sopranos wrote: » Ok, you voted No to the Lisbon treaty. Good, now pleae leave EU. Go back to cultivate potatoes, say goodbye to EU funds and laws. Go back drinking your Guinness and do not interfere anymore with EU stuff. Bye Bye Irish. soprano
Kev_ps3 wrote: » Thanks, I would love if we left the EU!
Cionád wrote: » Yeah, the economy would soar once Intel, Microsoft, Ebay, Pfizer, Hewlett Packard, etc pull out of this "gateway to europe".
Kev_ps3 wrote: » why would they pull out? do the swiss have no international companys in them?
sopranos wrote: » The "real" problem is probably you Irish don't feel Europeans because actually you are NOT Europeans. Even here in this forum you can read people wondering if they feel more US or EU or British or just proud Irish. Sorry, that's not the spirit of Europe. You're the only country geographically separated from the rest of the Union and you probably don't understand what means being European today, on 2008. You didn't have a post war dream, you didn't try to slowly build the future of a whole big nation without any more inside wars. You didn't see the excitement of a wall teared down, or the joy of thousand of eastern Europeans joining EU in 2004, after an half century of communism. You don't know what does it mean living today in cities like Berlin, Paris, Vienna or Varsaw. Your contact with Europe is a plastic 20euro RyanAir flight seat which brings you to some remote cheap hangaar out of the big European cities. The same flight which maybe carries a "goodbye British" or "ciao Alitalia" advertising on his fuselage. But it seems you didn't dislike EU when millions of euro of investments arrived, when a poor last-of-the-list country rose up to one of the most modern technology centers of Europe. The same laws which spoils your pints of Guiness have broughts wealth, worker rights, economy control, stability and security. And moreover, today we do have a voice in the world. Just 20 years ago Russians and Americans controlled everything. That's Europan Union today, take it or loose it. ciao, soprano
sopranos wrote: » You're the only country geographically separated from the rest of the Union
sopranos wrote: » You didn't have a post war dream
sopranos wrote: » That's Europan Union today, take it or loose it.
turgon wrote: » I really like this one. I suppose a land bridge was built between Britain and France while we were debating the Lisbon Treaty? And a land bridge was built between Malta and Italy? And tell me how is the South American French department of French Guiana geographically connected to Europe?
turgon wrote: » For the sake of the EU, I hope this guy doesn't actually work there.
turgon wrote: » As far as I remember sopranos, Sweden Spain and Portugal also had no "post war dream", because they weren't actually in WWII.
turgon wrote: » Finally sopranos, I dont know if you are aware, but we actually werent voting on membership of the EU. Your mindframe would be to force us to accept everything Europe throws at us.
sopranos wrote: » This was a clear vote anti-EU. Maybe you don't like to see it like this, but that's the fact.
turgon wrote: » You say maybe I dont like to see it like this. Well the fact of the matter is (and it is a fact you wont like) is that I voted No, despite that that I am committed to the EU project. The reasons I have voted no have been layed out numerous times: I dont like a militarized EU, and it is still un-democratic. But of course, that makes me a Euroskeptic. Much like in Stalins Russia, if you criticize a part of the system, you criticize the whole system itself :rolleyes:
turgon wrote: » Sopranos=Stalin Mussolini Putin Franko Castro
sopranos wrote: » So, you voted no to a Treaty which will be approved by all the other 26 European countries.
Well you understand everything.
kleefarr wrote: » Only one problem with that.... They would ask for all of the money back.
biko wrote: » "The Italian government has defended its decision to use soldiers to patrol cities in an effort to curb crime, rejecting criticism that it will "militarise" the streets. The government announced that up to 2,500 soldiers, some of whom have served in Afghanistan, would be made available for a trial period of 6 months to help police in difficult areas". When you use military against your own citizens then something isn't working.
IRLConor wrote: » We've been doing that for years with cash-in-transit. Does it mean our banking system is militarised?
Lemming wrote: » We could ask for all ours back. I seem to recall someone posting the numbers here recently: €40 billion received. Circa €120 billion given back in fisheries rights to other countries. I could be wrong of course.
Lemming wrote: » Regardless, leaving the EU would be a rash decision as would the EU ejecting Ireland since it would send a very worrying message to every single country in Europe. Do what the EU says "or else". And since the EU claims to be a democratic institution (and from the level of vitriol I've witnessed over the last few days I'm starting to loose faith and question my 'yes' vote) that would be a bad thing both at home and on the world stage.
sopranos wrote: » This Treaty doesn't state anything about militarization
Consolidated Treaty of Lisbon wrote: Treaty on European Unions - Article 42 2. The common security and defence policy shall include the progressive framing of a common Union defence policy. This will lead to a common defence... 3. Member States shall make civilian and military capabilities available to the Union for the implementation of the common security and defence policy... ...Member States shall undertake progressively to improve their military capabilities... 7. If a Member State is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other Member States shall have towards it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power, in accordance with Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. This shall not prejudice the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States.
Lemming wrote: » Can you spell "Hypocracy"?
Lemming wrote: » There is a large fundamental difference between providing security on a bank transfer and deploying soldiers onto the streets to act as a police force. Wildly large fundamental difference that I should have thought obvious.