EU pol

Originally Posted by JAG

Yes, definitely.

I would not mind at all if the UK was one state among the greater being - the EU.

You must feel alone in the UK JAG. I'd wager you've regularly received death threats for expressing such pro-Euro opinions

Originally Posted by thrashaholic

Basically, for the EU to work, everone should become just a little more British

If it means adopting Thatcherism, I'd rather exile. There are already enough poor in our European countries, especially in the UK.

I think English should become the main European language, almost everyone besides the French speaks it already pretty decently anyway.

Originally Posted by doc_bean

I think English should become the main European language, almost everyone besides the French speaks it already pretty decently anyway.

It is already. If you want a proof: the Constitution was written in English before any other language. Personally, I would be favorable to English as the official language because both French and German have a horrible grammar and conjugation is a pure nightmare.

English is slowly becomming the international language of Scandinavia too. Rather than learn two other languages to speak to other Scandinavians they can just learn one and be able to speak to people from pretty much every other EU country as well.

It makes sense to learn English.

I don't speak any Scandinavian languages, but it seems to me that Norwegian, Danish and Swedish are quite close, especially Danish and Swedish. I heard they could understand each other despite their different accent. I don't know to what extent this is right, maybe a Scandinavian will affirm or negate that claim.

I can understand the view that the nation state is done (I have to say I don't agree but I can understand it). What I don't understand is how you go from that to deciding that the answer is...... a really big nation state.

IMHO Europe is too different, largely economically but also socially, for a federal state to work. Really very important structural factors like home ownership or pension provision are hugely different accross the members. That was true before enlargement, heaven only knows what it is like now. The place simply can't be run as one country, even a federal one.

Besides, can't we come up with something a bit more 21st century rather than apeing 19th century America?

If you ask me, what we need is 50 years of gradual convergance until we arrive at a state where some forms of political and economic union are seen as naturally desirable. Too many second rate administrators and wannabe Washingtons are desperate to get their names into the history books as the "architects" of a European state.

Of course it doesn't help that some countries don't seem to have noticed that its not 1970 anymore, in economic terms. But presumably over 50 years they would see the error of their ways as they continued to decline?

Originally Posted by English assassin

Besides, can't we come up with something a bit more 21st century rather than apeing 19th century America?

What they have seems to work much better than what we have.

Originally Posted by English assassin

If you ask me, what we need is 50 years of gradual convergance until we arrive at a state where some forms of political and economic union are seen as naturally desirable. Too many second rate administrators and wannabe Washingtons are desperate to get their names into the history books as the "architects" of a European state.

Gradual convergence? How are we to achieve that when the EU's current institutions lead us to a stalemate. Everything is locked. You need to compromise on each bit of article, law or decree. Do you sincerely think we'll manage to converge? In my opinion, you don't want to.

Originally Posted by Ldvs

I don't speak any Scandinavian languages, but it seems to me that Norwegian, Danish and Swedish are quite close, especially Danish and Swedish. I heard they could understand each other despite their different accent. I don't know to what extent this is right, maybe a Scandinavian will affirm or negate that claim.

THat is a vlaim I will affirm, although Norwegian is alot easier to understand than Danish, to much German in that language

Surprisingly, the Yes is winning, with a rather large advance.

And I thought you all were a bunch of anti-EU guys

Originally Posted by Ldvs

I don't speak any Scandinavian languages, but it seems to me that Norwegian, Danish and Swedish are quite close, especially Danish and Swedish. I heard they could understand each other despite their different accent. I don't know to what extent this is right, maybe a Scandinavian will affirm or negate that claim.

I agree that Sweden,Norway and Denmark are quite similar languages.But in scandinavia there is also one crazy little people:Finish.I know that the Sweds,Danes and Norsemen know this,but Finish language is not even an Indo-European language.Its Finno-Ugrig.As the name says there are only Three nations in Europe who belong to our language group:Finish,Hungarians and Estonians.
If you guys like to check it up.Go to Taverns frontroom to talk your own language thread and try make some sense what im posting there.(Ok.I know i dont make any sense anyways ).

No! The Europeans are too diverse. I mean, what does somebody from Slovakia have in common culturally with someone from say Cornwall? Not much. They only way a federal state would be possible is if traditional heritage and culture were gradually eroded in each country. Is that what you really want? For Europe to be just one bland state? Why is a federal state even needed? The Golden era of European domination is almost past. Few nations ever regain their power. Instead a vision of a European super-state is just clutching at straws, trying desperatley to hold on to a dead dream. Europe has to face up to reality. It will never be able to compete with the likes of India and China. Today the whole of Europe only amounts to HALF the population of India. And within fifty years, unless their is a mass immigration flux, Europe (because of an ageing population) will have a smaller population whilst India and China will probably have a larger one.
Also, would you like to be ruled from a capital so many miles away, which doesn't not always have your best interests at heart?