The United States of Europe

Ryujin · Jul 13, 2015

Umbran said:
Unless need drives them to do so.

One can imagine, for example, that, in the near future, the world will need far more unified policies on resource use, under which individual nations simply could not be allowed to forge their own paths.

Yes, for example water is already becoming an issue. California is having a fairly hard time of it (that'll teach 'em for building their largest city in a desert) and on more than one occasion, in the past, there's been talk of pipelining water down from the Canadian border to there. The Great Lakes are another sticking point.

Tonguez · Jul 13, 2015

Umbran said:
Unless need drives them to do so.

One can imagine, for example, that, in the near future, the world will need far more unified policies on resource use, under which individual nations simply could not be allowed to forge their own paths.

even then I done see a full Political Union happening, the EU as it is now has common policies for resource use and distribution across the whole region, taking that next step to a singular European sovereignty is too much. It wont happen before the World Government happens

delericho · Jul 22, 2015

Mustrum_Ridcully said:
So what is the reason for the calls of the referendum? Is it to shup up the minority in the UK that's want the Brexit?

As Nerfherder said, it was partly to stop UKIP from winning votes from the Tories. Partly, it was also to keep the anti-EU members of the Tory party on-side (they're more prevalent in the Tory party than in the population as a whole). And partly it was just a really easy promise to make - almost nobody expected the Tories to win an outright majority in the General Election, and it would have been the first thing "extremely reluctantly" conceded in negotiations with the Lib Dems.

But in fairness to him (and much as it pains me to say it), one of the few things I have to credit David Cameron with is that he does truly seem to be a democrat. Twice now he's allowed political opponents to have referenda on key issues that he himself doesn't agree with, and twice he's won. And, as a consequence, electoral reform is now effectively a dead issue, and Scottish Independence is likewise probably done for a similar time (despite a lot of noise to the contrary).

So he'll hold this referendum, he'll win (however he defines that), and thereafter every time the issue is raised the response will be "well, we had a referendum, and that's what people decided."

And it's just as well, really. The Tories have won UK politics for the foreseeable future. So without this referendum it would be boring.

Kaodi · Jul 22, 2015

I can understand why Britain might feel distant in terms of psychology from the mainland, but I will always regard the notion that Britain is not part of Europe as just silly. The only contintentally misplaced country I can think of that might have a good claim to not being considered part of its own continent is Greenland. And that is a country with exceptionally little contact with North America relative to Britain and mainland Europe. I cannot imagine any North America saying, "Well, some of my ancestors were British and some of them were European." People would look at them like there was something seriously wrong with their heads.

Morrus · Jul 22, 2015

Kaodi said:
I can understand why Britain might feel distant in terms of psychology from the mainland, but I will always regard the notion that Britain is not part of Europe as just silly.

On behalf of all 65 million of us, we are all deeply sorry to hear that you feel that way. We were waiting anxiously for your validation! You're mentioned in prophecy in Henry VIII's diary.

In other news, why did you Americans try to invade the Falklands a while back?

It's not about geography.

delericho · Jul 22, 2015

Kaodi said:
I can understand why Britain might feel distant in terms of psychology from the mainland, but I will always regard the notion that Britain is not part of Europe as just silly.

Almost nobody thinks of us as not being part of Europe, since that's just a matter of geography. But that's rather different from not wanting us to be part of the EU, which is just a political entity. Indeed, Switzerland are considerably more central in Europe, but not part of the EU.

Dioltach · Jul 22, 2015

Morrus said:
In other news, why did you Americans try to invade the Falklands a while back?

Didn't Rockhopper discover some oil that needed liberating?

Kaodi · Jul 22, 2015

Morrus said:
On behalf of all 65 million of us, we are all deeply sorry to hear that you feel that way. We were waiting anxiously for your validation! You're mentioned in prophecy in Henry VIII's diary.

Good, most of my ancestors were the British variety of European. So there is a version of "us" that includes me, though it is rather larger than 65 million,

.

In other news, why did you Americans try to invade the Falklands a while back?

That is a semantic game no one is going to win any points on. There is simply no straight comparison between the term American and European. I do not think there even is a widely used term to refer to all people from the Americas. Such as why the games being held in Toronto as we type are qualified as the Pan-American games. I mean, calling us all Pan-Americans is comprehensible, but not popular. Certainly rolls off the tongue better than "New Worlders" though.

Umbran · Jul 22, 2015

Morrus said:
In other news, why did you Americans try to invade the Falklands a while back?

Why did you guys try to defend them? Penguin liberty?

Morrus · Jul 22, 2015

Umbran said:
Why did you guys try to defend them? Penguin liberty?

The right to self-determination. And more importantly, the principle that you *never* allow someone to invade you, for any reason.

Would you defend Alaska if Canada or Russia said "hey, it's next to us, so it logically belongs to us"?

The United States of Europe

Ryujin

Legend

Tonguez

A suffusion of yellow

delericho

Legend

Kaodi

Hero

Morrus

Well, that was fun

delericho

Legend

Dioltach

Legend

Kaodi

Hero

Umbran

Mod Squad

Morrus

Well, that was fun

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