A Federal EU superstate

No

Article does not mention a "federal Europe" though?

No.

Too many in Ireland don't see where it is all going yet but they will be woken up sooner or later.

It's all done by stealth in a way most won't understand. The treaties normal people have never read and left to their elected representatives to guide them.

Take the EU army, sure we already are part of rapid action groups, the precursor to that very thing.

How many people in Ireland or any other country actually knew that if you asked them?

It's all sleight of hand because those pushing it know it has to be.

It won't last, of course.

Fooling around with sovereignty in Europe has never ever ended well.

That is what is happening. Our sovereignty, our right to make our own choices is being siphoned from us bit by bit, year by year, treaty by treaty.

The EU can still be saved but ever closer union has to end.

Apart from it being a clear aim and with the introduction of the Euro probably inevitable.

Do you not see the contradiction here though? Britain didn't like where the EU was heading so they left. That option is always there for any member state, and the EU will always need to balance that fact with any moves it makes.

In the US, individual States cannot just leave when they want.

There will be no further reform of the EU institutions for the foreseeable. There are too many external threats at the moment and the process of treaty change is too fraught. There isn't the time for extended period of navel gazing.

As for the long term direction of Europe, well that's for the peoples to decide.

Russia hasn't been a superpower since rocky 4 ,

There was always a belief that we would part of a unified and united Europe,as pointed out already most countries use European laws, we have a European parliament , currency ,and global trade deals ,next they will push for a standing EU army running along side or separate to nato , our defense forces are already part of the eu Nordic battlegroup ,it actually makes sense with the Putin carry on and the threats of putin using energy and gas supplies to various states to threaten or blackmail other states to allow him free range to bully other countries in the Baltics

I'm already confident my ancestors weren't eating beef chow mein.

The Euro is the ticking bomb.

Back in 2010 it was shown beyond doubt in Europe how dangerous it is not having control of your monetary policy. Some found that out more than others.

For the peripheral countries the currency is a prison, it's that simple. The ONLY way those countries including Ireland can devalue and increase competitive position when there is big disturbance in the global economy is maximum pain on the population.

Germany likes it because the piglet countries keep the currency artificially weak for their exports and they control the currency. German monetary policy is forced on countries that are not capable of handling that, are not equipped and have very different economies.

The next economic crisis will surely see multiple countries forced out. Just a question of when.

It should have been Greece and Italy last time, you'd expect them to be the first out.

Spain, Portugal, Greece and Italy have no business being in this currency with their counterparts on any metric.

It's a political choice and it will end in disaster for them, and we'll suffer the contagion every time they get in trouble.

I'd be a fan. Sick of shambles Irish governments and our inability to do anything right. Will never happen but I'd rather Germans or Belgians running the country than the dopes who can't manage all the money we have properly.

If the last 2 years has shown me anything, it's that most Irish people want every part of their lives to be micromanaged by those who assume authority.

Irish people don't want independence & they wouldn't know what to do with it if they got it

The us continues to be the economic superpower but vastly....overwhelmingly the military superpower.

America is collapsing?

Remind us of US unemployment and growth rates please, the size of it's economy and military.

US GDP is $20trn, China is $12trn. GDP /person is $60,000 in the US. In China it's $9,000.

Fact is the US is by far the world's biggest, richest and most important economy for all sorts of reasons.