The EU is first and foremost a ballooning, unelected bureaucracy and bureaucrats luuurve regulations. Unfortunately, despite Brexit we have not had the bonfire of the regs we were promised and Starmer’s idea is tighter alignment which makes no sense at all; we should leave them to tie themselves in knots and make setting up a business far easier and more attractive here. But has anybody got the ‘couilles’ to do it ? Ho hum.
Katharine Eyre
8 months ago
“So, while Macron can claim a symbolic victory over Morton’s resignation, it hides a deeper problem for the proponents of strategic autonomy, namely the lack of vision on how to accomplish it. Devoid of one, it risks remaining a mere slogan, little more than a manifestation of sterile anti-Americanism”.
Exactly! In the absence of a coherent plan for strategic autonomy, the unceremonious rejection of Scott-Morton was just another instance of petty politics overriding common sense. Maybe her background wasn’t perfect, but she was an excellent candidate, supported by dozens of top economists. And, since Europe is constantly lagging behind America – criticising it and trying to act the boss while really wishing it could be more like them – I thought having an American in such a high position would have been a massive win. It would also helped to rebut arguments that the EU is too protectionist, too closed-off, too provincial etc.
In the end, it made Macron and his buddies look entirely pathetic and vengeful while cementing Europe’s position as a mere onlooker in the main theatre of action between the US and China.
Last edited 8 months ago by Katharine Eyre
John Riordan
7 months ago
I’m gratified to learn that the UK appears to have some sort of regulatory freedom advantage over the EU in AI tech, but frankly we’ve been free of the EU for three years and I’m still clicking that stupid cookie warning notice on every website I visit and the City, struggling as it is to maintain world class status as a financial centre, is still subject to the EU’s ludicrously silly regulatory orbit. Yes I know these things take time, but they needn’t take THAT much time.
And it’s not as though the UK isn’t capable all on its own in creating short-sighted and destructive regulations, as the Online Harms bill demonstrates.
I maintain that the quickest way to fix our problems is simply to fire half our bureaucrats. All they do these days is get in each other’s way at best, but more usually they just get in the way of the rest of us trying to do something useful.
Howard Gleave
7 months ago
“While Macron can claim a symbolic victory over Morton’s resignation, it hides a deeper problem for the proponents of strategic autonomy, namely the lack of vision on how to accomplish it.”
It’s worse than how to accomplish it. It is what is meant by “it”? What does “it” look like? America’s tech revolution hails from tech savvy entrepreneur start-ups in Silicon Valley. The EU’s “vision” is driven by past their sell by date Eurocrats. There’s no contest. The genius of Europe used to be its diversity. It provoked competition. The Europe of the EU is stagnation by Directive-mandated uniformity.
Tyler Durden
7 months ago
The EU still has the tool of trade war which I believe it has revived recently against Biden’s green corporatism and its tilt towards China’s manufacturing sector.
This reads like additional propaganda in the revived project for a New American Century. If there are less neocon cheerleaders in Slovakia now apparently, then a lot can be found in Poland and the vicinity.
Caradog Wiliams
7 months ago
Everything I read tells me how unpopular Macron has become. But people still voted for him. If Le Pen is the only alternative, it is not surprising that Macron was re-elected. I supose that people no longer bother to vote.
Margaret TC
7 months ago
‘82%’ growth in the US has to be an error, surely? I know they’re making a fortune out of the war in Ukrine but still….
The Americans aren’t making a fortune out of the war in Ukraine. They’ve been generous but it’s basically 31 tanks, about the same number of Himars, no ATACMS, no fast jets, no helicopters, no cruise missiles, no anti shipping missiles, half a Patriot battery but lots of 155mm ammo, Humvees and basic vehicles. Hardly a shot in the arm to the military industrial complex.
I travelled on an Alstom train in Eastern Europe this week.
Sure, it’s a bit puzzling when the train doors close when they pull in at a station, but the wind during the rest of the trip is nice in the hot weather.
Emmanuel MARTIN
8 months ago
So a polish “writer from Poland” writes an amicus brief ; expliaing why any autonomous policy or even basic defense of European companies is bad for Europe
It seems poles replaced the brits as America’s puppet bitches in Brussels
As for Macron, he’s a member of the anywhere techno-manegrial elite a smuch as the Brussel loonies. The slight difference is that Macron wants a (reasonnably) functional oligarchy, as opposed to Brussels bureaucratic nightmare.
Reality is Europe created little innovative in the last 50 years.
All the big European businesses in chemicals, pharma, cars were established long time ago.
People like you complain about USA dominance using USA technology.
Idea that deadbeats of Brussel can outcompete USA is just laughable.
As to Poles replacing blah, blah.
Well they don’t need lessons from Vichy collaborators whose country was saved twice in the last 100 years by USA.
The EU is first and foremost a ballooning, unelected bureaucracy and bureaucrats luuurve regulations. Unfortunately, despite Brexit we have not had the bonfire of the regs we were promised and Starmer’s idea is tighter alignment which makes no sense at all; we should leave them to tie themselves in knots and make setting up a business far easier and more attractive here. But has anybody got the ‘couilles’ to do it ? Ho hum.
“So, while Macron can claim a symbolic victory over Morton’s resignation, it hides a deeper problem for the proponents of strategic autonomy, namely the lack of vision on how to accomplish it. Devoid of one, it risks remaining a mere slogan, little more than a manifestation of sterile anti-Americanism”.
Exactly! In the absence of a coherent plan for strategic autonomy, the unceremonious rejection of Scott-Morton was just another instance of petty politics overriding common sense. Maybe her background wasn’t perfect, but she was an excellent candidate, supported by dozens of top economists. And, since Europe is constantly lagging behind America – criticising it and trying to act the boss while really wishing it could be more like them – I thought having an American in such a high position would have been a massive win. It would also helped to rebut arguments that the EU is too protectionist, too closed-off, too provincial etc.
In the end, it made Macron and his buddies look entirely pathetic and vengeful while cementing Europe’s position as a mere onlooker in the main theatre of action between the US and China.
I’m gratified to learn that the UK appears to have some sort of regulatory freedom advantage over the EU in AI tech, but frankly we’ve been free of the EU for three years and I’m still clicking that stupid cookie warning notice on every website I visit and the City, struggling as it is to maintain world class status as a financial centre, is still subject to the EU’s ludicrously silly regulatory orbit. Yes I know these things take time, but they needn’t take THAT much time.
And it’s not as though the UK isn’t capable all on its own in creating short-sighted and destructive regulations, as the Online Harms bill demonstrates.
I maintain that the quickest way to fix our problems is simply to fire half our bureaucrats. All they do these days is get in each other’s way at best, but more usually they just get in the way of the rest of us trying to do something useful.
“While Macron can claim a symbolic victory over Morton’s resignation, it hides a deeper problem for the proponents of strategic autonomy, namely the lack of vision on how to accomplish it.”
It’s worse than how to accomplish it. It is what is meant by “it”? What does “it” look like? America’s tech revolution hails from tech savvy entrepreneur start-ups in Silicon Valley. The EU’s “vision” is driven by past their sell by date Eurocrats. There’s no contest. The genius of Europe used to be its diversity. It provoked competition. The Europe of the EU is stagnation by Directive-mandated uniformity.
The EU still has the tool of trade war which I believe it has revived recently against Biden’s green corporatism and its tilt towards China’s manufacturing sector.
This reads like additional propaganda in the revived project for a New American Century. If there are less neocon cheerleaders in Slovakia now apparently, then a lot can be found in Poland and the vicinity.
Everything I read tells me how unpopular Macron has become. But people still voted for him. If Le Pen is the only alternative, it is not surprising that Macron was re-elected. I supose that people no longer bother to vote.
‘82%’ growth in the US has to be an error, surely? I know they’re making a fortune out of the war in Ukrine but still….
USA GDP 2008 15 Trillion…2022 23 Trillion…
Look no further than Apple, Google, Microsoft and Nvidia type companies for that
The Americans aren’t making a fortune out of the war in Ukraine. They’ve been generous but it’s basically 31 tanks, about the same number of Himars, no ATACMS, no fast jets, no helicopters, no cruise missiles, no anti shipping missiles, half a Patriot battery but lots of 155mm ammo, Humvees and basic vehicles. Hardly a shot in the arm to the military industrial complex.
The fortune lies in the rebuilding of Ukraine.
I travelled on an Alstom train in Eastern Europe this week.
Sure, it’s a bit puzzling when the train doors close when they pull in at a station, but the wind during the rest of the trip is nice in the hot weather.
So a polish “writer from Poland” writes an amicus brief ; expliaing why any autonomous policy or even basic defense of European companies is bad for Europe
It seems poles replaced the brits as America’s puppet bitches in Brussels
As for Macron, he’s a member of the anywhere techno-manegrial elite a smuch as the Brussel loonies. The slight difference is that Macron wants a (reasonnably) functional oligarchy, as opposed to Brussels bureaucratic nightmare.
Reality is Europe created little innovative in the last 50 years.
All the big European businesses in chemicals, pharma, cars were established long time ago.
People like you complain about USA dominance using USA technology.
Idea that deadbeats of Brussel can outcompete USA is just laughable.
As to Poles replacing blah, blah.
Well they don’t need lessons from Vichy collaborators whose country was saved twice in the last 100 years by USA.