Hmm - I would not compare Trump to Churchill - closer to Thatcher for me. Aggressive, intolerant, a narrow perspective and a belief everyone else is wrong. I do not see how a trade deal can be concluded within months when we are unable to conclude trade deals until we exit the customs union. If things are not a disaster then I guess you can rightly say things are better than remainers could imagine - however we have not left yet.
Hopefully Trump will be as successful as the mighty Thatcher. Much work can be done between nations before the leave date, they call it 'scoping'. If it takes only a few months to conclude a free trade deal with the US after leaving most will be content with that. We already do £100 million worth of trade with the US, our largest trading partner. Most trade is done without free trade deals, it just makes it far easier.
Maybe he will hear the call of his forefathers and support the nation to stay in the EU. He is clearly afraid of Europe being more successful than his country, so a breakup of the Union would suit him fine.
Most of his forefathers were fighting the Germans to avoid their attempted domination. The Yanks and the Brits can rout them once again.
Hmm. I will have to try to get used to your humour. The great shame would be if both the UK and EU fare worse due to brexit. Greater prosperity can be shared.
Yes, it would be beneficial for the UK if the EU countries, not necessarily all within the present system, gained greater prosperity, assuming we are not shafted by them in spite. Alas it is not possible for many of the Southern European countries to remain within the Euro group and prosper. Greece, Spain, Italy, Portugal, maybe even France would have a better chance outside of the Euro. There is much anti German sentiments building up in some of these countries.
Up to 95% of countries in the world have sovereignty and have control of their own borders and laws, it is not unusual for the UK to want the same after seeing the direction the eurocrats are currently pulling member countries. It is the EU that is odd, it seemed to heading for success until the many rules that were imposed prematurely before an actual single state could be created, were exposed to sad reality.
Pooled sovereignty is still sovereignty. If you believe that by uniting with other peoples to drive culture, prosperity and within a democratic framework then like joining the UN or NATO you choose to share some aspects of the rules under which you live. Is that so bad? You think the EU is failing but I am not so sure - Germany took longer than expected to unite its East and West. Perhaps bringing countries that were subject to Soviet domination for decades is a difficult task but wow what benefits there are. I cannot agree with you assessment of failure. The UK was a basket case before we joined the EU - muchof our current condition must in part be down to our membership. I regret the loss of a shared future for the nebulous "control" we have taken back
It tells us also something about his way of thinking. You can say anything you like about immigration, sovereignty or whatever - the ghost in the cupboard is that Britain has always been top dog in its international relations ( or at least likes to think it was) now they feel they have to play second fiddle to..... Frogs and Krauts. I have actually experienced Heil Hitler salutes, from the natives, in some parts of England when in company of Germans there. I think there are still some morons there who think that Germany has not changed in 70 years. Basically with the undercurrent of feeling in some sections of British society regarding the Germans a referendum could only go one way. Strange that the Poles, who suffered much more in World War 2, have forgiven and forgotten - there are even some British Jews now applying for German passports on the basis of ancestry.
A member wanting to leave is failure, the alarming rise of the extreme right wing is failure, high unemployment, especially up to 50% for the young in some areas is failure. Countries such as Greece and Italy have seen no growth since 2008, that is failure. Creating the Schengen area which allowed migrants, including many terrorists to run riot without internal borders is failure. This list goes on. I am not against sensible friendly collaboration in many areas, they just took it far to far towards a single state.
You might add, when talking about the one that wants to leave, that the EU. has doubled its membership between 1989 and 2014 - is there any other system in the World which could have taken on such an undertaking ? The EU. has moved into 3rd place in population, behind China and India, currently boasts the World's largest economy and heads the list of global trading powers. In a competition for ''World's true superpower'' China loses points for having so many impoverished peasants and for massive corruption. The USA. loses points for its crumbling infrastructure and a military machine that threatens to bankrupt the economy. The EU. also contains some of the highest living standards in the World, some of the best education systems, and health systems (try having a heart attack on the streets of the USA. and then compare it to Denmark, Germany or Italy). You do not appear to give credit for the fact that the EU. has taken on the role of integrating almost the entire Warsaw Pact into another system in just 20 odd years - is there any other organization which would have taken on such a daunting task with any hope of success ? A failure ? I think not.
Horrible. Unfortunately, totally credible. I accept your entire post. My reference to Churchill is that he was a very important figure in the 20th Century. I didn't like his politics, but he undoubtedly made a significant difference to our lives. FWIW, my grandparents hated him, my grandfather being one of the soldiers who gave him the boot after the war. I didn't understand that as a child, but now I do. But for his wartime premiership, particularly his work with FDR, he was worthy of the bust in the Oval Office.
The problem you have is the EU has seen its best days. Many economic gurus are convinced the Euro group cannot survive as it is. The political outlook is very uncertain with euroscepticism rising to serious level in Holland, France, Italy and Greece. If the UK is successful after leaving the EU it will only accelerate the chances of more defections.There does not seem to be any chance of Greece or Italy escaping their respective financial messes within the present system.
Your problem is SH, that you want the EU. to collapse, which is clouding your thinking. The USA. has poverty and homelessness of a level the EU. could not conceive of - the gap in wealth between eg. Texas and Mississippi will never be bridged. Is this a sign of the imminent collapse of the USA ? Britain has had 200 years to solve the north south divide but still has a gap of over 10 years between the life expentancies of Hull and parts of the South East - and still has many pockets where people think 'the UK. is for someone else', like Merseyside. There are many Scots, Geordies and Scousers who are UK. sceptic. Is this a sign of the imminent collapse of the UK ? Your second problem is that you see the EU. as a finished product not as a process - it is a 'work in process'. How could such a project like the incorporation of Eastern Europe be anything else ? Your third problem is that you confuse Euro scepticism with the wish to leave. There are many Euro sceptic groups in Europe who do not like the way things are going (I belong to that number) - but none of them are asking to leave - their goal is to reform from within. Your fourth problem is ,and you have demonstrated this in a couple of posts, you are anti German. It wouldn't matter what the EU. did, you would still be that way, and would still see nothing positive in the European experiment whatsoever. Would you expect Germany to be the biggest payers into the EU. but have no parallel influence, no ? Is there anything to stop another country trying to produce more than Germany, like Britain or France, and taking over that role......again no.
