NewSisyphus hits a grand slam. This post talks about the EU and the U.K. Here's the too-short summary: The U.K. is about to stop existing.
An excerpt:
Despite such overwhelming evidence, however, the debate in the U.K. continues to focus on small matters, completely missing the fact that the country is likely to not exist in any recognizable form in the near future.
It’s simply a matter of numbers. Since the law has to be unified, the Civil Law tradition of the Continent is just going to swamp “outdated” British concepts central to the Common Law. Already, the E.U. uses “human rights” law to declare wide swaths of our cherished tradition out-of-bounds and out-of-touch. Leave aside and forget that the Common Law has been many, many times more effective in securing liberty and prosperity in the legal history of the West.
Wow. It would be Generation '68's ultimate victory- the absorption of a proud, independent people, by a conglomerate-country run by unelected bureaucrats... not since communism took Russia has the con been worked so well! God forbid it works this time!
Why does the U.K. even consider joining continental Europe?!? What Napoleon and Hitler could not do, Chirac and Shchroeder will, if the Brits GIVE Europe what Europe could never take.
Another excerpt:
Of course, the U.K. has some very good reasons for wanting to be in the E.U. But we wonder what would happen to the debate were we to make a good counter-offer. Perhaps a U.S.-U.K. political-economic-military union where the U.K. and its people have full and complete access to the United States and under which we would neither demand their sovereignty nor their laws is an idea whose time has come. Perhaps the time has come for us to rescue our most important ally, even if it doesn’t seem to know it’s in mortal danger.
Why can't we have the economic-military union without the political? I don't want Brits to have unfettered access to our shores- we quote Monty Python enough as is. And I KNOW the Brits don't want a bunch of Alabamans spittin' chaw off the side of London Bridge. But as for the rest of it- yes please let's offer the British a hand! They'd do it for us.
An excerpt:
Despite such overwhelming evidence, however, the debate in the U.K. continues to focus on small matters, completely missing the fact that the country is likely to not exist in any recognizable form in the near future.
It’s simply a matter of numbers. Since the law has to be unified, the Civil Law tradition of the Continent is just going to swamp “outdated” British concepts central to the Common Law. Already, the E.U. uses “human rights” law to declare wide swaths of our cherished tradition out-of-bounds and out-of-touch. Leave aside and forget that the Common Law has been many, many times more effective in securing liberty and prosperity in the legal history of the West.
Wow. It would be Generation '68's ultimate victory- the absorption of a proud, independent people, by a conglomerate-country run by unelected bureaucrats... not since communism took Russia has the con been worked so well! God forbid it works this time!
Why does the U.K. even consider joining continental Europe?!? What Napoleon and Hitler could not do, Chirac and Shchroeder will, if the Brits GIVE Europe what Europe could never take.
Another excerpt:
Of course, the U.K. has some very good reasons for wanting to be in the E.U. But we wonder what would happen to the debate were we to make a good counter-offer. Perhaps a U.S.-U.K. political-economic-military union where the U.K. and its people have full and complete access to the United States and under which we would neither demand their sovereignty nor their laws is an idea whose time has come. Perhaps the time has come for us to rescue our most important ally, even if it doesn’t seem to know it’s in mortal danger.
Why can't we have the economic-military union without the political? I don't want Brits to have unfettered access to our shores- we quote Monty Python enough as is. And I KNOW the Brits don't want a bunch of Alabamans spittin' chaw off the side of London Bridge. But as for the rest of it- yes please let's offer the British a hand! They'd do it for us.
3 comments:
Hi Harky,
I read the original article and found no concrete examples of the beneficial "traditions" or "common law" which will be swept away by the EU. That is because the truth is that there is nothing to sweep away. It will still be forbidden to herd sheep on Tower Bridge or to fly the Scottish Lion Rampant flag as EU law only takes precedence in certain clearly deliniated areas.
All I found instead was the opinionating of a reactionary old fossil who is bitter because his stance has been marginalised until it is only held by the racists of the UK Independance Party and the British National Party.
Now let's look at your own implicit assumption. How do you figure that it is just wonderful for Texas or Hawaii to be a part of the USA but think it would be a seriously bad idea for the UK to become part of a USE? Where is the argument? Didn't Texas lose it's identity as a separate nation when it joined the USA? Or Hawaii?What's the difference?
Nor is it clear that this is where Europe is headed. The current constitution certainly doesn't say it will and maybe a third of even the pro-EU people think it should.
By the way, I am one of that third. I see little difference between my nation (Scotland) being part of the UK and it's being part of the putative USE, as long as it can do so in it's own right as an independent State rather than as a province ruled from London. If anything it will be better of. It was the English, as strongest nation in the "Act of Union" (which they have consistently flouted over the centuries), who banned wearing tartan for many years, banned our flag, sent thousands overseas because they had "bought and sold the Scots" and stole our oil to fund their insane experiment in Thatcherism. The traditional allies of Scotland in the eight centuries or so before that Act were France and Russia.
Come to think of it, it wasn't long ago by European standards that the fledgling America looked to it's ally France in it's battle against English oppression. (Yes, they used Scots troops - we had already been oppressed for years.) If Napoleon and his like hadn't tied down the best British Generals, Admirals, fleets and armies, then the newborn USA would have been reconquered within 50 years.
And lets not even mention how many English were in sympathy with Nazi principles right up until they became a threat to the Empire.
In conclusion, I agree that the US will lose a high degree of alliance with the UK when the EU Constitution is ratified and given time to bed down. However, that is just too bad for the US, it should get used to the idea. It doesn't mean that full EU participation is a bad thing for the UK.
Regards, C
C,
Nice point about Scots not losing much by joining... Whether Texas or Hawaii were better off for joining is another argument altogether. In Hawaii a coup had created an oligarchy and joining the U.S. at least extended the right to vote to more people. In Texas- I don't know...
"as EU law only takes precedence in certain clearly deliniated areas." says who and for how long?
"Didn't Texas lose it's identity as a separate nation when it joined the USA? Or Hawaii?What's the difference?" Yes, and there IS no difference. That's MY point, not YOURS, lol. U are part of the proud enlish speaking people's tradtion- why do u want to join up with those Euro weenies? Don't do it!
I don't think England really WANTED to reconquer North America. My understanding was that many English were pro-colonial when we kicked them out.
Well, it would certainly be the suck for the U.S., I've no doubt about that. As for whether it would be the suck for the UK... I think it would be, but if it DOES go through, for your sake, I hope I'm wrong.
I would really hate to see the UK become part of Eurabia...
Cheers!
Hark
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