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About LinkBacksHow secure will 26 governments be, who have denied their people the right to vote, in turfing out/isolating/marginalising the only country which did hold a referendum? (Another problem for Gordon Brown, me thinks).
How secure will 26 governments be, who have denied their people the right to vote, in turfing out/isolating/marginalising the only country which did hold a referendum? (Another problem for Gordon Brown, me thinks).
We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don't know we don't know.
Originally Posted by returning officer
As safe as houses and it is called Parliamentary Democracy. New labour was dead long before this.
Perhaps you hanker after the Swiss form of democracy?
My understanding is that there have been an exodus of companies from the EU (UK, etc) to Switzerland and other non-EU countries, so you may be right there
Without the EU imposing basic social rights for its workers I could see Ireland becoming quite popular with exploitative industries. Back to being a low wage economy - maybe we'll attract global businesses currently situated in the third world.My understanding is that there have been an exodus of companies from the EU (UK, etc) to Switzerland and other non-EU countries, so you may be right there
"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." - Chapman Cohen.
9 other EU states have the same or lower corporation tax rates than Ireland, and Brussels is viewed as a positive influence in the business world, not a negative one.The one with lower taxes, which does not accept every regulation from Brussels.Where would you locate your European HQ?Please explain?Unless you're a US company looking for a European base.
In the top tier where there is an internal market with totally undistorted competition?
Or in the second tier, where people are more concerned about abortion than economic issues?
There is still along way to go to a totally undistorted market. Other EU states can easily remove those barriers in an enhanced cooperation deal. For instance, Ireland has a relatively high minimum wage.
A demagogue is someone who will preach doctrines he knows to be untrue to men he knows to be idiots.
I think what is wrong with a two tier Europe is that one of the tiers will expect to opt in on the issues that suit them, such as freedom of travel etc, while opting out of clauses that do not bequeth one way economic benefits.
Also once there is a split, there is precident for further and further subdivision into many tiers. The horse trading up and down and between tiers would see countries treating the EU as an economic comodity and migrating from tier to tier. The EU would cease to be a Political Union, which it already is regardless of how currently ineffective it is.
Any denial of a countries wish to migrate between tiers, keep a foot in each camp, or cherry pick benefits will be seen as discriminatory and breed resentment.
All the craic will be on the lower deck ... with the Irish!
Anyhow, the whole EU gig will eventually hit an iceberg (unleashed by global warming!)
My primary concern would be that we would lose our say in the running of Europe.
To live honestly, to hurt no one, to give every one his due.
I think he was on about Venice around the 14th, 15th century when it nimbly steered its way between a load of Empires and warring states all around it, kept its independence (simply by being useful to all sides, a bit like Switzerland today) and became a major, wealthy, important mercantile trading city-state which pretty much single-handedly invented the roots of modern capitalism - fiat currencies, fractional reserve banking, insurance etc - all concepts which the 17th century Dutch and English dug up, dusted off, and built the modern world with. Venice rarely gets the credit it deserves. Tis a fascinating and instructive period of history. There's even a long-standing Irish link - the Columban monastery at Bobbio was the main source of learning with the most famous library in the whole region of what is now north Italy/Switzerland/Austria.
The only thing stopping Ireland doing something similar in the 21st century (likely to be a violent and unstable one full of resource wars and competing superblocs) is, well, cowardice and a lack of self-belief, essentially.
When a bunch of Empires start going toe-to-toe a small nimble neutral nation can make a packet and retain it's independence throughout if it just plays the game smart. Or, you know, it could join the nearest Empire and get stepped on in the melee.
Je suis un loo-lah
A Two tier europe is inevitable. I think we need to accept that fact. An inner circle wish to become a federal superatate. I say let the go ahead and let them retain the the title EU. The rest of us can either merge with EFTA or form a European Community (lets callit EC!!!) and have free trade with the inner core.
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