NationStates Jolt Archive

All the Scandinavian countries and the UK have a majority of people who would like to leave the EU. Any thoughts on this?

people are stupid.

People there are smarter than in other parts of Europe. (Apparently, we're going to be playing that puerile game.)

I agree. The EU should have been a trade organisation and nothing more.

All the Scandinavian countries and the UK have a majority of people who would like to leave the EU. Any thoughts on this?

Thoughts: 'Everymen' is spouting claims with no evidence.

Action: Ignore ridiculous and unsupported claims.

Thoughts: 'Everymen' is spouting claims with no evidence.

Action: Ignore ridiculous and unsupported claims.

It's true for Sweden, at least.

Last I head the figures of British people wanting to leave the UK were around 33%, which is hardly a majority.

All the Scandinavian countries and the UK have a majority of people who would like to leave the EU. Any thoughts on this?

1. Not all the Scandinavian countries are in the EU
2. Source?????????

All the Scandinavian countries and the UK have a majority of people who would like to leave the EU. Any thoughts on this?

Dunno if that's accurate of all Scandinavia and the UK, but it won't matter. Blair's going to win in another landslide, and if he's for it, it won't matter how many people object. Some more solid poll numbers would help, though.

Norway never was part of the EU, so we can safely assume my statement carries. ;) In the UK, it's something like 54% since the consitution was proposed. In Sweden and Denmark, as anyone from that country will tell you, it's the case.

Dunno if that's accurate of all Scandinavia and the UK, but it won't matter. Blair's going to win in another landslide, and if he's for it, it won't matter how many people object. Some more solid poll numbers would help, though.

It won't be a landslide, majority will be cut considerably. As soon as Brown replaces him (Brown will within a few months) then the Tories will sweep back in on a wave of anti-socialism. Such is life

1. Not all the Scandinavian countries are in the EU
2. Source?????????

Quting oneself...you can't beat the feeling!

Now where is that source?

We should leave the EU actually, sign up merely for the lesser EEC treaties like Iceland.

!!!

Look at Iceland, there's canny people.

Plus they gave us Bjork

:fluffle:

Well, my first thought was that this is a good argument FOR the EU constitution, since it allows EU members to leave. Regarding those countries that would wish to do so (i.e. most likely Denmark, Sweden and the UK), it's understandable. They don't want to be ruled from Berlin or Paris (who would want that, anyways? :D).

Sweden and Norway are strong enough to make it on there own so they should be aloud to leave if they want but Britain is to weak at the moment with a recent decline in industry and we desperately need the trade and support of the other European countries.

The EU sucks because it imposes all these rules and regulations and beacraucy but its total useless because the UK seems to follow it while countries like Spain, Italy etc ignore it completely.

It won't be a landslide, majority will be cut considerably. As soon as Brown replaces him (Brown will within a few months) then the Tories will sweep back in on a wave of anti-socialism. Such is life

I'll defer to you on that one, since I'm not up on things in detail over there. I heard differently, but we'll see. Two weeks isn't too far off.

Well, pass the Consititution and you'll be able to leave whenever you like.

Those that did leave would be shooting themselves in the foot though. The trade advantages to being in the EU (as opposed to the EEC) are huge.

The EU sucks because it imposes all these rules and regulations and beacraucy but its total useless because the UK seems to follow it while countries like Spain, Italy etc ignore it completely.

Some countries can't follow the rules because they're still in ruins from WWII/the Cold War.

Some countries can't follow the rules because they're still in ruins from WWII/the Cold War.

If you can't follow the rules...don't join.

As for Britain the public opinion swings back and forth between wanting to leave and wanting to stay.

Generally you can divide Britain into 3 groups 33% for 33% don't care/swing voters 33% for EU

I would hate to see people leave but its a democracy not a dictatorship so they can leave if they want. Perhaps a looser arrangement/lower level relationship with the EU would be better for some countries that would then leave the more pro-EU countries to integrate more without anchors like the UK holding them back.

if the UK leaves the EU, i hope to be emigrated already (to Amsterdam with a bit of luck :) )
especially because that's most likely to happen under a Tory government, and i'm sure as hell leaving if they get into power again

They don't want to be ruled from Berlin or Paris (who would want that, anyways? :D).


I do, thanks alot. No making fun of Big B you hear? ;) It's a great city (way much better then Paris :p )

I'm not so sure that the majority of Swedes are for leaving EU, especially if it was put to a national peoples' voting.

The latest opinion poll I saw didn't suggest this. And if we go back to the national referendum on EMU (an accurate reflection of opinion, as 80% plus of the population voted I seem to remember), sure a majority voted against EMU, but I don't think that it's the same as the 56% being against the EU as a whole. After all, the Irish rejected the Nice treaty in their first vote on it - and they are some of the most enthusiastic EU members.

All that said, we certainly can't be considered to be amongst the most enthusiastic member-states. And if we were today not a member, and a referendum on joining was held tomorrow, I'm sure it would be an uphill task to get a yes vote.

You may gather that I do support the EU, however I would qualify this in saying it is need in serious reform. It cannot act effectively with its present structure.

Those countries should stop all trade and close their borders down. Anyone trying to leave the country should be shot. Then Sweden should grow its own bananas.

Those countries should stop all trade and close their borders down. Anyone trying to leave the country should be shot. Then Sweden should grow its own bananas.
:p

Norway never was part of the EU, so we can safely assume my statement carries. ;) In the UK, it's something like 54% since the consitution was proposed. In Sweden and Denmark, as anyone from that country will tell you, it's the case.

Ironically, a majority in the Norwegian parliament supports joining the EU but it will not happen because of coalition obstructions. :) A referendum that was actually about leaving the EU was held before in GB (in the eighties, if I recall) and it was rejected. Voting against the constitution does not equal favouring an extremist act like leaving the European Union. In fact, I know some people who vote against it because it is not Federalist enough (Ballotonia on NS for one) or because of specific EU-related concerns such as a social Europe or trade/agricultural concerns.

Of course, that is just a small nitpick. In general I agree with Myrth: unsupported 'everyone thinks' claims are populist rhetoric and it shows that the no side has no decent arguments to give and instead has to resort to underbelly feelings.

I like them Scandinavian countries - moreso than all the other European countries (excluding Turkey and France).

The mayority of us Swedes where against EU-membership mere weeks before the voting. Then the moderates and liberals (liberals are rightists here, by the way) started this huge campaign. This made them win the voting and we joined. Then, a few weeks later, the number of supporters were back at the level before the campaign. Yay democracy.

I think it is pretty safe to assume the Denmark is likly to leave the EU if the people got a vote after all they were the only country who chose not to adopt the Euro (Conisidentaly they are also the only country to ask the people in a referendum).

Also When the Irish were originaly asked about enlargment, they rejected the idea and it was only passed when they were asked again afew mounths later and were told to "get it right this time". This is one of my main annoyances with the EU, the lack of real democracy, the only part of the EU that we vote for is the parliament which is a compleatly advisary body. Also my taxes go towards the 7 billion that Britain puts in to the EU for only 4 Billion return, and 2.7 billion of that is in the form of the Rebate that Thatcher got for us, if it weren't for that we would be the highest single contributor to somthing that 54% of the population feel "uneasy" about.

Personal i feel that the conservatives have the right idea, return to the days of the EEC, all the Maarstrict treaty did was call it the EU and start things such as the ERM to bring all the countries economicaly in line with each other. Just one step closer to a superstate and the "F" word....Federalism.

A referendum that was actually about leaving the EU was held before in GB (in the eighties, if I recall) and it was rejected.

It was in the 1975 actualy but thats just nitpicking.

The main reason that people in this country voted to stay in was because all politcal parties promised that it would remain entierly economic, this has turned out to be a lie. Many of the people i talk to who voter yes now feel cheated by all the parties, and this has given rise to parties such as UKIP (United Kingdom Indapendance Party) who wish to with draw compleatly from the EU. Normaly parties like this are just scoffed at and forgoten but they have 21 MEP's! That how strongly people in Britain feel about it, out of three hunded MEP's (i think) we have 21 who want to leave and pull us out.

Which is still a rather small minority, would you not agree?

The way the debate in Great Britain is held is very dichotomal [sp?] anyways, which clouds the issue terribly. Instead of looking at 'is it useful to treat this issue [such as fighting international terrorism] on a supranational level' The debate over there seems to feature mostly prominent waving of the Union Jack and talk about how that piece of canal means you are fundamentally different human beings from the 'continentals'.

That is a shame, I think, because British citizens (subjects) could stand to gain from international cooperation when it is useful. Or would you say that European solidarity in the fight against terrorism is a bad thing because it is 'political'? Should there be a ban on nations working together on such issues, in your opinion?

Again, the term 'political union' seems to be loaded to the British with all sorts of bad historic associations that exist less in other nations. Same with the term 'Federation' which refers to centralisation in GB whereas it commonly refers to working together in a decentralised way with things happening at the lowest possible level.

Bah! Let them leave the EU! When the economic powerful EU train passes them, we'll wave friendly goodbye.
Benelux is all the EU really needs, everything else is a bonus. :D

Sounds like a good idea to me.

i dont want to leave the EU, hell i want to have the euro... though mainly so i dont have to bother getting the money changed. UKIP have very few policies other than "LEAVE THE EU"...

and now a party political broadcast for the United Kingdom Independance Party... LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU LEAVE THE EU

you get the picture