Current Politics in the United Kingdom

[palo5]

Originally Posted by jacques22

Here's what would happen in the event of a no-deal Brexit:

We know that -- they will be screwed

From a political standpoint, many will be glad they're gone, because they are very obstructive and oppose too much of what the EU stands for

But no one wishes them a no-deal

[Brecht]

I have never heard anyone from Austria or Germany referring to the British as "Inselaffen" except in a film. Though I'm aware of its derogatory meaning, it's almost non-existent today but was probably more in use a long time ago.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Brecht

I have never heard anyone from Austria or Germany referring to the British as "Inselaffen" except in a film. Though I'm aware of its derogatory meaning, it's almost non-existent today but was probably more in use a long time ago.

No, it's absolutely contemporary. Trust me

[Brecht]

Originally Posted by palo5

No, it's absolutely contemporary. Trust me

Ok, you know more about Germany than me. I thought that insult originated in the British Zone of Allied-occupied Germany. Another one I heard of is "Kliffpisser". The Germans got a nice nickname for us Austrians, too: Schluchtenscheißer.

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by palo5

We know that -- they will be screwed

From a political standpoint, many will be glad they're gone, because they are very obstructive and oppose too much of what the EU stands for

But no one wishes them a no-deal

Not a big surprise really, we were taken into the EEC by Ted (treacherous twat) Heath and despite all promises that there was no ulterior plan for a political union we had the EU imposed upon us by osmosis with a series of gradual changes, so yes many Brits openly oppose what the EU stands for, and that will tend to be older Brits who have lived through all the changes.

We are an island race so maybe we see things differently to mainland Europe, as I have said many times as much as I hate the EU as an organisation I have nothing against the people of Europe and I hope I will still be able to visit as there are so many things I want to see.

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Brecht

The Germans got a nice nickname for us Austrians, too: Schluchtenscheißer.

Hehehe!

There are some good names for Bavarians too

[palo5]

Originally Posted by Wendigo

We are an island race so maybe we see things differently to mainland Europe

I wouldn't call you a "race" -- is there more than one human race?

But you're right there are differences. Europeans see the main benefit as no more war, and other great things that come from it. You see it as the diminishing of your national importance

You will have to deal with that, because the rest of the world already knows

[Wendigo]

Originally Posted by palo5

I wouldn't call you a "race" -- is there more than one human race?

But you're right there are differences. Europeans see the main benefit as no more war, and other great things that come from it. You see it as the diminishing of your national importance

You will have to deal with that, because the rest of the world already knows

An island race is merely a well known term to many of us.

http://www.open.edu/openlearn/histor...ry/island-race

and as one of our leading philosophers muses here
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...towards-europe

"We’re an island race and no wonder we feel antipathy towards Europe. It’s innate, part of our national psyche. It’s not surprising where we are. We might not accept it, but we have to understand it and move on."

not forgetting ...

[laberbacke]

Originally Posted by Brecht

For whatever reasons, the Brexit issue is hardly discussed in Austrian and German media. As far as foreign affairs are reported, it's mainly Trump, Russia and Syria. No one really cares about Brexit. This is why I was surprised to read an article today about Labour's "open position" on the issue of a second referendum. Labour should reject that possibility but Corbyn said he'll "respect whatever the delegates decide". Not an easy situation for Mr. Corbyn.

More than two years have passed since the referendum and there's still no trace of a deal. The British establishment knows that "finding their place in the world" in the form of a reduced, insignificant island may be an absurd pipe dream in a world of exacerbating global competition in which only the EU may prevail as a relevant factor. If, say, France left the EU, it would be just as irrelevant, especially without a strong deal with the world's biggest markets.

If no deal is reached, the UK will face a dark era of uncertainty. In addition to this problem, the Irish border issue will soon become a burden and who knows what the Scotland issue may bring. Like I said before, Britain's future was compromised by your own "leaders", predominantly from the Tory camp, in order to save their personal careers in the face of the threat posed by UKIP. A fateful decision like leaving the EU must be carefully planned, often for years. But Cameron and his ilk brought you into this situation head over heels and even know your leaders still have no plan whatsoever.

It's clearly obvious why: instead of concentrating on the best realistic deal for their country, they're too much worried about their own political future.

A decade ago, before the financial crisis hit, I would have ranked the UK as the second most influential Western power. After Brexit, I would rank it fourth, with Germany in second place and France in third place. None of that is the fault of Brussels, and the underlying structural problems of the UK will not be solved just by leaving the EU.

[scoundrel]

Originally Posted by laberbacke

A decade ago, before the financial crisis hit, I would have ranked the UK as the second most influential Western power. After Brexit, I would rank it fourth, with Germany in second place and France in third place. None of that is the fault of Brussels, and the underlying structural problems of the UK will not be solved just by leaving the EU.

I don't lose sleep over whether Britain is ranked second, third or fourth among the European powers. I also would agree that our structural problems won't be solved merely by leaving the EU. However I also think strongly that our structural problems won't be solved by remaining. Leaving (unless done the Theresa May way) will repatriate our sovereignty and enable us to control our own affairs. It will mean that people such as Jean Claude Juncker will not make the rules inside the Uk any longer; that will be the province of British elected politicians who can be removed by an exclusively British ballot.

All nations have structural problems. No nation is problem-free. The best approach to dealing with national problems is self-determination and a democratic system. In this way people such as Mr Juncker, a man who makes ignoring the wishes and interests of ordinary people into a guiding principle, will become answerable. Once such people are genuinely accountable, they don't last long. At a stroke, one of Britain's main structural problems will be solved, merely by removing from government the sort of people who think setting a 2kw limit on electric kettles will save electricity.