The Noble Peace Prize has, to my small mind, lost its once hallowed position as an award. Consider this: Barack Obama won it four years ago, apparently as an incentive to get the world together, after the havoc that his predecessor wreaked across the world. The Nobel Committee has publicly declared its regret for not awarding it to Mohandas Gandhi. And this year, despite the economic strife playing out in Europe, the European Union has been awarded the Prize, inviting derision rather than applause.
Choice quotes: “This goes to show that the Norwegians really do have a sense of humour. The EU may be getting the booby prize for peace because it sure hasn’t created prosperity. The EU has created poverty and unemployment for millions.” – Nigel Farage, UKIP
“The Nobel peace prize was devalued when it was given to newly elected Barack Obama. By giving the prize to the EU, the Nobel committee has undermined the excellent work of the other deserving winners of this prize. Twenty years ago this prize would have been sycophantic but maybe more justified. Today, it is downright out of touch.” – Martin Callanan, the Tories’ leader in the European parliament.
They seem to award the peace prize to those they are hoping to nudge in the right direction these days. All the EU leaders are now going to have to make nice speeches about how cooperative they are all going to be. – a comment on a newspaper article