4/6 Tony Blair, former British prime minister 4/1 Jan Peter Balkenende, Dutch prime minister 11/2 Jean-Claude Juncker, prime minister of Luxembourg 6/1 Anders Fogh Rasmussen, secretary general of Nato 8/1 Guy Verhofstadt, former prime minister of Belgium 10/1 Aleksander Kwasniewski, former president of Poland 12/1 José Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission 14/1 Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland 16/1 Gerhard Schröder, former German chancellor 33/1 Jacques Chirac, former French president 50/1 Bertie Ahern, former taoiseach 100/1 Silvio Berlusconi, Italian prime minister
I doubt that is true elsewhere in europe. Especially among the elites who will decide this between themselves for their own reasons, few of which will take the best future for europe's people into consideration keep to the Fen Causeway
When a market is full of ignorant people, arbitrage opportunities open up, Eugene Fama be damned. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
I want a bet on how much there is with Paddy full-of-shit Power on Fogh Rasmussen or Barroso. A tenner at the outside?
The narrative, of course, is that the punters and the bookies are the best way to know what's going to happen. What shameful nonsense. Passed along with the tea and sandwiches by a lady from the Guardian's Politics section.
What's worse: the bookie, the Guardian woman, or the Blair communications op that's somewhere behind all this?
This thing is a stitch-up.
Of course they'll say it's "light-hearted".
"Shameless advertising", you say, Deborah -- but interesting? How is it interesting? Half the names in the list are definitely not candidates. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in 4th place, became head of NATO this year and is certainly not looking for another job. Jose Manuel Barroso was re-elected president of the European Commission just weeks ago, and obviously will not be President of the European Council as well. Aleksander Kwasniewski is Polish, and Poland has already recently obtained the presidency of the European Parliament with Jerzy Buzek, so there's no hope of a second high appointment. Neither Schröder, nor Chirac, nor Burlesquoni, have ever been mentioned as candidates. Meanwhile, a seriously-talked-about candidate, former Finnish PM Paavo Lipponenen, is absent. That is exactly half the list made up of non-starters, and a major starter missing. Interesting? Not in my book. Now Paddy Power may say this simply reflects what people wanted to have a flutter on, but I have a job believing a large number of people have really put money down on non-candidates. How much money is riding on these bets? A tenner on Fogh Rasmussen, a fiver on Barroso? 10p on Burlesquoni? Or is the whole thing a joke? What's shameful about this stitch-up is that it's political advertising. If Tony Blair is getting most bets (and that may well be true), it's the result of an enormous communications campaign in the British media, presenting Blair as the inevitable winner. Elsewhere in the EU, you won't hear the same noise. And people from all over Europe are signing the StopBlair! petition. It's better than being a punter, and there are far more citizens doing it.
How is it interesting? Half the names in the list are definitely not candidates.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in 4th place, became head of NATO this year and is certainly not looking for another job.
Jose Manuel Barroso was re-elected president of the European Commission just weeks ago, and obviously will not be President of the European Council as well.
Aleksander Kwasniewski is Polish, and Poland has already recently obtained the presidency of the European Parliament with Jerzy Buzek, so there's no hope of a second high appointment.
Neither Schröder, nor Chirac, nor Burlesquoni, have ever been mentioned as candidates.
Meanwhile, a seriously-talked-about candidate, former Finnish PM Paavo Lipponenen, is absent.
That is exactly half the list made up of non-starters, and a major starter missing. Interesting? Not in my book.
Now Paddy Power may say this simply reflects what people wanted to have a flutter on, but I have a job believing a large number of people have really put money down on non-candidates. How much money is riding on these bets? A tenner on Fogh Rasmussen, a fiver on Barroso? 10p on Burlesquoni? Or is the whole thing a joke?
What's shameful about this stitch-up is that it's political advertising. If Tony Blair is getting most bets (and that may well be true), it's the result of an enormous communications campaign in the British media, presenting Blair as the inevitable winner.
Elsewhere in the EU, you won't hear the same noise. And people from all over Europe are signing the StopBlair! petition.
It's better than being a punter, and there are far more citizens doing it.
The narrative, of course, is that the punters and the bookies are the best way to know what's going to happen. What shameful nonsense.
deja bankster all over again! ~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~
EUobserver / Gambling firm tips Blair for EU president job
a Paddy Power employee told EUobserver that the firm's research is limited to reading newspapers and using common sense. "It'd be a matter of opinion. It's an educated guess," she said.
a Paddy Power employee told EUobserver that the firm's research is limited to reading newspapers and using common sense.
"It'd be a matter of opinion. It's an educated guess," she said.
My comment left by mail:
I quote from today's Gambling firm tips Blair for EU president job article by ANDREW RETTMAN: a Paddy Power employee told EUobserver that the firm's research is limited to reading newspapers and using common sense. "It'd be a matter of opinion. It's an educated guess," she said. An "educated" guess that lists a slew of absolute non-starters: Anders Fogh Rasmussen -- named head of NATO recently, and not looking for another job; Aleksandr Krasniewski -- Poland recently got the presidency of the European Parliament with Jerzy Buzek, there is no prospect of a second Polish appointment Jose Manuel Barroso -- is it really necessary to say why he will not be president of the European Council? Schröder, Chirac, Berlusconi... None of these have ever once been cited as candidates. On the other hand, Paavo Lipponen, former Finnish PM, a serious candidate, is not mentioned. These odds are an ignorant disgrace, and finding them accommodatingly featured under "Political Affairs" in a supposedly EU-focussed outlet is worse yet. Is Andrew Rettman incapable of supplying a modicum of informed comment?
An "educated" guess that lists a slew of absolute non-starters:
Anders Fogh Rasmussen -- named head of NATO recently, and not looking for another job;
Aleksandr Krasniewski -- Poland recently got the presidency of the European Parliament with Jerzy Buzek, there is no prospect of a second Polish appointment
Jose Manuel Barroso -- is it really necessary to say why he will not be president of the European Council?
Schröder, Chirac, Berlusconi... None of these have ever once been cited as candidates.
On the other hand, Paavo Lipponen, former Finnish PM, a serious candidate, is not mentioned.
These odds are an ignorant disgrace, and finding them accommodatingly featured under "Political Affairs" in a supposedly EU-focussed outlet is worse yet. Is Andrew Rettman incapable of supplying a modicum of informed comment?
Though there has to be some sort of opening odds offer based on studying the inside of their own anus. En un viejo país ineficiente, algo así como España entre dos guerras civiles, poseer una casa y poca hacienda y memoria ninguna. -- Gil de Biedma
