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The Congress of Brussels
The Brussels Journal ^ | Tue, 2005-12-06 21:53 | Paul Belien

Posted on 12/06/2005 4:30:30 PM PST by Leifur

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To: Leifur
I have read some books on the EU, and have discussed it with Europeans, but have never heard the Icelandic angle, before. Although I admire their committment to economic progress in less developed member countries, I don't like the bureaucracy instead of democracy. Its determionation to dom,inate the rest of the world with all of its rules is a nuisance.

Yes, I am a woman and I admire beautiful specimens, though not in the same way as men do, I suppose.

21 posted on 12/10/2005 7:52:17 AM PST by ClaireSolt (.)
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To: ClaireSolt

Please tell me what books that where, I would be interested to read them. But you know that the EU uses huge amounts of money to promote itself, they have their own Göbbels foundations to create propaganda. And this every citizen in EU countries has to pay for, also those that are against the Union.

It is not only in Iceland where Eurosceptisism is on the rise, here it is just mainstream, in all layers of society, instead of only amongs the powerless masses in the member countries. And I say powerless, because the system and the political elite does not have to take their opinion into consern.

Actually I beliewe their ,,commitment" to the less developed countries is counterproductive. It only leads to to much buildup of government (socialistic) institutions in those countries and makes them used to get money from the other countries, just like the welfare state money makes people lazy, it makes the countries more lazy. The EU is one big welfare package for countries.

Also it closes these countries off from their neighbours that are not within the EU for commerce and trade and thus cuts old bussiness ties. And closes off market access for countries outside of it. It is the German (and French) dream of unifying Europe coming through, but this time not under a stealth aproach.

About our ladies, one of the Icelandic girls, was just beeing chosen as Miss World. She isn´t blond though, but with blue eyes...


22 posted on 12/10/2005 9:48:00 AM PST by Leifur
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To: Leifur

I have had a long relationship with a family in the Netherlands, as I was an exchange student there in 1960. I visited again in summer of 2003. Life is prosperous, but too much uniformity for me. Even though my contemporary has done graduate work in history, neither she nor anyone else is thinking. she seemed very surprised that I have my own confident thoughts, but I am PhD, and that is my job. These people with their own proud history and culture are trying to keep their identity while being European. American umbrella of protection is getting oppressive, I think. Then there is the bit about hedonism. that has never been the most respected philisophy, but that is what they are pushing. It seemed to me that people lacked meaning in life. It was summer and they all rode bikes.
the things I would change is to privatize the media and withdraw American troops so they have to think about their own defense. Welfare makes people babies, as you say, and NATO has become a kind of welfare.


23 posted on 12/10/2005 8:16:47 PM PST by ClaireSolt (.)
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To: ClaireSolt

I doupt you would find that uniformity there any longer, as in the 60´s. They have gone way to far into multiculturalism and completely failed to assimilate the countless immigrants (mostly muslims) they have imported to their old capitalistic, rich land.

Although not knowing enough about Holland/the Netherlands I would guess they have less welfare system than here in the nordic countries or many other European countries, due to their old richness and long tradition of capitalism and Calvinism. Am I right about that in your opinion?

Of course they are trying to keep their identity, but the EU wants to destroy their national identity and replace it with a European identity, this pan-Europeanism is the basis for the EU.

Pleace explain to me better what you mean by their inability to have confident thoughs? Are they not thinking at all about social issues or only according to political correct thinking or opposed to your views?

It is one of the mantra of the Euronationalists/Pan-Europeanists that the US is oppressing and a evil empire and thats way the EU needs to challange it as a single country with better economy and later as a better military. I and other right wingers in many European countries oppose that and trust the US better than the Brussel powers.

Hopefully the US will not leave us on the mercy of the Brussel powers, but rather ally us in building our own nations as independent units again with their own military and independence, participating freely in the cooperative allience of NATO.

People are lacking a meaning to life because of breakdown of cultural norms and christian ethics. People don´t beliewe any more generally. I don´t understand your reservations about bikes, I wish my city was better planned so we would not need the car as much.

Maybe you are correct partly about the US protection beeing a form of welfare, but that is only partly true as the NATO is a cooperative allience and most of the countries are pulling their weight although they propaply could do more. But it is not only a protection, as the US has a mutual gain in this also, and it is better like I said here abowe to have the NATO than a EU with their own military like they are trying to create now.


24 posted on 12/11/2005 1:29:14 PM PST by Leifur
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To: Leifur
With respect to confident thoughts, I think the EU is "elitist" and people follow the PC thinking. Some of it is a real pain. For instance, my Dutch sister, who was married most of her life to a rural Calvinist minister got to telling me how accepting her family and congregation are of gay marriage. When I said I thought we should discuss that issue as societies rather than just respond to gay activists, I quickly realized that discussion was out.

Likewise, I was mystified by the opposition to GM food. However, I got a chance to watch a discussion on the BBC, and I was surprised at how shallow and insubstantial it was. Finally, American politicians and public alike resisted Kyoto and have demanded more in depth research. That is producing new agreements and technology, and that is good, since Kyoto doesn't seem to be working.

Of course, Europe had a long history of absolutism. Sometimes, their committment to democracy seems weak. The French politicians are all trained at the same university and never have a new idea. But I think the seniority system for PM's also discourages innovation.

I am interested in your referance to your link to European conservatives. How does that movement work together, and what are its main issues?

I am not opposed to bikes. I have one too. You would just have to see it to believe it. Dutch on bikes is a little like seeing the snow geese fly south in formation.

25 posted on 12/15/2005 8:57:23 PM PST by ClaireSolt (.)
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To: Leifur

What’s the general feeling in Iceland toward the EU now?


26 posted on 12/03/2013 2:55:25 AM PST by OldNewYork (Biden '13. Impeach now.)
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To: OldNewYork

Well, the parties that won last elections, won it on a platform of stopping the EU entry-adjustment process. The last poll I find is with 63% against joining. Maybe it is a little less now, because the anti-independence crowd is always misleading people with talks about checking the package, that is seeing what kind of a deal we would get, instead of acknowledging that this is not a deal but an adjustment process, of our laws towards theirs.

The problem is though that the EU is always trying to rule more and more things through the EEA deal, which becomes a case for pro EU folks for us to join so we could affect that. The debate is pretty much about how much our control would increase by that and how much we already have had to take up of EU laws and regulations.

But I won´t see ourselves joining, but I am afraid that it could change if we get more and more economically linked to and stuck in the EEA area. We need freeer trade to the rest of the world, especially the US and the western hemisphere.


27 posted on 12/03/2013 4:51:04 AM PST by Leifur
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To: Leifur

I’m surprised, with the economic state of the EU and Iceland’s history with bankers, that there are still Icelanders pushing a ‘good deal’ by joining. What kind of person there supports this thing? As an Icelander, I expect you’d be able to discern things that wouldn’t be in any news reports. Is it the same kind of malcontents that complain about anything even remotely conservative, or the kind of self-serving opportunists that have no reservations about manipulating all and everthing to their benefit, or a bit of both?


28 posted on 12/03/2013 1:10:11 PM PST by OldNewYork (Biden '13. Impeach now.)
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To: OldNewYork

It is selfserving folk that see it as a great career path, and ideologists that see it as a socialdemocratic mission of peace and prosperity and bigger is better kind of mentality. With a bit of self-loathing added to it, you can find something of all these in the typical EU enthusiaist.


29 posted on 12/03/2013 3:38:41 PM PST by Leifur
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To: Leifur

Who has been teaching Icelanders to loathe themselves? It’s not as if Icelanders suppressed any indigenous population, had colonies, or started wars.


30 posted on 12/04/2013 1:08:40 AM PST by OldNewYork (Biden '13. Impeach now.)
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To: OldNewYork

Exactly, but I guess leftist see how useful self loathing has been in other countries and are thus trying to introduce it here (albeit probably not conciously). They tried to build up a loathing for bussiness and the can do attitude, saying that we had been building ourself to high and thus when it all came crashing down, we should be ashamed, instead of pick us back up and begin anew. Classic socialliberal self loathing like you see everywhere in the west today.


31 posted on 12/08/2013 5:33:27 AM PST by Leifur
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To: Leifur

The signs were there early, but has there been a greater disappointment among current ‘world leaders’ than David Cameron?


32 posted on 12/08/2013 5:40:35 AM PST by 9YearLurker
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To: Leifur

Some people aren’t happy unless others are as miserable as they are. God help them.

And I think that’s what it has really always been about, not about colonies, nor indigenous people, nor who started what war.


33 posted on 12/08/2013 1:40:18 PM PST by OldNewYork (Biden '13. Impeach now.)
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