaged. The weight of wet snow on the limbs will add to the risk of downed trees and limbs.
The soft ground in place will make it very easy for additional trees to be knocked over, and that could lead to more power outages.
This could ultimately undo some of the progress made by the power companies and public works since Sandy departed.
Expert Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski contributed to the content of this story.
Weather News >
Will You Make Obama and Congress Produce Change? | The Clyde Fitch Report
Einstein’s credited with defining insanity this way: repeating the same action over and over and expecting a different result.
So here we are. Tuesday’s elections returned Barack Obama to the White House and kept control of the Senate in the Democrats’ hands and the House of Representatives in the Republicans’ grasp, and probably a more divided House.
Of course, we realize we were damned if we did or damned if we didn’t in voting for Obama or Romney: two millionaires married to the military-industrial complex. And the only two candidates the corporate media let you hear in “debates.”
If you’d have heard the Third Party debates on an independent network you’d have discovered four candidates, from conservative to liberal, who didn’t agree with the two Big Guns on these issues: the economy, the Federal Reserve, student-loan debt, endless war, deadly drones killing innocents, and the National Defense Authorization Act—which allows your military to arrest anyone in the world, including Americans, and to imprison them without charge or trial. They also spoke of a growing police state at home, which the two Eye Spy Guys wouldn’t dare mention.
So the votes went to the two One-Percenters, with the less rich one winning again. But enough bitching about election reality. So where do we go from here in our own living reality?
Throughout this year, if you heard any independent investors (not Wall Street banksters) interviewed about the economy, they consistently weren’t impressed or even concerned that much with the presidential race. They’re concerned about the Federal Reserve’s endless printing of money, which they see going to the banks while the Fed keeps interest rates artificially low, costing savers billions.
They also see this and the continually rising national debt eventually leading to a more catastrophic economic meltdown than the nation and world suffered in 2008. They don’t feel it’s something the Republican or Democratic presidential candidates, or Congress, or the Fed are willing to do anything about.
We saw Obama and Romney avoid or twist—from the two national political conventions through the Dynamic Duos’ “debates”—five vital issues they didn’t want to honestly face: water, food, energy, the military-industrial complex, and personal-and-economic health. Those vital issues will remain with us through the next four years, and we’ve included links to explain them. We review them here.
We have pointed out, and will continue to point out, that politicians are not leaders, they’re followers. It’s up to you to get organized, get educated and get active, so that you understand the vital issues’ significance, and so you can get politicians to follow your lead in bringing change. We also show the two ways you can directly take your government back…if you want to.
via Will You Make Obama and Congress Produce Change? | The Clyde Fitch Report.
The Special Interests Won Again – PaulCraigRoberts.org
The election that was supposed to be too close to call turned out not to be so close after all. In my opinion, Obama won for two reasons: (1) Obama is non-threatening and inclusive, whereas Romney exuded a “us vs. them” impression that many found threatening, and (2) the election was not close enough for the electronic voting machines to steal.
As readers know, I don’t think that either candidate is a good choice or that either offers a choice. Washington is controlled by powerful interest groups, not by elections. What the two parties fight over is not alternative political visions and different legislative agendas, but which party gets to be the whore for Wall Street, the military-security complex, Israel Lobby, agribusiness, and energy, mining, and timber interests.
Being the whore is important, because whores are rewarded for the services that they render. To win the White House or a presidential appointment is a career-making event as it makes a person sought after by rich and powerful interest groups. In Congress the majority party can provide more services and is thus more valuable than the minority party. One of our recent presidents who was not rich ended up with $36 million shortly after leaving office, as did former UK prime minister Tony Blair, who served Washington far better than he served his own country.
Wars are profitable for the military/security complex. Israel rewards its servants and punishes its enemies. Staffing environmental regulatory agencies with energy, mining, and timber executives is regarded by those interests as very friendly behavior.
Many Americans understand this and do not bother to vote as they know that whichever candidate or party wins, the interest groups prevail. Ronald Reagan was the last president who stood up to interest groups, or, rather, to some of them. Wall Street did not want his tax rate reductions, as Wall Street thought the result would be higher inflation and interest rates and the ruination of their stock and bond portfolios. The military/security complex did not want Reagan negotiating with Gorbachev to end the cold war.
What is curious is that voters don’t understand how politics really works. They get carried away with the political rhetoric and do not see the hypocrisy that is staring them in the face. Proud patriotic macho American men voted for Romney who went to Israel and, swearing allegiance to his liege lord, groveled at the feet of Netanyahu. Obama plays on the heart strings of his supporters by relating a story of a child with leukemia now protected by Obamacare, while he continues to murder thousands of children and their parents with drones and other military actions in seven countries. Obama was able to elicit cheers from supporters as he described the onward and upward path of America toward greater moral accomplishments, while his actual record is that of a tyrant who codified into law the destruction of the US Constitution and the civil liberties of the American people.
The election was about nothing except who gets to serve the interest groups. The wars were not an issue in the election. Washington’s provoking of Iran, Russia, and China by surrounding them with military bases was not an issue. The unconstitutional powers asserted by the executive branch to detain citizens indefinitely without due process and to assassinate them on suspicion alone were not an issue in the election. The sacrifice of the natural environment to timber, mining, and energy interests was not an issue, except to promise more sacrifice of the environment to short-term profits. Out of one side of the mouth came the nonsense promise of restoring the middle class while from the other side of the mouth issued defenses of the offshoring of their jobs and careers as free trade.
The inability to acknowledge and to debate real issues is a threat not only to the United States but also to the entire world. Washington’s reckless pursuit of hegemony driven by an insane neoconservative ideology is leading to military confrontation with Russia and China. Eleven years of gratuitous wars with more on the way and an economic policy that protects financial institutions from their mistakes have burdened the US with massive budget deficits that are being monetized. The US dollar’s loss of the reserve currency role and hyperinflation are plausible consequences of disastrous economic policy.
How is it possible that “the world’s only superpower” can hold a presidential election without any discussion of these very real and serious problems being part of it? How can anyone be excited or made hopeful about such an outcome?
President Obama’s Six Keys to Victory | Politics News | Rolling Stone
Inside the multicultural, center-left coalition that ensured four more years
via President Obama’s Six Keys to Victory | Politics News | Rolling Stone.
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