Neelie Kroes

I'm on the way to the bank
Gordon Brown tells us he will do "everything it takes" to sort out the present crisis in the UK's banks. The Mr Fixit role appeals to him as he is by nature an interventionist. Gordon Brown loves the 'big state' way of working and has personally waited years to be the Prime Minister of such a thing. Many people thought that Brown's dislike of the euro indicated a dislike of the EU. Not so I suggest. I would imagine Brown has a soft spot for the EU and looks fondly upon the interventionist policies of its élite. While we could never describe Brown as a friend of Peter Mandelson he is, to use that weasel word, a colleague. As we know Mandelson is one of the EU élite and so all is well, or is it? What about another of the élite, European Union (EU) Competition Commissioner, Neelie Kroes? For Kroes has had words with Brian Cowen the Taoiseach of Ireland about his plan to give total security to deposits in Irish banks, see HERE.

Brown has not gone as far as Cowen with deposit safety and as a result there is a suggestion that money is already flowing into Ireland from UK accounts.