Discussion > EU must be joking
A different angle on things, from a foreign born expert on Britain:
Two things foreigners (and many Brits) don’t understand about Britain
http://www.alexanderboot.com/two-things-foreigners-and-many-brits-dont-understand-about-britain
Robert Christopher
Robert Christopher (8.11pm)
Rant Index. 2.9
Logic Index -4
Alan Kendall
@Alan your new riposte technique* is a cheap shot ..*(also used at 6.51am on the BBC thread)
Make your point, please don't try to dismiss or intimidate others.
stewgreen
Made my points, recieved illogic and dismissal in return.
Alan Kendall
Stewgreen 7.12am
Logic Index -2
So little can intimidate such as you? Who'd uv thunk it.
Alan Kendall
@AK ..Did you have an alcoholic drink recently ?
stewgreen
Insult Index. High
Alan Kendall
I don't think the EU can be blamed for Britain signing the Paris Agreement today, despite the name of the city.
SandyS
I listened to the Matt Ridley Bit
about Summary of Report : Science and Technology Select Committee EU Membership and UK Science
#1 They let him on that's a start
#2 They made sure he was chaperoned with an alternative view
... That's fine, but but a rule that doesn't apply to green/left.
#3 There are clips in his speech ..seemingly bits were edited
#4 His crucial point was that the committee founs neither way : For/Against Brexit
#5 Another big point is that EU FoM makes it easy to get EU scientists BUT hard to bring in WORLD science talent.
#6 the other guys* main point was 'They couldn't find a single scientific voice in favour of Brexit.
there is CONSENSUS'
* Uni of Leicester President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Paul Boyle
Point #6
That worries me ..You have an unknown; like you can't be sure of the situation for the Science industry 1, 2 years after ..so I would expect some spread of opinion.
So it looks to me that some kind of GROUPTHINK is happening
...That within the science community there is a 'correct answer' and people feel intimidated against putting another.
I think this applies to aspects of climate science aswell.
Even if something was 100% certain .. you'd expect a few in 1,000 not to be upto date or be having a bad thinking day, cos maybe the specific question is far from their own field.
In the real world for complex non-proven issues there might be figures like 90% say but things like 97% seem fishy. Paul seems to say it was 100% against Brexit.
stewgreen
SandyS
Logic index +10
Alan Kendall
The Times : Matt Ridley British scientists would be better off out of the EU
"The European parliament is a hotbed of anti-scientific gullibility"
..and soon on his blog I guess Not yet
stewgreen
If I vote Brexit I'm sure to be asked again.
Alan Reed
The UK is in debt, and 'overdraft' if you like. It is increasing rapidly every year.
All of our net contribution to the EU, what ever its value - 55 million per day - more or less, is borrowed from the markets to be repaid by our children and grand children.
If our EU net fee was 'saving the world', 'saving the UK', ensuring food and water suppliers for Europe and or the UK, then we could have a discussion about its merits, its level and whether we should be a member.
But no, the EU is doing none of those things. It is spending our money on lots of vanity projects which just waste money.....
And as listed above are many EU actions are dangerous/daft/silly slow to react - overall just very very bad and not worth the price in financial, social or political terms.
Alan: I did not conflate...
Steve Richards
Steve Richards. cannot really be bothered to discuss with someone who can't recognize the blindingly obvious.
No rating
Alan Kendall
Interesting development, a colonial President deems to advise 'as a friend' that the mother of democracy, the UK, should surrender its sovereignty?
To the American President
NUTS!
The British People
Green Sand
Greensand. Sorry you haven't been informed but Uk sovereignty already surrendered.
Greensand = The British People. Who elected you spokesperson? Why wasn't I informed?
You're probably safe (= not worth bothering with) but provoking POTUS, but I wouldn't want to be in your shoes. You see such scary things on the screen media these days.
Interesting you use an American expression, used most effectively in WWII to the bewilderment of, our now allies, the Germans.
Interesting posting all round. Thought provoking.
Alan Kendall
Almost forgot, Greensand (Cambridge,Upper, Lower?) the USA threw off its colonial status long ago. I don't suppose you have any American friends, well if you did, you have fewer now.
Let me guess, you were in the Service diplomatique service, non? Got plenty of advancement?
Alan Kendall
Alankendall
".....our now allies, the Germans."
Aren't the Americans also our allies?
I think you will find a large part of the British people will take a dim view of being threatened by our 'allies'. Make no mistake 'you will be at the back of the queue..' is a threat by the American President.
Hence the use an American expression.
To the American President
NUTS!
The British People
Green Sand
This is not totally irrelevant but talking about countries surrendering sovereignty being advised by United States politicians got me interested in US state populations versus EU member states populations.
List by population of US state in descending order.
California = Poland
Texas = Belgium + Holland
Florida = Romania
New York = Sweden + Portugal
Illinois = Greece
then some smaller US states
Colorado = Slovakia
Louisiana = Eire
Utah = Lithuania
New Hampshire = Estonia
By population Poland is the 6th largest EU member country. The difference in population of the US and the EU is the populations of Germany, France and UK combined. Put it in context as to why the US would give priority to the EU and ignore the UK (Equivalent to California + Texas) in trade negotiations. Then there's NAFTA,China and India to deal with. How much more of the Trust me I'm a politician I know about these things, It'll be fine, don't worry Britain is still a super important country is flakey to say the least.
SandyS
Robert Christopher
Many of the immigrants in the list of cities you gave are in fact 2nd and 3rd generation from the British Empire. The fact that there are problems of integration and crime isn't anything to do with the EU.
SandyS
Greensilt.
You don't speak for me, and the last time I looked I was both British and a person.
Prone to repeating yourself are you? Take another memory pill.
Friends issue warnings, not threats. But paranoia afflicts you.
A trade deal requires partners, and countries are free to choose who they will deal with first and to make this clear to others. Do you really think that Hillary, and especially Trump, will put the UK ahead of Europe. Dream on.
Another Little Englander; you must have been a real star in the FO.
Alan Kendall
Interesting Sandy S. . Also of interest is that some states, notably Texas, did surrender their sovereignty.
Alan Kendall
American states have more autonomy from their government than the UK has from Europe on many fronts. Its states also form two sided alliances (Democrat or Republican) so they can make substantial changes to US policy both in the Senate and by changing the president. The EU is a cocophony of differing opinions and interests. It means it can't react quickly to anything. If there is a guiding force it's from Germany, France, Belgium and Luxembourg. That decision force is now exclusively Eurocentric.
It's a measure of how certain Obama is about the UK that he would make open threats to us. Curious how he'd make kissy face with any number of US enemies but slap ours. It's time we stopped being taken for granted.
TinyCO2
Open threats from a lame duck president?
You appear to be another paranoid who cannot distinguish between a friendly warning and a threat.
Get a grip.
Alan Kendall
Alan Kendal on Apr 21, 2016 at 7:24 PM
1) I don't see a problem here. He thinks, like I do, that Europe is good and will outlive the EU, the EU bad:
"Europe is a beautiful place with many interesting peoples and cultures"
"Well, whilst our trade imbalance with Europe means they sell more to us, then yes, it will continue."
"The EU however, is a corrupt and corrupting place"
2) Merkel invited the 1,000,000 migrants without asking me :) nor (which was my point) the national leaders of the rest of the Schengen Area. After they arrived, she then decided that they would be 'shared out', which hasn't gone down well. Not being in the Schengen Area, we are not directly involved at the moment, but if they are given EU passports they will be able to travel here and we have enough already, especially when two thirds are illiterate and many 'have played rough' with raping women and at least one boy. The boy was because it was a 'sex emergency' and the women, just because they deserve it! They shouldn't be allowed out unaccompanied, with their hands, face and ankle visible, etc! They were not hooligans: they were enforcing Sharia.
That should be of concern to us. We have had enough violence in Rotherham, but it wasn't the only place. There has been Rochdale, Sheffield, Ipswich, Peterborough, Oxford, Northampton, Leicester, Luton, Stevenage, Telford, Bristol, etc! We, in Britain, expect our government to protect us from violence, whatever the motivation, even though David Cameron has been oblivious to this.
The EU and its associated organisations stop us from dealing with this danger. That is enough to leave.