Daniel Hannan - Germany no longer needs Europe

http://www.intelligencesquared.com/ev...

Writer and journalist, and Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999

Daniel Hannan is a writer and journalist. He has been a Conservative MEP for South East England since 1999, winning re-election in the top slot in 2004 and 2009. In the European Parliament, he led the campaign for a referendum on the European Constitution. He was also the first MEP to write in detail about the allowances and expenses available in Brussels.

In March 2009, a YouTube clip of his speech to Gordon Brown in the European Parliament attracted 1.4 million hits within 72 hours making it by far the most watched political clip in British history.

Hannan was educated at Marlborough and Oriel College, Oxford. He worked as a speechwriter for William Hague and Michael Howard. He speaks French and Spanish, and is married with two young children. He has been writing for The Daily Telegraph since 1996, and also contributes to numerous other publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Washington Examiner, The Spectator, The Mail on Sunday, The Australian, The Catholic Herald, Die Welt (Germany) and Weltwoche (Switzerland).

He is the author of nine books of which the most recent -- The New Road to Serfdom: A Letter of Warning to America -- is a New York Times best-seller. He blogs every day at www.hannan.co.uk, addressing political and cultural issues. His blog attracts 200,000 hits a week from 80,000 unique users.

• Category

  News & Politics

[lewars1912]

Your comment is both childish and extremely silly.

[Freefallfelixrulz]

The analogy only holds if all of the oxen are of equal strength. Imagine you had a chariot harnessed to 2 horses. The left horse is a thoroughbred, a fine, strong racing animal. The right horse is a shetland pony. You can whip the pony all you like, but it'll never keep up with the thouroughbred, and whatever direction you point the pair in, you'll end up going in circles. The only way to stop it is to hold back the thoroughbred and exhaust the pony. Now imagine 27 different horses. Chaos.

[888Valkyrie]

Well spoken friend! I hope you don't mind if I repeat. The EU is indeed a three legged beast with naut but central control without mandate at its very core.

[Ralf Rath]

germany is superpower again and no nation can take over in the next 1000 years! Germany builds today like in the past best uboats again that can destroy american expensive cariers without problem. Today germany must protect america, french, brtian against attack of muslim countries iran - see ramstein. But germany builds today also best tanks of world - that can dive like german uboats can dive. I dont know why tanks must dive - but germans tanks can dive - only tanks of world that can dive!

[CC3GROUNDZERO]

"Poor" politicians? More like "politicians of the rich upperclass"! They know exactly what they are doing. The spoils of bribery are there for the taking, as long as you're among the money elite in your country. All the rich people want a unified Europe. Everyone else (including less well-to-do Germans!) absolutely hate it.

[CC3GROUNDZERO]

Halt die Fresse, dämlicher Spasti.

[112Stargate]

Yeah, yeah that's exactly the lousy hatred that arises if you press the european nations together...

What a beautiful speech.....

[leroios]

Germany no longer needs Europe?And who is going to rob the rest?No SIEMENS bribing politicians?No HOCHTIEF avoiding paying taxes for last 15 years?No broken submarines sold to us?Who is going to steal our gas and oil?No Troikas?Who is going to make our kids starve now?

[ARC1313]

read Daniel it explains the rise of a powerful confederacy in European based on Roman Imperial system dah this is nothing new

[soapies1973]

Hi there, have you considered "Reveal Travel Deal" (google it)? I have found some unbelievably cheap hotels and even flight tickets. This may help you to spend less on your upcoming getaway as well.

[Reynaldo S.]

Peking? Is this man aware of the modern world? He would be in favor of the European Union if the U.K. were in charge.

[Horst Schlemmer]

We dont want to be longer the Idiot and Pay for the Bad Economy of Other countrys!!!