New and Old Europe snippets

[Cyrus]

While Donald Rumsfeld is busy flying around European capitals in a "charm offensive" (as bemused journalists put it), which translates into "licking where he spat", here are some news from Europe -- Old and New:

Hungary's prime minister Ference Gyurcsany hailed his country's national football team's performance in a friendly match (result: a draw) against Saudi Arabia by saying a few words too many. The state news agency MTI quoted him as saying: "I think that there were very many terrorists also among the Saudi soccer players, and our sons fought with death-defying bravery against these terrorists, so a draw away from home is a fantastic result".

The media reacted with embarassment and horror and the PM had to apologize publicly.

Hungary is one of the few European countries that supported Bush's war on Iraq and has a contingent of 500 soldiers there. Though, not for long. (Gyurcsany's resume makes for quite an interesting read: He rose to the top of the Communist Youth hierarchy but was quick to switch hats and engage in various shady business schemes when communism collapsed in Hungary. He is now a most enthusiatisc supporter of all things American! He is only 44.)

Back to "Old Europe". In merry old Britain, a more reliable partner to Bush's follies than the land of the pesky Magyars, the Chairman of British Petroleum praised the value of public schools and the National Health Service! In an interview, he opposed those advocating the introduction of "free market principles" into education and health, stating unequivocally that they were never meant to be judged with the criteria of corporate success!

Wow. Strong words, those, and they are coming from Britain's top capitalist -- and a Lord, no less.

Is Britain slipping back into the Old Europe? (Was she ever out ?) Will Hungary go the way of Germany? God save the United States...

[Olof]

[ QUOTE ]
Back to "Old Europe". In merry old Britain, a more reliable partner to Bush's follies than the land of the pesky Magyars, the Chairman of British Petroleum praised the value of public schools and the National Health Service! In an interview, he opposed those advocating the introduction of "free market principles" into education and health, stating unequivocally that they were never meant to be judged with the criteria of corporate success!

Wow. Strong words, those, and they are coming from Britain's top capitalist -- and a Lord, no less.


[/ QUOTE ]

But surely it can be judged with the criteria of cancer survival rates and hosptial contracted infections? It would be interesting to know if the capitalist you quote have any sort of private health cover or if he would happily accept his prostate cancer spreading while he is waiting for treatment on the NHS. Unless he happens to have a fetish for sharing a ward with a bunch of old, coughing people or dying my guess is on the first alternative.

[zaxx19]

the Chairman of British Petroleum praised the value of public schools and the National Health Service! In an interview, he opposed those advocating the introduction of "free market principles" into education and health, stating unequivocally that they were never meant to be judged with the criteria of corporate success!


Sounds like most rich white priviledged liberals here in the US.

See, the point is when the [censored] hits the fan the chairman can ship his daughter of to Sloan-Kettering for chemo therapy if there are waiting lists or shortages in the U.K.....

as for education:

sounds alot like Bill Clinton and Al Gore...strident supporters of public schools...strident supporters of public school teachers..of course both sent THEIR OWN KIDS TO ELITE PREP SCHOOLS INSTEAD OF D.C. PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

Apparently, poor black kids arent the type of classmates they wanted for their children...or was it just the horrid academics??

The point is its very easy for a billionaire to advocate socialized everything knowing he WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE OPTION OF OPTING OUT OF THE SYSTEM AND JUST SPENDING A FEW BUCKS TO GET THE BEST.

For regular working stiffs options can be much more limited.

Of course liberals havent been all that concerned with real working folks for awhile now....and thats why their popularity continues to erode.