Monday, October 22, 2007

Pulling Up The Ladder

Wittgenstein famously argued in “ Pull Up The Ladder” that in order to proceed to higher ethical planes you were allowed to discard assumptions made in order to get to your starting point . Epistemologically, for all I know, this is sound reasoning. It is also , in a technical sense , “A load of bollocks “

The vernacular category of un-knowledge commonly designated “A load of bollocks “ is a set of near identity with the set “ What Labour and the wider left Constituency talk...”. The desperate slithering on the Constitution has brought this into sharp relief

Consider the basis upon which the Referendum was originally offered. Was it because there was a fundamental loss of sovereignty? Mais Non mon freres . This is what B Liar had to say in 2004
“( a Press campaign) ...it is all nonsense , myth, designed to distance people’s understanding of what Europe is truly about and loosen this country’s belief in its place in Europe ...It is right to confront this campaign head on”. There is a no admission there was any fundamental loss of sovereignty. The reason for the plebiscite was merely to clear the air .
“ Parliament should debate the treaty in detail , decide upon it .Then let the people have the final say”....

OK got that. Now lets pull up the ladder and proceed to the entirely different view of the treaty espoused by Mazola Milliband . In order to avoid a referendum he is at pains to show what a profound change the ” Old “ Constitution was and how the Reform treaty is entirely different “
“,,,The constitution that was signed in 2004 got rid of the previous EU treaties and created a new re-founding document of the European Union”, by way of contrast the 2007 reform treaty “ ...does not do that , it leaves in place the existing structure and puts forward some institutional reforms .”

So we see how useful Wittgenstein is to the Labour Party. The Old Constitution was not a profound change in order to win a referendum but the old Constitution ,at the same time, “was a profound change” in order to avoid having one at all. Cunning .


Polly filler is another Wittgenstein acolyte. In her recent Guardian article she argued that in view of the complexity of the agreement this was... “ ..the stuff of representative government” . In other words we mere mortals are just to thick to know which way to vote. Clearly she would be horrified at the thought of an untutored electorate taking a mallet to 300 years of Constitutional refinement by entering the Common Market in 1972 . Well no actually , she considers us to have been amply endowed with the requisite perspicacity for that task.

Pull the ladder up behind you Poll. Of course we need a referendum and in the words of Anthony Blair “Let the issue be out , let battle be joined”

15 comments:

Old BE said...

Miliband and Brown keep repeating the same junk arguments as if the electorate are stupid. They are making a fundamental mistake if they think people won't care that they are being patronised and misled.

British voters may often vote selfishly to protect their own vested interests but I think there will be many many people who will not forgive the way in which the government is treating them over this issue.

Newmania said...

Hope you are right Ed

Old BE said...

Well if not, then Britons will get the Mandelsonite Eurogovernment they deserve.

Newmania said...

Post Democratic he said didn`t he

Old BE said...

Yup. But if the Brits can't be bothered to stand up for their own independence and democracy then perhaps they are not worthy of it.

Misquoting from A Clockwork Orange: there are many who would sell their freedoms and democracy in return for a quiet life.

Mulligan said...

Ed

Unfortunately a dimwit calls a bollywood actress a name and everyone wants to phone in and vote. A Government sells us down the line to Brussels and it's way too much bother for people to care. Sad but true, and politicians know it.

On reflection perhaps it's better to hand the whole thing over to Brussels anyway - I don't think I could loathe any politician as much as I do Brown (OK Berlusconi and his staged feinting episode aside)

Newmania said...

I must say TB I do agree with you, it isn`t in a sense , a personal loathing , but I always disliked brown mre than Blair politically .

The Mail are the other way round but then I`m not always that keen on the Mail

Old BE said...

I agree TB. Most Brits have had it quite easy for so long now that they forget that their easy freedoms can so easily be signed away. Generally our leaders have been honourable if not honest or well-meaning but Blair and Brown have proved how fragile our system really is.

The electorate may take note when something important (to them) is taken away but by that time it will be too late.

Did you know the new EU Treaty can oblige us to take up the euro?!?!

Newmania said...

Surely not Ed...I have listened and heard the boasts that we are to be bored out of rights and I am reading furiously . I want to know excatly what they are up to

Philipa said...

Hey N, if you can't get on my blog then forgive me, my head doesn't work - I've had splitting headaches that have got worse since fracturing my skull and my visions affected but all I get from the doc is stronger painkillers. I think I need some more time out, I'm sorry about this and to all who visit my blog I'm sorry folks just bear with me?

Pip x

Newmania said...

I have looked at your blog P I didn`t leave a comment but ...I think it was the right one ...) with the naked women on it?)

Anonymous said...

I agree with you Mr N - also Brown wants to murder all out Badgers!!

Or could we hunt them?

Or will they let pikeys gas them all?

Newmania said...

I say bore then to death by shouting about europe into their sets Mutley

CityUnslicker said...

We won't get a referendum and then I risk becoming a DK-like obsessive pointing out that nothing Parliament does matters.

Sad, but true.

I would not say you are worthy by the way, wordy yes!

Newmania said...

I prefer the term " wind bag " CU

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