Determined to prove that there is a bureaucratic solution to every problem, the European Commission has announced plans to set up a European Centre for disease control:
The European Commission is set, by the end of May, to propose that a European centre for disease prevention and control be set up.
The news comes as several parts of the world succumb to new cases of SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) the flu-like virus which attacks the young, old, healthy and unhealthy alike – and has caused several deaths.
Cunning and astute as ever, the Commissioners already have a plan to prevent the spread of SARS in Europe. According to Dutch Health Commissioner Willy Van Der Pimp:
“No further cases of SARS will be allowed into the European Union as this disease does not conform to European safety standards”.
However French Commissioner Bertrand Maginot was even more forthcoming:
“We must abandon the idea that disease can be beaten by medical science. This is simplistic and dangerous and will only be the cause of more disease. Epidemics can only be prevented by negotiating with the various diseases as part of the political process.”
The Commissioners are in the process of forming a sub-committee to look into the ‘root causes’ of disease.
Contagious illness is the health of the state, or in this case the superstate.
Funny, but not really true. The EU (and Whitehall too) doesn’t think that there’s a bureaucratic solution to every problem. It can only conceive of problems themselves in bureacratic terms: there are no problems but administrative ones. Hence the vast resources devoted to solving “problems” that don’t exist–and making real ones worse–and the general disregard for trouble caused to real people by arbitrary regulation.
The Euro-CDC is not a response to SARS: SARS is the opportunity for the USE to have a CDC just like the other United States has. Bureacracy-envy. (Of course, though the name will be the same, the EUSSR’s interpretation of the role will be different.)
Glad to see that Titan of Gallic diplomacy, Monsieur Maginot, back in the front line, so to speak.
We should be doubly worried.
This is a huge opportunity for the EU to slide in permanent incursions on our freedoms, imposing a Eruope-wide ID card is just one of the possible prizes they must be drooling over.
And if the EU takes charge of epidemic control the actual disease could get really bad. Their systemic incompetence could actually kill millions now they propose to direct something truly important.
In news that surprised no-one, French Commissioner Maginot stated that SARS will would be welcome if accompanied by President Mugabe.