Friday 12 October 2012

Beyond Parody

Many of my readers will now probably be aware that the EU has been aware the Nobel Peace Prize, for...wait for it (drum roll)...[contributing] to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe".

That the award has been received with much derision speaks for itself - to paraphrase Mrs Thatcher - "you can't buck the facts". 

The Nobel Peace prize has long been discredited, but it may have surpassed itself this time, though worth noting that the decision by the five-member panel, is led by Jagland who is also Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. No conflict of interest there...oh no.

What is evident by this news though is the retreat into an ever decreasing circle of a self-congratulatory bonanza; Harrogate becomes ever more important - we need to realise our own power and pdq. And while Barroso offers a smug, beaming reaction to the news, he ought to be aware that Alfred Nobel's other legacy has a far more immediate, potent and effective outcome.

Still it could have been worse (or more hilarious); the EU could have been nominated for the Nobel Prize for Economics

4 comments:

  1. It seems about right to me...

    Surely there is no anomaly in a distinctly divisive organisation being awarded with a prize that was derived from the profits made through the invention and sale of dynamite.

    The EU (weird because it is a corporation rather than a person) is in some illustrious company...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Nobel_laureates

    Don't talk to me about the world being turned upside down!

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  2. Oh and apart from my poor attempt at being funny TBF... Here is something via the Adam Smith Institute that is genuinely funny.

    http://www.adamsmith.org/blog/international/tweet-of-the-day?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+adamsmithinstitute+%28Adam+Smith+Institute+blog%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

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  3. Surely it is obvious that the EU deserves a Nobel Prize for its great achievement in banning the re-use of jam-jars? That alone is a major contribution to human rights, democracy and world peace.

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  4. @right_writes thanks for the link

    @Julia Gasper Quite, though of course jam jars can have a usual purpose (if filled with the right substances) in facilitating human rights, democracy and world peace. :-)

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