Europe's inspiring project | 41 comments (41 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (4.00 / 2)

Might be difficult as there are confirmed Europhobes and Eurosceptics in Scotland and Wales too.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 01:45:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (4.00 / 2)

There are in France too. Marginal, very marginal, but they do exist.

Not sure ghow marginal they are in Wales and Scotland. Any thoughts? Anyhow, the Scots with all that oil and gas may also have Norwegian reasons to not want to join.

Basic point is that I wouldn't want to tar Scotland and Wales with the same brush that the English so roundly deserve to be tarred with. Even the putatively "Europhile" English (see Tony Blair) aren't pro-European in any real sense. De Gaulle was is and always will have been right to not want them in.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 02:16:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (4.00 / 3)

Hold it -- how can you see Tony Blair as English when let's face it, the man is a Jock!

And as in anything, there's always exception -- you will be doing great disservice to the English who are supportive of the EU, eg, half of my family. So, let's cool it, shal we?

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 02:39:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

Well yes, but if I understand correctly, you've upgraded your surroundings and are now actually living in Europe.

I'll be joining you shortly...

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:07:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

Expat in Brussels to be exact but not for long. And understand that I'm speaking of the English Europhiles who are living in England -- not good to alienate them by casting aspersion on their being English.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:26:09 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

Nothing wrong with being English in and of itself!

Just note that there seems to be more than a bit of a problem with most English and their feeling of belonging to Europe. And, I'm sure, many of those English who now reside in France could always ask for an EU passport if ever their home country were to leave it. As long as they cheer for the right 6 nations team.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:31:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

I think it's fair to assume that this is not completely an English problem -- Euroscepticsm and Europhobia are a British wide problem and exist in Scotland, Wales as well as in Northern Ireland.

Note that the current UK Labour Government is run by a lot of Scots led no less by a Scot.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:39:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

You are of course correct. (none / 0)

Maybe the Scots should give England back to the English and then we'll see what happens.

Somehow I'm not sanguine about how pro-European they will be left ot their own devices...

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 04:00:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You are of course correct. (none / 0)

Well, judging from what Blair and Brown have done or have not done, I don't see how you can be sanguine about how the Jocks can be pro-European either.

Scotman Blair had 10 years to his own devices and see where that got Britain on Europe.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 05:18:59 PM EST
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Re: You are of course correct. (none / 1)

Don't forget it was an Englishman who took Britain into the EU.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 05:23:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You are of course correct. (4.00 / 2)

And an Englishwoman who reminded us all what a big mistake it was to accept the application.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Thu Mar 6th, 2008 at 10:23:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: You are of course correct. (none / 1)

At least Brown talks the part though I suppose Blair remotely resembles in speech his heritage - though his accent is firmly British, he talks like he has a thistle up his arse.

If Blair is a Jock he's been throughly detribalised, though it's likely true he's unpopular enough to qualify for one of these passports Salmond will be issuing before long.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Thu Mar 6th, 2008 at 10:23:03 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 0)

As long as they cheer for the right 6 nations team

Ireland? Wales?

by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:39:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 0)

Wales is ok by me it's their national sport and this demands respect in my book.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:58:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

redstar:

As long as they cheer for the right 6 nations team.

Well that's me stuffed then. being born English. What happens if the more sever Welsh Nats take over decide to expell all English born people back to england and it's already left the EU?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:40:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

Heh. I dunno, the Baltic nations let all the Russians stay, right?

That'd be up to the Welsh. Maybe require 'em to learn the language?

Plus, cheer for the right 6 nations team.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:59:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (4.00 / 2)

You should really stop confusing the majority of the English populace with the British political and media elite. We showed you enough evidence in Eurobarometer polls and so on.

There are strong sovereignist Eurosceptics on the continent, too - from Austria to Flemish Belgium. And then there is the separate breed of Nordic Euroscepticism.

If you practice No True Scotsman-ism, you'll end up with 'Europe' as no more than the original EU-6. Or even less: in France, Le Pen is not so marginal, and you can add former Chevènement members and regrettably not a few hard-leftists to that.

_{*Lunatic*, n.

One whose delusions are out of fashion.}

by DoDo on Thu Mar 6th, 2008 at 06:40:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (none / 1)

you'll end up with 'Europe' as no more than the original EU-6.

I dunno, I think we could properly add Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Finland, Sweden, Austria, maybe Denmark, probably Greece and even most of the "New European" (tm) nations for sure (some notable exceptions) and we'd end up with a proper Europe.

But the EU-6 would have been much easier to make a properly social Europe than the one which was expanded to include the Brits. That goes without saying.

And make it a properly social Europe and you won't find any lefties opposed to it anymore.

The Hun is always either at your throat or at your feet. Winston Churchill

by r------ on Thu Mar 6th, 2008 at 10:18:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: I do wish they'd make up their minds (4.00 / 2)

Of course there are many Eurosceptics in France (not only among the extreme right-wingers but also even among the French left), in Germany, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and everywhere else. Bound to happen.

by The3rdColumn on Wed Mar 5th, 2008 at 03:30:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Europe's inspiring project | 41 comments (41 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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