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EU Floats Canada Becoming the Bloc's First 'Associate Member'

83 points · 170 comments · helsinkiandrew

  1. nutjob2 · · 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 · · 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 · · 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 · · 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 · · 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 · · 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 · · focus · HN ↗
                How about Northern Ireland?
                1. arethuza · · 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 · · 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 · · 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.

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