Are they going? In a pig's eye

Berlusconi "vows to resign". What on earth does that mean? The man has lost the vote, has lost his majority. Just go already. Nope, the BBC doesn't say he has resigned either just that " has confirmed he intends to resign after key economic reforms have been approved". Goodness me, I remember a time when Italian prime ministers went down like ninepins and there was none of this vowing around the place.

According to Reuters he will resign once a new budget law has been approved in parliament.

No, Papandreou hasn't gone either.

Greek political leaders failed to wrap up coalition talks as planned on Tuesday night, raising fears the deal could start to unravel after two missed deadlines.
The country’s president had been set to appoint a new cross-party government headed by Lucas Papademos, a former vice-president of the European Central Bank who previously served as Greece’s own central bank governor.

George Papandreou, the outgoing prime minister, was supposed to announce his resignation at the same time, according to an official from his PanHellenic Socialist Movement.

“There’s radio silence from our side, let’s see what happens in the morning,” said a senior socialist. The government spokesman could not be reached for comment.

An official from the conservative New Democracy party said:”Contacts seem to be over for today.” He added that there were “no indications” that Mr Papademos had pulled out of the discussions.

OK, I'll say it again: just go already.

That leaves Theresa May who has managed to pass the blame for her incompetence on to the head of the UK border force. He has resigned but in a Parthian shot has accused Ms May of misleading Parliament. As if she would. So the heat is on. Theresa May has already announced that she will not resign but we have not had a public pronouncement of support from the Boy-King. When that happens we shall know that her days are numbered.

COMMENT THREAD

1688 and all that...

A guest post by Sandy Rham.

In 1688 there was a prat called James II on the throne. His elder brother, Charles II was probably the best of the Stuart Kings because he concentrated more on the Boudoir than interfering with the country. Indeed on one of his nightly forays his younger brother had suggested he shouldn't go out into dangerous streets with so little escort, to which he allegedly replied: “There is not a man in all my kingdom who would kill me to put you on the throne”.

And so it proved to be when King James II brutally crushed the Monmouth Rebellion and got himself thoroughly disliked for wanton abuses of power. In 1688 a group organized a 'convocation' of all the worthies of the Realm and told James II to hop it. They also invited the Duke of Orange to become the first Constitutional Monarch. This means that although the Sovereign may not be over-ruled, the definition of Sovereign, they are, nonetheless, bound by limits to their power.

Chief among the strictures imposed was the imperative that the Nation may not be given away so no power could fine us a Nation, nor could they over-rule our courts. At the time the worry was the Catholic hegemony, which having lost Britain a 150 or so years earlier, was still scheming to get a puppet on the throne.

Although Cromwell's Commonwealth was within living memory, and they were dumping a pretty rotten Royal, they nevertheless chose the Monarchy over a Republic. They also put all authority within the hands of the Sovereign to be lent out on the receipt, directly or indirectly, of a bondsman's oath. This means judges, the police, the armed services et al. have no authority in their own right, but rather the authority the sovereign lends them.

Thus they effectively put all their eggs in one basket and made the protection of the sovereign and national sovereignty paramount. With hindsight the reason is clear, a sovereign, being a person, may be held accountable for the actions done in their name, and we can all agree accountability is sadly missing today.

Lawyers will try and persuade you that since GB has no written Constitution it has no Constitution. This is not so, we have 'Constitutional Documents' of which by far the most important are the Magna Carta and the Declaration of Rights 1688, the result of James II demise. The reason these carry more weight is that in both cases the Rule of Law had broken down and the documents represented the conditions under which the rebels would give their Consent to the Rule of Law.

This is the purpose of a Constitution, to set bounds on The Powers That Be, to draw the line beyond which the people will withdraw consent and rebel. TPTB then try to use the Authority conceded to them to 'adjust' the Constitution bit by bit, snipping away at Liberties. Americans are vigilant on this front, but in Britain TPTB have gradually rewritten the Rule Book, or at least they think they have, and claim our implied Consent by the fact we haven't rebelled... yet.

So the Constitution is not an outdated legal thing with little relevance today, as the TPTB will have you believe, rather it is that line beyond which lies rebellion, withdrawal of Consent to The Rule of Law. A constitution cannot be decreed for us any more than respect can be demanded, yet it is respect for the law that leads to consent to the rule of law.

We will have to reclaim our sovereignty and it would be wise to plan for the structure of the subsequent Nation, to consider just how the Law is allowed to Rule.

COMMENT THREAD

Not nobody is going to resign, not nohow

Theresa May is not resigning. Berlusconi is being urged by his "key ally", Umberto Bossi of the Northern League, to resign but is singing the Italian equivalent of "la-la-la-la, can't hear you". Greece is still "inching towards a deal" while

an emergency cabinet meeting -- the last likely to be held by the present government -- was postponed owing to a meeting between outgoing Prime Minister George Papandreou and Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos, state television channel NET said.

That means that Papandreou has not resigned either.

Just thought you'd like to know.

Karlo rather than Groucho Marx for once

Of course, many of us recall what Karl Marx said at the beginning of The Eighteenth of Brumaire of Louis Napoleon (I must admit to finding it quite useful when I was doing history O level): History repeats itself, first as tragedy, then as farce.

Actually, that is a meaningless statement for if the first event, the tragedy, is history repeating itself, then there must have been an even earlier one. In his view Napoleon I was the tragedy and Napoleon III, the farce. But what came before that?

However, there is no getting away from the fact that all historical parallels one can draw for present events in Greece and Italy show the situation up as farce. For the time being, anyway.

COMMENT THREAD

Nope, they haven't gone

Oh come, you surely did not think that either hereditary Prime Minister Papandreou or the rather farcical Prime Minister Berlusconi would go before every single finger was prized off that premiership? Here and here on Your Freedom and Ours.

And just to cheer everyone up

The Daily Torygraph once again misses the point. In fact, the Daily Torygraph talks rubbish. Apparently, David Cameron must have a plan to take to the table. What kind of a plan. Ah, that would be telling.

Any article that starts with a sentence that includes the words "Britain’s relationship with the European Union" is going to be a lulu. You just know. All together now: Britain no more has a relationship with the EU than Sussex has a relationship with the United Kingdom. Got that?

Let us move on. Apparently, the Torygraph may have understood a few things:

It appears increasingly clear, however, that the compromise expressed by that slogan is no longer an option. The crisis within the single currency means that the countries who are part of it are destined for full fiscal union, in which there will be a single policy for all of them on taxation and on government spending.

Within the EU, the eurozone countries will have a unified set of economic and social interests, and will certainly act as a caucus, outvoting the rest when it comes to matters that can be decided by qualified majority voting. And as we report today, the rule changes agreed by the Lisbon Treaty have had two very important results.

First, there has been a significant increase in the number of issues over which Britain has given up its veto. Second, and far less frequently mentioned, alterations to the ways in which votes are weighted and counted, set to come into force in 2014, will mean that the eurozone countries, when they act as a bloc, will be able to impose their will on the rest – and there won’t be anything that Britain (or any other EU member that is not in the euro) will be able to do about it.

Should the euro bloc decide that the City of London needs to be subject to regulations that will effectively eliminate its competitive advantage, Britain will just have to accept it. And should that bloc decide that it is time to unify criminal law across Europe, Britain would have to implement that momentous change, even though it would trample all over the last government’s precious “red lines”, not to mention the basic principles of British criminal justice.

Apart from the fact that most of this is not in the future but in the past and the present with the Torygraph failing to report developments in any detail, one cannot argue with that analysis.

Then we come to the grand conclusion, otherwise known as the Torygraph's pompous pronouncements the Telegraph's view:

We believe they are not: that there can be a workable compromise between being subsumed by the EU and divorcing ourselves from it entirely. The Government has said the same. But for that to come about, we need a detailed examination by ministers about what our options and goals are, and a wide-ranging debate among the public, so that Britain not only has a watertight plan to bring to the negotiating table but also one that has the popular legitimacy that has been so sorely lacking in Brussels’s relations with member states. These are enormous questions, and they can no longer be swept aside – for on them depend the future and nature of our democracy.

May I suggest that somebody, anybody on that rag finally reads the Treaties and, perhaps, dips into a certain book that gives you the history of the whole project. A wide-ranging debate among the public would be a good idea but it is unlikely to get us anywhere if it relies on erroneous information from our media.

COMMENT THREAD

Update

13.55 North Jnr now informs me that, in fact, the Boss is out of surgery and all seems to be well. He will do an update later on but is at the moment busy on something called day job.

North Jnr informs me that the Boss has gone into surgery. I am sure that my good wishes to him and his family are multiplied among his many fans. Sammy's pigs should do the trick.

We might lose two Prime Ministers

13.15 Berlusconi has denied rumours. I am shocked, I tell you, shocked. Greek politicians are still in meeting. Here is an exclusive report on how the negotiations are proceeding.

No, no, no, the Boy-King is not one of them. Calm down everybody. But who knows? By the end of today both George Papandreou and Silvio Berlusconi might be gone. I shall believe it when I see it. Oh and before anybody says it, no it is not a sign of interesting times to lose Greek or Italian prime ministers. In fact, it is politics as usual.

COMMENT THREAD

Not called Papandreou for nothing

George Papandreou, hereditary Prime Minister of Greece is hanging on in there. The Telegraph says

George Papandreou, the Greek prime minister, cleared the way for his resignation by scheduling a three way meeting with Antonis Samaras, leader of the conservative opposition, and the president to overcome sticking points over the leadership and duration of the unity government.

A seven point plan for the new government was thrashed out at a cabinet meeting of socialist government. It included a deadline for parliament to ratify the eurozone bailout before the end of December.

Mr Papandreou told the cabinet that the country would be presented with a new government within hours and that he would vacate office soon after. The interim government, led by technocrats, will run the country until a general election is called, probably in the first half of next year.

Is that within hours shorter than the half an hour that was the period predicted at the time of the Cabinet meeting on Thursday?

Bloomberg adds:

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou, trying to preserve international aid before the nation runs out of money next month, raced to form a unity government before markets open as the main opposition leader demanded he step down before any accord.

“It’s clear this government is prepared to hand over the baton, but it can’t hand it over into a vacuum,” Papandreou told his ministers at a meeting today in Athens, according to an e-mailed transcript from his office. “We will hand it over to the next government if we agree and conclude on this. And I hope this will happen, as I said, soon and when I say soon, I mean today, not tomorrow, for very many reasons.”

Papandreou met late today with New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras and President Karolos Papoulias to iron out differences. Samaras had earlier said he was “determined to help” reach an agreement as long as the premier stepped down first. Samaras had previously demanded early elections and balked at joining forces with Papandreou’s socialist Pasok party even if the premier resigned.

I presume he will resign at some point soon and the likelihood is that the Finance Minister will take over. However, one cannot simply disregard the Leader of the Not So Loyal Opposition. Frankly, even if the man goes I don't expect him to stay away from government for long. He would not be worthy of the name Papandreou if he did that.

First of those cross-posted contributions.

COMMENT THREAD

Cruella is baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Well, only temporarily. The Boss will be allowed to take light internet on Tuesday, I am told, and, no doubt, will be checking up on my activities on this blog. Heh! It will be lighter blogging as I am not nearly as hard-working as the Boss but those readers who were around in the past know that. Those who have arrived here since the time I resided on EUReferendum will learn.

Furthermore, I shall be juggling two blogs therefore some of the postings will be duplicated. Not a great problem as there are many readers who do not read Your Freedom and Ours and will not be bored by my burblings.

What else will be different? Less anger and fury but a good deal more cold sarcasm. Nobody, I flatter myself, does cold sarcasm better than I do. Some of the subjects might be different. My preoccupations are different. I shall try to keep off matters to do with Russia or the tranzis; on the other hand my view on local government is quite simple: get rid of it ASAP. I shall not be writing about it or about bailiffs with whom I have not had much to do for some years but they may return into my life. Who can predict such things?

Someone else will be handling the comments and the forum and as the Boss said, North Jnr will be posting bulletins.

So with all those provisos ... en avant.

COMMENT THREAD

Light blogging

I'm off to the menders for a spot of open heart surgery. A slight fall-off in my rate of blogging may thus occur.

The prospect of human beings rooting around in my insides is slightly daunting, even more so that bits of my heart are to be removed and replaced with parts of a pig. Fortunately, I know the owner of the slaughterhouse from whence the porcine volunteer came, and Sammy has assured me that only the highest quality pigs are used. I am much cheered.

At the Nuffield, under the care of Pankaj Kaul, I could not be in better hands. If things go to plan, I shall be rather preoccupied through Monday, but may be in a position to take an interest in the wider world from late Tuesday. The hospital is equipped with wi-fi, and I will be taking my laptop. Depending on how I feel, I may subsequently be able to write the occasional blog post.

In the meantime, North Jr, Helen - and even Booker - have promised to step into the breach. Peter will post occasional bulletins, and the ever-faithful Mrs EUReferendum will be holding the fort. My thanks for everyone's good wishes. These are much appreciated, and readers need have no fears. I am told that the operation does not confer a sunny disposition. God willing, service will continue as before, with "snarl mode" as default.

COMMENT THREAD

Does this man have any self-awareness?

"The psychology of the EU – a postwar elite bureaucracy – is entirely out of kilter with this very modern surge of popular protest: technology-driven, non-hierarchical, anti-elitist. It is like trying to connect an old ribbon typewriter to an iPad".

So writes that unutterable fool Matthew d'Ancona. He is correct, as far as it goes. But he needs to look in the mirror. This is the man whose public fawning over the love of his life, David Cameron, is positively embarrassing, and man for whom the phrase "head up his own arse" was invented.

Further, he perpetuates the great and ongoing myth that this is all about the euro-élites, conveniently sliding over the sailent fact that it is the likes of him, and the British political élites whom he supports, that help keep in place the EU structures.

The "above-the-line" syndrome does thus affect them all. They are part of the problem and it is a measure of how out of touch they are that fools such as d'Ancona can write his pieces without blushing. Still, at least someone is on the ball ... read Autonomous Mind.

COMMENT THREAD

Homework fail

Our politicians continue to babble, says Freddie Forsyth. But he is doing precisely the same in the Express, babbling about something of which he clearly knows little.

On the perfectly correct premise that the Tory ambitions of repatriating EU powers are moonshine, he then goes on to construct an elaborate explanation of why this might be, displaying not only a perilous lack of understanding of the nature of the EU, but also by inventing a non-existent "doctrine".

According to the Great Forsyth, there is a doctrine of the acquis communautaire. This doctrine, he pronounces, is at the very heart and core of the EU. It supposedly specifies in absolutely clear terms that no power, once conceded by the nation state to the EU government in Brussels, can ever under any circumstances be returned.

Having thus misinformed himself, Forsyth demands haughtily of politicians that they should have heard of his "doctrine". Ironically though, they could hardly do so. It does not exist as a doctrine, per se.

For sure, there is such a thing as the acquis communautaire. This, according to definition is the:

… cumulative body of European Community laws, comprising the EC's objectives, substantive rules, policies and, in particular, the primary and secondary legislation and case law – all of which form part of the legal order of the European Union (EU). This includes all the treaties, regulations and directives passed by the European institutions, as well as judgements laid down by the European Court of Justice.

The acquis, therefore, is not a doctrine. It a body of law, etc., which arises from and is part of the European Union. What Forsyth is referring to is something else, something completely different – the EU commission's monopoly right of initiative, the doctrine that states that only the commission may propose new laws.

Since it takes a new law to repeal an existing law – only the commission has the power to dismantle that part of the acquis which comprises its primary and secondary legislation. And since the commission is cast as the Guardian of the Treaties, the objective of which is ever closer union, it will not do that in such a way as to reduce the acquis. That is another doctrine.

However, when it comes to the repatriation of powers, all this is totally irrelevant. For this to happen, it is not to the commission that the politicians must look, but to the treaties. These are matters for the member states. If they so decided, they could abolish the commission, and with it the monopoly right of initiative and the entire acquis.

Therein lies our problem. To repatriate powers, we would have to have an amendment to the treaties, or abrogate them, unilaterally if need be. For complex reasons, which we explain in this piece, the former is not going to happen.

In the case of the latter, parliament could abrogate the treaty tomorrow, if it so wished. Parliament is, after all, sovereign. It is a question of political will. And the will is not there.

Forsyth, however, typifies so much of the eurosceptic community, and thereby explains much of its failures. If the first duty of a general, according to Wellington, is to find out what is on the other side of the hill – the more general doctrine of "know thine enemy" - eurosceptics, Forsyth included, score a massive fail.

Most have nothing more than the vaguest understanding of the nature of the EU, its origins and its workings, their brains clouded by a fog of ignorance and incomprehension. Clear that fog and the issues become clear. We are in the European Union, and remain members bound by its rules, not because of the acquis, but because parliament permits it.

The European Union is not the problem. Parliament is the problem – and it is to there, not Brussels, that our wrath should be directed. The EU is not a matter of foreign domination, as so many eurosceptics wish to believe. It is what our parliament does to us. Everything else is babble.

When this is understood, we might start to get somewhere.

COMMENT THREAD

Booker

The continuing saga of the stolen children, and then Huhne and the bailiffs dominate the Booker column. Of special interest is the story on bailiffs.

Recently, I asked of the Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police whether he considered that this group of people were above the law. In the corporate view of the police, that would appear to be the case. The admit that the bailiffs can breach the law. Simply, they are prepared to do nothing about it. We are not surprised. That simply defines the battle lines, and the police are on the other side.

COMMENT THREAD

Britain's most dangerous podcaster

Via Witterings from Witney, we have Radio Free Delingpole, starring the Booker North duo or, as Dellers says, "two of the greatest living experts" on the European Union.

It was recorded earlier this week for a US audience, but the podcast is available on the link above.

COMMENT THREAD

Democracy took a back seat

So easy is the assumption that, because referendums are part of the armoury of democracy, their deployment - as in last week when Papandreou pulled one from the hat -  necessarily  indicates that the democratic process is at work. But it ain't so. The referendum is but a tool, and the devil can use it as well.

Of course, we've had a similar argument before, with feeble-brained MEPs who aver that because they are elected, they are democratically elected. But because the EU parliament employs some of the processes common to democracies does not make it democratic. MEPs are elected – period. There is nothing democratic about them or the institution to which they belong.

And so to referendums. For them to be a valid democratic tool, some conditions must apply, the first of which is, quite obviously, that the issue must be one which is capable of being decided by a simple "yes/no" vote.

From there, though, it gets more complicated and interesting. Two closely related conditions must be satisfied: the issue must be clearly defined and the question put must fairly represent the issue, as defined, and not pick on some proxy issue.

Under most circumstances, the fact of a referendum should be well signalled in advance, not pulled out of a hat by a politician using it for tactical advantage. Thus, its use should be predictable, predicted and measured – used for settling a question, not as a political weapon.

Then, the referendum campaign should be of sufficient length to allow all the arguments to be aired, and to allow people to think about them – with all sides treated fairly and given opportunities to make their cases. Finally, the vote itself must be conducted honestly, efficiently and fairly.

Undoubtedly, there are other conditions which might have to be satisfied, but just going with these, we can take a look at the Papandreou effort.

Here, it was undoubtedly the case that acceptance of the bailout is amenable to a "yes/no" vote, and to that extent the issue was clearly defined. However, there was no such clarity about the question. In fact, there was none at all – it was not defined and the indications were that it would not address the headline issue.

As to being signalled in advance, here we have the clearest indication that the referendum was being used as a tactical ploy for what advantage it conferred to Papandreou, pulled out of a hat by him to settle a power struggle with his own political party. This was not a fair and honest attempt to consult the people.

Then, as the situation developed, it became clear that the already short time for the campaign was to be cut even more, making impossible any attempt to have a full debate on the issues. It was to be a rushed campaign, with the advantage going thereby to the government.

Looking at this rationally, therefore, it is very hard to argue that the Greek referendum, proposed last week was – or was intended to be – a democratic exercise. It was the action of a self-serving politician, calculated to his ends, not those of his people.

Misused, then, as this was, the referendum is the tool of the demagogue, and used to great effect it was by that most evil of men, Adolf Hitler.

Predictably, on this occasion, the EU – and specifically the Merkozy – abreacted to the idea of a referendum, but then to charge them with "anti-democratic" behaviour does not confer the mantle of "democratic" on the Papandreou ploy. In truth, democracy took a back seat last week – this was a battle of the political élites.

The people were never in the game.

COMMENT THREAD

Things must be seriously bad

There is a certain amount of entertainment to be had – as here with Charlie Moore's latest column - in watching the above-the-liners suddenly discover something, take it for their own and then parade their new-found pearls before us swine, as if they are the founts of all wisdom.

The découverte du jour in Moore's case, as per the headline and strap, is that the EU has lost its vital yet intangible quality of inevitability. It has departed from "le project", never to return, without which the ambitions of the "colleagues" are doomed to frustration.

This, though, is something we had observed in September, and then only in passing, noting that it was only the dinosaurs that still hankered after further European integration. It no longer carried with it the aura of historical inevitability, while the possibility of collapse was now treated seriously.

Nevertheless, we would not even begin to lay claim to be the father of this thought. It is so obvious, to the point of being self-evident, that even Moore's newspaper noticed it in January 2007, declaring that, once the sense of inevitability is removed, the entire construct collapses.

We would not expect the above-the-liners ever to match us, but it might be a good idea for Moore to catch up with his own paper – although his kind never feel the need to do that. In their claustrophobic little world, nothing exists until they personally have invented it.

However, Moore is still in the transitional stage. He has discovered the acquis communautaire and the theory of bicycles, but he is not yet up to speed using the word "inevitability". Soon enough, though, someone will tell him about it during an agreeable lunch, and he will invent it as a concept. It will then become the mot du jour, with the groupescules rushing around applauding the Great Man's "brilliance".

Despite that, the above-the-liners do have their uses. Serving not so much as bellwethers but as canaries down the mine, when they start noticing such things, we can take it that the phenomenon is well established. And that is what Moore is telling us today. If the déshabillé has percolated to his level, things must be seriously bad. In another couple of years, the news might even reach the Tory party.

COMMENT THREAD

Greece in the limelight

Before the pivotal vote last night, Papandreou spoke in the Greek parliament. We picked him up at 21:42hrs local time GMT ... two hours later in Athens, and followed the action on the Athens News blog, read across to Greek language local television for live pictures. The vote was originally expected just after 22:00hrs Z (just after midnight, Greek time).

Papandreou announced that, if he won the vote, he would go to president to discuss forming government of national unity. "I don't care if I'm not re-elected", he said. "It's time for cooperation ... We have to stop fighting battles of yesterday". He concluded: "I'm sure we will go forward together", to a standing ovation.

Communist Party leader Aleka Papariga's response was sharp: The new government will last two years. It will be used to pass even harsher measures. You are about to pass the most barbaric measures in the history of this country. Well enough is enough. We are not going to be blackmailed! I guess she was not a happy bunny.

Speeches continued, but none of the live blogs were bothering to translate. Well past midnight, Greek time, and there was no word on when they would vote. But then Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos closed the debate. He said the country needed effective government, and said an interim government would stay in power until February. Then there would be elections.

Just seconds before 00:30hrs Greek time (22:30 GMT), the vote started. It was done as a roll call - the names were read out, and each MP responded (above). "Neh" means "yes", which gave a bizarre flavour to the vote. "Oichi" means "no" and there were a lot of those. With the slowness of the call, the vote was then expected about 01:00hrs Greek time (23:00 GMT).

The rebellion had collapsed. The last of the PASOK rebel MPs, Lintzeris, voted yes, a fait accompli. Papandreou carried it, it seemed. The clerks checked the vote. Officially declared at 01:04hrs Greek time: "Yes" 153, "No" 145. Papandreou had won. Those remaining in the chamber applauded - a standing ovation. Even Papandreou applauded. How terribly continental ... and with one bound, he was free.

However, the BBC had the story on Thursday (below). And, as you all know, the BBC can never, ever be wring wrong.

COMMENT THREAD

Out of the public eye

While much of the focus on things German in the last few days has been on Frau Merkel, back home things have been far from happy, particularly on the military front. Rather than lining up serried ranks of storm troopers, ready to goosestep over the borders, Merkel's administration has been trimming hard on the military capacity.

Already, the size of the army has been reduced to 170,000 troops, following then end of national service for school leavers. Now for the chop are a goodly number of the troubled A400M transport, the numbers of which are to be reduced from 60 to 53.

The number of Eurocopter Tiger UHT combat helicopters has been halved to 40 and the number of NH90 transport helicopters is also being cut by 40. Germany ordered 80 NH90s in 2000, and a further 42 in June 2007.

Overall, a 20-percent reduction in the defence budget is being sought and, like the UK, Germany is making deep cuts. Also to go is a Tornado fighter-bomber wing, two Transal airlift wings, one transport helicopter regiment, one combat helicopter wing and a naval aviation unit.

Another casualty is the Eurofighters. With a total of 143 aircraft already ordered, there is now no chance of any further orders.

As regards the A400M, Airbus has also been told by the French government that it will not take delivery of the aircraft it has ordered, starting in 2013 "unless Airbus improves the terms of a maintenance contract for the planes". This, though, is seen as a back-door way of slowing down deliveries in order to deal with a major budget shortfall.

Further to add to the woes of Airbus, the South African government is suing it for the return of R2.9 billion for eight aircraft, ordered in 2005 but still undelivered.

The only good news on the horizon for defence contractors is the final stage of the Indian competition for 126 medium multi-role combat aircraft, for which Eurofighter and the French Rafale are bidding. Purchase of the Eurofighter option would make India a bigger operator of the type than Germany.

However, when Germany has Frau Merkel as a secret weapon, who needs Eurofighters?

COMMENT THREAD

The theatre of the absurd

It is worrisome that so many people continue to profess a hard-bitten cynicism about the MSM, declaring that they are immune to its charms and believe nothing that are told. Yet, the moment they are fed tosh of which they approve, their reserves melt like a spoon of ice-cream on a Greek beach in the height of summer.

Such was the experience yesterday, with the "plucky Greece" meme continuing to grow even today, while the MSM revels in the "drama" of the G20 summit meeting.

But anyone who wants to believe that what comes out of these summits, and especially their communiqués, needs perhaps to read the account of the great summit between Heath and Pompidou in May 1971. Reconstructing the events from official documents, memoirs, and other sources, and then comparing them with the hugely different accounts in the press at the time, is quite an education.

In fact, throughout history, we see stark differences between the accounts of events – and the perceptions we take from them – and the actual events.

Even in 1940 at the height of the September Blitz on London, when Churchill was touring the streets, offering encouragement and sympathy, in secret session in Cabinet calling for "strong action" to be taken against people demonstrating for improvements in the pitifully poor air raid shelter provision.

What one must accept, therefore, is that much of the overt conduct of our masters – what they say and do – is done mainly for effect. A grotesque theatre of the absurd which bears little relation to reality.

Here, the media are very much part of the game. Theirs is the role of court jester, retailing the performances to the wider audience, conferring a veneer of credibility to what is invariably pure showmanship, as the current G20 communiqué illustrates.

In that light does one read about the "Action plan for Growth and Jobs", learning that "Advanced economies commit to adopt policies to build confidence and support growth and implement clear, credible and specific measures to achieve fiscal consolidation".

Anyone who can read that without either scratching their heads, or sniggering with derision, needs to renew their own personal nursery subscription.

Likewise should we treat the assertion that, "We are determined to strengthen the social dimension of globalization". And then there is: "We have made progress in reforming the international monetary system to make it more representative, stable and resilient".

Press releases and conferences are no better, but then the same applies to all such political events. It you shake hands with any of them, count your fingers afterwards. And, as you listen to their pronouncements, the only mystery is about the precise nature of their lies, not whether they are lying.

Not until 10pm tonight (or later) will we learn the outcome of the Greek parliament vote of confidence. How much of that will be theatre, we will probably never know, but it would be entirely safe to assume that the effect was pre-ordained and calculated.

How it is that people can still believe anything that they are told is then the real mystery. It is almost as puzzling as the idea that anyone can believe Papandreou is a democrat, rather than the self-serving leader of one of the most corrupt nations in Europe.

COMMENT THREAD

A policy of failure

At every possible level, the campaign to address the putative threat of global warming has been a failure. The world pumped about 564 million more tons of carbon (dioxide) into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009, an increase of six percent. That amount of eclipses the individual emissions of all but three countries, China, the US and India, the world's top producers of classified emissions.

It is a "monster" increase that is unheard of, says Gregg Marland, a professor of geology at Appalachian State University, who has helped calculate department of energy figures in the past. And so do we hear the laments: "The more we talk about the need to control emissions, the more they are growing," says John Reilly, the co-director of MIT's Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change.

As we see the world slip into a cooling cycle, the great tragedy is that we do not have the politicians with the wit and courage to admit they are wrong, and row back on the accumulated stupidity and waste which marks twenty years of policy failure.

COMMENT THREAD

Not to be confused with democracy

The legend of "plucky Greece" being flattened by the Merkozy "bulldozer" is rapidly gaining ground, aided and abetted by the Daily Wail - which seems very long on assertion yet remarkably short of evidence.

In those same assertion stakes, however, we cannot avoid noticing that alongside the political turmoil of the last two days, we have also seen huge market convulsions. Stocks crashed on the news of Papandreou's referendum bid and made a dramatic rally when he abandoned it.

Anyone with sufficient money who thus read the market correctly – or were blessed with insider knowledge – might have made a small fortune, or even a very large one. It is during precisely such conditions that fortunes are made.

That said, one must recognise that the political and corporate sectors in Greece are amongst the most corrupt in Europe. Even the Wail has recognised this in the past, although it is currently suffering a spot of selective amnesia as it airs its "plucky but doomed" legend and promotes Papandreou in his newly found "man of the people" role.

It would not do to say, therefore, to remind people that Greek political corruption has tentacles spreading to Brussels and to the other EU member states, forming a tight network of mutual interest. This is a country where corruption pervades every corner of life, a country mired in fraud and fiddling, the political landscape of which is ingrained with vested interests, endemic kleptocracy and bribery.

Further, the potential riches to be gained from recent events would have been more than enough to have motivated the actions we have seen taken. The secrecy on the timing could be explained by the need to maximise market impact. One hopes that the financial regulators in the different capital cities are looking hard for signs of unusual selling and buying, and any spectacular profit-taking.

Even without that, however, it cannot be said that the actions taken were in any way motivated by a burning desire for democracy. We are talking about politicians here, and not only European politicians but Greek politicians – leaders of a state which is a by-word for corruption.

The country over which they now rule may have enjoyed in some of its ancient city states a form of government that is called democracy – but which would hardly qualify for the term now. In no way does that suggest that the successors share the values of the ancients.

In fact, evidence of the last few days goes to suggest that the referendum ploy by Papandreou, far from being an exercise in democracy, was simply a cynical manoeuvre. It was aimed primarily at securing the survival in power of the premier and his cronies.

Thus, without being rooted in conviction, when for diverse reasons the balance of utility swung hard against holding a referendum, Papandreou not only dropped it like a hot cake. He went so far as to suggest that he had never intended to hold a plebiscite in the first place.

Whether these ploys succeed politically remains to be seen, but the man is nothing if not a survivor. It would not exactly be a miracle if he was to weather the vote of confidence later today.

Whether he does or not, we will have to wait and see. Of one thing we can be certain though. There are people out there today who are very much richer than they were at the beginning of the week. And, whatever the outcome of today, they will no doubt be grateful to those who kicked off the events that made it all possible.

What we should never do, however, is confuse them with the workings of democracy. Any similarities with any such process, past or present, are entirely coincidental.

COMMENT THREAD

Not such a surprise

UPDATE: (16:06 hrs) From the horse's mouth, addressing parliament his parliamentary group. He is most definitely not going to resign, and is ready for the vote of confidence on Friday. The referendum has achieved its purpose, he says, in pulling all the political groups behind the bailout, and achieving "unity".

We'll wind up our coverage there, and pick up any further developments at the end of the evening. Thank you all for feeding me links, for supporting the coverage and keeping up the commentary on the forum. We have been topping one reader every six seconds in what may be another of those turning points in history.

UPDATE: (14:58) Kostas Yeitonas, Pasok member, is saying on Mega TV that Papandreou has abandoned the referendum. Associated Press is saying the same thing and the Financial Times agrees. Nevertheless, this is not an official statement - it is a "leak" from Cabinet now an official statement.

There is no word on where that leaves the chances of Papandreou winning his vote of confidence but, apparently, talks are underway over the creation of a National Unity government.

UPDATE: (14:28 hrs) The Boy blathers about "unity" while the Evening Standard continues to run the resignation meme, while The Failygraph is at last admitting: "... it seems like reports George Papandreou was on his way to see the President to hand in his resignation and ask for a coaltion government were slightly premature".

UPDATE: (14:19) Reuters is still offering, Greek government "on the brink of collapse". The political turmoil in Greece and uncertainty over the euro zone sent stocks and commodity prices lower in Asia, it reports, and fuelled a rush into safe-haven German bonds. But financial markets rallied in nervous trading as the likelihood grew that Greece would not hold the highly risky referendum.

UPDATE: (14:10 hrs) Papandreou may not be resigning ... statement later tonight. No planned meeting with the president, says The Guardian, but no MSM yet breaking out from the resignation meme. The Failygraph is still reporting: "The Greek Prime Minister will resign, report says, after a split over holding a referendum on staying in the euro, and G20 leaders gather in Cannes to push for a resolution". I wonder if the BBC is going to have to change its headline as well?

UPDATE: (13:52 hrs) Take away the Greek euro … Mrs Merkel, we want a referendum (as well) says Bild. There is a virus spreading throughout Europe.

UPDATE: (13:15 hrs) Obama speaks in Cannes ... he says that the most important task at the G-20 summit is to resolve the European financial crisis and urges EU leaders to flesh out details of their ambitious plan to rescue Greece and stabilize financial markets. But it's not so much, "yes we Cannes" as "no we can't".

UPDATE: (12:57 hrs) The EU commission is racking up the anguish. Any nation that exits the euro zone must also leave the EU, spokesthing Karolina Kottova says. The commission's interpretation of EU law remains that "the treaties don't foresee an exit from the euro zone" without a country also exiting the EU.

UPDATE: (12:43 hrs) Resignation is "just one of the many scenarios circulating in an atmosphere of "great confusion". There is huge confusion, and a sense of rising panic, in Greece, says The Guardian. However, there is the "bubble-effect" to take into account ... the closed loop between the media and the politicians feeding off each other, stoking up hysteria that is not always rooted in reality.

UPDATE: (12:37 hrs) Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou is expected to offer his resignation within the next half-hour, according to the BBC. Papandreou will meet Greek President Karolos Papoulias immediately after an emergency cabinet meeting, currently in progress, has finished. There is talk of forming a "national unity" government.

UPDATE: The Greek Government was on the brink of collapse today as Cabinet ministers fought over how to keep their ailing country within the eurozone, says The Times. The country is set for a general election rather than the referendum, says The Guardian. With the Daily Wail getting all excited about Papandreou preparing to resign, are we looking at brinkmanship, theatre, or what?

UPDATE: The extruded verbal material (EVM) doth flow. Because a referendum is a democratic process does not necessarily make for a democratic outcome, any more than a saw will necessarily cut straight and true. How much of this is political theatre, designed to achieve a pre-ordained result?  How much are people in Greece being manipulated, and to what extent are they to be given a real choice?

And whatever the question on the ballot paper, the "colleagues" are clearly aiming to turn this into an in/out referendum. Am I the only one to see a parallel with 1933?

UPDATE: Of the referendum question, Papandreou says, "It's not the moment to give you the exact wording, but the essence is that this is not a question only of a programme, this is a question of whether we want to remain in the euro zone".

Quite evidently, this man is playing "games". It this was to have even the pretence of a straight contest, the question would already have been published. Papandreou is playing this for the advantage it gives him, skewing the debate in an attempt to achieve the desired outcome. As far as we understand it, there is no equivalent of an electoral commission in Greece, to veto the text of a question or to monitor (however imperfectly) the conduct of the referendum. Perhaps the EU should send in "independent" observers?

UPDATE: Greek Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelosa says that Greece's position within the euro area is "a historic conquest of the country that cannot be put in doubt. This achievement by the Greek people cannot depend on a referendum".

Notwithstanding that he opposes a referendum, what does he mean by "historic conquest"? Who conquered whom? Has something been lost in translation?

UPDATE: The opposition New Democracy party has blasted Papandreou for suggesting there are any serious doubts in Greece about the country's membership of the euro.

The comments made by Mr Papandreou, as well as those by Sarkozy and Merkel, "revealed that he suggested to them that in Greece there is a supposed questioning of whether Greece should remain in the eurozone and the European Union", says ND spokesman Yiannis Michelakis. He adds: "It is clear that no such problem exists and that Mr Papandreou – through sudden and despicable misinformation – is trying to create it himself".

New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras avers that his party does not question Greece being part of the euro but wants the austerity programme to be "overhauled". "The only problem that exists is Mr Papandreou remaining as prime minister", says Michelakis. "He is dangerous and he has to go".

UPDATE: Says Papandreou, at Cannes: "The Greek people want us to remain in the eurozone. We are part of the eurozone and we are proud to be part of the eurozone. Being part of the eurozone means having many rights and also obligations. We can live up to these obligations. I do believe there is a wide consensus among the Greek people and that's why I want the Greek people to speak".

UPDATE: Luxembourg premier Jean-Claude Juncker has in Cannes announced the date of the Greek referendum, following a meeting with Papandreou and other European leaders. He says it would be the 4th or 5th December. Juncker says: "it comes down to the question if yes or no, Greece wants to stay as a member of the euro area or not." Sarkozy says the next tranche of the bailout cannot be paid until after the referendum.

UPDATE: On the other hand, the referendum will address the new EU plan to rescue Greece and not whether the country will remain or not in the eurozone, said a Greek government spokesman today - according to ekathimerini. You pays yer money and you takes yer choice.

UPGRADE: The theatre continues: the Financial Times says that Greece has decided on the referendum question. The people will not be asked whether they accept the bailout terms, but whether they want to remain within the EU and the eurozone. It is shaping up very much as expected, with Papandreou heading for a clear win. British referendum enthusiasts take note.

UPDATE: In the war of the constitutions, who is right? Helen has a look at what the Greek constitution actually says. Can Papandreou have his referendum or not?

UPDATE: The Guardian is just beginning to catch up with this blog, conveying a "theory" to explain Papandreou's decision to call a referendum. He is forcing the opposition's hand and hopes to gain from a "yes" vote justification and moral authority in carrying out the reforms.

As regards the procedural details, Article 44 of the Greek constitution stipulates that a referendum can be called for so-called "national issues" with the support of a simple majority of at least 151 MPs out of 300 total, or any proposed law with a supermajority of 180 MPs but with the caveat that the proposed law cannot refer to fiscal matters. Thus, Papandreou will call for a "national issues" referendum – slender though it is, with 152 out of 300, he still has a majority and can carry the day.

Greek people, says the paper, are extremely likely to vote "no". Recent polls by the To Vima newspaper have shown that 59 percent of respondents do not agree with the deal struck on Thursday the 27th at the same time as a large majority (73 percent) want Greece to remain a part of the Eurozone.

Thus it is possible, the paper concludes, that the ruling party will link the two issues in an attempt to force the outcome. And that is exactly what you read here on Tuesday (written Monday night), and elaborated on below. The Failygraph still hasn't got it. It thinks that this is about Greece extracting itself from the euro, and is flapping around listening to The Boy, as if he had anything intelligent to say.

Although the exact timing of the Greek referendum has been a huge surprise to the international media, it was widely reported in mid-June that Papandreou was signalling an intention to hold a referendum this year. His announcement, made on 19 June at the start of a three-day parliamentary debate, was ostensibly aimed at seeking approval for "changes to the political system," including to the country's constitution.

Even then, opposition leader Antonis Samaras was calling instead for early elections, condemning Papandreou's referendum proposal as "an evasive manoeuvre masking his inability to govern". Analysts were interpreting the move as an alternative to early elections which Papandreou had repeatedly rejected.

The immediate intention then was to set up a committee to collate and work through reform proposals. Papandreou pledged the government would "immediately afterwards to go for a referendum". "In another words", he said, "in the autumn. In the autumn we will go for a referendum about the big changes needed for the country".

In fact though, that was not even the first time he had made that promise. On 25 May, George Papandreou, seeing that a consensus with the head of the main opposition party was not possible along with the very strong objections to new tough measures within (ruling socialist party) PASOK, was reported to have decided to put on the table the possibility of a referendum.

On 6 June, he held a marathon informal Cabinet meeting that ran for more than seven hours. He was reported to have told his ministers that he would "consider holding a referendum on further cutbacks essential for the loan-dependent country to continue drawing on funds from an international bailout, amid persistent anti-austerity protests".

In statements delivered during the meeting and released by his office, Papandreou said he had called on the Interior Minister, Haris Kastanidis, to set up the necessary legislative conditions that would allow such a move "when it is needed." He gave no further details.

Working to his instructions, Kastanidis on 7 October was telling parliament that there was a need "for the Greek people, at this critical moment, to take a position on the fiscal problem". Kastanidis did not specify when such a call would be made, or the exact phrasing of the question.

However, the Greek parliament was very much in the loop as – by way of a preparatory measure - it approved a bill making a referendum result binding on the government if at least 50 percent of registered voters participate on a social issue vote and 40 percent on a national issue.

Thus, by the beginning of last month, the stage had been set for the current drama. It came as a surprise simply because we were not listening. And, despite the huffing and puffing, Papandreou today won the backing of his cabinet for the referendum move, as he knew he would.

Furthermore, this veteran politician is confident he will succeed when it comes to the vote. "The referendum will be a clear mandate and a clear message in and outside Greece on our European course and participation in the euro," he told his ministers. "No one will be able to doubt Greece's course within the euro".

Thus, what we are seeing is a long-calculated ploy to head off opposition calls for a general election. Papandreou is making an appeal direct to the people in the expectation that, despite the intense unpopularity of the bailout conditions, they will hold on to nanny for fear of something worse.

Those who are parading this as an exercise in democracy might need to think again. Reminiscent of the use of plebiscites in the Germany of the 1930s, this is old-fashioned survival politics, with a skilled manipulator using a referendum to avoid certain defeat in the polls. He is circumventing rather than supporting the democratic process.

Merkel may not entirely approve, but she will understand the strategy ... and go along with the theatre. We will see highly publicised but meaningless "concessions" made in Cannes today. Papandreou will bring forward the referendum to December and, responding to a rigged question, the Greeks will vote to stay in the euro.

Armageddon will have been delayed until after Christmas. It will come ... but not just yet.

COMMENT THREAD

A puzzle

Does anyone recognise this motif, or the motto? From an undated heraldic trumpet manufactured by H Y Keat and Sons of London.

COMMENT THREAD

Descent into the abyss

"It is simply impossible to overstate the seriousness of the crisis unfolding in Greece", says the Mail leader. "Only days after Europe’s leaders were triumphantly (and, as this paper pointed out, naively) proclaiming they'd solved all their problems, their rescue package for the euro lies in shambles".

It then goes on to warn us that an EU financial meltdown – made more likely by the Greek action - would have unthinkable repercussions for Britain's recovery. Indeed, we are told, it may be no exaggeration to say we could witness unemployment and civil unrest throughout Europe on a scale not seen since the 1930s.

Now, like euroscepticism, warning about civil unrest has become fashionable.  A similar message comes from the International Labour Organisation, via The Guardian and, all of a sudden, it is not just lil 'ol EU Referendum warning about the descent into the abyss. Yet, way back, not a few were prepared to deride us for our persistent warnings.

We were never first, nor the only ones to offer warnings. But we have been in the vanguard, with this particularly explicit warning in September last year. And in April 2009, I was writing, Caedite eos! Novit enim Dominus qui sunt eius. We are closer than ever to that happening, and now – too late – this is being recognised.

If people then had listened to the many voices, it could have been stopped. But that was not to be. Now we pay the price.

COMMENT: "JOKER" THREAD

Grrrr – eeeeek

UPDATE: In a surprise move, the defence minister has proposed the complete replacement of the country's military chiefs of staff - the chief of the Greek National Defence General Staff and all the service chiefs (pictured below). It is understood that the personnel changes took many members of the government and of the armed forces by surprise. What did we say at the end of this piece? Was this to pre-empt a military coup?

UPDATE: "This was completely unanticipated ... It is not needed and it is just sort of an internal political thing," said John Canally investment strategist and economist for LPL Financial in Boston. "This vote in Greece is going to hang over the market for next week or so, unfortunately".

UPDATE: Stocks are falling even harder now on talk that the Greek government may be on the verge of collapse, says the WSJ Clog.

All 10 groups in the S&P 500 fell as financial and commodity shares had the biggest declines, says Bloomberg Morgan Stanley and Citigroup Inc. retreated more than 7.2 percent as a gauge of European lenders tumbled 6.7 percent. Alcoa Inc., Boeing Co. and Cisco Systems Inc. decreased at least 3.4 percent, pacing losses among companies most-dependent on economic growth. Baker Hughes Inc. sank 8.6 percent as earnings missed analysts’ estimates.

The S&P 500 fell 2.6 percent to 1,221.35 as of 12:15 p.m. New York time. The benchmark gauge for U.S. equities slumped 2.5 percent yesterday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 277.68 points, or 2.3 percent, to 11,677.33 today.

"I just don’t get it", says Michael Mullaney, who helps manage $9.5 billion at Fiduciary Trust in Boston. "A Greek referendum is a very risky proposition. Everybody thought last week that this crisis was behind us on a near-term basis, but Europe is going to be front and center".

UPDATE: Caught unawares by his high-risk gamble, says The Irish Times, Merkel and Sarkozy have summoned Papandreou to crisis talks in Cannes tomorrow. They will push for a quick implementation of the bailout deal ahead of the G20 summit. And the Athens Stock Exchange has suffered its biggest daily drop since October 2008, with the general index shedding 7.7 percent.

The lines are 'umming, the Progressive Contrarian is being, er … contrarian, Helen warns that you should never play poker with Greeks, Ambrose is being Armageddon-ish and Bruno is saying that there has to be a three-fifths majority for a referendum, so it ain't going to happen. Mary Ellen Synon ruminates about Greece being chucked out of the euro, and says that can't happen either.

The Daily Wail has taken tits and bums off its lead long enough to tell us that the markets are in freefall, and that MF Global has gone bankrupt. Merkel is said to be stunned and Sarkozy "dismayed". From over the Atlantic, the New York Times is talking of the Greek government being plunged into chaos, with the prospect of a collapse that would not only render the referendum plan moot but likely scuttle — or at least delay — the bailout.

Everything is on hold now, waiting for the great Merkel to speak. But I've already written her speech. It's the title of this piece.

COMMENT: "JOKER" THREAD

Happiness, happiness

It struck me the other day that, with great events afoot, how irrelevant our own political establishment has become. Then, as if to confirm this, up pops the moronic Boy. His particular piece of fatuity this time is having the ONS spend £2 million over the course of a year working out what questions to ask for his happiness survey.

What Dave clearly does not seem to appreciate, though, is that the happiness of a growing number of people would be best secured by an announcement of his own departure from politics.

COMMENT THREAD

Exposure

Well, as pointed up yesterday, the "Exposure" documentary on bailiffs was aired on ITV1. It is now available on the web. For the record, I thought the programme pulled its punches, its only real high spot being a bravura performance by Austin Mitchell, whose daughter had been caught out by a bailiff seeking to recover a fine of which she was totally unaware.

The worst of the programme was that it starting off on a false premise, declaring of the star of the programme, bailiff John Boast - who had worked for Rossendales for three years: "There are no laws governing how he conducts his business – only guidelines", intones the voice-over. Of course there are laws, not least the Fraud Act 2006 – but you never get a hint of that from the programme.

Boast was recorded by an undercover reporter working for Exposure. He applied for a job as a trainee … the post needs no formal qualifications, just personal and previous job references, giving no hint that the job of bailiff does require a formal "qualification", a certificate from a judge after an oral examination - a process which brings in a raft of additional laws.

With some irony, the egregious Boast complains of the debtors not respecting the law, yet himself gallops a coach and horse through the law, breaking almost every one you can imagine.

The programme was two weeks late in transmission, having sustained a major assault from the bailiff industry, trying to keep it off the air. And the effort during the programme was made to present Boast as a "rogue bailiff", as does the damage limitation after the event.

However, Boast's exposition of the economics of the industry tell the story. "The pen will make you money" he told his "trainee", advocating the very practice of "phantom visits" about which I have complained. Basically, if the bailiffs play it straight, they cannot make a decent living.

Here, one has a little sympathy for the people engaged. They have to make a living, and someone has to do the job ... we cannot have a situation where debts go unpaid and there is no enforcement. But then, the rationale is the same as any thief ... they need to make money, and obeying the law becomes optional.

What was also very interesting is the claim by Rossendale that they have very few complaints. But here, the system is designed to deter complaints. It is a closed loop which always refers you back to the bailiff about whom you wish to complain ... with results we saw with Boast's attitude, while the local authorities turn blind eyes.

Boast is working for Hounslow council which runs a good line in BS. It was "appalled by the allegations about John Boast" and "takes them very seriously". It says it has a "rigorous complaints procedure". It "continually reviews the provision of its bailiff services" and will be "looking to minimise the risks of any repeat behaviour".

As to Rossendales, Boast had worked three years for the company and had "visited" 7,000 premises, "yet we've never had a complaint about him". Right!

The great disappointment with programme though was its failure to mention the Fraud Act and the role of the police. And while the police have enough on their plate, the ultimate regulator has to be the constabulary, insofar as there are very clear breaches of the criminal code. Perhaps a jolt to the system will force the pace, and bring on the very necessary reform.

If, on the other hand, one has to rely on low-grade documentaries of the "Exposure" variety - a programme which buys into the "rogue baliff" meme and calls for "more regulation" – the public will remain as ill-informed as they ever have been. Why people think the "telly" will ever be able to do a worthwhile job is one of life's great mysteries.

COMMENT: "BAILIFF" THREAD

I'm shocked

It's like last week never happened, wibbles The Failygraph. The FTSE 100 is now trading at around 5,400 points - below the level it reached after the bail-out was agreed in the wee hours of Thursday morning.

I almost feel like sniggering. What did they expect?

COMMENT: "JOKER" THREAD

The convulsions of the corpse

"Oh dear. I really didn't want my first blog post in a week to be yet another one about global bloody warming", writes Dellers. And I know how he feels. Writing about the subject has taken on the aspect of reporting on the contortions of a rotting corpse.

The game is over but, despite the stench, the grieving fans can't bear to be separated from the object of their affections ( ... a bit like the euro and the EU really - how interesting that these obsessions are falling apart together).

The problem is, Dellers adds, is that if those lying, cheating climate scientists will insist on going on lying and cheating what else can I do other than expose their lying and cheating? Well, he has a point. The last flurry of contortions should not go unremarked. I'm glad he's doing it, so that I don't have to.

COMMENT THREAD

Playing the joker

To the complete surprise of virtually everybody, including his own parliamentarians, Greek prime minister George Papandreou has dropped a complete bombshell, calling a referendum to approve the latest EU bailout deal.

According to the Reuters report, Papandreou says he needs wider political support for the fiscal measures and structural reforms, upon which the bailout is conditional.

This is an explanation that does little to dampen speculation as to his real motives – the presumption being that the referendum must be lost. Media sources are already asking whether this is political suicide, although Papandreou seems to be playing a canny game.

He already has a confidence vote in parliament on Thursday or Friday and if he was after an abrupt end to his political career, he could have gone down without making a fight of it. The referendum announcement, therefore, looks like he wants to go down fighting.

Furthermore, this may not be as much of a gamble as might appear. An opinion poll conducted by Kapa Research SA records sentiment finely divided. While some 58.9 percent consider the bailout package has "negative" or "probably negative" implications, 50.1 percent agreed with the need for more European oversight.

Bizarrely, only 48.8 percent see the bailout as an infringement of national sovereignty and 72.5 of the respondents said they wanted Greece to remain in the eurozone.

Rumours from Athens are that the referendum is likely in mid-January, giving plenty of time for negotiations in les couloirs, once Merkel and the "colleagues" in Brussels have got over the shock – they having been kept out of the loop as well.

Meanwhile, some parliamentarians are questioning the referendum's legality under the constitution, which does not allow referendums on economic issues but only matters "of great national importance". The last referendum was in December 1974, on abolishing the monarchy - held shortly after the collapse of a military dictatorship.

Fotis Kouvelis, leader of the small Democratic Left party argues that, instead of a referendum, the country must go to early elections. It's the most honourable solution, he says. But with no party likely to win a clear lead, Papandreou might be gambling on the referendum giving him a new legitimacy, which will extend beyond the January and well into the next year.

But there is one issue – perhaps the elephant in the room – which is not being mentioned: the attitude of the Army. With a possibility of a military coup not being ruled out, we do not know who is pulling the strings.

For one brief moment though, we have a delicious certainty of knowing who isn't. And even now, such has been the shock that we have not yet had a comment from either Berlin or Brussels.

COMMENT THREAD