Emailed in by MBK from Sputnik News:
An "implosion of the EU" would be triggered should voters back the Vote Leave campaign in the June 23 referendum for Britain’s membership in the bloc, European Parliament President Martin Schulz said.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned of loss of trust toward the European Union and the bloc’s "implosion" should the United Kingdom opt to leave the 28-member union.
"We in Europe have been on a downward path for some time now. The trust of many people in institutions as a whole, whether national or European, has been lost," Schulz told the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily’s Tuesday edition.
There follows much deluded ramblings about "enemy movements within Europe" and so on.
Which is good news and a reason for voting "leave" not voting "remain".
The basic ideas of the Common Market, like free trade, free movement and a general spirit of well-being and co-operation are much to be welcomed of course, it's just every development in the last twenty years or so has been heading off in another direction.
So if the EU "implodes", we won't need to worry about the other countries forming a bloc and ganging up on us, we can all can just chuck it all in the bin and, for example, just be members of the EEA or something, which is much more in line with the original Common Market ideas.
While we're at it, we could abandon the endless push eastwards and exclude some of the south eastern European countries from the new arrangement.
Christmas Day: readings for Year C
9 hours ago
12 comments:
The UK in or out the EU is someday going to implode. In we will pay a very high price when that happens. So out now while we can.
Schultz is also therefore confirming that the EU is / has failing/failed.
Sorry : the recent display by the Homeownerist political parties and press in defending the British tax system which, without a land tax, leaves UK House price to earnings ratio at 80.55 whilst Estonia (with the world's crudest LVT) is 15.61 and Germany (LVT plus kitchen sink full of ant-Homeownerist measures is 11.29)I am all for this country being stripped of all but the most limited powers of government and these being invested in a German dominated EU ( or some form of government where our politicians and ruling class have zero influence).Alan Duncan has been the tipping-point.
DBCR, I think "we have to remain in the EU because our government is so crap we need an unelected bureaucracy to overrule it" is a pretty feeble reason for Bremain. Quite apart from the grass being greener on the other side of the fence and the enemy's gun never jamming, we have it in our power (OK, only very slightly) to do something about our crappy governments, but when the unelected bureaucracy turns bad, which it will do, we will be truly f*cked.
I have not the slightest doubt that when the EU becomes the USE, the same sort of people who run the UK now will be running the new superstate. You only have to look across the Atlantic to see what would happen.
DBC Reed, I come from the same part of the spectrum as you (I suspect) but I think your position is common among many in the Labour party. They lack confidence that they can ever win an election under the new circumstances and look towards a European bureaucracy to protect them from the coming excess of the next Tory government.This is indeed, 'feeble'.
For myself,I will apply variation of the old military maxim: when in doubt,in a completely fecked up and confusing situation, march to the sound of the guns.So - When in doubt,vote for as much sovereignty as can be achieved and hope for the best. Of course, Labour needs an LVT spine.
@MW A thoughtful response on your part BUT Hope for the best? Are you kidding?
Why are you seeing this as a contest between European bureaucracy and True Brit land price inflation? On old fashioned political/ tactical grounds,a Brit alliance with Germany to reduce House Price to Earnings ratios throughout Europe to a uniform low level would strengthen our economic sovereignty and dynamise Europe to the our general benefit.
DBCR, are you sure it won't go the other way, that Britain remaining in the EU will influence Germany and France to become more Homeownerist? There are signs that Germany is becoming more Homeownerist already.
History is littered with examples of where one state relying on another to get them out of the shit ended badly for the first state, usually with partial or complete loss of sovereignty for the first state.
"Brit alliance with Germany to reduce House Price to Earnings ratios throughout Europe to a uniform low level would strengthen our economic sovereignty and dynamise Europe to the our general benefit."
I sense a longing here for that best of all forms of government, the benevolent dictatorship. I am pretty certain that the EU isn't and will never be one of those.
@B Its a possibility but an anti Homeownerist alliance between UK and Germany would leave France with no alternative but to fall into line.Talking of which, Europe cannot operate with House price-to- earnings ratios so out of line between countries, in the same way that the regions of the UK cannot co-operate with such different HP/E ratios as underemployed British people cannot even now move where there's work.
You are right that Germany has become more Homeownerist. Perhaps lured by the possibility of keeping GB on board they can be induced to stiffen their anti-Homownerist resolve.
so - a suggestion to the blog host; how about "fun online poll" with a question: would Brexit lower house prices or change nothing, i.e. they would keep increasing for ever and ever?
PW, the problem about your either/or question is that it is quite possible that neither will happen.
A, yes, let's leave the sinking ship.
L, that;s the surprising thing - he did. It is even starker in the German original.
DBC, I refer you to B and MW's comments.
The EU imposes the most Home-Owner-Ist tax on us - VAT, and is totally geared up to bailing out German and other banks. For sure, German housing policies are vaguely akin to pre-1980s UK housing policies (cap rents, cap mortgages etc) but it was never as good as what we had pre-1980s.
PW, too many variables, the answer is, it would probably change nothing on the rent/house prices front.
Has anyone read Protection or Free Trade by Henry George. I'm no Georgist. They're as deluded as islamists. So do not trust Georgism to Georgists unless you like entertainment. I've not met a single one of them that is not asking for compensation and apologises to the barons, "in the cause" or to help LVT along at any cost. Citizens Welfare is a perfect exposition of this kind of 'compensation' to keep the flag flying.
This booklet is a group of newspaper articles. Mainly its a comic read of the above - how bold claimants to free trade suddenly turn into socialists when it comes to looking in the mirror, and visa versa. But are not aware of that psychological denial. As they're not aware of the delusion who can blame them for thinking the messenger is being rude? I sympathise - they escape into ideological delusion and cannot see The Matrix around them any more.
No one knows what will happen. All we do know is that unless the borders are opened and as many workers as want to are allowed in and tariffs are abolished then nothing will change in or out.
The book is very funny, pointing all this out and pointing out the feckless with clarity.
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