We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.
Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]
|
Don’t just do something, stand there Is there simply no end to all the bad news?
Diplomats and leading experts are warning that the “chaotic” European Union is ill-equipped to cope with the biggest expansion in its history.
Shame, shame. A pox on humanity and all its works.
Finnish ambassador to the UK Pertti Salolainen, who said he was speaking in a personal capacity, said: “The EU is chaotic, it has no vision, no leadership and it seems it will have no constitution.”
Is there no justice in this wicked world? I do not know how I will sleep at night (speaking in a personal capacity).
|
Who Are We? The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.
We are also a varied group made up of social individualists, classical liberals, whigs, libertarians, extropians, futurists, ‘Porcupines’, Karl Popper fetishists, recovering neo-conservatives, crazed Ayn Rand worshipers, over-caffeinated Virginia Postrel devotees, witty Frédéric Bastiat wannabes, cypherpunks, minarchists, kritarchists and wild-eyed anarcho-capitalists from Britain, North America, Australia and Europe.
|
Oh, but didn’t you hear about the Foreign Office’s fair this past weekend? All of the new members states set up little booths right next to each other and everyone got along just fine with no major catastrophes. Certainly the rest of the transition can be accomplished with the same ease, particularly with the involvement of France and Germany.
— Did that sound like it came from a properly Euro-enthusiast standpoint? Or maybe just a little over the top?
Anyone can get along in close quarters. How else do you explain elevators?
If I wanted to emigrate to America, what restrictions are there likely to be on transferring my personal capital out of the UK?
Maggie Thatcher abolished these restrictions for the UK, but would that change if the UK became part of a EU superstate?
Ron,
I’m thinking the same sort of things…
In fact I might just switch out of pounds just to be on the safe side.
Rob,
Nice if you can do that – but I suspect most people’s capital is tied up in their house, which is not realisable until you move.
The next thing to consider is “what state to move to”? I wouldn’t want to move to a Democrat state full of wacky liberals that spend their whole day thinking of more and more ways of wasting my tax money.
Nor would I want to move to one that has wild extremes of weather (especially hurricanes). I have an uncle in Winnipeg, Manitoba which seems to be snowbound for at least a third of the year. On the other hand, I get sunburnt extremely easily, so a Southern state would be bad news too.
Would I need to have a guaranteed job before I left, or would it be sufficient to be bringing a substantial wad of capital with me once my house is sold?
Also, how does US education compare to UK education for my children? My wife is a teacher, and she has heard of many couples with one American and one Briton wanting to move back to the UK when their eldest child reaches the age of 5. Maybe it’s a cost thing – do you have to pay for junior education in the States?
Sorry Ron, there seems to be some inverse correlation between violent weather and Democrat politics. Do bear in mind, however, that outside a centres of “radical” lunacy, Democrats often look pretty conservative by British standards.
Unfortunately, you can’t just migrate to the US: they’ve been steadily restricting things since 1902 when “feeble-minded” aliens were excluded. (Still potentially a problem for those with histories of psychological illness.) If you don’t want to face real bureaucratic horrors trying to get a Green Card, you’ll need to take a million dollars to invest in a US business, and something to live on.
I doubt claiming political asylum from Tony Blair is going to work. Discussions with American acquaintances suggest that he is widely celebrated there as a smoothly articulate and brave war leader, not a mendacious poll-wracked loon incapable of a meaningful sentence that doesn’t involve banning or taxing something.
Guy – Most civilised countries want a large investment to allow someone to live there. I have no problem with that. My problem is, the British allow the flotsam and jetsom of the world in and put them immediately on the taxpayer teat. So I prefer the Singapore/US/Australian guidelines. I believe in excluding people we don’t want or need.
Of course, Blair’s agenda is to dilute Britain for two reasons: easier to be consumed by the EU because fewer British voices whose history is entwined with these islands speaking up; and second, try to make Britons ashamed of their 2000 yr history and make them easier to subsume.
Result: Blair gets a seat at the top table in Yuropp. He thinks he will be its first “president” – you should excuse the laughter – and go down in history.
He will go down in history all right.
I am continually staggered that the US doesn’t see Blair for what he is – the biggest charlatan ever to hold high office in Britain.
What with all the talk re normalizing illegal aliens in the US, right now might be a good time to slip on in.
Verity,
I live in the U.S., and I agree with you. I am also upset to have our president associated with Blair — of course, I feel the same way about Bush, who seems to think he can take complete control of the country without asking. Perhaps it’s only right for like-minded politicians to stick together.