New page: "The European Union: The Euro, Democracy, Crises and Migration" by Vexen Crabtree:

The European Union is formed from a collection of treaties dating back to the European Economic Community founded in 1957. It has changed from an economic body designed to prevent war, into a wide and varied economic, social and political tool. Here are some of my notes on this growing megalith.

Contents:

1. Multispeed Europe Versus The United States of Europe
2. The Euro
3. The Successful Promotion of Democracy and Achievement of Regional Peace and Stability
4. The EU is Always in Crises
5. Crises: Popular Disillusionment with the EU
6. EU Immigration and Internal Migration
7. Strengthened Democracy Against Lawless Multinationals

Tags: democracy, economics, euro, europe, european union, multinationals, politics
Current Location: Camden, London, UK

New page: UK: Immigration, Economics and Pensions. The conclusion reads:

"The UK is ageing, and we need more working-age people to fill the emptying hole in our demographic make-up. Otherwise, multiple industries and all pensions are at severe risk. Already, some industries and local economies depend on immigrants, especially as cheap labour to do work that not many others want to do but also we have serious shortages in some skilled trades, for example, nearly half the new doctors and nurses employed in the National Health Service have qualified abroad. We already have shortages of medical staff. Imagine the world without half the staff of the NHS, cheap labourers working in industries that our ageing population avoids, no pensions for increasing numbers of the elderly, and you imagine a UK without immigration. Despite this, some extremist, simpleton and short-sighted parties (such as the BNP and NF) campaign for a complete stop to immigration, and even promise to send home nationalized foreigners. With a population that is ageing, they will soon find that they have rather a lot of pensioners and not many workers."

Tags: bnp, economics, europe, foreigners, immigration, migration, nf, nhs, pensions, politics, racism, tolerance, uk, xenophobia
Current Location: Germany
Listening To: "Monuments of Flesh" by Chaingun Operate

From the NSS newsline letter, 2006 Sep 29, http://www.secularism.org.uk

SPAIN CUTS FUNDING FOR CATHOLIC CHURCH (Abridged)
In a move that took many by surprise, the Spanish government has announced that it will cease
paying a subsidy to the Catholic Church, which last year totalled about 30 million euros. In addition, the church will lose its exemption from value-added tax (VAT) on purchases of goods and property, as required by the European Union, and will have to supply the government with an annual report to justify the spending of monies granted to them through the voluntary income tax levy.

The new measures will not affect the hundreds of millions of euros in payment to religious school teachers and in subsidies paid to maintain Spanish cathedrals.

Since taking power in April 2004, the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has had a stormy relationship with the Catholic Church, introducing legislation making divorce much easier, legalising gay marriage and eliminating the requirement that religion be an obligatory subject in schools.

The pope attempted to chastise Zapatero during a recent papal visit to Spain, but the Prime
Minister shrugged off the criticism and then compounded the “insult” by not attending the Pope’s mass.

Tags: europe, religion, roman catholic church, secularisation, spain
Current Location: Afghanistan
Listening To: Original Batman theme tune

Poll #797914 America -< Europe -> Middle East
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All

Can USA liberal Churches such as the Epispocal Church USA, challenge the powerful rise of fundamentalist born-agains and evangelicals?

Can the Islamist nations come out of their dark ages?

What can we do to conter religious extremism in the USA and Middle East?

Tags: america, christianity, europe, fundamentalism, livejournal polls, middle east, religion
Current Location: Afghanistan
Current Mood: awake
Listening To: "Not Over Yet" remix by Lee S & Danielle

Erickson was an enthusiastic born-again Christian, who split his local community in 2 with his new, passionate-style masses... many of the previous regulars left, and the born-again crowd moved in. He came with all the talk, a typical religious-right moral-crusader loon. Two of those who didn't like his approach, but still attended the church, were one day found shot. After a search warrant from police where he had been re-located to after the murders, child porn was found on his computer, and he hung himself a day later in the hallway of his new church, St. Mary's of the Seven Dolors, in Hurley, Wisconsin. [News: http://www.citypages.com/databank/26/1296/article13748.asp ]

"This week, at last, St. Croix County Attorney Eric Johnson is presenting evidence connecting Father Ryan to the murders. Johnson will offer an explanation for what Erickson and O'Connell were talking about in the minutes before the murder. And he will confirm what has long been whispered by Erickson's harshest critics: that the crusading sexual moralist had been engaging in the same crimes against children that have devastated the Catholic church in recent years."

"A right-wing newspaper, Renew America, edited by anti-abortion activist Matt C. Abbott, frequently defends Erickson"

The religious right are the developed world's most insiduous disease; they are long-term, devious, strategic, organized... fundamentalists in a very similar way to Sharia-promoting Islamist fundamentalists of the world.

Europe is caught between Islam's Dark Ages to our East, and America's growing Christian fundamentalism to our West.

Tags: christianity, crime, ecusa, europe, fundamentalism, islam, paedophilia, religion, religious right, sharia, usa
Current Location: Afghanistan
Listening To: "Ritual Noise" by Covenant

"Developed Nations have a Responsibility to Defend the Civilized World" by Vexen Crabtree (2006)

Tags: arms industry, army, britain, civilisation, culture, defence, democracy, europe, germany, military, scandinavia, uk, violence, war, western

I am strongly and definately for a European Constitution.

It is a major document, comprehensively standing for Human Rights, the best constitution ever written. Commerically and politically it is merely a bringing-together of hundreds of treaties into a single document: Economically, nothing is new. In terms of power, nothing changes. All the same laws are there as already exist: They are brought together in one powerful, efficient and accessible document instead of a hundred different treaties with a hundred different names. In short, it allows humble citizens to know their rights within Europe in a way not possible now without much research.

It upholds equality of gender, sexuality and religion in a way no other constitution does. It upholds individual rights clearly and comprehensively; it is accurate and specific.

I do not know what the intelligent arguments against the constitution are. I am going to research them this month (it's on my list...), was wondering where all you stand... importantly, if against it; why? If for it, why?

Tags: europe, politics
Listening To: "For you (exclusive mix)" by Sero.Overdose