Economics for bastards.

Brian and Richard are both commenting on this piece in The Scotsman:

TSUNAMI-struck Thailand has been told by the European Commission that it must buy six A380 Airbus aircraft if it wants to escape the tariffs against its fishing industry.

While millions of Europeans are sending aid to Thailand to help its recovery, trade authorities in Brussels are demanding that Thai Airlines, its national carrier, pays £1.3 billion to buy its double-decker aircraft.

Richard points out:

The aircraft will cost Thailand some £1.3 billion – nearly the amount that all 25 EU members states have pledged in tsunami aid to the whole affected region.

Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

One thing for sure, you won't hear anything about it from the BBC.

Sadly, he's right. And that's a shame, because this has nothing to do with being for or against the EU. It is perfectly possible to support the EU in principle while objecting to this particular action, just as one can object to Britain's Labour Government without believing that Britain should be a republic or a collection of city-states.

The EU claims to be a democracy. Well, let's test that. None of its citizens who have given to help the Tsunami victims will want this tariff, if they get to hear about it. So tell everyone; give this some publicity. Get the European Parliament's constituents pissed off, and maybe public opinion will have some effect.

Brian says:

I realise that it is carrying the search for a silver lining to absurd lengths to say such a thing, but one good thing about this whole Tsunami horror is that it has brought this EU vileness rather more out into the open than would have happened otherwise. As it is, the combination of nastiness and lack of political sensitivity being shown by the EU is extraordinary even by their low standards. Do they not see that the Tsunami has somewhat changed things?

No, they don't. But perhaps they can be shown.