Right. You do know that De Gaulle (France being an EC member) opposed Britain being added to the EC for years, don't you. And that, in the days of De Gaulle the European Commission actually had more authority, and the European Parliament less, than they have today.
Is Britain about to leave the EU?
- Thread starter Mega Tsunami
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A Europe of nations needs governance, but unless you want to turn it into a supranational entity you don't want that governance to be democratically elected. A weak Europe can't be a democratic Europe.
And yes De Gaulle was against British membership because of British ties with the US. What about it ?
Both are already making demands though - the UK wants access to the common market while restricting free movement of people and the EU says no to that (and demands immediate triggering of Article 50 as that would weaken the UK's position).
Of course both sides can and will demand concessions by the other side - both are interested in maintaining reasonably good relations but both also have widely differing internal matters to keep track of - the EU does not have an interest in being seen as allowing the leaving party to pick and choose which policies to accept while the UK has a rather strong interest to pick and choose which policies to accept.
What's more, the land of starshine and pixie dust of some Leavers is simply not going to materialise. If we want access to the common market, we're almost certainly going to have to pay something towards it, we are still going to have to conform to EU trade regulations if we wish to trade in Europe and there is no way that we are going to get freedom of movement for UK citizens without something comparable for EU citizens. What actually happens beyond that is anyone's business so far.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
I think that the UK has no leverage whatsoever. It should start negotiating ASAP if they want to leave, not necessarily after triggering Article 50, but the onus is on the UK government to leave. the EU could conceivably refuse to negotiate until it has been activated and only the UK government would be undermined because of its not leaving.
JohannaK
Heroically Clueless
Oh, sorry.
Traitorfish
The Tighnahulish Kid
It was founded to be capitalist, that's not necessarily the same as "right-wing". All modern states are capitalist in structure, even the ones with red flags. As far as I can see, the EU is only really different insofar as major left-wings cause like education and health-care provision have been mostly reserved to the member states.
Lohrenswald
世界的 bottom ranked physicist
Is there non-right-wing capitalism?
Verbose
Deity
Reform Socialism, aka Social Democracy.
Verbose
Deity
It isn't right-wing either, which was rather the point.
bathsheba666
Fast 'n Bulbous
Given his legendary grasp of detail, we can be sure he knows that he will probably need to book air travel, to visit his new audience.
Does that mean he'll be in charge of the negotiations on the British side ?
The advantage for the UK is that he'll be out of the country often.
Tahuti
Writing Deity
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Out of the country as in, out of the UK, or out of the EU?
Lillefix
I'm serious. You can.
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Hope so. But seriously: They will have a dedicated Brexit-minister, so there will probably some kind of shared responsibility.
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