EU Carries On Up the Khyber

Horror, confusion, embarassment and hilarity broke out in abundant measure yesterday amongst EU functionaries, Kremlinologists and, well, basically anyone who saw it, when a new video promoting EU er 'Enlargement' (cough cough) inserted itself into the public discharge discourse, only to promptly uninsert itself as soon as the full extent of the gaffe became apparent.

The video, entitled "Growing Together" has fortunately been saved for posterity to laugh at (here).

The only types who did find the video's semiotics right up their alley were those who inhabit certain online bulletin boards for white nationalist activists. They, of course, gave it their enthusiastic seal of approval as an accurate portrayal of the position of poor harassed Europa today, beset as she is on all sides by alien hordes and assailants.

The Guardian has lots of brilliant comments on the debacle below the line, here.

The Third Foot and Mouth would be proud!

The Long Reckoning

From Opium Wars to Currency Wars.

What do you do when uppity natives won’t buy your goods?

Keep pushing opium at their population until they become addicts and start coughing up the dough you need?

Threaten them with a gunboat?

Sadly can’t be done in these days of political correctness. Besides which, they have more blood and treasure than we do.

Send your best Hong and his gang wearing poppy flowers, just to remind the Yellow Peril who’s boss? Flood your economy with quantitative easing, and then administer a stiff warning to the blighters for the 'tidal wave of money'?

Or how about a cap on their exports? Not at all protectionist.

No? Oh well, back to the drawing board. Let’s just hope they don’t cut up rough and hold it all against us, eh?