Mandy losing grip on world economy

Via EU-Serf a good article from the Scotsman on the EU textiles fiasco.

Due to Mandelson's muddling, millions of pounds', or euros', worth of winter clothing - sweaters, underwear, men's trousers etc - bought from Chinese manufacturers by clothes shops in the UK and Scandinavia, are locked up in container terminals. Retailers are worried that from next month there'll be the same sort of clothing shortages as were experienced during the Second World War.

All of which is directly because of the EU. Not ducking out and shifting the blame onto national governments this time by forcing them to legislate the EU's stupid laws for it via a directive, this is all the direct responcibility of the EU. So hopefully this time it will bring to peoples attention, so long as they do not rely on the BBC for news that is, what a useless organisation the EU is.The grumblings and vague loss of confidence in the EU that have mirrored its expansion are beginning to sharpen up into focused criticism. Opinion has changed about the body that, until about 20 years ago, was seen by most of Europe's opinion-formers, and its citizens in general, as being the key to a more prosperous future and probably, the next step in the development of international democracy.

But the EU's democracy hasn't developed, and the world has changed since big trading blocks seemed to be the best way to grow our economies. Satellite communications and 24-hour trading, and now the emergence of China as a major manufacturer, have blown a hole in the old arguments in favour of "Fortress Europe".