On the US Political Scene: Watergate and Washington Bridge -"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" - by RM

President Richard Nixon: "I am not a crook"

The French have this wonderful saying: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" which in essence in any language indicates a certain disillusionment or resignation regarding whatever is being talked about.

For example: a company might make all kinds of policy changes, but the personnel issues are unaffected. 

Or a couple go to marriage counseling, but continue fighting about everything. 

A new sheriff comes to town, but there is no noticeable impact on crime. New people, new promises, but the same old problems - plus ça change....

Governor Chris Christie:" I did not know"

Last week Thursday, Christie said, "I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge."  

This Wednesday morning, news outlets around the USA released emails that strongly implied that in September a top aide to New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie planned a dangerous traffic jam near the George Washington Bridge to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee. After over seven hours of silence, Christie—a possible presidential candidate in 2016—released a statement denying he had knowledge of the aide's actions. Up until then, Christie and his aides made numerous statements claiming his office had no involvement in the scandal.

For some reason it brought back memories of Watergate and President Nixon's press conferences and statements at that time .

Some forty one years ago on November 17, 1973,  Richard Nixon declared: "I am not a crook", as the President at the time of the Wagtergate scandal vigorously defended his record during the case and said he had never profited from his public service. 

"I have earned every cent. And in all of my years of public life I have never obstructed justice," Mr. Nixon said. "People have got to know whether or not their President is a crook. Well, I'm not a crook. I've earned everything I've got."

In an hour-long televised question-and-answer session with 400 Associated Press managing editors, Mr. Nixon was tense and sometimes misspoke. But he maintained his innocence in the Watergate case and promised to supply more details on his personal finances and more evidence from tapes and presidential documents.

Yesterday January 9, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did a full blast, full house, two hour Press conference, responding to the George Washington Bridge traffic jam that had exploded on Wednesday and appeared to have imperiled his presidential aspirations.

He announced that he was firing the staffer responsible and that he would cut ties with one of his top political aides, and would be investigating what other abuses might be left uncovered. He then took round after round of questions in which he fulfilled most of the compulsory mea culpa requirements .

Governor Christie apologized, took responsibility, called himself “embarrassed and humiliated,”and even used an old Truman quote that  "the buck stops here" in addition to expressing regret, denouncing the affair several times as "callous" and "stupid", and announced that he was going to be visiting the injured parties.

Somewhere it became more clear what the French mean by "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose ".

EU-Digest

Turkey: Europe Should Say No to Turkey for Good - by Michael Rubin

Not only does Turkey dream about being a member of the European Union, but the future of Europe depends on it. At least that is the narrative put forward by both American officials and many European diplomats for quite some time. In 2009, for example, President Obama said that European Union membership would “firmly anchor” Turkey in Europe.

Whether out of conviction or a desire for access, some U.S.-based Turkey analysts also push the line, and suggest that EU membership will further Turkey’s reform and bolster Europe’s economy.

Such sentiments may be politically correct, but they are nonsense. Rather than become more democratic or truly reform, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has transformed Turkey into a banana republic. In recent days, he has not only fired police chiefs across the country to ensure that his own personal cronies take their place, but has moved to punish Zekeriya Öz, the prosecutor once embraced for targeting Turkey’s generals, but who now is a pariah for questioning those in the prime minister’s inner circle. On Tuesday, Öz released a statement detailing the threats he received. “Soon after the first wave of warrants,” he wrote, “I was called to a meeting by two people from the high judiciary.

We met in a hotel in Bursa. They told me that Erdoğan was very angry with me. They asked me to write an apology letter to Erdoğan and stop the investigations. Otherwise I would have to suffer the consequences ….”
 Despite the constant threats he now receives, Erdoğan has stripped him of security. He is, effectively, a dead man walking.

At its root, the reason for the corruption scandal targeting Erdoğan’s inner circle was the prime minister’s targeting of a network of lucrative test-prep centers run by adherent of Fethullah Gülen. That many Western-leaning Turks, diplomats, and journalists now place their hopes in Gülen, a shadowy religious cult leader whose about-face has been motivated not by democratic enlightenment but personal spite and greed, reinforces the notion that not only is Turkey not ready for Europe, but it never will be.

Within Turkey, demography favors the conservative, Islamist-leaning followers of Erdoğan. Both Erdoğan and Gülen’s recent behavior show that real democratic culture has not accompanied the much-heralded reforms implemented by Erdoğan.

No matter who comes out in Turkey’s political struggle, it is time once and for all to put to rest the idea that Turkey will ever join Europe, nor should it. Enabling Turkish membership into the European Union would at this point be little different in effect than allowing Egyptian, Syrian, Lebanese, or Libyan accession. Policy must be based on reality, not wishful thinking. Erdoğan should go down in history as the man that ruined Turkey’s decade-long dream.

Read more: Europe Should Say No to Turkey for Good « Commentary Magazine

EU: New Pact for Europe - all about the initiative

The euro-zone crisis has provided a strong new impetus for European integration, but that now risks being undermined amid increasing tension over how best to meet the many complex financial, economic, political, social and global challenges we face. Efforts to overcome the current malaise are being hampered by profound disagreements over the future course of reforms; mounting socio-economic problems and political instability in many EU countries; different interpretations of the causes and consequences of the crisis; growing Euroscepticism and an increasing reluctance among both citizens and elites to further pool sovereignty at European level. And while the EU is preoccupied with itself, Europe keeps on losing ground as the global shift continues.

The New Pact for Europe project was launched by the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium) and is supported by a large transnational consortium. This project aims to promote a Europe-wide debate on reform proposals addressing three fundamental questions which need to be answered to develop an effective response to the multi-dimensional crisis Europeans are facing:

• What is at stake if 'Europe' cannot tackle the various challenges we face? ('What do we need the EU for?')
• What kind of collaboration is needed at European level to respond to the crisis? ('What needs to be done?')
• How can the answers to these two questions be translated into action to make the EU more effective and to command broader-based public support? ('How should it be done?')

A Reflection Group and an Advisory Group provides input to, and inspiration for, the elaboration of a New Pact between policy-makers and European citizens and between Member States:
The Reflection Group includes top opinion-makers from different EU Member States, who have a genuine interest in the success of European integration, are realistic and pragmatic but at the same time able to think 'out of the box', and ready and able to communicate through the media.

The Advisory Group brings together high-ranking policy-makers, academics, NGO representatives and other stakeholders – a mixture of past and current national and European leaders from different sectors and backgrounds.

Read more: About the initiative - New Pact for Europe - Profile

EU: We want a United States of Europe says top EU official - by Bruno Waterfield

EU-United we stand Divided we fall

A campaign for the European Union to become a "United States of Europe" will be the "best weapon against the Eurosceptics", one of Brussels' most senior officials has said.

Viviane Reding, vice president of the European Commission and the longest serving Brussels commissioner, has called for "a true political union" to be put on the agenda for EU elections this spring.

"We need to build a United States of Europe with the Commission as government and two chambers – the European Parliament and a "Senate" of Member States," she said last night.

Mrs Reding's vision, which is shared by many in the European institutions, would transform the EU into superstate relegating national governments and parliaments to a minor political role equivalent to that played by local councils in Britain.

Under her plan, the commission would have supremacy over governments and MEPs in the European Parliament would supersede the sovereignty of MPs in the House of Commons.

Note EU-Digest: Stronger unity is the only way for the EU to get true leverage on the overall state of World Affairs, regardless if Eurosceptics like the idea or not. United Europe will stand and divided it will fall. Anyone who believes any one country in the EU can go at it alone, while surrounded by world super powers like Chia, Russia and the US is dreaming.


Almere-Digest

The Netherlands: Sharia proponent Haitham al-Haddad Upcoming Visit To Almere Causing Major Controversy

Haitham al-Haddadto speak in Almere

The City Council of  Almere has been embroiled in a controversy as to a speaking engagement of Haitham al-Haddad in Almere. Cleric Haitham al-Haddad  is a controversial Sharia proponent from England. 

He comes to Almere on Februari 7 at the invitation of the Organization of Muslim Youth Almere.

Show van Dijk member of the PVV ( Freedom Party)  political fraction in the Almere City Council said that  the Muslim Clerc Haitham al-Haddad should not be allowed to speak in Almere. He noted that Haitham al-Haddad in the past has made some very radical statements about non-muslims which are unacceptable in a secular and multi-cultural society like the Netherlands. Also the SP (Socialist Party) representative in the Almere City Coincil said they were against Haitham al-Haddad presentation in Almere.
 
The VVD (Conservative), Liveable Almere ( Right-Wing) and Green (Liberal) political fractions in the City Council stated that based on Dutch laws guaranteeing the right to freedom of expression, Haitham al-Haddad should be allowed to  give his talk on Sharia Law, as long as the content of his talk does not violate Dutch laws and the politicians suggested that the format of the presentation not be one of a formal lecture, but rather an open discussion..

It might be good to note that all aspects of a Muslim's life are governed by Sharia. Sharia law comes from a combination of sources including the Quran (the Muslim holy book), the Hadith (sayings and conduct of the prophet Muhammad) and fatwas (the rulings of Islamic scholars).

In Europe so-called Islamic "peace judges" or arbiters are settling criminal cases, not just in Germany but in many other European countries as well. Muslim immigrants generally prefer their own judges and do not trust secular Western legal systems. Thus, Islamic shadow justice systems are making inroads into Western societies. 

"Under Sharia law to settle disputes can be innocent, but it can also undermine Western ideas of fairness," Der Spiegel reports. 

Journalist Joachim Wagner, author of a new German study on parallel justice, says that the world of the Islamic shadow justice system is "very foreign, and for a German lawyer completely incomprehensible. It follows its own rules. The Islamic arbitrators aren't interested in evidence when they deliver a judgment, and unlike in German criminal law, the question of who is at fault doesn't play much of a role." The arbitrators "talk with the perpetrator's family who are generally the ones who have called the arbitrator, and with the victim's family," Wagner says. "They ask: Why did this happen? How bad is the damage? How serious is the injury? But for them, a solution of the conflict, a compromise, is the most important thing." 
  
Reportedly, at least 85 Sharia courts now operate in the UK, dispensing rulings that are often illegal, per British jurisprudence.

Muslim states which embrace Sharia Law are able to enforce public morality and as a result have greatly reduced women’s mobility and their participation in the public sphere.

In 2008, a Dutch-Turkish woman was raped by her nephew. But the Dutch-Turkish Imam Bahauddin (Bahaeddin) Budak advised her not to inform her relatives about it. If she would go pulic about the crime and sue her nephew in court, her life might be in danger. 

He also advised her to forgive the perpetrator. Such crimes are very common among Turkish, Moroccan, Pakistani, Iraqi and Iranian immigrants in Europe many of whom still regard women as sex objects. There is also a strong tendency to cover up crimes such as rape. Women who dare to talk about it in public, or who report such crimes to the police, very often face serious repercussions, since the so-called "honor of the family" is at stake. 

In too many cases, these defenseless victims are subsequently even killed by family members. Budak was also a Muslim religious teacher at the "Inholland university of applied sciences" in Amsterdam. Inholland's director Cor de Raadt had Budak temporarily suspended, but a lot of Dutch Muslims complained about De Raadt's decision and showed solidarity with Imam Budak. 

A Dutch professor in Theology at Amsterdam University noted: "Sharia Law is an archaic law which should not even be qualified as a law. It does not belong in any shape or form in Europe, or for that matter in any other self respecting Democratic society". 

Almere-Digest 

The Netherlands: What is Almere and Flevoland doing to attract foreign companies to the area and what were the results in 2013?

The Scottisch press recently  reported that some of Scotland's fastest growing technology employers are seeking to band together to attract talented digital experts to move north of the Border.

Senior figures at internet dating company Cupid, Tesco Bank and flight comparison website Skyscanner have held talks about how they can persuade the technology industry's rising stars to come to Scotland.

Phil Gripton, the new chief executive of Cupid said: "I have been talking to those at Skyscanner and Tesco Bank.

"We are trying to work together to make Edinburgh a much more attractive place to bring in digital talent."
He said that with other potential employers such as Virgin Money and the Scottish Government, digital experts have substantial career options in Edinburgh and Scotland more generally.

Mr Gripton is among those who have been tempted to move north after he relocated from Manchester to Edinburgh on initially joining Cupid as managing director of its dating services business a year ago.

He formally took over as chief executive from Bill Dobbie on December 1 and has succeeded in bringing in a number senior staffers with experience at major digital employers such as Skype and Match.com to the business as he reshaped the team around him.

This raises an immediate question as to comparable efforts made in the Almere- Flevoland area.

Is there a report available as to what efforts have been made in  2013 in getting foreign companies to settle in the province of Flevoland and Almere, and how many jobs have been created as a result of this.

So far the only answer Almere-Digest was able to get on this question was that the City of Almere foreign promotion was being done together with Amsterdam. Unfortunately concrete facts about the results were unable to come by.

Almere-Digest

Europe's Most (And Least) Affordable Cities according to the European Backpacker Index For 2014

Almere City Lake - the Netherlands

The European Backpacker Index for 2014 ,published last week, rates 51 major European cities by price and was designed to assist budget-minded consumers plan and compare destinations “at a glance.”

“Parts of Europe are still amazing bargains from a global standpoint,” Roger Wade, founder of Price of Travel, a website that helps travelers compare expenses in major cities around the world, said in an email.

“The 10 or so cheapest cities on the list are still far cheaper than any place in the United States, and this includes such popular destinations as Budapest, Krakow, Istanbul, and Prague,” bargain cities that are still far less expensive than their counterparts a bit to the west.

“There are huge sections of Europe where backpackers can live it up on US$50 or less per day, and most of these places are less crowded and touristy than the expensive cities as well,” said Wade, who researched and compiled the list of cities from cheapest to most expensive.

Bucharest (Romania), Kiev (Ukraine) and Sofia (Bulgaria) are the cheapest tourist cities on the new European Backpacker Index; Zurich (Switzerland), Stockholm (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway) ranked as the most expensive.

The Daily Backpacker Index daily rate for Bucharest is currently $24.69 a day; for Zurich, it’s $123.60 a day.

The index is based on the price of a hostel bed (one night in the cheapest bunk at the least expensive hostel in a good location with good reviews),two public transportation rides, three budget meals, the average cost of one cultural attraction and three inexpensive beers (or wine) for each day in each city. (Non-drinkers might have dessert and coffee or attend a local music performance instead, the listing notes.)

“The most significant changes this year had to do with currency fluctuations rather than changing prices. Most notably, the Turkish Lira is down about 20% since the beginning of 2013, so Istanbul and the rest of Turkey are quite cheap and really great value at the moment,” said Wade.

“The Pound and Euro have strengthened a bit so the most popular cities are all a little more expensive for the rest of us, but that could be reversed by summer because they are always bouncing around. Most museums and attractions kept their prices steady this past year, although a few of the most famous ones do seem to push them up a little every year.”

Valletta (Malta), Vilnius (Lithuania), Interlaken (Switzerland) and Santorini (Greece) are new this year, Wade said, mostly because of readers’ requests. Santorini was added in part “because many people are skipping Athens lately,” he said.

Links after each city provide general background and weather information, and more detail about prices.

Now in its fourth year, the index has been updated for 2014. During the past four years, Wade said, most changes to the lists have been refinements to the research process by him and currency fluctuations. Overall, he said, “most places have been pretty steady.”

It was “mildly surprising” but interesting that so many museums and public transportation systems have continued to keep prices stable, Wade said. “I think many people cynically assume that prices go up every year, but Europe is still mostly struggling economically and it’s nice that most cities are resisting the temptation to raise money just by raising prices.”

For travelers with slightly higher budgets than typical backpackers, and who prefer hotels, the Europe 3-Star Traveler Index for 2013 is a similar ranking, but uses a centrally located and well-rated 3-star hotel room, taxi rides and a higher allowance for food prices.

Almere-Digest