Ireland has said nay to the European Treaty referendum. I've always been pro-Europe, but today I find myself of mixed feelings, with a European Union resembling more and more a bureaucrato-technocratic monolith with a clamitous foreign policy. (That Kosovo affair was like splitting a first atom of Uranium-235...)
But enough already of me making lengthy analyses on EVERY post.
A pro-Yes Irishman stated: "This is a Black Friday for Europe."
A slight mistake, my fine friend. "Black" is not the right word. I mean, come on: in a country where it is ill-advised to snicker at the belief in Leprechauns, which has the four-leaf clover for an emblem, and which is very attached to catholic traditions (including that arithmetical matter inspired by the Last Supper), one really has du be stupid to set such a sensitive vote on a FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH!!!
I'm taking this opportunity to (re-)ask the riddle of the year: what is this immence blank space between Ireland and Italy, which seems to not even have a name in some places?
The first person to guess the answer will win a prize... the day I find what to offer as a reward! But let this not keep you from searching right now and submit your reckonings to me.
"Top o' the morning to you, friend, aye."
L'Irlande a dit non au referendum sur le Traité Européen. Moi qui ai toujours été pro-Europe, aujourd'hui je suis de sentiment mitigé, avec une Union Européenne ressemblant de plus en plus à un monolithe bureaucrato-technocratique à la politique étrangère calamiteuse. (Cette affaire du Kosovo, c'est comme casser un premier atome d'Uranium 235...)
Mais passons, j'en ai assez de faire de longues analyses sur CHAQUE sujet.
Un Irlandais pro-Oui a dit: "C'est un Vendredi Noir pour l'Europe."
Légère erreur, mon bon ami. "Noir" n'est pas le bon mot. Enfin, quoi: dans un pays où il est maladroit de se moquer de la croyance aux Farfadets, qui a pour emblème le trèfle à quatre feuilles, et qui est très attaché aux traditions catholiques (y compris cette histoire d'arithmétique inspirée du repas de la Cène), il fallait vraiment être stupide pour organiser un vote aussi sensibble un VENDREDI TREIZE!!!
J'en profite pour (re)poser la devinette de l'année: quelle est cette immense étendue vide entre l'Irlande et l'Italie, qui semble ne pas même avoir de nom en certains lieux?
La première personne à deviner la réponse correcte gagnera un prix... le jour où j'aurai trouvé quoi offrir en récompense! Mais que cela ne vous empêche pas de chercher dès maintenant et de me soumettre vos supputations.
"Le meilleur des bonjours à vous, ami, aye."
Friday, June 13, 2008
Ireland: "NO!"
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Number of viewings of this page since December 22nd, 2007:
Nombre total de visites à cette page depuis le 22 décembre 2007:
Free Counter
Nombre total de visites à cette page depuis le 22 décembre 2007:
Free Counter
12 comments:
Why a four-leaf clover? Why not a purple horseshoe or a blue diamond or something?
You've got to love Ireland. Having other people fight to protect you and doing nothing on your own to turn your economy around. Must be nice.
It appears that clearly, once again, the incentive for voting "no" came from very low-level arguments, like "Europe will drag us into wars we don't want", and "we'll be flooded under a tidal wave of immigrants".
Many French who voted "no" in the similar referendum confessed afterwards, in the opinion polls, that "their vote was just to piss off [President] Chirac and protest his internal politics", and that they never actually expected that them voting this way would actually cast European construction into a standstill.
Democracy has its limits.
Democracy was invented by the ancient Greeks of Athens, and so were promptly the techniques of abusing its weaknesses: playing the public's sheep-like gut instincts by having them forget to think. Populism.
Soon Athenian democracy ended in... a military dictatorship! Sounds familiar?
Adolf Hitler too was democratically elected. In the beginning...
The way to empowerment of the people is through education. Serious, dedicated, COMPLETE holistic education. Teach people to do their own sound rational informed thinking (see my motto on top of page). But for some inexplicable reason, the politicians never make this a priority. Go figure...
):-P
I don't know if they have it in Lebanon, but that purple horsehow, blue diamond thing was a reference to the Lucky Charms cereal. Just so you know. Maybe you did but just didn't think it funny! :-)
As for democracy, remember what Homer Simpson said "When will people learn? Democracy doesn't work!" ;-)
The Irish remind me a bit of the Shire - having Gondor to protect them over the years, enjoying peace without having to shed any of their own blood to achieve it. They prefer blowing each other up over some pointless religious rivalry.
It doesn't? D'OH!
I knew there was something odd about that doomuckrassy stuff, but just couldn't put my finger on it. ;-P
Ah, yes, the cereal! "Aye, they're all after me lucky charms!" (Austin Powers)
We do have them over here, but too chemical-looking for my tastes, so I never tried them. I confess I am slightly prejudiced against brightly-colored processed sweets...
"Blowing each other up over some pointless religious rivalry"?
Let me guess: you don't visit Lebanon often, do you? ;-)
Practically each of our religious communities is very busy tearing itself up over feudal or political allegiances, and then blowing the others up as well. It's a bloody mess, it is.
Not to mention I'm of the Greek-Orthodox community, so you can consider me as a born expert on religious bickering. And I've been well raised! ;-)
This rose bush knew no shortage of manure.
Alas, you may as well also know right away that you can criticize the Byzantines in front of me. I never complain when someone else helpfully comes to sweep my front door, spares me chores. :-)
I believe in Ireland, as in Lebanon, the conflict is as much religious as it is political. It has little to do with the details of worship themselves, right? More about the history of communities in general.
Let me guess: you don't visit Lebanon often, do you? ;-)
I know I don't! If I want to see people firing guns into the air, I would just drive down to Texas! I even have people I could stay with! If only I wasn't a convicted felon.
Oh, not to mention, in that "cult cheese", how brilliantly the hamburger-fodder wusses demonstrate that a chainsaw beats a loaded gun.
What ever happened to "This is my BOOM-STICK!"? The chainsaw is only for when the foes come within stump's reach, innit?
Cletus, where's 'atta nectar? [cough! cough!]
Are you talking about the newer, remade Chainsaw Massacre? I haven't seen either the original or the new one so I can't really comment on it. I have something similar in the few "horror" movies I have see, though. Well, in this case - it is Texas!
P.S. Just so we're clear, I'm not a convicted felon. Not that you'll find the name Joe Dick in any official records! Ha ha Well, you never know - I think I have seen the name spelled "Dyck". The funniest last name I've seen - or at least seen in a while - was this German dude "Kuhnt". What does that sound like? Well, he was a Nazi so it's okay to make fun of him. An unrepentent Nazi SS guy too, I think.
Clearly, it was the old version. The "cult classic". (And no, I don't mean Scientology.)
I also got to see bits of the remake, so I can easily tell them apart at a glance.
You... you're NOT a convicted felon?!?? You LIED to me! Boo-hoo! I don't like you no more!
I'm afraid you're under arrest, mister. Lying is a serious offense in my jurisdiction.
(Sniff!) It... it is?
YAY! Gimme a hug. You ARE a genuine bad-ass after all!
I think.
I noticed you said cult classic but I thought perhaps they were calling the new one that these days - you know, kids today - they might not know it's a remake.
You... you're NOT a convicted felon?!?? You LIED to me! Boo-hoo! I don't like you no more!
Well I was never convicted.
That's the way I figured it in the end. All the better for your rep'!
Many a lebanese politician was never convicted either. Some even got medals. ;-)
It's called "shatara": know-how, talent.
I did mean "cult classic" as to my generation. But you're right, when the "new" one came out, I read critics saying it was "just as great" as the "cult classic" first one. (sigh) As you said, "kids today"...
Maybe that was a sincere compliment, come to think of it.
Maybe it was sincere sarcasm.
Same difference! :-P
Post a Comment