Martin Selmayr - Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association

Who is Martin Selmayr and why is he called the monster?

Daily Mail — Thu, 02 May 2019 06:55:35 +0000

Martin Selmayr has developed a fearsome reputation in Brussels, casting an authoritarian reign as Mr Juncker’s chief of staff despite remaining relatively unknown to the public.

But his brutal style of ruling – demanding that access to Mr Juncker for even the most senior EU officials is first channelled through him – has also led to a queue of enemies.

His style has led to a variety of nicknames by colleagues, including ‘Darth Vader’ and ‘Rasputin’.

Former European Commission vice president Kristalina Georgieva blamed her resignation on his aggressive style, which she branded ‘poisonous’.

British officials have accused Mr Selmayr, who has privately expressed his dislike of Brexit, of ‘hating’ the UK while describing him as a ‘psychopath’.

Brexit: Theresa May ‘hopes’ UK will leave EU with a deal

BBC with Analysis by Katya Adler - Europe editor — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 11:37:24 +0000

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Theresa May has said she “sincerely hopes” the UK will leave the EU with a deal and she is still “working on” ensuring Parliament’s agreement.

Arriving in Brussels, she said that she had “personal regret” over her request to delay Brexit, but said it will allow time for MPs to make a “final choice”.

At the EU summit the PM spoke to the other 27 leaders to try to get their backing for a delay beyond 29 March.

Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn said his talks in Brussels were “very constructive”.

BBC Brussels correspondent Adam Fleming said Mrs May spoke to EU leaders for 90 minutes and was asked several times what her contingency plans were if she lost the third “meaningful vote” on her deal in Parliament.

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that if MPs vote down Mrs May’s EU withdrawal agreement next week, the UK will leave without a deal.

“In the case of a negative British vote then we’d be heading to a no deal. We all know it. And it’s essential to be clear in these days and moments,” said Mr Macron, as he arrived at the summit.

EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said that a short Brexit delay “should be conditional on a positive vote next week in the House of Commons”.

“We have done our best, now the solution is in London,” he said.

How the day will unfold (timings are approximate):

EU leaders are discussing whether to grant the UK’s request and examining other Brexit options
18:00 GMT – Press conference by European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker
18:30 GMT – Working dinner
Mrs May is also expected to make a statement

On her arrival in Brussels, Mrs May said: “A short extension gives us that opportunity to decide to leave the European Union, to deliver on that result of that referendum and I sincerely hope that will be with a negotiated deal.”

She added: “I’m still working on ensuring that Parliament can agree a deal so that we can leave in an orderly way.”

Earlier, speaking in the German Parliament, Angela Merkel said the EU could meet Mrs May’s request to delay Brexit if in the next week there was a “positive vote” on the withdrawal agreement in the UK Parliament.

The German Chancellor said European elections at the end of May would have to be considered during discussions on the suggested extension deadline of 30 June, adding: “But of course we can certainly talk about a short term extension.”

Leaders want to avoid no-deal Brexit

Beware the reports of “huge” differences between EU leaders when it comes to a Brexit delay and the way forward in the coming days.

Take Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Emmanuel Macron: there are big differences in their political styles.

And big differences in the message they want to send their own domestic audiences (tough for France; open for Germany) when talking about Brexit.

But like most EU leaders – irritation, frustration and Brexit fatigue aside – they would rather avoid a costly no-deal Brexit.

Chancellor Merkel, like European Council President Donald Tusk has announced she will work “until the last hours” to try to avoid it.

And while EU leaders have ruled out re-opening the Brexit withdrawal agreement and the “backstop” text, you can bet they’ll discuss a longer Brexit delay at their summit today.

They will also discuss the short delay requested by Theresa May, in case – as the EU fears – chaos and division continue next week in Westminster.

The UK is set to leave the EU next Friday unless the law is changed. The current default position for leaving is without a withdrawal agreement.

Mrs May agreed a deal with the EU, but MPs have rejected it twice.

She has asked the EU for a short extension of the two-year Brexit process until 30 June, but any extension needs to be agreed to by all EU members.

European Council President Donald Tusk said he believed the EU would agree to a short extension, but this would only be if Mrs May’s deal is signed off by MPs next week. Another EU summit next week could be called in an emergency if needed, he said.

Mr Tusk said the “question remains open” as to how long a delay the other EU leaders would support.

Taoiseach (Irish PM) Leo Varadkar said that he appreciated the situation in London was “somewhat chaotic” and for that reason “we need to cut the entire British establishment a little bit of slack on this”.

He said there was “openness to an extension” as “nobody wants no deal”.

In her speech from Number 10 on Wednesday evening, Mrs May insisted she would not be willing to postpone Brexit any further than 30 June, despite appeals from some MPs.

She added: “Of this I am absolutely sure. You, the public, have had enough.

“You are tired of the infighting, tired of the political games and the arcane procedural rows, tired of MPs talking about nothing else but Brexit when you have real concerns about our children’s schools, our National Health Service, knife crime.

“You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side.”

She said it was now up to MPs to decide whether they wanted to leave with her deal, no deal or not to leave at all. But she warned that the latter option could cause “irreparable damage to public trust” in politicians.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the UK would be faced with three options if Mrs May’s deal was defeated again next week: revoke Article 50; leave without a deal; or a longer extension could be granted at an emergency EU summit, but with “onerous conditions”.

“The choice that we have now is one of resolving this issue or extreme unpredictability,” Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

He also defended the prime minister’s statement, saying Mrs May was under “extraordinary pressure” and MPs have a “special responsibility” in a hung Parliament.

Many MPs have expressed anger at Mrs May’s comments, with Conservative MP Nicky Morgan telling the BBC’s World at One they were “terribly misjudged”.

Fellow Tory Ben Bradley, who had backed Mrs May’s deal, said they were “not helpful”.

Meanwhile, union and business leaders have written a joint letter to Mrs May urging her to “change course” in her approach to Brexit, saying the UK is facing a “national emergency”.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady and CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn have requested a meeting to discuss their concerns.

They said: “Our country is facing a national emergency. Decisions of recent days have caused the risk of no deal to soar.

“Firms and communities across the UK are not ready for this outcome. The shock to our economy would be felt by generations to come.”

Jeremy Corbyn says consensus can be built around Labour’s plan – Reuters

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said talks with EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission secretary general Martin Selmayr in Brussels were “very constructive”.

“Our determination is to prevent a no-deal exit from the European Union next Friday,” he said.

“We are therefore looking for alternatives and building a majority in Parliament that can agree on a future constructive economic relationship with the European Union.”

He said he had been “reaching out” to colleagues from all parties in Parliament on this.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47648565

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Martin Selmayr’s ruthless rise

Fraser Myers Staff Writer — Sun, 10 Mar 2019 01:54:11 +0000

The top EU official was handed his job by illegal means.

Martin Selmayr is one of the most powerful officials in the EU today, and yet nobody voted for him and most people have likely never heard of him. Now the European Ombudsman has found that Selmayr broke the law ‘in letter and spirit’ and ‘did not follow the Commission’s own rules’ in his ruthless path to power.

Last year, Selmayr was double-promoted to secretary-general of the European Commission (EC). It caused a stir even among the most ardent Europhiles in Brussels. EC president Jean-Claude Juncker appointed Selmayr as deputy to the then secretary-general, Alexander Italianer. But, after just nine minutes, Juncker announced Italianer’s resignation, elevating Selmayr to the top job and handing him the keys to the EU machine.

Within his first few days, Selmayr announced to his new 33,000-strong staff that the EU civil service should be ‘the heart and soul of the Commission’, meaning that it should run everything. As one EC official put it at the time, Selmayr had become ‘in effect, the president’ of the EU.

In response, the European Parliament (EP) passed a resolution calling on Selmayr to resign. Naturally, this was ignored. The EP is a Potemkin parliament, after all – a democratic fig leaf that barely obscures the real machinations of power in Brussels, where the major decisions are taken behind closed doors by unelected officials. The ombudsman’s damning report into Selmayr’s illegal power-grab also has no legal force. So Selmayr will keep the job.

Before his double-promotion, Selmayr was already one of Brussels’ most powerful officials. He was a key backer of the Spitzenkandidatsystem for selecting the EC president, and he manoeuvred to have the docile Jean-Claude Juncker chosen as the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) candidate. Selmayr then organised Juncker’s campaign and developed his political programme. As Juncker’s chief of staff, he blocked legislation and intervened in trade talks.

Dubbed ‘the beast of the Berlaymont’ (the building which houses the EC) and the ‘monster’, even by his ally Juncker, Selmayr’s reputation is that of a very uncivil servant. He is alleged to have bullied commissioners and threatened journalists with violence. According to the FT, commissioners refer to their Monday meetings, chaired by Selmayr, as ‘the weekly humiliation’. An aide of Juncker’s resigned over his ‘despotic’ behaviour.

Source: https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/13/martin-selmayr-ruthless-rise/

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Martin Selmayr’s ruthless rise

Fraser Myers - Staff Writer — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 07:22:37 +0000

The top EU official was handed his job by illegal means.

In his role as secretary-general, Selmayr has been one of the chief architects of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement on the EU side. According to former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, Selmayr once boasted that ‘losing Northern Ireland’ was the ‘price of Brexit’ for Britain. ‘He is a theologian who regards the British as heretics’, a former Brussels ambassador told The Times. If parliament ever approves Theresa May’s vassal-state deal, Britain will continue to be subjected to Selmayr’s despotism, even if we are technically outside the EU.

Martin Selmayr’s anti-democratic manoeuvrings and ruthless power-grabs serve as an important reminder that the EU is a democracy-free zone. Selmayr and officials like him are totally unaccountable to the public, even indirectly through toothless MEPs. In the coming months, to restore democracy to our politics, we must accept nothing less than a clean break with Brussels.

Picture by: Ernests Dinka and Saeimas Kanceleja, published under a creative commons licence.

Source: https://www.spiked-online.com/2019/02/13/martin-selmayr-ruthless-rise/

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Speedy appointment of EC Secretary General ‘did not follow EU law’, says ombudsman

Euronews — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 07:36:10 +0000

His appointment was so controversial that it became known as ‘Selmayr-gate’.

On Tuesday, the EU Ombudsman released a scathing report on the promotion of Martin Selmayr to the top of EU civil service.

“Mr Selmayr’s appointment did not follow EU law, in letter or spirit, and did not follow the Commission’s own rules,” the Ombudsman concluded after a five-month inquiry.

EU Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly was investigating the appointment of Martin Selmayr to the highest ranking position in the EU civil service in February 2018.

At the time, the 47-year-old German, a lawyer by profession, had been chief of staff to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker for about three and a half years when he was suddenly promoted twice within a few hours – first to the position of Deputy Secretary General and then Secretary General of the EU Commission.

The speedy appointment was mired in controversy from the start.

What’s in the report?

“The Commission held a selection procedure for Deputy Secretary-General not for the purpose of filling that role, but for the sole purpose of ensuring that Mr Selmayr would become eligible for reassignment as Secretary-General,” the Ombudsman found.

Selmayr was appointed to replace Alexander Italianer, who stepped down after two and a half years in the post.

“By keeping the retirement of Mr Italianer secret until the last moment, a situation of artificial urgency was created that facilitated the appointment of Mr Selmayr as Secretary-General,” the report said.

In total, O’Reilly found four instances of ‘maladministration’ in the process that led to Selmayr’s promotion.

What’s the EU Commission saying?

In a statement, the EU Commission said it disagreed with the Ombudsman’s findings. “We have a different reading of the applicable rules,” the EU Commission said.

“The College took the unanimous decision to appoint the new Secretary-General in full compliance with all applicable rules (…) The person currently occupying this post fully meets all the demanding requirements for the job,” the statement continued.

What’s next?

In December 2018, the initial findings of the EU Ombudsman report prompted the European Parliament to pass a resolution calling on Selmayr to resign.

While it is unlikely the new report will force Juncker’s protege to step down, it might inform the EU Commission’s operations in the future.

“The Commission should develop a specific appointment procedure for its Secretary-General, separate from other senior appointments,” O’Reilly recommended.

The next EU Commission will take office in November 2019 after the European elections.

Source: https://www.euronews.com/2019/02/13/speedy-appointment-of-ec-secretary-general-did-not-follow-eu-law-says-ombudsman

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Weekly Update by Mark Armstrong – 8 February 2019

Mark Armstrong — Fri, 08 Feb 2019 00:00:43 +0000

Greetings from Tyler,

We probably should have known that the bumbling Jean-Claude Junker was neither the brains nor the primary driver of European Union policy. No, the puppet master is Martin Selmayr, now Secretary General of the European Commission, formerly a German civil servant. He is described as the most powerful and feared individual in Europe. He’s played hardball with Britain, making an exit from the EU all but impossible, demanding 39 billion pounds as the price of withdrawal.

He’s described as fervently anti-American. He’s dead serious about an EU army. He was instrumental in the deal that handed Germany the leading role in the European Union. Even members of the European Parliament are fearful of this guy, and are afraid that he has taken over.

He intends to make of the EU the kind of supranational/globalist entity, the United States of Europe that sounds very much like the kind of power foretold in Bible prophecy. He was the individual behind what has been called the German takeover of Europe and its institutions. His grandfathers on both sides were generals under Hitler. No wonder Brexit hit a wall.

You don’t need to be told. The mainstream news media is not just biased, but involved in willful deception on a daily basis. They’ve bought in to the most radical posture imaginable, and that is that the United States must complete the transformation set in motion by the former president. It means uninhibited immigration. Obama himself is on record saying otherwise, as are nearly all the anti-ICE, anti-border patrol chorus, though they’ve changed their positions now that their masks have been discarded.

The State of the Union speech and reactions illustrate the great divide that exists, and a great deal more for those familiar with current controversies. One side cheered talk of limitations on abortion, the other sat expressionless. The President finally got a positive reaction when he mentioned the progress of women and how many are now members of congress. The white-robed contingent thought it would be in good taste to stand and raucously applaud in self-congratulation. It may be that was the President’s method of getting them off their hands, and it worked.

Our domestic news is, as has been the case for two years and counting, just around the corner from impeachment, forced resignation or criminal prosecution. No stone will be left unturned, and the committees are on it with at least a dozen investigations that will dominate mainstream news unless or until the tables are turned. We’re all hoping that Robert Barr (nominated for AG) is a man of honor and will see to it that we have only one set of laws that are applied equally and must be followed, even by the untouchables.

Anarchy remains in Venezuela, once the wealthiest nation in South America, reduced to poverty and starvation by socialism and corruption. It may well not end peacefully, though we pray it does. Maduro may want a war with his detractors. The United States has endorsed his opponent Guiado, but Russia supports Maduro and purportedly has private contractors protecting him.

As the final disaster of socialism plays out to our South, the doctrines of socialism are being preached with great authority and emotion by people with bulging eyes and idiotic gesticulations. They are the darlings of the media, and we’ll probably have to get off the grid to avoid the insanity of the Green Dream. No more traditional energy in ten years? Rebuild or retrofit ever building from coast to coast? As Chris Plante said this morning, they want to turn our country into Gilligan’s Island. Not a single luxury, just like Robinson Crusoe it’s primitive as can be, or lyrics you might remember. Won’t it be glorious? Enjoy your Sabbath. We need it now more than ever.

Mark

Source: http://www.intercontinentalcog.org/fridayupdates.php

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Brexit warning: France ready for a ‘BRUTAL DIVORCE’ as no-deal EU split looms

Alice Scarsi — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 06:58:26 +0000

FRANCE is preparing contingency plans for a “brutal divorce” between the UK and the European Union, with one senior minister claiming Britain will be the country that will suffer the most from a no-deal Brexit.

Nathalie Loiseau, the French minister for European affairs, admitted Emmanuel Macron’s government has been stepping up preparations in the event London and Brussels fail to reach an agreement over the UK withdrawal from the EU.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, the minister depicted a devastating scenario for Europe in case of a no-deal Brexit, speaking of traffic jams in Calais, new tariffs and a decrease in trade with the UK.

Ms Loiseau said: “We would all suffer. The worst would be for the United Kingdom.

“On the day of the United Kingdom leaving the European Union with no deal we should start with new tariffs, controls and that means of course traffic jams in Calais and in each and every European port welcoming goods and people coming from the United Kingdom.

“It would slow down the trade relations between our country and the United Kingdom, as well it would be the same thing for Belgium, for the Netherlands and every entry point to the European Union.”

Despite the minister’s hopes for Brussels and London securing a deal, Ms Loiseau argued being prepared for the worst possible outcome of Brexit talks is “what we owe to our fellow citizens”.

She said: ”But we get prepared for a no-deal because also now we have seen no significant progress regarding the withdrawal agreement which would relieve us from this concern.

“All our ministries are working on what has to be done in the case where there is no deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

France is preparing for a no-deal Brexit, according to a senior French minister (Image: GETTY)

“No deal meaning that there is no transition period and that it is a brutal, I would say divorce, on the evening of March 29 next year, meaning in a few weeks actually.”

The minister added that the EU would be ready to welcome back to the bloc the UK with the same terms as now if the nation would be willing to reverse the outcome of the EU referendum, when 51.89 percent of the voters supported Leave.

She said: “We have always said that the door would remain open and that we were not the ones who wanted to divorce from the United Kingdom.

“It was the British people who had decided to leave the European Union, not the European Union. We never said you have to get out.”

Nathalie Loiseau, French minister for European affairs (Image: GETTY)

The French minister’s comment comes amid raising fears in Brussels Britain could walk away without a deal.

Last week, Martin Selmayr, the Secretary-General of the European Commission, urged all EU members states to step up their no-deal preparations.

And EU Brexit chief negotiator Michel Barnier added: “Even if you want to reach a deal it is also our responsibility to be prepared for all scenarios, including a no deal.

“As the European Council said, we have to step up preparation at all levels for all scenarios.”

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/994735/brexit-news-france-no-deal-brexit-Nathalie-Loiseau-emmanuel-macron-uk-eu

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