Correct, Mayor Johnson, the Real Problem is Not the EU
Quitting the EU won't solve our problems, says Boris Johnson … Britain's economic problems would not be solved by simply leaving the European Union, Boris Johnson warns. This country's workers are plagued by "sloth" and under-perform compared with their foreign rivals, says the London Mayor. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, he says that if Britain left the EU, "we would have to recognise that most of our problems are not caused" by Brussels. – UK Telegraph
Dominant Social Theme: The EU is here to stay.
Free-Market Analysis: London Mayor Boris Johnson claims he wants a referendum on whether Britain is to stay in the European Union, but his rhetoric is lukewarm.
This has been a problem all along for Mr. Johnson and has aroused suspicions in Britain among conservatives over where he really stands.
Generally, Johnson is lumped in among Euroskeptics, but in this article he seems to be giving support to both sides by arguing not much would change.
In a sense, this would seem a clever rhetorical ploy. Having successfully delayed a referendum, the argument of those who seek a continued relationship is that too much time has gone by.
Over on the other side of "the pond," President Obama's press secretary tried exactly the same ploy as regards the so-called Benghazi scandal, claiming the murder of State Department officials had occurred so long ago – several months, in fact – that it was a kind of ancient history that ought not to be dug up again.
The ploy in both cases is transparent. Delay, deny and finally claim that further investigation or action will resolve nothing, as too much time has passed.
Of course, from what we can tell, Johnson would deny this is the case. He seems to be leaning more firmly toward Euro-skepticism but one gets the feeling that he is a skeptic more from fashion than conviction.
Here's more from the article:
Mr Johnson's intervention comes after Michael Gove and Philip Hammond today became the first two Cabinet ministers openly to support leaving the EU unless there is significant reform.
However, the London Mayor claims the "question of EU membership is no longer of key importance to the destiny of this country". The political row risks overshadowing more important weaknesses in the economy. He suggests that the British workforce suffers from "sloth" and that there is a "culture of easy gratification and under-investment" from firms.
David Cameron pledged earlier this year that he would hold a referendum by 2018 if he is re-elected as Prime Minister in 2015. However, many Conservative MPs want the Prime Minister to go further and now write the pledge into law – a proposal being blocked by the Liberal Democrats.
More than 100 Conservative MPs are set to support a Parliamentary amendment which effectively criticises the Queen's Speech for failing to legislate for the referendum. A key vote on the amendment is expected to be held this week.
Last week, Downing Street insisted Mr Cameron was "relaxed" about the amendment but ministers have now been ordered to abstain from any vote.
In his article today, Mr Johnson says that he supports legislation backing a referendum – but warns that Britain's problems will not be solved by simply leaving the EU as many of his Conservative colleagues apparently believe.
"If we left the EU, we would end this sterile debate, and we would have to recognise that most of our problems are not caused by "Brussels", but by chronic British short-termism, inadequate management, sloth, low skills, a culture of easy gratification and underinvestment in both human and physical capital and infrastructure," the London Mayor says.
This is where the article really goes wrong. Once again, like so many British pols, Johnson attacks the culture rather than the system. People are not born slothful or wedded to easy gratification. The problem with Britain and its endless recessions is a MONETARY one.
Let Boris Johnson focus not on the EU or the hard-working British laborer but on the Bank of England and the fraud perpetrated by his own class. No, chances are you will never hear people like Johnson point fingers at the monetary system itself and the incessant booms and impoverishing busts that it causes.
Britain is a terribly damaged country with an inbred aristocracy that grows more grossly swollen after every financial disaster … and in this Johnson is correct: Parting ways with the EU will not cure Britain's ills.
Only a wholesale overhaul of the monetary system itself will do the job – that and increased monetary competition that disenfranchises the tiny elite clustered around the teat of the Bank of England and allows a real meritocracy to arise.
You don’t have to play by the rules of the corrupt politicians, manipulative media, and brainwashed peers.
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