Warning! EU talk!

I decided to stick to economics in the 'The UK should adopt the Euro now!' thread. I'll move the politics here. As this thread tackles some long held erroneous beliefs about the UK, I thought it might be fun to get more non-EU members to wage in with their opinion too.

Some cold hard facts about great Britain that strive to dispell some myths:


1 - Great Britain is not an island.

Because every place in Britain is within virtual walking distance of the sea, Britain is the least insular country of Europe. Since antiquity it has been commonly understood that an inland country is inward, isolated from foreign events, singular. Whereas naval countries are open, international. Sparta understood this. That's why inland Sparta was so unique amongst the many Greek island and coastal states. Plato understood this too, that's why he proposed that his ideal country be situated far from sea, lest it lose its unique character to foreign influence.
British national folklore holds that Britain that Britain is an only half European country, in many ways singular. Nothing, of course, could be farther from the truth. Linguistically, politically, etnically the UK is an amalgam of the countries that border it on the sea, from Spain to Norway.
Seas, in the past even more so then now, are not a barrier but a highway. As late as 1800, it took six hours to travel from Calais to London by boat, and three weeks to travel from Calais overland to the South of France. Forests and mountains are barriers. Not Seas.

Of all the countries in Europe, the UK is the most European and the one with the least insular history.


2 - Britain is historically a poor country. The EU has been essential in aiding the UK to develop into an above average performing economy.

The UK was a poor country when it joined the EU. In 1973, the UK was second from below in GDP per capita. Second only to Ireland. Well below that Italy. For most of the UK's membership, Italy has been a wealthier nation than Britain. Of the 35 years of UK membership, France has been wealthier for 26. Germany was wealthier up until reunifaction with East Germany, which ever since has structurally lowered Germany's GDP per capita. The West has been wealthier than the UK for an overwhelming period.

Access to the internal market has lifted Britain out of its economic misery of the sixties and seventies. The EU recipe proved so succesful for Britain, that after only 25 years of membership, by the end of the 1990's, Britain's GDP per capita had risen to equal the level of the EU's core, the Rhineland countries. (France, Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands)
Like Italy, Spain and Ireland, the UK is one of the EU's great economic succes stories. Poland, the Baltics, the Czech Rep look set to follow.


3 - The EU has brought stability and peace to the British Isles, nor the other way round.

When the UK joined, the EU represented stability to the UK, not the other way round. In 1973, the UK suffered from terrorism, a virtual civil war in Norn Iron, incessant strikes, social unrest and a lack of development compared to the continent.
Economic growth via the EU's internal market, and the final uplifting of Ireland from eight centuries of misery have brought peace and stability to Britain. Only since the mid 90s has Britain become a net exporter of stability.


4 - The Commonwealth does not look to the UK.

I wouldn't mind a thread asking our Australian and Canadian members if they are at all interested in the UK 'recommending its political structures for their socio-economical benefit'. Canada is North America. Oz and NZ are ever more Asian-Pacific, psychologically, economically and demographically.
The non-white Commonwealth nations, indeed, look for development partnership. However, the more a nation develops, the less it looks to Britain. The Uk holds no sway over those one billion Indians anymore. They'll play cricket matches, but that's about as far as India's identification with the UK goes.
Hong Kong and Singapore look down on Britain. The US? Could there possibly be two more different countries in the Western world than the UK and the US? They don't even share a language with Britain to begin with.