Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Brexit: The story of an island apart
BBC ^ | 25 June 2016 | Mark Mardell

Posted on 06/29/2016 12:31:49 AM PDT by Cronos

..It is the English Channel, that helps define our relationship with the rest of Europe.

These isles have very rarely been in isolation from it, whether splendid or otherwise. How could it be, as one historian recently argued, when the Magna Carta was signed by French nobles and the Bill of Rights designed for a Dutch prince?

But it has always kept a beady eye on other powers across the water.

It has been often concerned with stopping other European powers dominating the continent, playing one off against another.

... there are only a couple of European countries who are "out", and firmly intend to stay out. All the others, or at least their leaders, want a share in this deeply political expression of a dream.

.. To many in the UK being part of the EU was a hard-headed economic relationship, about free markets, selling and buying stuff. It was a sort of second best, a consolation prize after the loss of empire, but not one that had a similar place in patriots' hearts.

But for nearly all the other countries it was a refuge. It was a home they were constructing as a bulwark against history, against horror.

Germany was fleeing its role in spreading death and destruction to every corner of the continent, fleeing its own political ambitions. France was running away from defeat and occupation, from humiliation and powerlessness.

So were many other countries. Greece, Portugal and Spain found refuge - in an imagined future - from the real past of right-wing dictatorships. The countries of the East were replacing communist tyranny with a new attempt to create peace and democracy.

The thought that war could once again ravage a continent.. do not seem so funny to many on the continent.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS:
From the article
While readers of some British newspapers have been treated to stories of little Britain being bullied by the big commission, that is not how you see it if you are, say, Portuguese or Latvian.

Then you would see, time after time, Britain being given a special deal, treated with kid gloves and washed with buckets of soft soap.

They say we've won. We won and turned Europe on to a free-market, anti-statist, liberal economic agenda.

We won on enlargement - the unlovely word for our insistence that the EU couldn't wait, and had to rapidly take in the countries of the former communist block.

1 posted on 06/29/2016 12:31:49 AM PDT by Cronos
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Cronos

wow. More garbage in those words than at the old staten island dump.

The EU became a monster and quite willingly let muzzies invade in incredible numbers, and who knows if Europe can bounce back.

I figure that here, the only reason the BBC would be posted would be for satire.

I hope that was the reason.


2 posted on 06/29/2016 12:40:45 AM PDT by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

“Germans will love it, the French will ignore it and the Italians and the Irish will be too chaotic to enforce it. Only the British will resent it”. - Sir Humphrey Appelby Yes Minister


3 posted on 06/29/2016 12:45:04 AM PDT by Oztrich Boy (Rules are for the guidance of wise men and the blind obedience of fools - Solon, Lawmaker of Athens)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

“We won and turned Europe on to a free-market, anti-statist, liberal economic agenda.”

How can they possibly claim EU = ‘anti-statist’ ?
Surreal.


4 posted on 06/29/2016 12:50:53 AM PDT by ri4dc (We only can succeed if we win. I am sensing a landslide in the making. MAGA)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos
The thought that war could once again ravage a continent.. do not seem so funny to many on the continent.

Which is exactly why the Brits voted to exit. They could see the EU leadership importing war in to the EU in the form of Muslim invaders.

Question: Why is the Middle East perpetually at war for 1600 years?

Answer: Because it is dominated by Muslims.

If you bring enough of there here; here becomes there.

5 posted on 06/29/2016 1:02:43 AM PDT by Pontiac (The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

> ... say, Portuguese or Latvian.

This guy is truly flaunting his lack of higher order thinking.

Since when did anyone care a bit what Portuguese or Latvians were thinking about the EU (of all things)? Since when should the Brits care what they think? Is the EU controversy some kind of high school popularity contest? Or like the theme of a Survivor episode rerun?? And which Portuguese and which Latvians is he referring to— The people on the street, or the politicians and banksters?

And his use of the word “We” is very presumptuous. How can he use the word “we” with a straight face when the “we” voted the EU out?

Sheesh...


6 posted on 06/29/2016 1:08:54 AM PDT by SteveH
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

The EU reported giving the BBC over £4 million GBP just in 2012.

The main funding stream of the BBC is the licence fee: but that money is accountable and its use governed by charter.

These EU grants (and also frequent heavy loans to BBC subsidiaries) are not accountable to the UK license fee-payer.

There are similar patterns with other UK entities such as the RSPB, which is lavishly funded with EU money (taken by force from UK taxpayers) and which in return is slavishly pro-EU.


7 posted on 06/29/2016 1:12:57 AM PDT by agere_contra (Hamas has dug miles of tunnels - but no bomb-shelters.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oztrich Boy

LOL The Germans are now pushing for a “referendum.”


8 posted on 06/29/2016 2:04:45 AM PDT by stilloftyhenight ("Victorious warriors win first, then go to war." Sun Tsu)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: dp0622
Note that the "EU" didn't make policy changes except to pay Turkey to take back the refugees. Angela Merkel invited them in

And "Europe" you state is really only Germany-France-UK-Sweden who have this problem, not Central and Eastern EUrope

9 posted on 06/29/2016 2:14:40 AM PDT by Cronos (Obama's dislike of Assad is not based on his brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: ri4dc

He said that the UK turned Europe to that — the initial proposals by France were worse and the British tempered it and got tacit approval from Germany (who didn’t want to oppose France) and open support from former Warsaw-Pact countries


10 posted on 06/29/2016 2:15:57 AM PDT by Cronos (Obama's dislike of Assad is not based on his brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac
They could see the EU leadership importing war in to the EU in the form of Muslim invaders.

The Brits are already and were already importing their own Mozzie invaders from Paki land.

11 posted on 06/29/2016 2:16:43 AM PDT by Cronos (Obama's dislike of Assad is not based on his brutality but that he isn't a jihadi Moslem)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Cronos

Brussels Proposes Ending Any Right to Vote to Exit EU as well as to surrender the right of any member state to have their own army, rule of law, taxation systems, central banks, and to effectively transfer all power to Brussels.

http://investmentwatchblog.com/brussels-proposes-ending-any-right-to-vote-to-exit-eu/


12 posted on 06/29/2016 2:57:37 AM PDT by Jamesmm
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: stilloftyhenight

>>LOL The Germans are now pushing for a “referendum.”

When you say that, a Transnational Progressive stomps his feet and shouts, “ NO. That is not the narrative! Stop saying that.”

The Tranzis believe that Britain will sink into the ocean without the EU.


13 posted on 06/29/2016 3:48:05 AM PDT by Bryanw92 (If we had some ham, we could have ham and eggs, if we had some eggs.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson