I'm not surprised we want out of the EU

No, not because the Commission bogs.

One of the things that struck me forcibly in Brussels, as I sat in the Lord Jenkins room listening to someone drone on about something Lady Ashton was doing, was how completely and utterly ludicrous we are as a nation. I can understand why a country might want to give a 'prominent' or 'successful' person an honour, but why these idiotic, archaic titles? And why would anyone, even if they accept one, use it? It doesn't make them sound better than anyone else, it makes them sound like a twat.

I can only assume that the rest of the 27 spend much of their time sniggering at us, not just because of Cameron's hot air and posturing but because of the Lord Jenkins room. And so on.

It's clear that the only solution is to leave. Given that comparisons are odious, once we're out, we need no longer disguise the chips on our shoulders with ceremonial chains. Safe in the knowledge that we really are better* than Johnny Foreigner, we can maybe grow up and get over this idiocy. That or wallow in it in splendid isolation.

*I am convinced that much of the hatred of Europe comes from the knowledge, stamped down and forcefully denied, that they and everything about their countries, are better than us. All of them. Even the Belgians.

I think it's possible the world did end

Because I find myself feeling sorry for Andrew Mitchell and there is something so unutterably wrong and backwards about that, that I can only conclude that we are living in some kind of new reality.

It's a shame the new reality kept the same old weather though.

How to bargain

While this article about independence raises a lot of sensible questions, it completely fails to understand the function of the 'devo-max' option, in common with pretty much everything else written on the subject. Basically, Salmond has traded away the 'devo-max' option on the referendum in return for letting 16 and 17 year olds vote. This is called giving up something you never wanted in the first place but pretended that you did to get something you really want. Cameron has fallen for it, hook, line and sinker.

With a third devo-max option available on the referendum in addition to the basic stay or go options, wouldn't a sizeable percentage of the go vote who weren't blinded by emotion vote for devo-max as a way to get the best of both worlds? That option is gone now - chances are most of those votes will go to independence. And now we can add a demographic not known for caution and the ability to consider both sides of the question - 16 year olds. I bet most of those vote for independence.

One thing I don't understand though - why does Westminster have to pay any attention to a vote for independence? The Act of Union was agreed between 2 bodies - the Scottish and the English parliaments. Leaving aside the fact that an English parliament no longer exists, wouldn't both sides have to agree to a parting of the ways?

How quickly on oublie

I am mystified by the continuing references in the press to socialist presidential hopeful Francois Hollande as meek, ineffectual and 'decent'. While I have nothing against his policies (indeed I'm quite enthused by them), people seem to forget that if it hadn't been for his duplicitous backstabbing of and refusal to support the previous Socialist presidential candidate Segolene Royale, not uncoincidentally his ex-wife, Sarkozy would never have been president in the first place.

More on independence

The Tories appear to be getting very worried about this, well ahead of October 2014 or whenever it is the referendum will be held. What they don't seem to realise is that every time they open their mouths and start yipping about how dangerous and wrong it is, Salmond gets a couple of hundred more votes. The best thing they could do is just shut up. And apart from anything else, what they are saying is just plain ridiculous. Independence will put Scotland at risk of terrorism and we'll need armed borders. And we'll be overrun by immigrants. We're already a terrorist target and arguably we're going to be at less risk if we exit the UK. We already have borders - trying getting through the airport queues on international flights without showing your passport to the UK Border Authority. And with fewer than 6 million inhabitants (approximately 10% of the UK population) in roughly 30% of the UK's land mass, we've probably got room for a few more under the covers.

If you'd asked me before May 2010, I'd have been vehemently against independence (it's hard not to take it personally), and I'm still not sure the economics stack up, but frankly the more I look at Alex Salmond's policies compared to David Cameron's, the more attractive the idea of waving farewell forever to the pudding faced old Etonian twerp and his twisted idea of compassionate Conservatism seems.

Breaking news - thought provoked

Just back from a fascinating debate at the National Library of Scotland about independence where a point was raised that had never occurred to me.

Where will Scottish independence leave the more or less uniformly rabidly Unionist Ulster Scots?

Update: See.