Directive From Hell

I wouldn't be ungrateful towards British Eurosceptics if they brought down Barroso with some scandal...

That idiot who presided over economic stagnation to recession at home despite EU funds, not to mention certain other issues, now styles himself as a neoliberal revolutionary (revolution from above). He has chosen a former finance minister (Stavros Dimas from Cyprus) as environment commissioner, who in his recent first communication nicely scaled back previous plans, omitting post-2012 reduction goals - just when even more alarming predictions and a revised evaluation of Antartic ice sheet stability came out. (I hope there aren't too many idiots among EP socialists - I'm already giving up on the governments - who'd let such a proposal through.)

Another issue he took up to champion was the total liberalisation of all services in the EU, the Bolkestein Directive. This is the swansong of Frits Bolkestein, former Internal Market/Taxation Commissioner in the EU, a 100% neoliberal madman (who was also the author of the software patent proposal) and Islamophobe (thinks the EU will be Islamised).

Histologion has a good link roundup on the issue - noting that Chirac may prevent it [so might Schröder - most the German government and the SPD party opposes it, but Schröder is a man of foul compromises just like Bliar], linking an excellent leftist review of the plan, and inviting us
to sign the petition against it.

As a closing note, I want to remind people (especially Eurosceptics) again that we can thank Bliar for having Barroso, who was trying to appease Eurosceptics in the process.