The Scotsman [1] is reporting this morning on a story I started hearing about yesterday.. and actually commented on at well, I forget where, actually….
“TSUNAMI-struck Thailand has been told by the European Commission that it must buy six A380 Airbus aircraft if it wants to escape the tariffs against its fishing industry.
While millions of Europeans are sending aid to Thailand to help its recovery, trade authorities in Brussels are demanding that Thai Airlines, its national carrier, pays £1.3 billion to buy its double-decker aircraft. “
So what’s this really all about?
While aid workers from across Europe are helping to rebuild Thai livelihoods, trade officials in Brussels are concluding a jets-for-prawns deal, which they had hoped to announce next month.
As the world’s largest producer of prawns, Thailand has become so efficient that its wares are half the price of those caught by Norway, the main producer of prawns for the EU.
Norway. Hmmm. Isn’t Jan Egeland from Norway?
Sounds rather….. ummmm… STINGY to me, ya know?
But of course they’ll get a pass on the world stage for this.
Can you imagine the reaction had the US tried to pull something of the like?