I think there is a lot of 'good riddance' feelings in the EU population towards the UK right now but that is mostly driven by the way the media creates this black and white, us vs them divisive messages, none of which has any basis in reality.
The UK had for many years served as the ironclad under which more budget conservative countries protected themselves in EU negotiations. The UK got all the hate and the stereotype of the 'difficult' person in the room and all the other countries got there defensive stand preserved.
With the UK now leaving it's likely that the Netherlands or the 'New Hanseatic league' will probably fill the role of the 'difficult' person in the room.
Irrespective of all the sanguine media, the UK still has a great deal of positive points that make it attractive for businesses when compared with other EU countries:
- Flexible Labour law (e.g. France would be a counter-example)
- Functioning/Expedient Legal system
- Competitive tax framework
- Access to VC levels of funding for startups mostly biased towards London, but still
- The volume of funding available for University research and spin-offs (when comparing with other EU countries)
- Network effects with the US.
- An internal 60mil people consumer market, with a fairly high median disposable income (specially when compared with the EU27 median) and credit-friendly.
The EU project has a lot of ideals and visions sliding along a spectrum. There should never be a situation where if you do not agree with me than you are against me, that is reductionist and will never work in a EU wide project with some many heterogenous countries and cultures. In my opinion we cannot artificially accelerate what is likely a multi-generational mind shift (slow creep towards an EU federation) with process-driven reforms.
If I dare making a prediction I don't think the UK will be in a scenario of having to ration insuline medication or riots in the street as some describe, I also don't think the UK will be business as usual as some conservatives describe. It will mostly likely be somewhere in between because as with most things in reality this situation is nuanced and complex.
That's only nice on short term. Easily being able to fire people is fun, until there's too much of a difference between top and low earning. Eventually it'll just lead to huge problems. You avoid loads of issues by ensuring there's not a gigantic difference between top earners and low earners. E.g. it should NOT be ok that people work multiple jobs, or can barely scrape by.
IMO less inequality will eventually be better for a country; tax income could be higher, more influence as result. Similarly, if people think they have no good future, why follow things like do no crime.
See e.g. https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Staff-Discussion-Notes/I... (income increases on bottom 20% of earners result in GDP growth): > This suggests that policies need to be country specific but should focus on raising the income share of the poor, and ensuring there is no hollowing out of the middle class.
UK seems very riot-resistant, I guess we have to see what the wreckage of the economy looks like after Covid. The best prediction I've heard was that we'll simply forget that the UK used to be a richer country than Ireland. Although that may be driven into sharper relief by a border poll ...
I genuinely hope we can get rid of VAT once we leave the EU as it won't be mandated anymore, but that's wishful thinking on my part. We're probably too dependent on it now. :(
The press in the U.K. is attacking UN agencies daily - it would not surprise me in the slightest if the U.K. decided the SC was too constraining, their veto not big enough.
Same goes for NATO - the ERG want out, and feel the contributions are an unfair burden. They are right now opaquely “streamlining” the military. How that helps meet the NATO commitment, not clear.
Everyone said {the many things that have come to pass over the past few years} would never happen, that it would be an insane choice.
At this point, the insane choice is the inevitable choice, so I’d put money (actually, I have, I am shorting sterling, hard, as a hedge) on them leaving both the UN and NATO.
The EU has a serious democratic deficit and this will never be resolved.
Somewhat true, but so does the UK with its unelected upper house! Having Ian Botham made a permanent legislator because of his "loyalty" to the Party is not really the stuff of a democratic country.
The EU does have flaws, but that's not the basis on which Brexit was fought.
Two wrongs don't make one right.
>The EU does have flaws, but that's not the basis on which Brexit was fought.
This is the whole point of my initial comment. You can't just dismiss all criticism of the EU as racist and xenophobic. That just causes more divisiveness and bad will.
the (elected) EU parliament cannot initiate legislation, only the (unelected) commission can
EU: the elected parliament is a rubber stamp on the unelected commission's agenda
UK: the unelected house is a rubber stamp on the elected house's agenda
It's a bit like saying that the UK in undemocratic because the civil service drafts the laws.
Got a citation for that? My impression is euroskeptics love America and NATO.
At this point I am beginning to wonder what is behind the pattern.
Are we witnessing the failure of governments acting in the best national interests because they have finally become fully subverted from within by selfish forces? A common pattern to the madness in the US and the madness in the UK is that an inner circle stand to get very rich from all the goings-on.
When France and UK became part initial members the SC. They were still colonial powers controlling a lot of the world, and won the war, they are no longer have that kind of strength or influence.
If a new council were created in the somewhat near future it would be because power dynamics have shifted far enough that the current council is no longer useful, from the current members UK and France are most likely to ones for that shift and not enjoy similar rights. New powers at the table could be EU as a whole, India, Brazil perhaps Japan and Germany etc.
again, based on what?
half of your posts here are speculation based on no substance whatsoever
what did the UK ever do to you?