The French and the Germans have made peace with each other. There is a history of French German wars over time. I don't read stories of parts of Germany or parts of France wanting to split off. Spain is having a time of it with areas wanting independence from Spain. But that is it except for the Balkan countries which have had national identity and border issues in recent times.
Why is it that the British Isles can't find a way to be at peace with each other as part of one nation? I would think that if the British Isles were unified, the UK would have even more clout in Europe.
I understand the history of England invading Ireland. I also understand that Northern Ireland has a significant number of people whose ancestry comes from Scotland. In the US they are referred to as Scots-Irish. In the UK I understand the term Ulster Scots is used.
My last name comes from Northern Ireland. A cousin did the ancestry.com saliva test and discovered the line all the way back to Northern Ireland.
So I do have an interest in Northern Ireland. Having said that most of my ancestors that some one in my family has traced have been in England.
I digress there for a moment.
Perhaps a confederation where the military,foreign affairs and some finance issues are in the hands of a government in Westminster, but each nation would be totally in charge of everything else.
As small as two islands are in seems unnecessary to have five independent nations counting both Irelands.
The reason the US is so powerful is that there are 50 states that form the union. A lot of laws governing day to day living are left to the states. Had the US split into two nations during the US Civil War neither would have the power that the US has today.
What is it that keeps the people in the UK to be so divided to want four or five different independent nations in the British Isles when the rest of Northern Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the low countries seem to be content with present boundaries and independent nations?
What is it that keeps the people in the UK to be so divided to want four or five different independent nations in the British Isles when the rest of Northern Europe - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and the low countries seem to be content with present boundaries and independent nations?
Lok at Europe. The French in arms against the Italians, The Poles and Hungarians at war against the EU elite trying to have a say in how they run their country, Italy on the edge of insolvency about to come with a begging bowl to German and the Germans will resist on the grounds the Italians are lazy. Greece struggling to stay afloat, France with its Yellow Vets and back to German where its also on the verge of meltdown. Then add the idea that all the countries in the EU act with one voice and ask why Germany has signed a pact with France - a country always ready to suck up to stronger powers - . As for one rule everywhere there are borders between countries, Austria, the Balkans have their own ideas about free movement and immigrants and all the time Tusk and Junker sit in steely silence seeking consolation from a bottle!
As a history lesson the EU began as a Common Market group, a good idea, free trade and free movement. When it began, as with most European schemes it had lofty ideals and drew up a list of criteria that had to be followed., Lots of pomp, lots of ceremony and the deal was signed, alas, not even all the founding countries met the criteria, Greece for exap0mple later was allowed to come in on the promise that things would be improve. Then the introduction of the Euro. A cup of coffee should in effect cost the same the group over, but because of different economies it didn't. And this has sewn the seeds for why the Euro zone will eventually break up.
With bigger dreams on the horizon the leaders, even the lovely Christine Lagarde, no one wanted to look to closely at what was happening when the bigger prize was a United States of Europe. As more and more impoverished countries joined in the make this mighty empire, propped up and bribed by Brussels the bigger prize dimmed their eyes to the reality of what the Euro was doing. First Greece, Italy, then Spain and Portugal all struggled, Eire had a load and still the cash was flowing out of the coffers, grand plans for a European Army etc and all the while the population of Europe was becoming more sceptical and, more to the point, questioning. Small counties began to question the might of the German immigrant policy, invent their own quota's, refuse the numbers imposed on them by Brussels and all the time the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.
Because underneath all this pomp and show and fine words nothing was ever going to work unless the whole of the EU came under the same rules, took on the same fiscal responsibilities, had the same welfare regulations - and there is the rub.
If you can imagine a Europe where all retirement ages, all the pension payments, all working hours regulated, holidays and more importantly all taxes are fixed by a non elected group in Brussels then that is the ultimate dream.
And so, from being hand fed fodder to make us think all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds suddenly a new wave of thinking, yes thinking is appearing whereby the nanny state is thought not to always know best.
The UK, four countries bound together over many years saw this as not being in its national interest. The only ones who want it to continue are those already on the gravy train or about to climb aboard.
The last decade has shown that the EU is to large, to diverse to govern itself and so will eventually implode, the UK, or at least the majority of those interested enough to vote though this was the time to get out showing how much our national leaders were out of touch with what was happening on the ground, and oddly, those same leaders still don't understand ground level feelings.
To miss quote Mister Tusk, I hope he finds his own place in hell.