Off Topic EU deabte. Which way are you voting ?

Not now they've been rocked by the referendum, but had it gone the other way, they'd have seen that as a green light.

 

It copied well ...

 

Not just us. What was the vote that happened in another country a couple of years ago which was also a shock NO to them. I'm pretty sure THAT one was far more relevant to scuppering the federal state project. Can't remember which country it was...

anyone?

 

Greenland voted, but that wasn't so much to leave, but to change to some sort of annexe of Norway, or is it Denmark?

 

Denmark

 

No not that one, I'll have a check.

 

I'm either thinking of the European Constitution referendums in France and Holland which were rejected, or the Treaty of Lisbon which was rejected by Ireland. But both were a few years ago and seemed much more recent in my mind. Pretty sure it was one of those that was a real shock to the system, and as a result NO other country had a referendum on them and the aim (as it was originally planned) to possibly be mooted as a stepping stone to a federal state, was shelved.

 

For federalism?? Come on, that's stretching things way too far!

It was always going to be a close result, and a small majority for remain would have been viewed as a shot across the bows, not a green light!..

 

Didn't they just keep Ireland voting until they got the preferred answer?

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Referendums_related_to_the_European_Union

 

I wonder if any of these referendums are "advisory" - obviously the referendums that are in any constitutions are not

 

Treaty of Nice and Treaty of Lisbon referendums in Ireland were both voted against but the second referendums in each case were voted for.

 

They did but the EU had to change their own conditions, which in effect ended the idea of the treaty and no other country bothered doing the referendum. Hence why I said (as it was originally planned).

EDIT: This to me was good evidence that the federal state couldn't have happened.

 

I like Swedens approach to the Euro. Sweden has not received an opt-out, yet deliberately doesn't live up to the requirements for joining for now.

 

Looked it up, it was the European Constitution.

It would have repealed the existing European treaties and replaced them with a constitution. It was abandoned after being rejected by 54.67% of French voters 2005 and then by 61.54% of Dutch voters later in 2005. After a "period of reflection" member states agreed instead to maintain the existing treaties, but to amend them, salvaging a number of the reforms that had been envisaged in the constitution.

I remember that pretty much ended the idea of a federal state as the EU realised at that point, people wouldn't sleep walk into a consitution. Plus the fact it was France of all countries!!

 

I bet you work with some right intellectual heavy weights Lee.

 

Blair ****ed off the idea of the U.K. being part of a truly federal Europe about 15 years ago. We'd have never accepted some of the wacko ideas of the federalists, and neither would the majority of the Union. The stories you've recycled are largely pre referendum Leave media scare mongering

 

In my view, if put to a vote, the proposal of a federal Europe would be heavily defeated. Not only in the UK, but in virtually every other country in Europe too.

 

Merkel has spoken to Cameron more recently than that about bolting on measures so that it wouldn't need referendums to change the agreements.

 

If.