It is really time that the EU realised that we are leaving, and not on the terms of their Satrap 'treaty' that would enchain us and castrate our sovereignty. They have attempted to humiliate a proud and capable nation, and have failed. There has been absolutely nothing in the EU's conduct over the past three years that now deserves the hand of friendship. Boris' nuanced verbal description of them as our 'friends' carries exactly the right balance of contempt and malice.
However, the nations of Europe now have it in their hands to prevent Britain turning its face from the mainland. The crazed and unstable fanatics of the EU are personally cushioned against the disruption they will cause by refusing to negotiate. The EU will drain the last Euro of wealth from France, Italy, Spain and Denmark to preserve the power and privileges of the Berlaymont énarques. But the disruption of not concluding a win-win deal with the UK will go far beyond trade.
The last of the BAOR are now headed back for Tidworth, and our NATO training and deployment is now directed largely at the old eastern nations - the Balts, Poland, Hungary, Czecho. A bad-tempered Brexit will turn Britain, as it did the last time we were excommunicated by the European Empire, over the oceans and across the equator. Our face will turn Westwards - maybe for fifty years, some say. This will be as much Europe's loss as it was the last time.
The EU has tried to enchain us in an anti-American, inefficient, third-rate little Empire. We have refused to be so enchained. That doesn't mean we want to be enchained instead as a satrap of an America getting used to the loss of Unipolar status. Most Brits I think would be happy as an Independent country with clout, a nation that punches above its weight, bridging the world between America and Europe, a locus of anglophone alliance, and as the coin says Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations. It's up to the nations of Europe now to disown the EU's destructive folly and take the proffered hand of friendship.
36 comments:
Britons or the British please, not that vulgar Americanism, Brit.
I no longer want any kind of "deal" with the EU. They will never offer any terms which aren't intended to retain their control of this country and to damage our Brexit opportunities.
Becoming the 51st State of the USA would be preferable but I don't think that is the only alternative to becoming a colony of the EU. We need to reach out to our extended family in the Commonwealth, particularly the Anglo members (Australia, Canada, NZ ... and India). A reinvigorated Commonwealth is the path forward; we should take it and never look back at "our friends" in Brussels.
Brexit is to determine whether or not we are governed by people we can elect and remove, so it is about sovereignty and democracy.
The world is watching to see if we are still a democracy or whether those in power (Parliament) will overturn the decision they gave the people to make via a referendum.
There will be many dictators or potential dictators who will delight in seeing our referendum result overturned by Parliament so they can use it as an example the next time a referendum does not produce the answer they wanted. This includes the EU itself.
@ John Brown
"Brexit is to determine whether or not we are governed by people we can elect and remove, so it is about sovereignty and democracy."
Exactly. You can argue about whether or not an EU law is sensible but if you cannot choose to accept or deny it, or vote down the people who design it, then you are dependent on the goodwill of others. Since Britain has a tradition of Common Law and Free Trade and the EU a tradition of Napoleonic (Roman) Law and Protectionism then relations beyond trade were always strained.
We're better off out.
@Raedwald: "refusing to negotiate"...
May I respectfully suggest an alteration to the language used in this context? The word "refuse" implies strength - as though rejecting a supplication.
I think we should use the terms "fail" and "failure". (I go through this in detail here: https://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.com/2019/07/monsieur-barniers-epic-fail.html)
We should pour a torrent of pity over M. Barnier's head and shame him with our attempts to help him avoid the disaster over which he is prepared to preside and for which he and his team are solely responsible. Either he will budge or else we will have made it clear to the world where the blame lies.
I have written to Mr Gove to suggest this (one only hopes that some messages will get past the flappers) and will soon write to M. Barnier on similar lines.
FAIL/S
FAILURE
FAILING
FAILED
Given the actions of the EU over the last 3 years and especially with their truly awful "Withdrawal Agreement", on which they now refuse to budge, then I now see them as a "Hostlle Power" and should treat them accordingly. I have no desire to be the 51st state either.
Our leaving the hated EUSSR is a golden opportunity, and we should emulate our actions the last time Europe decided to throw a hissy fit. We should concentrate all our efforts on our true friends in the world - the Anglosphere.
Moreover to rub the EU's nose in it, the PM should issue a public apology to our Commonwealth cousins for so shamefully dropping them in the 1970's to pursue a relationship with our ancient enemies.
It would not hurt however, to cultivate relationships with the eastern European nations who having lived under Communist rule for 50 have no desire to repeat the experience, and who are already pushing back against the EU behemoth. We should resurrect our old foreign policy of keeping Europe as disunited as possible
@ rapscallion 08:48
"....their truly awful "Withdrawal Agreement", on which they now refuse to budge...."
I wonder if they now wish they could "budge" but fear it would send the wrong message to other captured nations. They may at the last minute come up with some alternative, I personally hope they don't, would much prefer to be totally done with them.
@ Rapscallion
"Given the actions of the EU over the last 3 years and especially with their truly awful "Withdrawal Agreement"..."
...or their truly hateful "Withdrawal Agreement". Or, being kind, truly grudging "Withdrawal Agreement"
"We are with Europe but not of it; we are linked but not compromised. We are associated but not absorbed. If Britain must choose between Europe and the open sea, she must always choose the open sea."
W.S. Churchill, as usual he had it right.
We are closely associated with our cousins across the pond but must not be totally absorbed by them - either. We must remain splendidly free and sovereign in it
Retaining our Sovereignty and Democracy is now as much an internal affair as it was ever a Brexit affair given the way the electorate have been treated since the referendum.
We need to look towards massive reform as Brexit shouldn't be left as a palliative cure rather as the first step in long term recovery that ends with reformation of the Political structure of both Houses.
To this end we still need TBP (or similar) to carry the impetus onwards.
De Gaulle was right. The UK should never have been admitted to the then EEC.
He correctly predicted that it would try to poison the project.
It grovelled and pleaded for entry, as some beg to be invited to a party, but then repaid the generosity by getting drunk, and by spewing up over the carpets and furniture, and then by berating the hosts for being so naïve as to have such an occasion.
That is how this country is now seen around the civilised world. (That does not include places where thirty thousand people are shot dead by freely available guns every year, by the way).
@Cheerful
De Gaulle wanted to keep us out until he had the farm subsidies set up in France's favour. He died in 1970 so it may not have been him but after that France was fine with us being let in as they knew we would be paying for their farmers.
These days as they are gaining lebenraum in the east there are lots of pesky eastern european farmers who suck up a lot of these subsidies so it doesn't work that well for Frznce anymore (and never mind the Euro).
But shortly, that will be their problem not ours.
I've got a better analogy.
The UK signed up for a mini-bus trip to the outlet stores - with the prospect of saving money. But after we'd signed up, the costs trebled and the organisers changed the minibus for a luxury coach and invited loads more people, who were too poor to pay their share so the costs went up again.
When we got there we were asked to take off our clothes and hand them over. It turned out it wasn't a minibus trip to the outlet stores after all but a full-fat dogging party. We pleaded with the organisers and were allowed to keep our underpants on for the first hour. After that they came after us with a big pot of lubricant.
That's when we threw up out of sheer disgust and nausea and ran away as fast as we could.
@Mark: I mistakenly thought by "Cheerful" you were referring to the Eeyore-ish Hammond!
@Raedwald - eewww! Falling into JPM's trap of lowering the tone of the discourse?
Mark, those "pesky eastern European" farmers are very often British farmers these days, who are hoovering up prime agricultural land there, at a fraction of the price that it is here.
Their revenues form part of the cash benefit to this country from our European Union membership.
It would be a pity for all concerned if they had to return.
@Sackerson
I'm going on the assumption that this troll formerly signed in as Cheerful Edward.
The lucidity, the wit, the profound understanding of the human condition and the overwhelming grasp of British and European history.
The pithy arrows fired into our black hearts. The stripping away of our laughable pretensions, exposing us as hate filled inadequates, raging at our own impotence faced with the new European world order.
I don't know about anybody else here but what makes my gammon visage overcook is my envy at his mastery of the analogy.
Inspired, doubtless by that unmatched european philosopher, Cantona: " When ze seagull folloow ze traawleer, it ees beacaause ze sink that saardines will be srown into ze seee"
Must have a Kronenbourg to get over it.
There can't be two of them surely?
Hammond Eeyore? I think you mean EUwhore.
@Cheerful
British farmers hoovering up land in Poland? (Presumably the bits the Germans haven't already bought).
Good for them. Why would they have to give it back?
Depends on the tenure terms, Mark. I'm not versed in Polish land law.
It could be problematic in places such as Denmark, however. Once someone loses the protection of European Union equality law, Denmark's tradition that only Danes may hold land might well kick in.
As I say, I don't know about Poland, Romania, Bulgaria etc.
If I were to buy land in Poland (or any other EU member) under whose law would I own it: Polish or EU?
You appear to be intimating land confiscation (or at least forced purchase) when we leave. Is that what you are saying?
I don't think a great deal of the EU but I'm not comparing it to zimbabwe or south africa. You appear to be!
Radeweld - your better analogy much nearer the mark. Quite retrained, I thought.
*sigh* restrained ...
"English and Scottish Farmers in Poland in the First Half of the Nineteenth
Century
by JULIAN BARTYS "
This interesting article can be found on the web site of the British Agricultural History Society. Go to bahs.org.uk and then the Search page.
I found nothing on the web about British farmers moving to Poland today.
Don Cox
Interesting, Don, little comes up with Google, but we know about them, don't we?
However, plenty appear with Bing etc.
E.g.:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/expat-money/8591815/Rich-pickings-from-Eastern-Europes-farmlands.html
“The crazed and unstable fanatics of the EU are personally cushioned against the disruption they will cause by refusing to negotiate.”
As I understand it, if we leave without an agreement, then the EU will be breaking its Lisbon Treaty Article 50 paragraph 2 which states :
"....In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union...”
So who is going to enforce that, and in which court, John Brown?!
Furthermore, this is civil law, where all parties have a duty to behave reasonably.
The European Union's negotiators have never ONCE betrayed their word. The UK has done little else, on the other hand.
So which side do you think that a court, the Hague say, would find had behaved least reasonably?
Incidentally, as I understand it, Poland passed a law in 2011 so that only bona-fide Polish farmers could hold Polish farmland, and introducing other strictures.
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document//E-8-2018-001116_EN.html
I don't know how that developed.
The Germans always wanted the UK in.
They were rightly suspicious of the Free loading, deeply resentful, French.
Once the EU opened up to the sun-bed countries signed, Hard Working Hans and family, wanted another, more practical, splurge resistant nation, to help shoulder the financial burden of the failed states of Europe.
And to shoulder the pain of making the former commie countries into twentieth century economies.
Poor Hardworking Hans. Going to have dig a bit deeper still.
But hey! It’s worth it. And they are rich. Having benefitted so very much from the Euro. So they can afford to shoulder our burden, too.
As long as no one actually wants those bankrupt German and Italian bankrupt to give them their money back, everything will be wunderbar.
Average working hours for a Greek are more than for a German.
I've been considering a suitable adjective for Miserable Edward aka JPM for some time. My choice is now "tiresome".
JPM @ 14:34 :
I thought that the EU keep telling us that they are a "rules or treaty based organisation" ?
In which case a court at the Hague would say that the EU is not following its own rules (treaty).
rapscllion @ 08:48 & RAC Esq @ 09:48 :
EU refusing to budge :
Mrs. May in her desire for the UK to remain permanently in the EU, whilst deluding the UK public that we were exiting the EU, gave the EU such a good deal that the EU has now become the equivalent of the monkey who is unable to extract his hand from the cookie jar.
I've had the misfortune of being subjected to troll comments at Frank's place and Dioclese, however they were a world away from our JPM. Full of spite, with accusations against everyone, including those on Dioclese blog roll.
JPM does generally keep it polite and does, once in a while, make entirely legitimate points. Furthermore it is very useful to know what a remainer thinks and why.
On that issue, people have criticised Boris for including a remainer in his cabinet. I don't because my belief is Boris sees merit in having her input.
If they want to know what they're up against, what better than one in the henhouse. In Boris case, he can be sure she'll leak what she believes to be his strategy.
Of course Dioclese eventually tired of his troll and put up a stack of hurdles to debar him. Rightly too for Dicky Doubleday.
Does JPM destroy the comments section? No, not in my opinion. Has he changed hearts and minds? No. Has he helped harden attitudes? Yes.
In truth he's as helpful to the remainders as Tony Blair, Soubry, Grieve and Clarke.
So while I can agree with your adjective, I'd suggest scripted and - sadly - predictable.
But he was rather late today. Odd.
JB, look up the meaning of the word "reasonable" in a legal dictionary, and also "implied terms".
@Smoking Scot - so, rounded down, what you're saying is that every village has its idiot....?
@ Dave_G
Not quite, more like what we see all too frequently in Scotland.
An incommer who's not got much of a life, who constantly chastises, corrects, nit picks and uses reference points that are alien or have been rejected to the community he has chosen to adopt.
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