Ghost of a flea

[Bai Zixing, Director of The General Staff Mobilization Department]: "If China's sovereignty on territorial integrity and the country's security are at stake, China's People's Standing Committee will enact a general or partial mobilization in accordance with the constitution. The Chinese President will issue the launch of mobilization in accordance with the decision made by the Standing Committee."

Military mobilization is to be led jointly by the NPC Standing Committee and the Central Military Committee. China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army, reports to the ruling Chinese Communist Party.

When MEPs hooted and jabbered like stricken animals at the President of the Czech Republic, who happened to oppose the Lisbon Treaty, no action was taken (see here). When the then Liberal leader, Graham Watson, said that pro-referendum campaigners reminded him of Russian Communists and German Nazis, he was roundly applauded. When Martin Schulz, the Socialist leader, said that Euro-sceptic MEPs made him think of him of Adolf Hitler, the Euro-MPs behind him nodded sagely (See here. Weirdly, the clip of Shulz’s remarks can no longer be accessed on the EP website.)

By contrast, when Nigel Farage, the leader of UKIP, complained that Herman Van Rompuy, the new President of Europe had the charisma of a wet rag, he was fined 2,980 euros.