Europe

[Furunculus]

Oh sure, the UN and the WTO are going to save us from the Chinese power bid, the Russian energy crunch, the credit crisis or a new oil shortage.

It's amazing. The Russian secret service is killing people in your country with polonium and Whitehall can't so much as say 'booh!' for fear of losing contracts and energy supplies. They would never pull off anything like it in the US. Gee, I wonder why that is?

I don't know what watered-down version of sovereignty you adhere to, but it doesn't mean much to the rest of the world.

there's that fear again.

don't you worry me old mucka, china's not going anywhere near europe, russia's economy is a basket case dependent on mineral exports, and there will ALWAYS be economic crises of one variety or other regardless of EU superstates, just look at the spread in euro-bonds between the club-med and northern europe for but one example.

the UK makes a point of playing host to other countries dissidents (often foolishly), so we have to accept the consequences of meddling in the affairs of 'great' powers. the EU's problem is a lack of a common foriegn policy which is inherent in a group of 27 wildly different cultures, and britain's worldview is sufficiently different that i don't want it watered down into a 15% opinion strength.

No i imagine the concept of sovereignty is a diminished brand on the continent, the last 200 years would prove that adequately, but again that is not the UK's problem, we'll still be sitting high and dry on our little island the next time the continent turns into a bloodbath.

so again, why does britain need to be part of a federal europe.