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The EU has many many problems. Of course. Many of the critcisms you level at it would be equally valid of any single political party without a competant opposi

The EU has many many problems. Of course. Many of the critcisms you level at it would be equally valid of any single political party without a competant opposition. Currently the EU only really has visible 'opposition' in the form of (IMHO) petty nationalists who want their respective countries to leave, rather than from people who are quite happy to be part of the EU, but want it radically reformed, or changed in specific ways. I was saddened that the UK voted to leave (I'm British, live in the UK, but grew up in Cyprus). And horrified by how the 'Brexit meanx Brexit' group are now pushing it through with very little discussion about what that could mean, or how Euroskepticsm could be rechanneled into something positive. The idea of Europe-wide cooperation, freedom of travel/work, etc. isn't going away any time soon, and currently the vehicle it's embodied in is the EU. I deeply wish the UK government had said, "Right. So the referendum proves that enough of the country is very very unhappy with the status quo. Would leaving the EU fix that? Or is there a way we can change the EU, or our status in the EU, in such a way that the situation is better?" Post Brexit, the UK has no voice into the EU governance, and it's very unlikely that the people with influence in the EU will lean in helpful directions to what the UK government(s) would like it to be. I hope you're right, that we will return to much more ad-hoc co-operation, deals and many individual treaties and so on. I really really hope you're right. But while the EU remains like it currently is, I suspect it's simply going to be awful for the UK for a very long time. I guess it slightly depends on how grown up and generous the EU negotiators and leaders are. If they genuinely will look out for the British public (technially their citizens...) and their interests in this, then it may not be so bad. But the UK government is certainly perceived as being remarkably selfish and self-centered in the whole affair, which doesn't really fill me with confidence about the future of the UK.

zigzigzag 10y ago
I think if the EU had been really capable of improving itself in a big way the UK would not have voted to leave. Cameron tried that tack though and it blew up in his face. He toured the whole continent trying to put together a deal to address the concerns of British voters and the rest of Europe told him to stop being a crybaby and demanding special breaks, etc. The EU was unwilling to budge at all because the idea the Brits might actually do it and the government might not ignore the vote was unthinkable to them. You could find quotes at the time along the lines of "we are so glad this whole British business is behind us" after they sent Cameron packing: the idea the vote might be lost simply didn't occur at all. So he came home and told the country he'd got a great deal that solved people's problems. But it didn't and nobody believed him. It also killed the "we can stay in a reformed EU" argument dead. There is no chance of constructively working with the EU. It believes in commanding, not compromising.

zigzigzag 10y ago

I think if the EU had been really capable of improving itself in a big way the UK would not have voted to leave. Cameron tried that tack though and it blew up in his face. He toured the whole continent trying to put together a deal to address the concerns of British voters and the rest of Europe told him to stop being a crybaby and demanding special breaks, etc. The EU was unwilling to budge at all because the idea the Brits might actually do it and the government might not ignore the vote was unthinkable to them. You could find quotes at the time along the lines of "we are so glad this whole British business is behind us" after they sent Cameron packing: the idea the vote might be lost simply didn't occur at all. So he came home and told the country he'd got a great deal that solved people's problems. But it didn't and nobody believed him. It also killed the "we can stay in a reformed EU" argument dead. There is no chance of constructively working with the EU. It believes in commanding, not compromising.