The UK has contributed little to the EU the last 40 years. It's a big Country in the EU Grouping that should have provided the EU along with France and Germany, direction, new ideas, and a powerful voice of UK values, that should have better developed and contributed to this Union. So after countless electections UK and European, countless serial diplomatic rounds to demand special treatment for countless UK "special cases", in fact special because they were by and large self serving Only, we have seen a fomer world power play a winging, non-contributory, small, pathetic role in the background, deriding and back stabbing most any moves whatsoever from other States, but failing to contribute itself. No major power contribution, just a big bad boy sulking back of the class. The UK has been a major embarrassment in and to Europe sInce it "joined" in, in writing but never really has. Seems to me all of you little England nationalists on here have been perfectly well represented by the performance of the UK leaders in Europe these 40 years. No doubt you won't agree so will also find this "very pompous" as well.
Off Topic The Politics Thread
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I know only too well mate. The country did a hell of a lot back then to be truly proud of.
No, I didn't find that pompous. It read like an hysterical hissy fit. So we're Little Englanders now, a term of derision designed to suggest narrow-mindedness, ignorance and selfishness, no doubt. Well, this self-serving nation has been a net contributor in terms of funds to the great European experiment ever since the damn thing was conceived, despite the EU accounts never being signed off by its auditors because of irregularities, most likely fraud and corruption, i.e. it's never been able to say quite where all the money goes.
It's gamely embraced all the stupid laws passed, prosecuted law-abiding tradesmen that refused to adopt the new weights and measures, as well as opened its borders to welcome Pierre, Hans, Guiseppe, Hercule and Stavros with open arms. In fact, now I have to stand in a queue behind them just to get back into my own country.
This country has provided more than its fair share of military might when it's come to tackling the world's post-war problems, possibly more than the rest of Europe put together, and possibly in ill-advised and ultimately dangerous campaigns that have made the world less safe.
The EU has been a very profitable project for the Germans, who had a big influence on monetary union, thus able to set entry rates that suited German exports into the rest of the Union. If the UK left, does anybody think that the Germans will refuse to sell us anymore BMWs and Mercedes?
I'm afraid, Os, you're probably only 'for' the European Union if you're a socialist at heart, which I'm sure you are, and you believe that wealth should be forcibly taken from the hands of those that can 'afford' it and given to those that haven't got as much, for no reason other than you resent their wealth in the first place and make judgements about the inequitable ways in which it was acquired. What is deserving and what is not isn't the point, we should all embrace this great socialist experiment, happily pass over our hard-earned brass and become servile to unelected, faceless socialist eurocrats.
Sorry, doesn't get my vote.
Ah well, you are hard to please. Hardly a fit. The UK's hostility and lack of respect and contribution ( and I'm not talking bunging a few £) to Europe, has been appalling and totally apparent to all since the early 80's at least, if you are honest. Your judgements about me, your understanding of what I meant by contributions (it wasn't cash) are way off. As imo is your lack of understanding about what are the important values in being a member of a group of nations. But all that is opinions, ours obviously miles apart.
I'm happy to admit that your politics and my politics are miles apart. Those people that care about things more than perhaps I do are free to do whatever they want about it with their own time, money and effort.
Cameron is now saying that a 'Brexit' could move the migrant camps from across the Channel to UK shores because it would bring an end to the agreement whereby passports can be currently checked in Calais by British officials before these migrants are allowed to make the journey.
scaremongering, this is not just a problem for the UK, other European countries are now seeing the folly of massed unchecked immigration
A far bigger risk will be having to allow into the UK many unvetted migrants that Mad Merkel encouraged to come, once they get German/EU passports
Would this not make it easier to return them to o france
A nice safe country
And David Davies says there will be a surge in immigration if we stay in, as EU citizens try to get in before a 'brake' is applied. And Charles Moore, the Tory grandee has concluded exit is the only way to get control over immigration, in was was actually quite a good, grown up piece on the Today programme, where he tried to see both sides!
My conclusion is that nobody can offer any certainty on this. I can only assume that if we leave we will have to impose visa requirements on some or all EU countries to prevent people just turning up and to give us a reason to send them home. We will have to spend a lot more on people to check the legal status of foreigners who may have arrived on tourist visas and are actually working.
And refugees will need to be housed somewhere - I'm struggling to see what's in it for the French to maintain the current arrangement, even if we stay in the EU.
You have to live in the country for 8 years before you are even eligible to apply for German citizenship. By which time you are probably quite settled in Germany. Enough of the scaremongering Goldie. As we are not members of Schengen they can't just stroll over the border either.
It's true that, as a result of Schengen, Continental European countries will suffer most from terrorists moving from Germany to member states without passports. We saw the consequences in Paris. I don't share your view that hardened Islamists will just settle down in Germany
NHS in Crisis
I had my aging git heart etc health check last Saturday. Got on the scales at the GP practice and thought 'Jesus, how come my clothes still fit me if I'm that heavy?'. Rechecked at home on my wife's flashy scales. Then checked the accuracy of the flashy scales, which was fine. The GP scales were out, not by a pound or two, but by twelve pounds! I weigh nearly a stone less than what the (obese) practice nurse used for all her calculations, which she then got wrong (I had to tell her that my BMI couldn't possibly be 'good' at that weight).
Let's hope the machine that goes beep, not to mention the MRI scanner, are better calibrated than the mechanical scales. And the person who reads test results is rather more competent. Omnishambles.
I had my aging git heart etc health check last Saturday. Got on the scales at the GP practice and thought 'Jesus, how come my clothes still fit me if I'm that heavy?'. Rechecked at home on my wife's flashy scales. Then checked the accuracy of the flashy scales, which was fine. The GP scales were out, not by a pound or two, but by twelve pounds! I weigh nearly a stone less than what the (obese) practice nurse used for all her calculations, which she then got wrong (I had to tell her that my BMI couldn't possibly be 'good' at that weight).
Let's hope the machine that goes beep, not to mention the MRI scanner, are better calibrated than the mechanical scales. And the person who reads test results is rather more competent. Omnishambles.
Big disappointment at the Democratic primary in New Hampshire. The write in candidate Vermin Supreme only came 4th.
Meanwhile, the truth about why Bernie Sanders failed to win in Iowa has emerged.
Meanwhile, the truth about why Bernie Sanders failed to win in Iowa has emerged.
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Bernie's brother was on the radio earlier. Delighted to find out his name is Larry.
Amazing statement from the BBC "a presenter's political or religious beliefs are irrelevant to their ability to do their job professionally". Of course they aren't. You can do your job professionally but your inbuilt biases will always influence the way your mind works, no matter how subtly or subliminally. I have no problem with this, it's part of being human. I do have a slight issue with the BBC claiming it knows better.
This in relation to the appointment of heavy duty Christian and 'young creation' believer Dan Walker to sit on a sofa at breakfast time, in a programme I have never consciously watched. I think it's good to know the religious and political beliefs of people who are channeling news to us. Now I want to watch this programme to see Dan's face on the first dinosaur fossil story he covers. I'm sure he will be 'professional' enough not to blurt out 'but that animal can't have existed 150 million years ago because God only created it 6,000 years ago, before we put it on a boat for a bit', but it will be amusing watching him deal with it.
Also on the Today programme, Erik Nordkamp, the Dutch Managing Director of Pfizer UK, spoke about how bad access to new cancer treatments is in the UK. He has a point, but overplayed his hand and made several, in my view, misleading statements. The presenter (Sarah Montague) was unable to challenge him, and they had nobody to present the counter argument.
He also made the emotive argument that 'by 2020 one in two people in the UK will get cancer at some stage in their lifetime, that means one of you and me in this studio, Sarah' Of course it doesn't and by the way Erik, 100% of us will die. The thing is Erik Nordkamp has already had cancer. He worked for my company before joining Pfizer, I used to work quite closely with him. He had some form of blood cancer. He was treated, obviously successfully, in the UK. In Basingstoke hospital, I think. It's a ****ing embarrassment working in this industry sometimes.
This in relation to the appointment of heavy duty Christian and 'young creation' believer Dan Walker to sit on a sofa at breakfast time, in a programme I have never consciously watched. I think it's good to know the religious and political beliefs of people who are channeling news to us. Now I want to watch this programme to see Dan's face on the first dinosaur fossil story he covers. I'm sure he will be 'professional' enough not to blurt out 'but that animal can't have existed 150 million years ago because God only created it 6,000 years ago, before we put it on a boat for a bit', but it will be amusing watching him deal with it.
Also on the Today programme, Erik Nordkamp, the Dutch Managing Director of Pfizer UK, spoke about how bad access to new cancer treatments is in the UK. He has a point, but overplayed his hand and made several, in my view, misleading statements. The presenter (Sarah Montague) was unable to challenge him, and they had nobody to present the counter argument.
He also made the emotive argument that 'by 2020 one in two people in the UK will get cancer at some stage in their lifetime, that means one of you and me in this studio, Sarah' Of course it doesn't and by the way Erik, 100% of us will die. The thing is Erik Nordkamp has already had cancer. He worked for my company before joining Pfizer, I used to work quite closely with him. He had some form of blood cancer. He was treated, obviously successfully, in the UK. In Basingstoke hospital, I think. It's a ****ing embarrassment working in this industry sometimes.
Yep why not? Dan Walker's beliefs are public knowledge and all over the papers anyway. As I said above, I'd like to know the political and religious beliefs of all news/ factual reporters/presenters. It's not a matter of principle, it would just make things more interesting. Of course Dan Walker's beliefs, from what I have read, are literally laughable, so that makes it better.
and to quote Mr William Melvin Hicks 'You ever noticed how people who believe in creationism look really un-evolved?'
I agree with you it's good to know where peoples agendas are coming from, last night had quite a heated 'debate' (not mass) with an anti vaccine nut, me using evidence of case studies and the backing of several people I know with autistic children and him using one case study that the Lancet published and later had to retract due to false evidence from a now former doctor who was found to have financial conflicts of interest, oh he also has that well known scientist Jenny Mccarthy on his side!! It's obvious where the struck off doctors 'interests' came from, this bloke last night, no idea I suspect conspiracy nut