[the eu] ravening monster, paper tiger or both

Now, as you’d imagine, I’m right behind Russia in its dispute with Belarus and the upstart Gruzia and yet … and yet … an oil and gas pipeline is a linear affair and if you’re downstream from a fuel dispute, things start to get nasty.

Such as poor western Europe, dependent on Russian supplies. Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced plans for a new energy policy that would take shape under Germany's six-month presidency of the EU.

The two leaders voiced strong criticism of President Vladimir Putin over Russia's decision to halt oil supplies through the Druzhba (friendship) pipeline without warning. 'It is unacceptable when there are no consultations over such actions,' said Merkel, adding: 'This destroys trust again and again.' To avoid a repetition, Merkel said it was necessary to strengthen the strategic partnership with Russia, a major European energy supplier which delivers 20 per cent of Germany's crude oil and 30 per cent of its natural gas.

This is one of the spinoffs of being dependent on the EU. On Wednesday, the EU Commission is due to unveil its long-awaited energy plan, outlining moves to increase competition among energy providers and improve environmental protection. Energy plan, smenergy plan – whatever the eurocrats dream up, at unbelievable expense to the rest of Europe, it makes not one scrap of difference to Russia, whom they froze out of Europe.

The EU is an abomination, a ravening monster, excreting wastage and hell-bent on working against the best interests of all people suffering under its sphere of influence and now that Britain is hell-bent on breaking into little pieces because of sectarian differences, the EU must be licking its slavering chops, waiting to snap up the remaining pieces and gobble them up. Their traitorous double-agent, Blair, is fast becoming an irrelevance in this respect.