No I didn't, but I thought you couldn't be arsed about this stuff anyway. There you go, always someone else to blame, same old generalisations, though I agree that Prominent Tories do all seem pretty obnoxious whatever they think of the EU. You don't speak for the English Col, you speak for people who think like you. And it's a minority of people, mostly aged over 50 - I have the facts to prove it, but I know you don't like knowledge based arguments. The English, thankfully, have a lot of different voices. One of them belongs to the person responsible for keeping us out of the Euro, Gordon Brown. Even though he is a lefty. And Scottish. So he probably doesn't count. He wants to stay in the EU though.
Let's go through this 'unelected bureaucrats' myth one more time. EU Laws and regulations are proposed by the EU Commission, every Commissioner is the nominee of elected national governments. Every law they propose has to be ratified by the elected European Parliament and the EU Council consisting of elected ministers from each of the member states. In fact the only country that I can think of who might send an unelected person to the Council is the UK, because we sometimes have Lords as ministers. I think we are unique in Europe in having a bunch of politically picked geriatrics, inbreds and clergy as a key part of our 'sovereign government'.
Does that make him a hypocritical English patriot? He fits the age demographic.
That's it? That's our destiny? It used to be to rule as much of the world as we could in as benign a way as possible to allow a few of us to get rich, now it's to ensure Westminster sets the regulations on food additives rather than a 'faceless bureaucrat'? That's a state of governance, not a destiny. Not that I want a destiny, they scare me.
Having said all of that I don't see any reason for anyone to take the figures published by the Treasury today about costs of Brexit seriously, they can't even forecast accurately 4 months in advance. Even talking about Brexit has damaged the economy, and leaving will obviously be negative, but no one can predict the numbers because no one can predict anything.
How pompous are you?
You really don't like anyone crossing swords with you on here do you? What a bitchy reply!
This is what you said :
" My wife, who is genuinely undecided on how she will vote, just summed up the Brexit campaign as "we're British, it'll all be fine".
I think, and definitely hope, I'm overplaying this, but there are some really troubling undertones in all this. At the moment it's all about the enemy without, 'faceless bureaucrats', unequal treaties, US presidents with an opinion. Should Brexit lose it will be blamed on the enemy within, traitors, anti-patriots, communists, foreigners and 'unfairness'. Should they win, and things don't change for the better immediately (especially on immigration) they will shift blame by focussing even more on the enemy within. Never their fault, others always conspiring to deny us our non existent 'destiny', populism with a sinister underbelly."
You are forever preaching to everyone about generalisations and you come out with this old clap-trap.
IMO you are a classic member of the liberal elite. Enough money not to be effected by many of the issues, but determined to show how "in touch" you are with the great unwashed, whilst always taking every opportunity to run down your own Country and its history.
The EU is undemocratic. Even your fellow liberal lefty George Galloway, someone I never thought I'd agree with, says this. It is also an elitist club that is set up for the main players.
It is also on course to become a United States of Europe, something you have said you'd like to see. Fair enough, but I don't.
Where did I claim to be speaking for the English?
Yes, Brown was right to keep us out of the Euro, but that was about all he did get right. He also sold off our Gold reserves at rock bottom prices.
I'd be prepared to bet a fair amount that if it was only the English voting in the referendum, we would be leaving the EU.
You ridicule my answer to our destiny. Clearly I was answering in context to the vote on leaving the EU. In that context, our destiny for me, is very much for Parliament to be completely in charge of our Country and not unelected foreigners (oh no, I said the foreigner word. Must be a racist eh?). All you can do is go on about the fact that we once ruled a lot of the World and had an Empire. Something for the likes of you to no doubt be very ashamed.
Nothing could prevent me from getting out and voting to leave this decaying superstate.I suspect that there are a lot of people who also feel that this is a sovereignty question above all else and will come out in their millions to have their say (no doubt, in your World, these are all little Englander racists). All we get from the liberal elite are warnings of impending doom and disaster. This latest one, that we will be much poorer, FOREVER!!!, just about takes the biscuit. Europe won't stop trading with the 5th largest economy if we leave. If the EU is so wonderful and leaving would be such a disaster, why did Cameron say he needed to get substantial changes or we could leave? He never meant it and he came back with virtually nothing. Yet, it would be a disaster to leave this unchanged club? What bollocks!
The EU is falling apart with unemployment on the rise in many states. Merkel's ridiculous invitation to the third world to come and have a new life in the West has condemned Europe to decades of potential extremism.
When we voted last time we voted to join a Common Market. The EU has now grown into a failing, undemocratic, dishonest superstate that leaves very few people prosperous and nobody safe.
Unlike the tepid liberal elite in Europe and here, those of us that want our Country back care passionately about this vote. I hope it pisses down on election day and the wishy washy liberal can't be arsed to get out and vote. People like me, the ones you deride in your pompous manner, will be out in force.