Article

2005-08-18 Britain

French thinker urges UK to opt out of EU

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-08-18 00:24|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Sounds good to me but I don't hold out any hope for that. The Labor party is for full intergration come hell or high water, reality be danmed.

Posted by Sock Puppet 0â Doom 2005-08-18 00:59|| 2005-08-18 00:59|| Front Page Top

#2 The ol' geezer hasn't lost it. Britain would be better off.

Posted by 2b 2005-08-18 05:17|| 2005-08-18 05:17|| Front Page Top

#3 What the Frogs seem to want is the restoration of the Roman Empire with HQ in Brussels because it's closer to Paris. For the last 500 years the Spanish, French and Germans have striven to achieve this and global hegemony for themselves alone with each ultimately frustrated by the UK which actually came closest to achieving it with out actually trying. Now the Continentals want to declare an empire with no clear dominant power and a capital in a second class city.

That would definitely be a death nell for Nato. It would also place the recent admits in a peculiar position. Do they want to be the new border provinces of the empire or do they want to play on the team with the 500 year winning record? This doesn't seem hard to me. Perhaps the Brits should talk to the Poles, Turks and whom ever else is interested and see what they can stitch together. Part of NAFTA perhaps. Maybe they could call it The Other Europe.

Posted by Mrs. Davis 2005-08-18 10:09|| 2005-08-18 10:09|| Front Page Top

#4 if britain is in an economic union with the EU, but not part of the political institutions, that means british industry will have to follow economic rules made without british input. If the EU wont accomodate britain on the institution, that may be what Britain will settle for, but its NOT an ideal situation. Blair presumably thinks that with the support of Italy, Poland, etc against the franco-german alliance he can do better in the union than out.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-08-18 11:05|| 2005-08-18 11:05|| Front Page Top

#5 too much of Polands trade is with the EU, esp Germany, for Poland to pull out. Until such time as the internet and trade in services, etc change global trade patterns more profoundly, geography will still be destiny, and NAFTA will no more be an option for Britain than the EU will be for Quebec, despite cultural discomfort.

Posted by liberalhawk 2005-08-18 11:09|| 2005-08-18 11:09|| Front Page Top

#6 Remember that the whole thing is "shades of grey". For example, an economic union can exist independently of political or military union. The problem begins when the EU tries to assert political supremacy over Britain. For example, in Common Law, "that which is not expressly illegal is legal", which makes perfect sense to Americans, who also live in a Common Law country; but in Roman and Napoleonic law, "that which is not expressly legal is illegal." This is the reason that the EU constitution was huge, repulsive, and bureaucratic. It was literally an effort to define all legal activity. In Germany, the longstanding joke is that *everything*, even criminal activity, is licensed by the police. But it's no joke. Especially when you look at economics, the two systems are utterly at odds, and at a very deep level. Making a new business start-up in Britain or the US should be easy: all you need is money. But on the continent, you must first have bureaucratic approval.

These differences are completely ingrained in the people both in Britain and on the continent. And while a continental might be able to adapt to the idea of independance from government and bureaucracy, the British, as a people, would be lost.

The man on the street would not have a clue what the law said anymore. The policeman wouldn't know what laws to enforce. Business would grind down because without warning, some Brussels bureaucrat would order it to make uneconomic changes, based on some obscure dictat. Most of the people would try to ignore Brussels, and so eventually the country would be punished, again and again, for non-compliance.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-08-18 12:07|| 2005-08-18 12:07|| Front Page Top

#7 Brussels. Another place to send the asteroid coming in 20 years. Hope its not too late for the Brits...

Posted by BigEd 2005-08-18 12:27|| 2005-08-18 12:27|| Front Page Top

#8 Europe taking their marching order from Brussels? Why not.

Euro-islam.info: Belgium
One of the consequences of this situation is that one-quarter of Brusselians under 20 years old are of 'Muslim origin'. Moreover in 2002 in the region of Brussels the most popular names given to babies were Mohammed and Sarah (Bousetta 2003:8).

In addition, over 50% of babies born in Brussels are muslim. 2025 will be an interesting year in the EU capitol.

Posted by ed 2005-08-18 13:18|| 2005-08-18 13:18|| Front Page Top

#9 Last sentence should be:
2025 will be an interesting year in the EU capitol, asteroid or no asteroid.

Posted by ed 2005-08-18 13:19|| 2005-08-18 13:19|| Front Page Top

#10 Lost me at "French Thinker"..

Posted by Spot">Spot 2005-08-18 13:25|| 2005-08-18 13:25|| Front Page Top

#11 #9 Last sentence should be:
2025 will be an interesting year in the EU capitol, asteroid or no asteroid.
Posted by: ed 2005-08-18 13:19

CORRECTION:
"2025 will be an interesting year in the EU capitol, Iranian nuclear missile attack or no Iranian missile attack."

Posted by The Angry Fliegerabwehrkanonen 2005-08-18 13:28|| http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com]">[http://www.calderonswirbelwind.blogspot.com] 2005-08-18 13:28|| Front Page Top

#12 The Brits should quit the EU and join the UESCEC - Union of English Speaking Countries Except Canada.

Posted by DMFD 2005-08-18 22:29|| 2005-08-18 22:29|| Front Page Top

00:03 JosephMendiola
23:57 RWV
23:39 jules 2
23:37 plainslow
23:35 JosephMendiola
23:30 phil_b
23:28 CrazyFool
23:20 JosephMendiola
23:10 GK
23:07 JosephMendiola
23:06 Omaviting Flons4287
23:05 Captain America
22:57 JosephMendiola
22:57 Poison Reverse
22:56 Frank G
22:54 bigjim-ky
22:41 Alaska Paul
22:35 Alaska Paul
22:31 JosephMendiola
22:29 DMFD
22:21 JosephMendiola
22:19 DMFD
22:16 Bomb-a-rama
22:14 Bomb-a-rama