EU THREAT TO THE UNION JACK AND NATIONAL ANTHEM

THE favourite to become President of the European Union is determined to replace Britain’s Union Flag and national anthem with “European symbols”.


Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy believes separate national emblems should be scrapped in a drive to create a new Euro identity.

He also supports a huge extension of EU influence over town halls, schools and sports, and he wants “green taxes” to be imposed across all 27 member nations.

Details of his staunch Euro federalist views emerged yesterday as Brussels sources confirmed he is almost certain to be installed as EU President on Thursday.

But opponents warned that his appointment is certain to bring a fresh wave of unacceptable interference in Britain’s affairs.

Shadow Foreign Secretary William Hague said: “Any attempt to move the EU further towards a federal state would be unacceptable.

“The British people never had a chance to give their view on whether the job of president should exist at all.”

Tory MP Douglas Carswell, a leading Eurosceptic, said: “It is pretty shocking that there is a chance that the EU is about to be led by a man who wants to erase symbols of national identity.

“This shows that the European superstate has arrived. If we are serious about doing something about this threat, we should stop complaining and starting holding a referendum on Britain’s future relationship with the EU.”

Mr Van Rompuy, 62, has overtaken Tony Blair as the favourite for the presidency, which was created under the Lisbon Treaty.European leaders will name the winner in Brussels.

Many see Mr Van Rompuy as a less divisive and flashy figure than Mr Blair – someone who will not overshadow leaders such as France’s Nicolas Sarkozy or Germany’s Angela Merkel.

But critics are horrified at Mr Van Rompuy’s fanatically pro-federalist views. He said he favoured the Lisbon Treaty as long as it promoted the aim of “more Europe”. He also helped to draw up a federalist manifesto for his Flemish Christian Democrat Party, calling for more EU power.

It said: “Apart from the euro, other national symbols need to be replaced by European symbols – licence plates, identity cards, presence of more EU flags, one-time EU sports events.”

Speaking at a private dinner organised by EU federalists at the Chateau de Val-Duchesse, where the EU’s founding Treaty of Rome was negotiated in 1957, Mr Van Rompuy also backed plans for “green taxes” to fund the EU.

He said: “The possibilities of financial levies at European level must be seriously examined, and for the first time large countries in the union are open to that.”

But Mr Hague said: “Britain would not be the only country that would find a proposal to give the EU tax-raising powers totally unacceptable. Advocacy of such a policy is not a fruitful use of anyone’s time.”

Pieter Van Cleppe, of the think- tank Open Europe, said: “Van Rompuy is your typical EU federalist. He isn’t going to step on anyone’s toes or try to dominate the world like Tony Blair or President Sarkozy might have. continues here

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Cameron's 'never again' vow on EU

David Cameron has said "never again" to powers being transferred from the UK to Brussels without a referendum.

He said all future treaties would be put to a public vote as he outlined his new European policy after ruling out a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty. "We will give the British people a referendum lock to which only they should hold the key"David Cameron, Conservative Party leader 

He also promised a sovereignty bill if the Tories win the next election to "lock in" the supremacy of UK laws.

And the Tory leader vowed to repatriate powers on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, employment and criminal law.

Mr Cameron unveiled the new set of policies after abandoning a pledge to hold a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, which is now to come into force on 1 December.

Concoct pretext

He has been accused of backtracking on a "cast iron" pledge to hold a referendum if he becomes prime minister, but he said: "I did not promise a referendum come what may, because once the Lisbon Treaty becomes law there is nothing people can do about it."

He added: "I recognise there are some who, now that we cannot have a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, want a referendum on something else... anything else.

"But I just don't think it's right to concoct some new pretext for a referendum simply to have one for the sake of it."

But a Conservative government would amend the European Communities Act 1972 to prohibit the transfer of power to the EU without a referendum.

That would cover any future attempt to take Britain into the European single currency, said Mr Cameron.

"We will give the British people a referendum lock to which only they should hold the key, a commitment very similar to that which exists in Ireland," he added.

'Massive Euro bust-up'

Such a move, together with the repatriation of some powers, was "credible, doable and deliverable" and would prevent the "drift" towards a federal Europe, he argued.

Mr Cameron said the phrase "never again" would feature in the party's general election campaign and manifesto.

The sovereignty bill would act in place of a written constitution, which Britain does not have, to prevent the "drift" of EU powers into new areas and ensure the "final word on our laws is here in Britain", explained Mr Cameron.

He said he would need the agreement of all 27 EU nations to get powers back on employment law, including the working time directive, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and criminal justice.

Status quo

But he reassured other EU nations that he was not seeking a "massive Euro bust-up", stressing the situation was "complex" and would take the lifetime of a Parliament to solve.

Mr Cameron is seeking to head off a civil war in his party over Europe - and shadow foreign secretary William Hague said the proposals received "very strong support" when they were put to Tory MPs earlier.

But some Tory MPs are likely to continue demanding the public have a say on Europe.

Backbencher Douglas Carswell told the BBC News Channel: "I think we need a referendum on our relationship with Europe."

And he criticised Mr Cameron's proposals to ensure British law had primacy over EU law: "I fear that a sovereignty bill may merely institutionalise the status quo. It's the status quo that I've got a problem with."

Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party, which campaigns for Britain's exit from the EU, accused Mr Cameron of attempting to deceive the public on Europe.

"The true state of affairs is that we are signed up to a higher, European legal order. Renegotiation is not credible or doable. This is all too little too late," he said.

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesman Ed Davey, whose party campaigns for an "in or out" referendum from a pro-EU standpoint, said: "Cameron's confused middle way will satisfy no one.

"It combines pointless gimmicks with dangerous proposals which would mire Britain in an endless round of negotiations. continues here

Editorial :  So we are to get “a referendum lock”, how dare they lie to the British people, so many lies told so often, first a common market, merely a trading block now a supranational tyranny, all of our freedoms, our history and our autonomy gone forever, such a sad day, many carry on regardless, many have families to feed and bills to pay and after all, politicians have our best interests at heart don’t they? Anything else is a conspiracy theory, the ramblings of the extreme, yet a power grows in this world and it is not benign, not benevolent and one day those to come will awaken to utter hell, to oppression not merely on a national scale but on a  supranational.  

They lie to us, deceive us, rob us and worse and yet many vote them in, many defend them, work for them and aid them, such treacherousness, such betrayal, betrayal of all we ever were ,all we could ever be, in the interests of a minority backed-dream. Too late of course now ,they cowed Ireland, set within that small isle the scourge of the money masters, hardship loomed and survival was pressing, what of others when ones own face adversity, why it is easy to be righteous under no pressure. Certainly it is finance that has the way of it, that binds us all in a web so tight, why if not for the pressing need to feed our families ,to nurture and provide then change would come within this country, the exploited would become vengeful and exploiters seen off.

As it is they have us, at least now, here, at this time but who knows what the future heralds what chance may come into play, certainly if we can but survive against the multiracial onslaught ,last, endure, maintain and preserve, then surely we deserve to win our freedom, deserve that and more. The conservatives will win of course, win in the game, the political game, one will swap with the other, same policies just different names, the people will vote believing there is a difference and the game will continue. Today he lies, bare-faced and awful, he betrays us in so many ways but they will win, take office in due course, liberalist tyranny with barely a mandate, oh but our freedoms are gone, vanished blown away in a breeze foul, lost to us and even babes in arms, not for us a bill of rights, not for us real freedom and even those across that great expanse, across the pond, they to face the loss of freedom, if the west cannot stand against this coming tyranny then who, who is left ,who, not a one. 

There is so very much more to this than metric martyrs ,than the loss of measure or mile, so much more than simple dictate, it hasn’t risen yet but it will, no sovereignty then sweet Europe, no freedom, they take it away ,with force if they must but they take it and the people enamoured by possession, barely murmur. He knows that this ex-Bullingdon boy, versed in the ways of an elite, wholly at odds with the common man, he knows that they will never give the people a voice, never permit the rejection of their plan, their dream, the ending of their order ,why their long-march is almost over and the people dream on or struggle on more likely ,enduring because they have no choice. In the making of this nation, of this Europe of our people, there has been much blood, much bravery, men have died for coloured rags and heroes have been crafted, all for nothing it seems, it is apt they deny our children our real history, apt that they do not really know for they would tear down that house of treason, make use the lampposts and usher in a renaissance.

Cameron knows full well that the deed is done, that he may promise anything and it matters not, we have not had autonomy in this country for quite some time, today merely places a seal upon it ,creates simply new office for the egocentric, for the duplicitous and for the scheming that is all, our freedom was lost long ago. Some kid themselves, don’t they, play the party game, gain power and change it all, yet in playing one is immediately at a disadvantage and after all they know your plan your game, they simply move to meet you and continue their evil, continue playing with the people growing fat off their toil, a sad day indeed, the seal is set but we had little in the way of freedom anyway. 

EURO COURT BANS CRUCIFIXES IN CLASSROOMS

DISPLAYING a crucifix in a classroom violates religious and education freedoms, according to a landmark ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

Italian schools will now be told they have to remove the symbols for fear their presence could disturb children who are not Christians. 

The judgment in Strasbourg could force a Europe-wide review of the use of religious symbols in government-run schools and has infuriated the Vatican.

The case was brought by an Italian mother, Soile Lautsi, who complained that her children had to attend a public school in northern Italy which had crucifixes in every room.

Ms Lautsi said this ran counter to her right to give her children a secular education and the court ruled in her favour.

The Italian government had argued that the crucifix was a national symbol of culture, history and identity. But its case was rejected and it was also ordered to pay 5,000 euros in “moral damages” to Ms Lautsi.

“The presence of the crucifix...could be encouraging for religious pupils, but also disturbing for pupils who practised other religions or were atheists, particularly if they belonged to religious minorities,” the court said in a written ruling.

“The State (must) refrain from imposing beliefs in premises where individuals were dependent on it,” it added.

The Italian government immediately said that it would appeal against the ruling, which will be enforced in three months.

Education Minister Mariastella Gelmini said having a cross in the classroom was “a symbol of our tradition.” continues here

EU moves to share out the burden of immigration

Immigration has raced up the European agenda following Silvio Berlusconi’s outburst at Brussels’ observations about Italy’s treatment of boat people arriving on its shores.

His complaint that Italy, one of the easiest routes into Europe, was being left in the lurch to deal with the problem appears to have been heard, even if the tone of the complaint has angered many.

“In essence Mr. Berlusconi is right. For the last 2 years we have been saying the whole EU has to look after these poor people expelled from Libya or wherever and who die at sea, and right now only Italy and Malta do. The EU hasn’t done what it should,” said European People’s Party leader Joseph Daul.

European Socialists leader Poul Nyrup Rasmussen agrees:

“We need a common immigration and asylum policy in Europe, and this must be combined with respecting fundamental human rights.”

The result is that the European Commission has presented a draft law that will increase the total number of immigrants and refugees into the EU. continues here

BAN ON OUTDOOR SMOKING

SMOKING outside pubs and offices could be banned under plans to be announced by the European Union tomorrow.


Brussels bureaucrats want to outlaw it in areas like beer gardens and covered patios – and even extend it to concerts such as last weekend’s Glastonbury Festival.

The European Commission says the current ban in enclosed public places doesn’t go far enough and non-smokers are still in danger. continues here

The EU equality law that will let 'upset' atheists sue companies that hang up crucifixes

Organisations which hang crucifixes on walls could be sued if they upset atheists under equality laws proposed by the European Union.

Any group offering a service to the public, including hospitals, charities, businesses and prisons, would be at risk.

Legislation may also allow Christians to bring an action against a hotel if it displayed something they deemed offensive - such as a poster for the 1979 Monty Python film The Life Of Brian.

There are already laws banning harassment in the workplace, but the new Brussels regulations are designed to offer people protection from providers of goods and services. 

However, they are so broad that critics say they could lead to a spate of civil cases by anyone claiming their dignity has been violated by the 'hostile environment' of an organisation.

The Church of England says hospices or charities for the homeless could face legal action if people using their services felt degraded by their religious practices or symbols, such as the cross. 

The Archbishops' Council even fears that charities could be challenged by atheists if grace is said before meals.

The Law Society says religious believers may also be able to launch a civil action for harassment. 

In an official submission to the EU, the society said: 'For instance, in a shop or shared lodging house, there may be a notice board on which is posted material that some of those who see it will find offensive on religious grounds (for instance, a poster for a film, such as The Life Of Brian).' 

The proposals, which go before EU governments for approval later this year, are part of a new directive outlawing discrimination by businesses on the grounds of sexual orientation, age, disability or belief.

If approved, it will become the latest in a swathe of European-inspired equality laws which critics say stifle freedom of speech and marginalise religion. 

The Government tried to introduce a similar law in 2005 but dropped it after a resounding rejection by the House of Lords. 

Peers feared it would encourage politically correct officials to stop public expressions of religion, such as carol services or Bibles by hospital bedsides.  continues here

It beggars belief doesn’t it, that we bow to the European Union, this malevolent entity, created so they said, to facilitate a free market, to enable the free movement of goods between member nations, what a lie, what a deception. Instead it represents growing tyranny, growing authoritarianism and the people have not a clue, religion has let us down, a strength to us once it is now merely a hindrance, it no longer looks after the nations moral welfare, instead it is a think-tank for liberalism, permitting the rapid change we have suffered and ironically its own decline.

Yet for all that religion has its place, it has many millions of adherents globally, many here at home, it is of small wonder though, that the greatest growth is overseas, primarily in non-white countries, it is to this market that the church now panders. It realises that the age of the white man is at a close and they now look to a non-white world, so I can have little sympathy for their plight, knowing full well that they undermined their own institution and still do. Yet it is for the individual I have concern, those individuals that still adhere to their faith, a faith that in many ways has more in common with nationalist thought than the poison of leftism, it is also of note, that there are those who have sought the end of the cross as a symbol for some centuries now.

Perhaps this relentless attack upon Christians is in reality an attack upon the last whites who follow their faith to the letter, certainly religious belief amongst nationalists is in decline, as they realise that the church has, to coin a phrase, sold them out, paganism is on the ascend primarily due to this feeling but also due to a growing need for identity, a natural reaction by a group or groups under attack. Identity becomes ever-precious whilst residing amongst so many other elements, it grows rather than lessens, this in turn leads to extreme friction and then inevitable state control. The only solution is nature, to again adhere to her grand design, non-whites in their natural locale and whites also, Islam is a product of the east along with Judaism, as was Christianity at one time, however, Christianity adopted many of our ancient rites and customs and could now rightly be said to be European, the same cannot be said for the aforementioned belief systems. So it is still in our interests to defend Christianity, to grab it back from the left and make it again a force for good amongst our people and indeed the world. 14

EU opens 'job centre' in Africa

The European Union has opened its first immigration centre outside Europe, in Mali's capital, Bamako. 

Thousands of young West Africans try to make it into Europe illegally each year and many die on the way. 

The EU hopes the new centre will help people find legal work in Europe and cut down on illegal migration by warning about its dangers. 

It is also expected to encourage development within Mali, which lies at the centre of key migration routes. 

The BBC's West Africa correspondent Will Ross says young Malians desperate for work would have hoped this new centre would be a recruitment agency, but at this point the EU is stressing that no specific job vacancies will be on offer. 

In the future, however, European countries may recruit via the Bamako office. 

Spain is already doing this in Senegal by offering seasonal contracts picking fruit or working in hotels to several hundred people each year, with demand so high it is in effect a job lottery. 

'Natural phenomenon' 

Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure was in Bamako to open the centre on Monday, as was EU development commissioner Louis Michel and French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux.

Mr Toure said Mali and France "will have to find solutions to our common problems". 

"Let's be clear, a solution of 100% security is not realistic but neither is [a] 100% humanitarian solution," he was quoted as saying by AFP news agency. 

"The real trouble is finding work for young people." 

Mr Michel said migration was a natural phenomenon, as old as the world and criticised the idea of creating what some refer to as "Fortress Europe". 

He said a repressive response to migration was counter productive and dangerous because he said it would promote xenophobic or racist feelings. 

Patrick Taran, a migration expert at the International Labour Organization, said Europe - with its ageing workforce - is increasingly realising it needs workers of different skill levels. 

"It makes a lot more sense for people to come through legal channels so that their rights are protected and they can demand and receive fair pay for their work," he told the BBC's Network Africa programme. 

Risky routes 

Thousands of young West Africans set off from the north of Mali each year across the Sahara Desert towards Europe. 

They are often ill-prepared for the journeys and many die on the way. 

Travelling by sea from the West African coast to the Canary Islands is also a popular and risky route. 

Young men from countries like Ghana and Nigeria often pass through Mali on their way to the coast of Senegal or Mauritania, where they are crammed into rickety fishing boats.

Last week, the Spanish coastguards rescued a group of 230 young Africans - the largest single boatload of illegal immigrants to reach Spain. 

A sharp increase in the cost of food and fuel has recently made life even harder for people in this region, our correspondent says. 

In many West African countries, even university graduates struggle to find employment and a menial job in Europe is therefore a surer way of supporting a family. 

Many observers say that making world trade fairer is the best way to tackle illegal migration as it would help reduce the main cause - poverty. continues here 

Britain ratifies EU treaty

BRITAIN has officially ratified the controversial Lisbon Treaty, it was announced today.


The Government confirmed that the final stages of passing the agreement have been completed.


But the future of the deal is still in doubt as EU leaders consider how to respond to Ireland’s surprise referendum “no” vote last month.


Under the UK’s ratification process, both houses of Parliament must pass the treaty.


The Queen then gives Royal Assent, and signs goatskin “instruments of ratification” along with the Foreign Secretary.


These are then sealed, bound in blue leather, and deposited with the Italian ministry of foreign affairs in Rome.


A spokesman for the Foreign Office said all these stages had now been completed.


“The documents were lodged in Rome yesterday,” he said.


Foreign Secretary David Miliband is due to deliver a statement to Parliament on the matter later. continues here

Fears over Brussels plans for 'European CIA' which would force Britain to share security secrets

Brussels is planning a 'Euro CIA' which would threaten Britain's national security by forcing MI5 to pool its intelligence, critics warn.

France and Germany are pushing for the sharing of security secrets and far greater integration between national police forces to tackle terrorism. 

It led to fears that the U.S. would stop sharing important security secrets with the UK because the European Union has such a problem with leaks. 

The proposals are contained in a document by six EU countries, known as the Future Group. They want to see the beefing up of a shadowy Brussels-based intelligence-sharing body known as the Joint Situation Centre. 

The organisation, also called Sitcen, was established in the 1990s to provide analysis on international crises to the EU foreign affairs commissioner. 

But following the September 11 terrorist attacks, the secretive organisation has seen its role grow to focus on counterterrorism and security. 

Now the document, drawn up by the governments of France, Germany, Sweden, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovenia, says the body should have a much bigger role, co-ordinating the work of intelligence services across Europe. 

It would be in charge of a network of anti-terror centres, which would have access to secret intelligence from each of the EU's 27 countries. The plan has already been dubbed the European CIA, named after the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. 

The eurosceptic organisation Open Europe said that any EU version would be far less effective and reliable than its American counterpart - and would put Britain's relationship with the U.S. at risk. 

'Moves towards a Euro CIA are not a good idea,' said Open Europe's Neil O'Brien. 'The U.S. will not share intelligence with us if we are going to pass it on to an organisation which leaks like a sieve. We could find ourselves putting a lot into such an organisation and getting very little back.' 

The issue of EU leaks was raised two years ago by Finnish foreign minister Erkki Tuomioja, who said: 'For a long time it has been known that, within an hour after being distributed to the member states, all EU documents concerning the Middle East have already reached Tel Aviv, and probably Washington and Moscow.' 

In the 1990s, the French were accused of handing information received from MI6 to the Serb military during the war in the former Yugoslavia. 

However, the Future Group document says anti-terrorist campaigns can only be effective if 'maximum information flow between (EU) member states is guaranteed'. 

It says: 'Relevant security related information should be available to all security authorities in the member states', adding that 'networks of anti-terrorist centres' were a possible solution. 

Mr O'Brien also accused France and Germany of pushing ahead with proposals in the Lisbon-Treaty to create a Europewide police force, despite the treaty's rejection by Irish voters. 

The Future Group document also suggests that by 2014, the EU should have a common immigration policy. continues here

President Sarkozy demands second Irish referendum on EU treaty

Ireland must hold a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty, Nicolas Sarkozy told colleagues yesterday in the clearest sign of a European Union plan to try to save the document ratified by 21 other countries. 

A second vote would have to take place in an attempt to reverse Ireland's rejection of the treaty last month by a margin of 53.4 per cent to 46.6 per cent, the French President told MPs from his party at a private meeting. 

Mr Sarkozy, who is acting as chairman of the EU while France holds its presidency for six months, has denied in public that there is a secret plan to force a second vote and has said that the solution must be proposed by the Irish Government at the next EU summit in October. “The Irish will have to vote again,” he was reported to have told a meeting in his office — words that are likely to inflame public opinion in Ireland, which Mr Sarkozy will visit on Monday. 

His trip is billed as a listening exercise, but Irish voters may now wonder whether Mr Sarkozy and other EU leaders have already made up their minds. Details emerged in Paris of a plan to stage a rerun of the vote backed by guarantees that Ireland will keep its EU commissioner as well as its military neutrality, its veto over tax policy and its right to set its abortion laws.

Pressure on Ireland has been increased by the continuing pace of ratification by other parliaments. Britain passed the document the week after the Irish “no” vote, followed by Cyprus, Belgium and the Netherlands. 

The treaty, which was intended to streamline decision-making in an enlarged EU, cannot be implemented until it is ratified by all member states. It has yet to be passed by the parliaments of the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain and Sweden, and is awaiting formal presidential signature in Germany and Poland. 

Senior EU politicians have called for the Irish to vote again in the spring because they want to conduct next June's European Parliament elections under the more streamlined rules. 

An official in Paris confirmed that Mr Sarkozy made the remark, while the French President's office declined to comment. The reported remarks were attacked by Declan Ganley, of the Libertas group, one of the most prominent anti-treaty campaigners. “This typifies the anti-democratic nature of what's going on in Brussels,” he told RTE radio. 

Mr Sarkozy's office said that he would not present a plan to the Taoiseach, Brian Cowen. “The President is coming to listen to the Irish, to listen to what Brian Cowen tells him. He is not coming to make proposals,” one adviser to Mr Sarkozy said. continues here

95% SAY QUIT THE EU

NINETY-FIVE per cent of Express.co.uk readers would vote to leave the European Union if a referendum was held on Britain’s membership.

The staggering figure comes in the wake of Gordon Brown’s refusal to hold a referendum on the hated Lisbon Treaty - despite promising to at the last general election.
 
Nearly 10,000 furious readers voted in our poll after we decided to hand democracy back to the people – and gave you a chance to have your say on the way current EU works. 
 
And angry voters all over the UK responded – desperate for the Prime Minister to listen to them and take back power from unelected Eurocrats in Brussels.
 

UK Independence Party Leader Nigel Farage said he was "delighted" with the Express.co.uk poll result.

He said: “Over the last few years we have seen how the EU are prepared to bypass the democratic will of the people by ignoring the results of referendums.
 
“Our own government was so scared of the result here that they refused to allow us to have a say on our future.

"It's clear that if we want to remain a sovereign nation then the only way is out: It's time we governed ourselves again."

With the European Union determined to forge ahead on the EU constitution – ignoring the views of Irish, French and Dutch voters – we also wanted to know WHY you thought what you did – and you had plenty to say.

One MyExpress member said: “Great Britain signed up to be a member of the Common Market, which was a good idea.

"We the public have never wanted to be subservient to any European State, indeed we have been fighting against this since 1066, long enough for the Government of the day to know the mind of its people.”
 
Many readers said the European issue – especially in the wake of the Lisbon Treaty debacle - would be crucial when they come to vote at the next general election.
 
Another furious MyExpress member said: “I will consider all parties’ policies at the next election and will vote for the one that has the most chance of getting us out of the EU.”
 
Another added: “In 1973 we joined the EEC to trade only. That was the original intention of the European community.
 
“We didn't join to give ourselves to be ruled by another nation and it's so annoying that an unelected Prime Minister has ratified the Lisbon treaty without consulting us.”

Hat tip Flanders Fields

EU forces market trader to pulp thousands of kiwi fruit because they're ONE MILLIMETRE too small

A market trader has been banned from selling a batch of kiwi fruits because they are 1mm smaller than EU rules allow. 

Inspectors told 53-year- old Tim Down he is forbidden even to give away the fruits, which are perfectly healthy. 

The father of three will now have to bin the 5,000 kiwis, costing him £1,000 in lost sales. 

Speaking yesterday from the stall in Bristol he has owned for 20 years, Mr Down said: 'It's total nonsense. I work hard enough to make a living without all these bureaucrats telling us what we can and can't sell. 

'They're saying I'm a criminal for selling this fruit, but the real crime is that all this fruit will go to waste - all because it's 1mm too small. 

'It's a terrible waste, particularly when we're all feeling the pinch from rising food prices and I've got to throw away this perfectly good fruit.' 

The case comes only two weeks after the European Commission said it wants to relax rules on misshapen fruit and vegetables. 

It could eventually mean an end to notorious bans on straight bananas, curved cucumbers and skinny carrots. 

But that will bring little comfort to Mr Down in the meantime. 

He took over Percy J Down wholesalers in 1988, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. continues here

The Lessons Kosovo Teaches

As readers of AAWR will know, the European Union has endorsed and plans to act in support of the illegal and completely immoral Kosovan 'independence' action. With senior Western officials claiming that the butchering of the nation of Serbia is worth clashing with Russia over, the UN and NATO sending reinforcements to the new 'border', and many EU member states joining the US in 'recognising' Kosovo as a nation state, it would seem that the whole Western world stands unified in support of the legal atrocity. Or, rather, much of its government. The populace of the West, those within it who know the score on Kosovo, Serbia, and the Albanian demographic invasion, are not happy with this, and I hope many readers will join AAWR in cheering on the Serbians who refuse to tolerate and actively demonstrate against this evil.

While the saga unfolds, it is worth taking a moment to look at the reasons behind the actions of Western governments in all of this. The strangely un-named Western official mentioned above is reported by the Telegraph as saying that 'Europe has stood up and been counted' in backing Kosovan 'independence, and as far as that goes he's absolutely right. When diplomats like that talk about 'Europe', the last thing on their minds is the real Europe of historical and cultural and ethnic history. What they mean is the EU (sometimes jokingly and more accurately described as the EUSSR) and that has certainly been counted, it has been measured and found wanting time and again. Yet still it goes on, an empty, meaningless and soul-less entity with no real tangible goal other than to dissolve nationalities, peoples, histories, and everything that makes European identities real. What we are seeing in the actions of the EU (and the US, sadly) is nothing else than a continuation of an ongoing international effort to abolish nationhood, race, and natural identity itself.

A commenter at View From the Right illustrates this principle very well by pulling out an excerpt of a congratulatory letter sent by US president George W Bush to the 'president' of 'Kosovo' :

"In your request to establish diplomatic relations with the United States, you expressed Kosovo's desire to attain the highest standards of democracy and freedom," Bush wrote. "I fully welcome this sentiment. In particular, I support your embrace of multi-ethnicity as a principle of good governance and your commitment to developing accountable institutions in which all citizens are equal under the law." [emphasis added by commenter]"

Kosovan demographics are about 95% Albanian, with a surviving 5% Serbian. The 'multi' in this equation is horribly one-sided. British readers may remember the remarks made by Greg Dyke on becoming director of the BBC that the BBC was 'hideously white'. It appears that Mr Bush has been taking notes from Mr Dyke and is now rejoicing that Kosovo is no longer 'hideously Serb'. The base line in all 'diversity' and 'multi-' talk, whether the talk is of multiculturalism or multiethnicism, is always that the greater the dilution of the indigenous population, the closer to the extermination of the homeland and the people thereof, the better. The Serbs, having had to face the sharp end of this truth unmasked, are simply faster to realise this than many of us in the anaesthetised West, with the result that as well as protesting and planning rallies against this genocidal plan, some Serbs are taking matters literally into their own hands.


The Brussels Journal explains the matter well when it says:

"[After the Kosovo civil war of the 1990s, t]he Western leaders aimed for the establishment of a multicultural (Christian and Muslim), multi-ethnic (Albanian and Serb) artificial state of Kosovo – a “Kosovar nation” not based on a genuine nation, but on the idealist, postmodern utopias of Western liberalism. They wanted to create another Belgium, a state without national loyalty, without an identity, without a sense of nationhood. The postmodernists reckon that if people have no identity they will stop fighting each other, because there is no flag worth dying for. In order to achieve this chimera, the American and EU armies allied themselves in the Kosovo civil war with the Kosovo Liberation Army, an Albanian Muslim militia trained by al-Qa’eda.

It is no wonder that Belgium, this multinational artificial bogus state that serves as the EU’s model in its attempts to transform the whole of Europe into a multicultural, multinational superstate, was one of the very first to recognize the independence of Kosovo. So did the governing elites of France and Germany, the cheerleaders of the EU project, and the liberal elites that rule Britain and America and that do not believe in national identities either."

The Brussels Journal mistakes Mr Bush's comments for an inability to understand that there is no Kosovan nation. I think the inability lies with the Brussels Journal, in an inability to accept that Mr Bush knows damn well there is no such thing as a Kosovar nation (one doesn't become the absolute leader of the most powerful nation on earth by being a complete dunce), but he does not care. Why should he? The governments of the world are moving away from all the old tried and true models of governance and care for the populace towards a New World Order model where the people are answerable to the government (not the government to the people) and the State defines the Nation rather than the Nation defining the State. The old models arose in a bottom-upwards way from a racial and ethnic group organising itself for its benefit and health, looking for and trying methods to improve its lot in a way that benefitted its members, but the new models are imposed arbitrarily in a top-down way that benefits nobody but the social engineers at the top. The controlling interests, the people pulling the strings, are the ones behind this and benefitting from it, and this plan of genocidal destruction of national and ethnic integrity is shown at its most explicit and educational in today's Kosovan situation. More recent events, especially condemnation from international forces such as the UN and EU of Serbs' protests in Belgrade and Serbs' attacks on embassies of the powers who would so butcher their nation, only serve to highlight this truth.

In the absence of a way to make a concrete difference to help our Serbian friends, we in the West and the rest of the world have the responsibility to at least learn from their misfortunes. Western nations, Christian nations, White nations, these are all on the international social engineer hitlist, and are all under assault to different degrees and in different ways. It is simply the case that in the Serbian Kosovo situation this is easiest to see. What the West, and all white Christian nations must learn from Serbia's troubles is that our culture, our people, our homelands and our futures are all under severe threat, and that if the rot and infection of this genocide are resisted, the 'proper authorities' will come down on the resistance hard and fast. We must make arrangements for the resistance in our own places, in whatever ways and levels we can. Those are the lessons we outside Serbia must learn from Kosovo. For the Serbs themselves, AAWR can only offer the immortal words of British seaside legend Mr Punch:

"That's the way to do it!"

Israel begins overhaul of EU relations

The Foreign Ministry has begun a strategic overhaul of relations with the EU and its member nations, increasingly "plugging into" EU institutions and, in turn, allowing Europe to play a greater role in Israeli diplomatic and economic processes, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

So central has Europe become to Israel's well-being, diplomatic officials have told the Post, that the Foreign Ministry believes it is time to reassess the Jewish state's traditional reliance on "two pillars" for Israeli survival: a strong IDF and an unbreakable alliance with America. Given the growing importance of the European Union in world events, and in the Middle East particularly, the officials said, a third pillar has become necessary: deepening ties to Europe.

"Increasingly, Europe is involved in everything that touches us: trade, the Palestinians, Iran, UNIFIL in Lebanon," said a senior Israeli diplomatic source. "They are in the [Middle East] Quartet, and central in many other areas. Developing a strong relationship with Europe is becoming the third pillar safeguarding Israel's survival."

Jerusalem's new strategy is to enhance cooperation with Europe in a variety of fields and to demonstrate that Israel can help with some of the EU's many interests in the region. To that end, Israel has in the past few weeks sent a detailed proposal to the European Union for negotiations on "significant" Israeli involvement with Europe in nine fields, including finance, education, environment, youth development, law enforcement, security cooperation and scientific research collaboration.

The plan comes on top of existing Israel-EU cooperation forums such as the Barcelona Process (established in 1995 to foster dialogue among EU member-states and countries on the southern and eastern shores of the Mediterranean), the European Neighborhood Policy (which aims to offer deeper political relationships and economic integration between EU members and their immediate neighbors), the Galileo space program, and bilateral ties.

The EU is studying the new Israeli proposal and has promised to give Israel a preliminary answer by mid-March. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni is expected to meet with her European counterparts in June to try to finalize an agreement on the enhanced partnerships, the Post has learned.

Jerusalem is also seeking to deepen contact with Europe's growing Muslim communities - a source of hostility to Israel, but also, the Foreign Ministry believes, a potential bridge to better Jewish-Islamic relations and understanding. "Europe is becoming more and more Muslim, and we have identified a need to reach out to these populations," the diplomatic official said.

Israeli officials cite a change in relations with Europe following the 9/11 attacks, which "opened European eyes to the threats emanating from this region. They realized they had vital interests in this region, which is essentially their backyard."

Traditionally, Israel has relied overwhelmingly on its alliance with the US on questions of security and diplomacy, and officials stressed that the centrality of this relationship had not changed. Traditionally, too, Israel had been wary of over-involving Europe in fundamental survival issues. The relative marginalization of the EU, for instance, is emblemized by the fact that no serving Israeli prime minister has ever visited EU headquarters in Brussels on a formal diplomatic mission. "It's just never worked out," the diplomatic source said.

The reliance on Washington, indeed, has always been a strategic imperative, and has only grown more manifest as Israel and the Palestinians try to advance on the Annapolis-road map path to a permanent accord. Currently, as first reported by the Post, America, Israel and the Palestinians are working to formulate a plan under which NATO peacekeepers could be deployed in the West Bank if an agreement is reached and an Israeli withdrawal cannot otherwise be facilitated because of the inadequacy of the Palestinian Authority's security apparatus.

But Europe's role would be vital here, too: With NATO forces already deployed in areas such as Kosovo and Afghanistan, and with the bulk of US armed forces concentrated in Iraq, Europe would likely be asked to fill the ranks should a NATO-West Bank deployment materialize......Article conts (-)

Russia Calls the EU's Planned Mission to Kosovo Illegal

Russia said on Wednesday, Feb. 20, that sending an EU mission to Kovoso would be a breach of international law, and called the plan symbolic of the West's double standard in recognizing Kosovo's independence from Serbia.


The European Union has already agreed to send a mission to Kosovo, consisting of some 2,000 police officers, justice and customs officials to aid and train authorities there and help stabilize the region following Kosovo's declaration of independence.


Russia on Wednesday said Kosovo's proclamation of independence was a "gross violation" of international law and said the EU mission had no legal basis since the decision was made without approval from the U.N. Security Council.


"The European Union, unilaterally, and without any sanction from the UN Security Council, is sending a mission to Kosovo to ensure the supremacy of the law," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news briefing with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan.


"To put it mildly, it is a bitter irony that this mission to ensure the supremacy of the law in Kosovo is being sent in breach of the highest international law," he continued......Article conts (-)

France: Lawmakers Say Yes to New European Treaty
Emile Picy

PARIS (Reuters) - The French parliament ratified a European Union reform treaty to overhaul the bloc's institutions on Friday, nearly three years after France rejected a planned EU constitution in a referendum.

The treaty, which must win approval by all 27 EU countries to take effect, will give the bloc a long-term president, a more powerful foreign policy chief, more democratic decision-making and more say for European and national parliaments.

France is the fifth EU country after Hungary, Malta, Romania and Slovenia to ratify the so-called Treaty of Lisbon, a replacement for the constitution. Only Ireland will hold a referendum on the treaty, as required by its own constitution......Article conts (-)