Has Brown sold us out?

[grommit]

Well if you fully adopt the superior metric system, then the rest of us could consider the language thing... however I think some would dislike the idea!

And you should also start driving on the correct side of the road!

The metric system is so much more logical than the imperial one. Everybody in the world driving on the wrong side, would make car manufacture so much easier. All speaking English would probably save lives.

But it would erode who we are. We do not want to be French, German or some kind of Euro-people. I like my chocolate milky.

Despite what you may think I think Europe is a better place because of the EU, but lets not sacrifice who we are.

Lets be given the chance to decide who we want to be.:thumbup:

 

[Nelly]

E11 does not work in the UK as emergency care is free to all (a huge failing in our system). Everyone presents to A&E as point of access and that’s it their in. My hospital has recently after a long protracted battle managed to get back £120,000 for a renal patient who was linked to an oil sheik. I have seen people from Asia arrivingr directly from Heathrow with severe illness and coming straight to A&E.
As I said the tax issue is very broad. I lose 49% of my gross pay each month to deductions. On a comparative paper of all EU taxes it says I pay 26% deductions or something like that 7th highest in the EU. I would love to see the breakdown. This is a totally separate and very interesting issue to the question I posted. You pay on paper 56%. It all depends on how these taxes are presented. I don’t want this to turn into a “who can piss the furthest type of thread” lol. We are all being screwed to a degree and of course each of us wants to protect our own interests. I am not saying that you do not pay less tax than the average UK resident. What I am saying is that the difference is a lot closer than you are lead to believe.
The English language issue, its a little naive to think that we are only good for a middleman role. Most Europeans have an excellent understanding of English.
Why should we give up asking for a pint? Although I can see the advantage of asking for a litre lol.
I am all for the metric system.
BTW why can't I multi quote the messages:banghead:
This is an interesting debate, Has Brown sold us out?

Neil

 

[anot]

I hope it came across that I was joking...

The debate regarding health care is a really interesting one, in Sweden there was a fear among politicians (populistic one at that) that people would do "social tourism", i.e. come to Sweden for a while to lift benefits. It has been shown that it hasn't happened here atleast. No matter what happens with the EU (may it die horribly) we should really take care of our social health care systems which I feel are being slowly undermined when selling out parts to private interests (atleast in Sweden that is).

 

[grommit]

...Has Brown sold us out?

I would like to say yes but on balance No.

 

[Cloggy]

The metric system is so much more logical than the imperial one.

:thumbup:

Everybody in the world driving on the wrong side, would make car manufacture so much easier.

The driving on the right/wrong side of the road will in my opinion never be solved, it's the way things are and to change them the EU would have to buy all the UK citizens a new car with the steering wheel on the other side, not to mention the costs of changing the roads. Oh and of course changing the minds of the british public would be a doddle

All speaking English would probably save lives.

Not if you live in France

But it would erode who we are. We do not want to be French, German or some kind of Euro-people. I like my chocolate milky.
.

you mean chocolate flavoured drink

Despite what you may think I think Europe is a better place because of the EU, but lets not sacrifice who we are.

What, a bunch of non conformists

Lets be given the chance to decide who we want to be.:thumbup:

A country that likes to "opt out" and veto stuff.

Ok, I'm just starting to get back into the swing of things, but in short we've all been scr**ed, the Dutch also signed the treaty without telling the Dutch public what the differences are compared to the original, and why we got a referendum last time and not this time. Sometimes the government simply manipulate the public in an outragous manner. They also often blame the EU for thier own shortfalls.

By the way I never intended this to be malicious but simply a way to vent my frustration at it all, but in the end it's all pretty pointless :surrender:

 

[grommit]

By the way I never intended this to be malicious but simply a way to vent my frustration at it all, but in the end it's all pretty pointless :surrender:

Mr Admin would have stepped in and warped us if you had.

 

[Bo67]

I left England when the EU was hitting high gear; right around the time the Chunnel was done. England is still using the British Pound right? I don't see the Brits seceding their strong currency (blending it with) something like the Spanish, Portugese or other currencies. I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling about the EU back when I was there; everyone compared it to the USA but forgot that the Union here was much more compressed time-wise and through conquest than Europe. There are are a lot a very different and deep-rooted cultures there with their own traditions that go back ages.
Economic merger-perhaps
Societal merger- I don't see it. There are just too many cultural differences.
Just my opinion and I might be dead wrong on this but justed wanted to voice my opinion.

 

[Nelly]

I left England when the EU was hitting high gear; right around the time the Chunnel was done. England is still using the British Pound right? I don't see the Brits seceding their strong currency (blending it with) something like the Spanish, Portugese or other currencies. I didn't get a warm fuzzy feeling about the EU back when I was there; everyone compared it to the USA but forgot that the Union here was much more compressed time-wise and through conquest than Europe. There are are a lot a very different and deep-rooted cultures there with their own traditions that go back ages.
Economic merger-perhaps
Societal merger- I don't see it. There are just too many cultural differences.
Just my opinion and I might be dead wrong on this but justed wanted to voice my opinion.

I beleive you have hit the nail on the head in terms of cultural issues. No country in there right mnd would wish to give up its identity. I also struggle to see how the pound would fit in. I am worried, as cloggy stated the standard of living was lowered in the Neatherlands so it was more even.