I like to bring things down to an understandable level for myself & today i saw a great description of how the EU works in real terms. Put yourself in your local village hall @6 pm the day before the village fete. the first prize in the tombola is a cake & 20 committee members are present to decide on which recipe to use.There are 20 different ideas ,1 common language ,1 understanding of what is required & local knowledge on taste etc.It would take a couple of hours but by 8 pm a decision would be made to allow Gladys to go home & make said cake ready for the fete.Great but pretty boring however it had commonality of purpose ,a timescale,an agreed set budget & most importantly the committee all feel involved. Now move this decision to the EU Parliament there are 700 members from 28 different countries ,probably no experience of cake making ,no desire for a timescale ,they are all paid more than our PM & daily expenses for every day spent in Brussels ,each comes from a different culture & has different ideas what constitutes a cake,.In addition there debating hands are controlled by Commissioner /Council of Minister rules & regulations which define products used,heat source,energy efficiency,equality ,equal opportunities,decision making process allowed in debate. Put all this together & you eventually get a consensus agreement which i'm sure could be perfect however the target has been missed the cake no longer costs £5 but multi millions & 27 countries are unhappy that the cake does not conform with their expectations However the 28 th country is happy because their supplier of ingredients got in with the Commissioners & agreed a pre contract to supply said cake at the expense of all others. You probably think my ideas is inane but look at how things go in EU- over time,over budget,over egged(especially the cake) & over there controlling our destiny & freedom for self determination .I want my cake as we like it in UK, on the day i expect ,& above all while feeling that we have an ability to influence direction & future of our Sovereign nation
Wonderful post! Why countries cannot be left to make their own cakes and then sell them in a common market is beyond me
It's always simpler to use a cake analogy - Thatcher used to do it all the time. Still bollocks though.
very welcome feedback & by the way she never made a cake for the meetings i attended with her ........put head above parapet wait for impact !
We better get out of anything complicated and needing consensus with foreigners fast then! Bye bye UN, NATO, FIFA (ok fair enough), the ****ing Commonwealth.....
The UN is toothless, Fifa is corrupt, the Commonwealth is essentially an organization in name only though goodwill between members can be meaningful. NATO matters are decided by the US, and the UK and France support it Nothing is as complex as getting 28 disparate EU nations to try to agree something. Which is why the Commission tries to take unilateral decisions whenever possible. Neither is satisfactory
Like many others, I have struggled to make much sense of what leaving/staying will mean to us and more importantly to me personally. I have struggled to identify with either side based on the childish behaviour so far, but am hoping things improve as we approach D day. In the interim, I have taken to the Internet in an attempt to gain some insight and to generally come to a sensible decision...I have come across the below article and thought I would share as it seems to make some sense. I hope others continue to offer views and reference to articles such as this, as reading this thread has kick started my journey and has helped me a great deal. Thanks all http://www.andywilliamson.com/10-points-to-consider-about-brexit-and-the-eu-referendum/
Excellent footage tonight of Cameron trying to make small talk with Corbyn as they walk in side by side. Corbyn just turns away and blanks him. Good - **** off Bully boy. Then of course Dennis Skinner, god bless him, makes his customary irreverent heckle as Black Rod walks past. Bollocks to quaint.
Corbyn despises what the EU stands for, as does May and Javid. The Party has taken precedence over Country
I think you can convincingly argue that this whole referendum is about intra party politics, and that it's only happening because Cameron had ruled out getting a majority at the last election. He made a promise that he never expected to have to honour. If enough of the electorate feel strongly enough about it we should definitely have a referendum, but I think the shambolic lead up to this one has contributed hugely to the nasty, shallow, mendacious approach taken by the campaign leaders (both sides).
More multinationals (that have no interest in or loyalty to the UK except how much money they squeeze out) are coming out today in favour of remain. Increasingly, this referendum is about the power of corporate money v the people. Expect huge pressure from the Cameron/Osborne Corporate Front over the next four weeks and use of the dark arts.
Really more convinced this is counter productive & getting up peoples noses could be first English example of people power following Scottish referendum where decision was' bollocks the're not intimidating me'
I live in hope but perhaps not expectation. Cameron/Osbourne's Corporate Front can mobilise huge resources