British Say “NO” to Euro Again On European Currency Anniversary

APPA NEWS, LONDON 01/01/09 - A new public opinion Poll published today by BBC has shown again the British People’s strong opposition to giving up British Pound Sterling in favour of the Euro, as the European currency completes today its 10th Anniversary.

The Poll follows the trend previously seen in past polls, giving a YES to British Pound by a significant margin, alongside controversial declarations made by José Manuel Durão Barroso, EU Commission President, who stated in December “the UK was closer than ever to joining the Euro” and “the people who matter in British politics“ were contemplating giving up the Pound”.

However, opposing views were expressed by Lord Mandelson, Business Secretary. Whilst joining the Euro is a long term goal for New Labour, said Lord Mandelson, such policy is not for now. But neither Mr Barroso nor Lord Mandelson are meeting the will of the British People, which has always shown a clear “NO” to joining the Euro. Even the best Poll ever in favour did not go further than a mere 31% in favour of the Euro, versus 56% saying NO to the European Union currency.

The issue of whether to join the Euro or not has always been a hot topic in British politics, but has gained a new breath of life recently as the Pound plummeted in value, reaching a point of nearly parity with the Euro, as a result of the credit crunch and subsequent financial collapse in the second half of 2008.

“THE PEOPLE WHO MATTER IN BRITISH POLITICS”

Mr Barroso’sstatement is relevant however, as it appears to argue that the people who matter are those who are in favour of joining the Euro, the rest - the majority of the British People, in fact - does not come into the equation, a position guaranteed to raise eyebrows for the anti-democratic tone, actually an accusation frequently thrown at the European Union political practices, as seen withthe Lisbon Treaty referendum, promised by New Labour, but was never delivered and very recently, the Irish nightmare as Ireland may face a second referendum about the Lisbon Treaty, as the first Irish “No” does not play along with the tune of Brussels Eurocrats.

But “NO” usually means… well… “NO“, so it becomes hard to figure out which part of the word “NO” is difficult to grasp, for either Brussels or the British New Labour Government.

“NO”!… A SOVEREIGNTY ISSUE

What seems clear and apparent though, is the “NO” concerns matters of self-governance and sovereignty for Brits in general, exposing a general feeling of loss of control of British Affairs, especially in times of financial hardship, as joining the Euro would mean losing the power to self regulate the British economy.

This is in fact a case in point in Lord Mandelson’s statement. If a move to join the Euro is “not for now”, presumably because it is more convenient to keep full control of the British currency according to the needs of British economy, as it may be concluded from Lord Mandelson’s declarations, then it makes sense to ask what would happen in the future, once the Pound is scrapped, should a serious crisis happen again.

It is a chief argument for the UKIP Party. Dr Whittaker, UKIP Party MEP poignantly noted the credit crunch had exposed a potential weakness in joining the Euro, because “while all [Euro zone] economies are suffering, some Euro Zone countries are now in an impossible position”. Because these countries joined the Euro, they effectively lost their power to ease the crisis, for example by lowering interest rates and devaluing currency, crisis counter-measures they cannot take because they are stuck with the Euro, under European Central Bank control.

The Conservative Party, in a statement apparently made to the “Daily Mail”, said the Tories under David Cameron’s leadership “would never join the Euro”. Tory sources insisted the party’s policy in regards to the Euro has not changed.

Remembrance Day 2008 - Britain Pays Tribute To War Dead

APPA NEWS, LONDON-UK 08/11/08 - Sunday 9th of November, Britain stops in a national two minute silence tribute to remember all those who fell in the line of duty.

A sad day doubtless, but also a profound tribute to the huge sacrifice of the Armed Forces in previous wars and more poignantly perhaps, the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, where so many have died and many more have returned home ill or disabled.

Across the entire country, multiple ceremonies will mark a solemn occasion of remembrance and gratitude, all of which will be presided by official ceremonies at the London Whitehall Cenotaph, presided by Her Majesty the Queen.

This year also marks the 90th Anniversary of World War I (1918 - 2008).

The two minute silence, which will take place at Big Ben’s 11th hour strike, is traditionally observed everywhere across Britain. Airports, train stations, shops, cafés, in the streets, churches and peoples’ homes… Silence! And remembrance! And deep gratitude! And heartfelt solidarity to their families, relatives and friends.

Remembrance Sunday, always in November, but also always somehow everyday in our collective memory.

In our hearts, lies a red poppy. Ultimate symbol of remembrance, a tradition inherited from a realisation atthe battlefields of Europe during the Napoleonic wars, the First World War and again the Second World War. When earth is revolved by the furious clash of battle, the red poppy is the only flower capable of surviving. And so, red poppies flourished in their millions in the fields of Europe, growing wildly around the fallen corpses of tens of thousands of soldiers. Blood red poppies, grow also in our mourning hearts, as we wear them in our lapels.

Portuguese Produce Unavailable on British Supermarkets

APPA NEWS, LONDON - UK - A market review conducted by AIMP has revealed a shocking reality. Portuguese products do not reach British markets and the very few that make it to Britain’s shores are either mainstream turism produce or Port wines.

AIMP-PMIA [Portuguese Monarchist International Alliance], which has been monitoring food and drink markets in the United Kingdom for six months has concluded that key areas of the Portuguese Economy, such as traditional high end quality food and drink produce is not exported to the United Kingdom at rates capable of competing with Spanish, Italian and Greek produce.

Shocking as it may seem and in sharp contrast to what happens with Greek, Italian and above all Spanish produce, all selling millions of pounds worth of products in Britain, Serra cheeses, Azores “Ilha” cheeses, Azeitão cheeses, “Pata Negra” hams and most high quality red and white wines are nowhere to be found in any of the major supermarket networks, among them Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, ASDA and Marks & Spencer. The same can safely be said of Madeira wines, for example, despite the well known fact that Madeira produces excellent table wines, but most Madeira found in Britain is marketed as cooking wine.

Another markedly shocking area concerns marketing of Olive Oil, a product not very popular in Britain just 15 years ago, but has enjoyed a huge boom to the point where no British household would consider cooking without it. Again, all olive oil available is either Spanish, Greek, Italian or even Turkish. Portugal, known as it is for producing some of the best olive oil in the world, quite simply does not export it.

The situation is all the more shocking because Portuguese produce is generally far superior to the competition, but as it stands, it allows Spanish, Greek and Italian producers to pocket millions of pounds in profit, as traditional products sell extremely well and are very popular among the British people, accostumed to enjoy them at holiday resorts and once back home, look out for them in the supermarkets.

The report, which is expected to be available in the first quarter 2009, presents an overall poor picture, showing that none of the British major supermarket networks - worth many thousands of sales outlets across Britain - carry important and high quality Portuguese produce, apart from Mateus Rosé wines, a couple of “Vinho Verde” (most labeled Gazela and unlabelled), several Port wines, mostly Ruby class and Tawny and very few fresh vegetables.