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omg Im so confused and don't even want to know what you are talking about.  Power grab?  I'm talking using words in ways that defy the laws of the universe and confuse everyone.

Just, stop using the same words for different things!  No one calls the President of the Senate the President of the US.  Why call Sweden the President of the EU?  How can a country be President of anything anyway?  That's crazy.  I mean, honest to god, why not call Sweden the "President of the Council" (if that's what it is - I don't even know anymore) and Barroso the "President of the Commission"?  No one even knows what the EU is anyway, so it might work.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 02:35:45 PM EST
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Bloody Europeans, doing things different to Americans. The cads.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 02:57:17 PM EST
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Oh please.  My point was never that it should do things like America.  DoDo brought up the US Senate, not me - but feel free to ignore that if it gets in the way of your righteous indignation...

My point was about the very confusing terminology.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:44:02 PM EST
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<shrug> We do it to annoy you.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:49:19 PM EST
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Why are you guys bringing up America? Honestly - I think it says a lot more about you than it does America.

I first noted the "EU President v. EU Presidency" problem while watching France 24.  It was on Deutsche Welle that I saw a programme about how most Europeans don't even understand the EU and are apathetic about it because they don't even know what it does.  It was on ET that I brought it up.  The example I used was from a Chinese news service.

It's pretty pathetic of you to dismiss what I say on the grounds of my nationality alone.  Jesus effing christ - you are better than that Colman.  And here I was just about to write a diary on Obama's atrocious foreign policy... Guess I wont - I don't want to be accused of American exceptionalism.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 04:07:34 PM EST
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Why call Sweden the President of the EU?

That's the point: they are only the President of the Council of the EU, which is the (very) rough equivalent of the Senate; and pretending to be the Presidents of the EU reflects the Council's power grab. To give you the analogy, it's as if your Governors had taken over the Senate, and made the President and his cabinet yes-men for it.

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.

by DoDo on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:10:40 PM EST
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(For Europeans: in the above, I don't even attempt to indicate the distinction between the Council and the European Council...)

*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:12:38 PM EST
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Even wikipedia gets that distinction wrong occasionally.

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:36:27 PM EST
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I mean, honest to god, why not call Sweden the "President of the Council" (if that's what it is - I don't even know anymore)

That is what it is, and that is what it's called.

However, everyone from politicians to journalists to bloggers is too damn lazy to make the distinction.

Also, for president you can read chairperson if it helps.


A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:20:14 PM EST
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first there was this in the 1960s and then the member states negotiated a treaty (Lisbon) which gives the Council more influence.

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:26:04 PM EST
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If I may suggest my own diary The Bigger Picture from February 11th, 2008.

It's not like we don't endlessly talk about this stuff on the blog.

A man of words and not of deeds is like a garden full of weeds; a man of deeds and not of words is like a garden full of turds — Anonymous

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Thu Jul 2nd, 2009 at 03:34:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

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