Pavilionaire
Well-known member
- Jul 7, 2003
- 31,277
I really think that there is a great deal of ignorance about the European Union. It strikes me that there has never been a greater need for the EU than now, and if people think that the future is being out of the EU then they are deluded.
That is not to say that the EU is by any means perfect, and much of it needs urgent reform. But those who hark back to the time when the UK was outside the EU need to consider that since that time China, India, Russia, Brazil are now all global players unencumbered by the divisions of currency, language and border.
If we are to compete in the long-term then the EU has to co-operate, but the focus has to change away from purely nation self-interest towards a more global, humanitarian outlook. The refugee crisis demonstrates that the true extent of "Union" is paper thin. I've always believed that the UK should be working with Germany to drive the EU forward, but our reluctance to commit has helped create the dog's dinner we now have.
That is not to say that the EU is by any means perfect, and much of it needs urgent reform. But those who hark back to the time when the UK was outside the EU need to consider that since that time China, India, Russia, Brazil are now all global players unencumbered by the divisions of currency, language and border.
If we are to compete in the long-term then the EU has to co-operate, but the focus has to change away from purely nation self-interest towards a more global, humanitarian outlook. The refugee crisis demonstrates that the true extent of "Union" is paper thin. I've always believed that the UK should be working with Germany to drive the EU forward, but our reluctance to commit has helped create the dog's dinner we now have.