Thread

1. nutjob2 · 1789548225 · focus · HN ↗

   Between the US and China, the EU is the future, but they need to federalize then leverage that to implement a top notch military and economy.

   Carney can see this and wants a piece of the action. The question is if the EU can escape its parochial myopia and see it.

   Hopefully Russia will do something even stupider and precipitate the existential crisis that the EU desperately needs to get off its ass.

   1. iLoveOncall · 1789548582 · focus · HN ↗

      > they need to federalize

      "Shit Americans say"

      The EU is NOTHING like the US. The difference between each member is the same as the difference between the US and Mexico, not like the difference between California and Utah.

      It's utter ignorance to suggest that the EU could one day become a single country.

      1. gizajob · 1789549390 · focus · HN ↗

         Nevertheless that exact plan is in the minds of every higher-up running the EU. Individual counties are an anachronism that will eventually be got rid of if the EU is to continue.

         1. arethuza · 1789549803 · focus · HN ↗

            The UK is a "country of countries" - with fairly significant differences between some of the component parts - maybe the EU could become something like that?

            1. gizajob · 1789550117 · focus · HN ↗

               You realise how many wars and how much bloodshed over how many centuries it took for that to happen in the UK?

               1. arethuza · 1789551010 · focus · HN ↗

                  The political union of England and Scotland was achieved without bloodshed and largely because folks in Scotland wanted a financial bailout to cover the utterly disastrous Scottish colonial efforts in Darien.

                  1. gizajob · 1789551725 · focus · HN ↗

                     How about Northern Ireland?

                     1. arethuza · 1789553006 · focus · HN ↗

                        Personally I expect NI to peacefully unify with the Republic of Ireland at some point in the next 20 years? Or maybe not - all depends on how people vote rather than fighting?

                        1. gizajob · 1789553521 · focus · HN ↗

                           I feel like you might not know much about the peace process in NI. If you’d like to see a return to things getting blown up and catholics being gunned down by loyalists, then suggest conducting a vote on joining Ireland and leaving the UK.
               2. ben_w · 1789631896 · focus · HN ↗

                  Repeating that part would be unnecessarily detrimental, especially given that right now "become a country" would require majority support from everyone to even get started.

                  Also, the general area was basically at war most of the time from the Etruscan era to the formation of the EU, and the EU is (amongst other things) an attempt to be at peace, so it would already be a similarity even without repetition.

         2. nutjob2 · 1789565401 · focus · HN ↗

            It also reflects how Europeans increasingly feel about the EU, especially young people who don't see or live within national borders and very much enjoy those freedoms. They are the future and what the EU will eventually become.

            1. gizajob · 1789582489 · focus · HN ↗

               Yeah, an English-speaking mess.

               1. nutjob2 · 1789582731 · focus · HN ↗

                  English is indeed the de facto common language of the EU, spoken by almost all young people. It's a great thing, English is the global language. Don't know why you think it would be a mess, but your comments seem to be fairly negative towards the EU.

                  1. gizajob · 1789584086 · focus · HN ↗

                     [dead]

      2. jurgenburgen · 1789549775 · focus · HN ↗

         “A single country” is pretty vague. For some definitions the EU already is one, for other definitions the EU can never be one.

         What we do need is doing more things on the EU level. E.g. there’s no point in all member states building a nuclear umbrella or a space program. Some taxes also work better on an EU level because capital flows freely in the union and makes taxation hard for individual members.

      3. nutjob2 · 1789565111 · focus · HN ↗

         You've obviously not a (patriotic) European. You also don't understand that Europeans are more similar to each other than they are to the rest of the world. Ask one how many views they share with Americans, Asians or Africans.

         I am European first and foremost, I have an ethnic nationality which is secondary and almost irrelevant. In my mind Euorpe is actual a large collection of regions, which hold more meaning for inhabitants than nation states. But we all love our European brethren no matter who they are.

         1. iLoveOncall · 1789575532 · focus · HN ↗

            This is complete nonsense and absolutely no European considers themself European first and their own country's nationality second. You're neither European, nor American, nor Asian or African or anything else, you're clearly a bot.

            1. bryanlarsen · 1789576018 · focus · HN ↗

               Somebody with the username "nutjob2" probably chose the username because he has opinions outside the Overton window.

               But in my experience there definitely are Europeans with that view. WW2 left some deep impressions about the dangers of nationalism, especially in Germany. That led some to consider themselves Europeans first.

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