[Acrylic-bob]

In the German capital, Berlin, at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstrasse, stands a gate. Built in 1788 on the commission of Friederich Willhelm II of Prussia to represent Peace. The gate, classical in form and monumental in structure, is ironically, perhaps, based on the Propylaea; the gateway to the Acropolis in Athens, the seat and cradle of democracy. The Gate now gives access to Unter den Linden which once led to the palace of the Prussian monarchy. Atop the gate stands a sculpture, in gilded bronze, the symbolic figure of Victory riding in a chariot pulled by four horses. In her hand she carries a staff bearing a laurel wreath surmounted by a Prussian Eagle. Napoleon had it removed to Paris in 1806 and on its restoration in 1814 a darker symbol was added to the laurel wreath; a Prussian Iron Cross. The Nazi Party used the gate as a symbol too. As did the West Germans after the close of the Second World War and the erection of the Berlin Wall. Indeed, it became something of a focal point during the now legendary visit to West Berlin of President J.F. Kennedy, who was told by the mayor of the city, Richard von Weizsacker; “The German question is open as long as the Brandenburg Gate is closed.” In 1989 the gate was once more the focal point for the events which saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the re-unification of east and west Germany; A complex symbol, spanning two hundred years of bloodshed, hatred and division, was thus returned to it's original intention of representing Peace.


In the south west of Poland, close to the border with the Czech Republic and Slovakia, There is a another gate, erected to give access to a late ninteenth century Polish artillery barracks. The intention was to keep people out and away from dangerous munitions. In 1940 the use of the gate changed irrevocably. It was used to isolate and confine. In structure it is simple; two posts support a pair of open iron barred gates. Though it is simple, even brutal in its construction, like the Brandenburg Gate, this gate too is freighted with symbolism and philosophical allusion. Above the gate, as an arch, picked out in letters of stark, black iron are the words “ARBEIT MACHT FRIE”, 'Work makes you free'. An anodyne sentiment which served to concealed the truth of the horrors that were committed within. What is ommitted from the legend above the gate is the corollary, that those unfortunate enough to pass beneath the sign would find such freedom came only after slavery, starvation and death. The gate stands now, eternally open, as a mute witness to ruthless inhumanity, pitiless efficiency and callous deceit.


In front of the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, there stands a third gateway recently completed at a cost of 32 million euro's. The so-called Parlamentarium is the visitor centre through which all must pass to visit the European Parliament. As with most things European, it took a good deal longer to build than it should have and cost a lot more than it was supposed to and is a good deal bigger than is necessary. It is a gateway that again makes much use of symbolism. To quote the official website the gateway contains: “ Dynamic, interactive multimedia displays [which] guide our visitors through the journey of European integration and the impact this has on our everyday lives...finding out along the way what contribution the European Union has made to each of the Member States. ” On one wall in the visitor centre, thoughtfully picked out in English, is the following statement:


“National sovereignty is the root cause of the most crying evils of our time. The only final remedy for this supreme and catastrophic evil is a federal union of the peoples.”


This weekend, after four years of dithering and can kicking the current masters of the European Union, Germany, leaked a proposal they were intending to submit as the final solution to the Greek problem; our teutonic bretheren seem to have an unhappy fixation with 'final solutions'. In short the Greek Government must submit all its taxation and spending decisions to an EU appointed Commissioner for approval. All spending decisions would only be approved once the obligations on their debt had been paid. In effect, if enough tax was not collected to repay the debt interest then government spending on everything else; pensions, health, civil service etc. etc. would have to be cut to fit the amount left over. Further, if the Greeks expected further EU bailouts, then the proposal had to be written into Greek Law. No argument, no discussion, Sign up or no more cash.


We have seen how France and Germany have unseated democratically elected Prime Ministers in both Greece and Italy and have replaced them with Brussels placemen, both former Goldman-Sachs' employees. And we know that despite the erection of a toothless European Parliament they take no notice of anything that the demos has to say about anything. And how their stated aim is, and has been since the inception of the European idea, the removal of National Sovereignty. Now we see how it is to be accomplished. Today it is Greece. In a couple of months time it will be Portugal's turn. And then Spain and then Italy. Germany is today accomplishing that which Hitler only ever dared dream about, and all without having fired a single shot. Dont believe me? Read this...


“Europe’s nations should be guided towards the super-state without their people understanding what is happening. This can be accomplished by successive steps each disguised as having an economic purpose, but which will eventually and irreversibly lead to federation.”
Jean Monnet, Founder of the European Movement. Former Cognac salesman and bureaucrat at the League of Nations. 30 April 1952



And then this...



“No government dependent upon a democratic vote could possibly agree in advance to the sacrifice that any adequate plan [to build the EU] must involve. The people must be led slowly and unconsciously into their abandonment of their traditional economic defences…”
Lord (Peter) Thorneycroft, Privy Councillor, Conservative Party Chairman 1975-1981. Chairman of ‘Design For Europe’ Committee, 1947,



and, finally, this...



“The single currency is the greatest abandonment of sovereignty since the foundation of the European Community … it is a decision of an essentially political nature. We need this United Europe … we must never forget that the Euro is an instrument for this project.”
Felipe Gonzalez, Socialist Prime Minister of Spain from 1982 to 1996. May 1998.



What more do you need to know? Get the UK out of this European mess now, Before the gate closes and we are all slaves beneath the Pan European Jackboot.



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