European president?

[Seshephe]

I thought that was my task?

Uh, yeah. He's just going to come and serve as a a stand-in on your days off.

[Nightkill the Emperor]

I thought that was my task?

Uh, yeah. He's just going to come and serve as a a stand-in on your days off.

And a lie-in, and a sit-in, and a kneel-in...

[Ifreann]

Uh, yeah. He's just going to come and serve as a a stand-in on your days off.

And a lie-in, and a sit-in, and a kneel-in...

Suspended-from-the-ceiling-in

[Nightkill the Emperor]

And a lie-in, and a sit-in, and a kneel-in...

Suspended-from-the-ceiling-in

Olthar did say David would come and serve.

[Lithatrius]

The President of Europe taken down

This.

[Neu Leonstein]

Currently, the person in charge of the most powerful wing of the European Union, the E.C. is Herman Van Rompuy. He does a good job (from what I can actually uncover) and is a perfectly acceptable person. He's theist, but seems genuinely open to the federal idea that the EU should follow; especially in the futurist sense.

I think any of the current leadership needs to be excluded on the basis of the clusterfuck they've produced over the past three years or so. Bonmots like this one will do it:

http://blogs.wsj.com/brussels/2011/05/0 ... t-meeting/

In a phone call and text messages with two reporters for Dow Jones and the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Schuller repeatedly said no meeting would be held. He apparently said the same to other news outlets; at least one more moved his denials on financial newswires.

Of course, there was a meeting–although not, apparently, to talk about Greece quitting the currency, which would be an extreme step to say the least. Mr. Juncker even said a few words to reporters who had hustled to Luxembourg to stake out the gathering.

So why the lie?

“I was told to say there was no meeting,” said Mr. Schuller, reached by telephone Monday. “We had certain necessities to consider.”

Such as?

Evening in Europe is midday in the United States. “We had Wall Street open at that point in time,” Mr. Schuller said. The euro was falling on the Spiegel report, which had overhyped the meeting. “There was a very good reason to deny that the meeting was taking place.” It was, he said, “self-preservation.”

Asked whether such deliberate misinformation would undermine the market’s confidence in future euro-zone pronouncements, Mr. Schuller, lamenting that the market had practically no confidence in pronouncements already, said “not at all.”

[...]

On the tape, Mr. Juncker says he has “had to lie” and, speaking about touchy economic topics, “When it becomes serious, you have to lie.”

[Greed and Death]

Which European presidency are you talking about? There are four.

4 Presidents no wonder you can't get your banks in order.

[Castille de Italia]

Yulia Tymoshenko. I'd like to see a shitstorm of Ukrainian politics if she was a POTEU...

She reminds me of an older, blonde Princess Leia of Ukraine.

It might be the hair though.

I've always thought the same thing... It must be similar braiding, although I did hear Carrie Fisher defected in '84...

[The Diomede Islands]

The President of Europe taken down

This.

^ That

[Ifreann]

Which European presidency are you talking about? There are four.

4 Presidents no wonder you can't get your banks in order.

And one of them is Cyprus. Or if you ask the Turks, Ireland.

[Czinuzkkia]

And a lie-in, and a sit-in, and a kneel-in...

Suspended-from-the-ceiling-in

....thrust-in...?

[Everbeek]

Which European presidency are you talking about? There are four.

4 Presidents no wonder you can't get your banks in order.

No, that's because American rating bureaus keep downgrading countries that are doing as well or better than the US, and then pointing their fingers and saying "I told you so" when said countries start doing slightly worse because of said downgrade. (Not talking about Greece, obviously)

[Neu Leonstein]

No, that's because American rating bureaus keep downgrading countries that are doing as well or better than the US, and then pointing their fingers and saying "I told you so" when said countries start doing slightly worse because of said downgrade. (Not talking about Greece, obviously)

No, that's really not the issue. People don't care anymore what the ratings agencies say. Italy, Spain, et al, are in a dodgy situation because they can't get their finances in order. If you can blame anyone outside for this, it's the EU.

[Risottia]

In this thread I propose you to say who should be the best president for the European Union and why (it's harder...^^).
Yes, there's a current one, but consider him with the power of a prime minister or a chancelor

Not quite.
The President of the European Council isn't a PM. You may be thinking of the President of the Commission. None of them is "President of the EU".

I think Daniel-Cohn-Bendit could be a good president for the EU....

It really depends on the competences a speculative "President of the EU" would have. I for one wouldn't even have a single president - I would prefer a parliamentary republic, with a collective presidence.

[Risottia]

No, that's because American rating bureaus keep downgrading countries that are doing as well or better than the US, and then pointing their fingers and saying "I told you so" when said countries start doing slightly worse because of said downgrade. (Not talking about Greece, obviously)

No, that's really not the issue. People don't care anymore what the ratings agencies say.

To a point, actually, considering that a lot of investment funds have to invest in AAA countries only.

[Neu Leonstein]

To a point, actually, considering that a lot of investment funds have to invest in AAA countries only.

Those have long ago run for the hills, as far as I can see well before the ratings agencies caught up. They're basically lagging indicators, just telling people what they've known for months. Said pension funds don't just sit there like sheep waiting for things to get downgraded. They want to make profits too, and they want to avoid volatility. Said volatility on PIIGS debt has gone through the roof long ago, the cost of conducting trades with or repoing out these bonds has gone right up too. There are no incentives to hold on to them, unless you're taking some optimistic bet, in which case you'd be buying them now when they're cheap and taking risks said conservative funds aren't allowed to.

But look, this poster is not alone in looking at S&P or Moody's to find somebody else to blame. The European Parliament has itself fabricated some 'law' that prompted an amused round of emails being shared around the world about the lack of understanding that seems to be common in Brussels (perhaps the result of being told all their lives that 'markets' are irrational and wrong, who knows). Never mind that they have openly admitted to lying to people about what they're doing - I can't imagine the outrage one would get if ratings agencies were that blatant.

But anyway, making ratings agencies go away (if that were possible) would not reduce a debt-to-GDP ratio by a single basis point. Nor would it cut a deficit, or create the economic growth needed to pay all those part-time government employees' pensions.

[New Kriegizstan]

Oh dear, let's not have an EU President. I can only imagine how much whinier half of the British would get if they had a single person to blame everything on.

The British blame everything on anyone, they don't need a single person to blame everything on, they'd still blame stuff on other people/countries.

[Patroclus]

Me!

And I'll immediately resign.

[Risottia]

But anyway, making ratings agencies go away (if that were possible) would not reduce a debt-to-GDP ratio by a single basis point.

True.

Nor would it cut a deficit, or create the economic growth needed to pay all those part-time government employees' pensions.

Interesting enough: the cadres-and-employees' part of the INPS (the Italian state pension agency) has an active balance. The problem is with the executives' part (both governmental AND private) - which must be funded by taking money from the cadres-and-employees' accounts.

A major help, at least here, would be slashing down both the number and the salary of both public and private sector executives. Italy has the same tendency of the Pàl Street Army... lots of lazy generals, almost no privates.

[Neu Leonstein]

A major help, at least here, would be slashing down both the number and the salary of both public and private sector executives. Italy has the same tendency of the Pàl Street Army... lots of lazy generals, almost no privates.

Well, I'm not familiar with the details, but I do get the impression that Mr. Monti is actually making quite decent progress. He's stuck in a recession, sure, but he's doing a pretty good job all things considered. He does need the Italian public not to do something stupid any time soon though. To me personally, I thought the 'imposition' of Monti at the expense of Bunga-man was a good opportunity to change the Italian political culture and climate. But we shall see (and you may well be able to see it quite differently from where you're sitting).

[Yewhohohopia]

Cohen-Bendit is a gobshite. Also we have many presidents already.

[Risottia]

A major help, at least here, would be slashing down both the number and the salary of both public and private sector executives. Italy has the same tendency of the Pàl Street Army... lots of lazy generals, almost no privates.

Well, I'm not familiar with the details, but I do get the impression that Mr. Monti is actually making quite decent progress. He's stuck in a recession, sure, but he's doing a pretty good job all things considered. ...

Yeah, Monti's not bad, but still most of his proposals have to pass through the same Parliament that kept Berlusconi afloat for 3 years and a half.

But given how's Monti is faring both here and with his EU colleagues, I think he COULD be a choice for some top-job at the EU in 2014 - like, dunno, the Commission or the Council.

[Angleter]

4 Presidents no wonder you can't get your banks in order.

No, that's because American rating bureaus keep downgrading countries that are doing as well or better than the US, and then pointing their fingers and saying "I told you so" when said countries start doing slightly worse because of said downgrade. (Not talking about Greece, obviously)

Ah, the European Dolchstoßlegende- it's not our fault (and particularly is nothing at all to do with the Euro), we're being deliberately sabotaged by an American (or Anglo-Saxon in general) capitalist cabal.

[Socialist EU]

Oh dear, let's not have an EU President. I can only imagine how much whinier half of the British would get if they had a single person to blame everything on.

^This.

[Socialist EU]

Well, I'm not familiar with the details, but I do get the impression that Mr. Monti is actually making quite decent progress. He's stuck in a recession, sure, but he's doing a pretty good job all things considered. ...

Yeah, Monti's not bad, but still most of his proposals have to pass through the same Parliament that kept Berlusconi afloat for 3 years and a half.

But given how's Monti is faring both here and with his EU colleagues, I think he COULD be a choice for some top-job at the EU in 2014 - like, dunno, the Commission or the Council.

Please, NO! Have the Italian left ditched Marxism in favour of social liberalism completely, Monti, not bad?