In a short televised speech, the Dutch Queen said it was time to
place the nation “in the hands of a new generation”.
Queen Beatrix turns 75 in just a few days and is already the country’s oldest
ever monarch. Both her mother, Queen Julianna, and her grandmother, Queen
Wilhelmina, also abdicated and the Dutch do not see being king or queen as a job
for life.
“I am not abdicating because this office is too much of a burden, but out of
conviction that the responsibility for our nation should now rest in the hands
of a new generation,” Queen Beatrix said, in a speech delivered from her Huis
ten Bosch palace.
“I am deeply grateful for the great faith you have shown in me in the many
years that I could be your Queen,” she added.
The Dutch Queen praised her eldest son, Prince Willem-Alexander, as a
talented and capable successor 'fully prepared’ for his future role. As a history buff I can tell you that when Germany invaded the Netherlands in
WW2 the Dutch Royal family fled to England under the sanctuary of the British
King George VI and his Parliament and were safely tucked away in Ottawa Canada
for the duration of the war and until all the nastiness was over.
Unlike the
British Royal Family who were duty bound to remain in Britain throughout the
Blitz and the threat of invasion.
The Netherlands were liberated by British
and Canadian troops
in 1945 and since the Germans let the Dutch citizens
starve sooner than capitulate or surrender the Allies even airlifted much food
stuffs to the starving Dutch. Since the Dutch are considered Volks to the very
similar Germans there was much collaboration with many Dutch who welcomed Hitler
and there was not very much resistance at all until after the June Allied
landing in 1944.
The Allies were prompt to bring this Dutch Royal Family
and reinstate them and return to status quo and use this Royal group as a
rallying point should the Russians rumble across Western Europe or worse
scenario the starving Dutch might go Communist,so let`s rebuild with the
Marshall Plan-shrewd and clever how Capitalism works.
6 comments:
Mohamed El-Erian, chief executive of Pimco, warned that David Cameron would need a 'Plan B’ to limit the impact on the economy if the UK were to exit the EU.
“Whichever way you look at this, Prime Minister David Cameron has materially increased the probability that, beyond 2017, Poland rather than the UK will be among the three largest economies defining the scale and scope of European regional integration. Let’s hope that he also has a Plan B that would limit the potential downside to Britain’s standard of living,” Mr El-Erian wrote in Fortune magazine.
The warning followed the pledge by Mr Cameron last week to hold a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU in 2017 should the Conservatives win the next election.
Mr El-Erian said that while the promise was likely to “score some internal political points” it risked “some reduction in the country’s growth”.
Don't upset the English.
We can survive just nicely with our own internal market and a lower population thank you very much if those scared of mucking in would like to leave these shores. This green and pleasant land has sustained its people nicely for thousands of years and there is no reason for it not to continue to do so.
Unless of course we imagine we have money we don't have with loans and credit cards and drive German and French cars that we in future might think about a bit if we get too upset!!
ECB's Balance Sheet Shrinks
The European Central Bank's balance sheet shrank to its lowest level in nearly a year, signaling a more restrictive monetary policy that could drive the euro's exchange rate higher and further threaten the region's economy.
The independence-minded region of Catalonia has asked the Spanish central government for an extra 9bn euros (£7.7bn) in bailout money.
Catalonia's regional government said it needed the money to pay down debts and meet deficit reduction targets.
It adds to the 5bn euros the debt-stricken region initially requested from Spain in August last year.
The move comes just a month after Catalonia's new leaders pledged to hold a referendum on independence.
Catalonia is prosperous and accounts for around a fifth of Spain's GDP, but faces debt repayments totalling 13.6bn euros this year alone.
The regional government said it would spend 7.7bn euros to pay down debt and the rest on meeting deficit reduction targets set by the Spanish government.
VOTERS sent a forceful message to David Cameron last night not to relax border controls with Romania and Bulgaria.
Nearly eight out of 10 – 79 per cent – quizzed for an opinion poll wanted visa restrictions on the Eastern European countries to stay.
The results follow widespread fears that the UK will be flooded with a new wave of immigrants after controls are dropped to meet European Union freedom-of-movement rules.
The poll was commissioned by anti-Brussels campaign group Get Britain Out who said it proved Britons want to take back control of their borders.
Across all parties, regions and demographic groups, the public demands the Government retains its immigration controls on Romania and Bulgaria
Group spokesman Tim Aker
Group spokesman Tim Aker said: “Across all parties, regions and demographic groups, the public demands the Government retains its immigration controls on Romania and Bulgaria.
“The problem is that EU free movement rules allow anyone across the EU to come and live in the UK.
“They will be eligible for housing and social security without having paid a penny into the pot. Under the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, free movement is essential to EU membership and David Cameron hasn’t a hope in hell of renegotiating it.
Spain's prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has told MPs in Madrid that he will soon announce fresh measures to stimulate the deteriorating Spanish economy.
Reuters has the details:
Rajoy told Spain's parliament that the measures would include help to entrepreneurs.
Tax breaks for young entrepreneurs are among a series of measures Spain's government could announce in February, Reuters reported earlier this week.
Rajoy's government has vowed, however, to stick to plans for budget cuts as it tries to slash a gaping deficit.
As mentioned yesterday, Olli Rehn has hinted that Spain's fiscal targets for 2013 (to cut its deficit to 4.5% of GDP) could be relaxed. That could give Rajoy the wriggle room needed for a stimulus package...
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