Tuesday
(4)More from the "You couldn't make it up" department. David Carr is fond of saying that the satyrist's trade is hard these days, because reality has a habit of being so very much more satirical.
This is presumably the kind of thing he means:
Slovakia and Hungary are being served notice that the Commission is about to take them to the European Court of Justice for not complying with certain parts of EU legislation.Apparently, neither country has implemented a number of directives on maritime safety. Slovakia is being warned about having no legislation to do with passenger ships and prevention of pollution.
Hungary has no "availability of port facilities for ship-generated waste". Actually, Hungary has no ports or ships, being land-locked, as is Slovakia. That, apparently, is not the point.
The history of the USSR is repeating itself as farce. EUSSR. And the USSR was pretty farcical to begin with.
Speaking of David Carr and the EU being farcical, whatever happened to Bertrand Maginot. I miss him. The imposition of environment-friendly port facilities on landlocked countries sounds like something he would understand perfectly. It would be interesting to hear his view on this issue.
Fantastic stuff from the EU. Ok, where is Lord Nelson when you need him?
Posted by Johnathan at July 26, 2005 12:42 PM
Excellent point, these EUracrats proving once again that they are a waste of time and resources.
Posted by Conor at July 26, 2005 12:43 PM
Its an extreme version, but it is essentially the same with all regulations. There are plenty on members who don't need / want them, but no-one is allowed to rock the boat.
Posted by EU-Serf at July 26, 2005 12:53 PM
Gosh, I didn't know satyrists had a trade. I thought they were otherwise engaged.
Posted by Verity at July 26, 2005 01:01 PM
I imagine Lord Nelson would be sailing up the rather large Danube along with the grain barges and oil tankers that use it regularly.
Posted by ShaneMcC at July 26, 2005 01:18 PM
"Actually, Hungary has no ports or ships, being land-locked, as is Slovakia"
They do have ports and passenger ships, more so than many small island countries:
You seem to have forgotten the big Danube River which flows through both countries and has ships and big river barges navigable from the Black Sea (bombed bridges on the Serbian / Hungarian border permitting)
Posted by Watching Them, Watching Us at July 26, 2005 01:22 PM
Well, Verity, he did say the satyrist's trade was hard. Must be one of those British euphemisms.
Posted by R C Dean at July 26, 2005 02:32 PM
Yet another reason for us to pull out and build a Protocol 3-style relationship with the EU.
Fog in Channel - Continent cut off was a famous Times headline in the 1940's.
Posted by Julian Taylor at July 26, 2005 03:14 PM
If it's not hard one can't be a very effective satyrist.
Posted by staghounds at July 26, 2005 03:29 PM
WTWU
Good point, re the Danube. I have passed it back to the original posting on EU Referendum. Go there to see if there's any response.
Posted by Brian Micklethwait at July 26, 2005 03:32 PM
the satyrist's trade is indeed a hard one; no one respects limp satyrists, especially nowadays; one imagines tina fey vigorously mocking such a soft target on SNL, cutting the poor schmuck to the quick with a gleam in her eye. as for the eu demanding the regulation of the seacoast of bohemia, i dont see what the fuss is all about. bolivia has a guy who spends his days wandering around the capital in the uniform of the bolivian navy, even though bolivia lost its seacoast to chile in the war of the pacific back in 1879. bureaucracy is the last place in the world, outside a nursery, where people actually believe that wishing hard enough will make it so.
Posted by akaky at July 26, 2005 05:25 PM
Yes, was about to remind the readers about the Danube and the ports both in Slovakia and Hungary. So, alas, this is not as funny at it seems.
Posted by Adriana at July 26, 2005 06:15 PM
With Bolivia - it's more than that. They have never recognized their defeat or given up. Every military documnet (every one of them) starts with this phrase printed in big letter (like some kind of logo):
"The sea is our's by right. Recovering it is our sacred duty."
They also have some odd ship they keep in Argentine and use it for practice.
You have to hand it to these Latins, that when it comes to romantics and symbolism, they have got it.
Posted by Jacob at July 26, 2005 07:41 PM
My thoughts were around the Danube too.
Nevertheless, irrelevant regulations* (is there any such thing as a relevant regulation?) are meat and drink to the EU. I have heard Gibraltarians complain about having to enact river pollution legislation even though the Rock has no rivers.
*(OK, I know we're discussing directives, not regulations - I was talking generally. Put the anarok away.)
Posted by Otis at July 26, 2005 07:44 PM
"I have heard Gibraltarians complain about having to enact river pollution legislation even though the Rock has no rivers."
Well, there you'we got a legislation that costs nothing. So what's the problem ? Make some EUnics happy at no extra cost. A bargain.
Posted by Jacob at July 26, 2005 08:13 PM
Reply on the Danube question from Helen Szamuely:
"Brian,
The Danube is very big in Hungary and there is shipping up and down and, in fact, it is international (used to be 8 countries but times have changed). But there are no maritime ports by definition and that is what the Directive is about."
Posted by Brian Micklethwait at July 27, 2005 12:14 AM
