Barroso refuses to rule out third term bid

To Echo "Charles_M" - where do I cast my vote?

"... I will make a decision about myself."
This over-promoted, self-important former Maoist and delusional megalomaniac is evidently completely oblivious that millions of ordinary folk have already made their own decision about him.

@ Charles_M, @ English,
Have you boys been on the sauce?

@ Daye Tucker, absolutely spot on - Barroso has enjoyed his power trip and will not want to give it up.

@ Dujo, @ Joe Thorpe, @Ricard,
How depressingly right you are!

George - read my post again, carefully please

What's so strange about it? I think he's done a pretty good job of steering as through the US-made crisis. Why fix something that ain't broken?

Seriously though, why shouldn't BArroso have another term? This is the best kind of continuity we've had so far. To believe the European project is going to collapse is simply naive. What alternatives are there, and I mean seriously? Going back to national currencies and deleting the area of justice, security and freedom? Good luck convinving the current 20-30 generation to go back to getting visas and brining their passports around. Uncoupling the 27 economies and have everyone fend for themselves in bilateral arrangements? This part of the world is past the bilateral stage. We've move to the regionals, and regional groups of influence. The EU as such is not homogenous, but we all know that was never the point, but it's a marriage of convenience to all its members, that would otherwise be simply non-existant in the wider real-politik scheme of things.

"Why fix something that ain't broken?".....The perception of many is, that it IS already broken but that isn't the point. The third term is more normally the term that witnesses either stagnation or revolution and increased discontent from fresher thinking factions within or without. Times change so rapidly that politicians must be flexible, fleet of foot and prepared to make bold decisions and even u turns to change direction. Continuity must not mask the usual challenges of corruption and complacency that ultimate power from a third term seems to often to bring with it.

@Dujo: it really hasn't been that long, have you forgotten already? The crisis started in the US, with the failure of the loaning market, in 2010, and sudden pull outs by big amounts of money from the stock market. Investements froze, daughter companies in Europe were sacked, bank branches were sacked. Europe got pulled into the bottomoless loaning pit the US has been in for the past 30 years. Of course, it hit home hardest. What was unfortunate for the EU was that the pullouts affected European economies relying heaviest on overseas investements. When these investements started shutting down in places like Greece, a whole new can of worms was opened. But then again GReece was at fault itself, for spending unreasonably for the past 20 years as well, paying people a 16th salary every year, when they work an average of 6 hours a day (I know, I've gone to Greece to investigate) and they cannot possibly get their GDP up to speed to match their spending. So GReece collapsed first; EU swooped in to save it because that's what that whole "solidarity" principle is about. We all chip in to save the one drowning, even though the one drowning has been working for it steadily for a long time, and the rest of us pretended we don't see it. No Barroso, no EU institution, not anybody can come in and tell a government how to run it's national economy; but if we want to be in this club we have to keep it running at a certain level. Them's the terms. GReece has been cut a huge piece of slack, and has been given a golden chance. I do doubt however the EU can or would afford to do it again. It's not the Eurocrats you have a problem with, it's your national spending scheme. The Eurocrats can't do anything about it if you elect demagogues who tell you what you want to hear for 4 years, and are too scared of opinion polls to make reforms that matter. The Eurocrats can only say "hey, you agreed to play by these rules when you joined the club, so please be true to your word!" but that's about it, and I hope everyone here knows this. Otherwise, we're no better than our politicians shouting slogans.