Tim Worstall

It is all obvious or trivial except…

 

 

← →

A shameful confession

October 12th, 2011 · 9 Comments

All this stuff about the vote on the EFSF.

For every mention of Slovakia I’ve been reading Slovenia.

Share

Tags: Johnny Foreigner

9 responses so far ↓

  • 1 dearieme // Oct 12, 2011 at 10:46 am

    But Czechoslovenia never existed.

  • 2 dearieme // Oct 12, 2011 at 10:47 am

    Though in some metaphysical sense I suppose it does now.

  • 3 Alan Douglas // Oct 12, 2011 at 10:54 am

    Coming partially from an Austrian background, I had no problem – Czecho-Slovakia was north, Slovenia as part of Yugoslavia is south. It is east-west I don’t get, have to picture cowboys v. the part of the USA I was born.

    Alan Douglas

  • 4 JamesV // Oct 12, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    But what’s actually happening is that the opposition, scenting a chance at power, have now agreed to support the measure in a new vote, provided the government falls on its sword and calls an election.

    Where do we get this silly notion that a government has to quit just because it loses a vote in parliament? Sure, if it can’t do anything then things have to change, but if the members of that government are so unconvinced by some particular piece of legislation that they would rather risk losing their jobs than vote for it, isn’t it wise to listen to them instead of doing some back-room deal with the opposition? Otherwise, why do we bother with parliaments?

  • 5 ProgContra // Oct 12, 2011 at 1:07 pm

    @dearieme

    But if Czechoslovenia had existed, it would have come into existence after the First World War, been invaded by Germany in the Second , and by the EU now.

  • 6 John Galt // Oct 12, 2011 at 1:15 pm

    You’re not alone Tim. I made exactly the same assumption.

    It wasn’t until your post that I realised I was thinking about the wrong country as well.

    Hell of a lot of difference between miserable Slovakia and beautiful Slovenia.

  • 7 Philip Walker // Oct 12, 2011 at 1:58 pm

    JamesV: The Slovak government made it a confidence issue. And promptly lost the vote: because nothing screams ‘Strike me down!’ to an opposition so much as making something a confidence issue.

  • 8 BraveFart // Oct 12, 2011 at 2:37 pm

    “Hell of a lot of difference between miserable Slovakia and beautiful Slovenia.”

    I take it you’ve not seen or walked or skied in the Tatra mountains in Slovakia then?

  • 9 Tim Newman // Oct 14, 2011 at 3:39 am

    Once you’ve met a Slovenian (in fact, I’m sitting in her house right now) you never make that mistake again. :)

Leave a Comment