Posted on 05/29/2005 1:12:07 PM PDT by Betaille
OK but I will be there a while, going to Central Asia too...should be interesting.
"Since the EU is starting to look shaky, perhaps the British could generously offer France the opportunity to join the Commonwealth of Nations."
Only if they stick the queen on the back of their money!
Fairplays to the french. We were in danger of sleepwalking to a disaster - not that their is anything wrong with a 'united Europe' just that any possibility is centuries ahead of its time. As long as we have such diverse languages, legal tradtions, economic models, etc. we are lightyears from fulfilling the vision of that ridiculous 'constitution'. Back to the drawing board Brussles.
You caught it. Shaven pits. There is hope for France. One follicle at a time.
I will. What country/countries are you going to next week?
" History teach us that there cannot be a coherent union of people who are made up of different nationalities, speaks different languages, have a different cultures, have different history.
[...]
EU was a reactionary response to the incredible super power of the United States. Many of the EU laws and regulations, including the EURO, were nothing but a set of anti-US emotions to confront the US on economic, political and "may be" economical level, all masked under a strong Europe. Because it is mainly hostile emotions, it will eventually fail."
Sorry, if I'm being blut, but no, that is not the reason why we have the EU. The reason has more to do with the heritage of WWI and WWII in Europe. The United states have never even remotely experience a similar amount of destruction, loss of life and overall misery. You simply haven't. And unless the U.S. is about to engage in a war with Russia, North Korea and China simultaneously, you won't.
It is true, that mainly the French dream of a socialist superstate under french control as a counterweight to the U.S. "super power". That won't happen. Britain, Poland, Spain etc. won't allow it. But: The common market just like many other other areas of cooperation are here to stay. If you think, it's all about the United States, your dead wrong.
And that is the main problem: Lack of understanding. Too many of my compatriots gave in to a stupid anti-americanism, because they couldn't UNDERSTAND how the USA work. It's the same the other way round.
"EU is proven to be an economic failure so far and the future will be even worse. The average uneployement rate is twice then that of the US (10% Vs 5%), the EU GDP growth is half of that of the US (2% Vs 4%). EU has adopted a heavy socialist welfare system that impose very heavy taxation on hard working people and businesses, taxation that are much larger than that in the US."
Ironically you would have to thank the Germans and the French for that. With their socialist (Schröder) and pseudo-socialist (Chirac) governments the biggest economies within the EU failed to grow. On the other hand, growth in Spain and Poland, for example is still exeptional. But the reasons for Germany's and France's failure are to be found on a national level. After all, all the important factors like taxation or the welfare systems are (and will remain) in the hands of the national governments. The EU itself has very little to do with that.
"The socialist welfare system will eventually got bankrupted, and the utter economic disaster will strengthen the voice of nationalism in the large powerful members (Britain, Germany, France, possibly Italy) and the call for leaving EU will get very strong and this will lead to the collapse of the Union that was built on sand."
Britain has and will always have a welfare system of its own choosing. Any (french) attempts to change this are doomed to fail. So far, Britain has profited from the common market. Of course, if the UK desires to leave the EU (or any other member state for that matter), it can do so. But such will rather have a negative effect on the respective country's economy.
I bet warren buffet is shitting his pants right now...
never bet against the US.
A currency without a country?
Exactly the question, isn't it? And without a doubt it was a question on the minds of those who pushed for the Euro. They knew what an essential attribute of sovereignty it was, which is exactly why they pushed for it.
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PRECISELY - That has been part of their deep plan since their conspiring to supercede the European Common market. It has been a step-by-step strategy that has now come to a big road block. The reason it came to a big road block is due to the opposing forces here. On one side, you have the real socialist forces in Fronge, Sveeeedon, and such and on the other side you have those who have some desire for actual economic freedom such as Ireland, UK, and now Poland and the Eastern block of countries. The EU bureaucrats decided they wanted an all powerful central gubmint to control, by-dung, instead of a lose confederation of states (which would actually make sense).
The Euro was to be a stepping stone that would act as a bridge - and it was drawing them closer by force. However, the disparities between nations and their economic policies and propensities have led to currency dislocations in different countries: deficits, etc...
They it is now known they have overplayed their hand in this attempt to move too quickly on a further unification, as well as trying to move too far. (I suspect this is in part because of the desire to counter the US, rather than work with us.)
Recall that the Framers of OUR constitution essentially decided to punt on the slavery questions because the different states could not agree - and instead of deciding all questions in the Constitution, they left many of them to the states. The EU bureaucrats for whatever reason chose to include every responsibility in their central government, and little is left to the nations. They decided to fold everything into this in their desire for strong central control but there is no room for flexibility. Everyone who looks at even a small part of it will start to shake their head and say, do I really want this?
They see and understand why the bureaucrats do: more power. The People don't, though.
The currency unification was a desire to force eventual central control via necessity based on Macroeconomic Theory from day one. There were people who understood this from day one, too.
Buffet already charged off $300 million in losses of his shareholders' money betting against the dollar in the 1st Quarter. And the bum stated that he wasn't going to change his position after losing all that money. I bet he's going to lose at least $600 million+ of his shareholders' money in 2nd Quarter because of his hate for America and President Bush.
Correct !
The French people are pretty good at revolutions...
Again, welcome. It will be nice to have additional input from across the pond.
However now days, socialism and welfare are causing terrible damage to the German economy, umepmloyement rate is highest since WW II ! It is true that Germany still the third largest economy in the world after the USA and Japan, but its economy is suffering greatly. I think the EU has greatly adopted a lot of the French heavy socialist and welfare economic model (disaster/failure) and unfortunately Germany with a willing weak socialist Chancellor Shroeder did not stop but welcomed it and caused terrible damage to the Germany economy.
Not just Schadenfreud -- this is a good thing for the European people, who have had the arrogant elites arranging things without the people's permission.
EU was a reactionary response to the incredible super power of the United States.
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I disagree vehemently with this. There are elements of that viewpoint in the bureaucrats, but that is not the whole story.
"France does something right! (even if it's only an accident)"
That's because it was the French PEOPLE, not their largely unaccountable elites, who had their say. All the crap coming out of France comes from the governing class. The people aren't bad.
It's conservative to defend your borders and markets. Trade Liberalization, just like open borders. isn't conservative.
Each nation must determine for itself what its interests are and to defend those interests on a case by case basis. No blank checks, No open borders.
So when you say "Free Trade leads to specialization", I point out the 3 million manufacturing jobs we've already lost. I guess you want the US worker to compete with the third world on who can work for less? Because that's what it's going to come to..
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