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Poor trade relations is a big drag on the UK economy. If you can’t plan you can’t invest. I’m hoping the UK joins the United States. We’ve already started to m

Poor trade relations is a big drag on the UK economy. If you can’t plan you can’t invest. I’m hoping the UK joins the United States. We’ve already started to merge our military industrial base and have a long, shared history. Maybe they would receive preference for US LNG/coal shipments too as a result.

piva00 4y ago
> I’m hoping the UK joins the United States. We’ve already started to merge our military industrial base and have a long, shared history. Maybe they would receive preference for US LNG/coal shipments too as a result. This is unrealistic bordering absurd, you just came out of Brexit sold under the pretense of increased freedom and sovereignty. The UK didn't even like the special deal it had with the EU, unique concessions that no other country in the Union would get because the Union acknowledged that the UK was worthy enough to be in with those rather than out without them. It'd be ludicrous to believe that coming from this sentiment the population would agree in joining the US, losing most of its sovereignty to become a 51st State under control of the USA Federal Government, like extremely ludicrous. The cherry on top would be the humiliation to the UK's nationalists in becoming a vassal of a former colony, I don't see this having any chance whatsoever to happen, not now, not in the next 50 years. I gotta ask, what fosters this hope of yours? I haven't seen a Brit so deluded in wishful thinking as this take, it's a bit baffling, sorry to say.
- JauntTrooper 4y ago
  I assumed he meant like a free trade union, not political integration.
  - phist_mcgee 4y ago
    Maybe not the parent commenter's take, but I have seen a few Americans around the place casually suggesting countries join the Union. I think some may be under the misapprehension that not everyone looks to America as the "greatest country" and would wish to not just be like them, but be them.
- thoughtstheseus 4y ago
  Our difference seems to be that I don’t put much weight on your view that nationalism will dominate the discussion. Standard of living will. My hope is UK citizens make decisions to benefit themselves, their family, friends, and community. The UK cannot maintain its current standard of living without a very large partnership of some sort. Once living standards get bad enough people will be open to non-traditional options. The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option. A partnership, statehood, or something similar with the U.S. would immediately position the UK as the most powerful and desirable region in Europe IMO. It would also not be one state, more likely 4. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They would each get a voice in the USA Federal government. Opportunity of a generation IMO.
  - sofixa 4y ago
    > The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option. The UK literally relies on the EU energy market (and vice versa), with lots of imports and exports between the two. There isn't enough of it, but there's already a codependency there. National security is debatable, but as a part of the EU the UK would be leader among equals (big army and nukes), so cooperation would be on an equal footing. Manufacturing of what, specifically?
    - thoughtstheseus 4y ago
      We’ve seen the result of that reliance. UK’s non-subsidized energy prices have skyrocketed and it’s unclear what the remedy will be. If you know one please tell me. I’ve been to the UK and talked to power players there and the only plan I’ve heard is “temporary” deindustrialization to maintain consumer comforts. National security - the UK is THE leader in Europe. The EU seems unwilling to field a credible military deterrence. That’s not being equals IMO. Slowly that’s changing now… but the UK is already integrating its military industrial base with the U.S. so that ship has sailed. Manufacturing - I used that word as a catch-all for providing goods and services.
  - Aeolun 4y ago
- newZWhoDis 4y ago
  I mean I agree it’s not popular, but the UK would be better off as a 51st state than they currently are now.
  - SideburnsOfDoom 4y ago
    Small point: but the _United Kingdom of etc._ is already a Union of 4 states (countries, whatever), it's not about to become a single state of anything. If anything, each of those 4 states in increasingly looking to find an alliance that works for them individually. The UK exited the European Union, and that is in turn weakening the United Kingdom's Union. What a surprise.
  - tengwar2 4y ago
    Absolutely not! I can't think of any major economy that is more of a hell-hole than the USA. That applies over so much of the major features of the place: extreme politics, gun violence, "justice" system, policing, prison system, healthcare, gerrymandered elections, racism - loads of stuff where the problems may exist elsewhere (including the UK), but to nowhere near the same extent. The UK may have some problems, but it's nothing we haven't been through before.
gizajob 4y ago
Thanks but no thanks. Britain joining the USA would be hell on earth. Why would we want coal? We have loads of it that we don't even dig out of the ground any more.
- thoughtstheseus 4y ago
  My mistake, I should have said oil.
  - rhaway84773 4y ago
    The UK has no shortage of oil either. North Sea oil production is massive. For example, a quick Google search revealed (I’m sure you can get newer figures) that North Sea oil provided over 60% of UK’s oil needs in 2012 and over 50% of its gas needs. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26326117 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26326...

piva00 4y ago

> I’m hoping the UK joins the United States. We’ve already started to merge our military industrial base and have a long, shared history. Maybe they would receive preference for US LNG/coal shipments too as a result. This is unrealistic bordering absurd, you just came out of Brexit sold under the pretense of increased freedom and sovereignty. The UK didn't even like the special deal it had with the EU, unique concessions that no other country in the Union would get because the Union acknowledged that the UK was worthy enough to be in with those rather than out without them. It'd be ludicrous to believe that coming from this sentiment the population would agree in joining the US, losing most of its sovereignty to become a 51st State under control of the USA Federal Government, like extremely ludicrous. The cherry on top would be the humiliation to the UK's nationalists in becoming a vassal of a former colony, I don't see this having any chance whatsoever to happen, not now, not in the next 50 years. I gotta ask, what fosters this hope of yours? I haven't seen a Brit so deluded in wishful thinking as this take, it's a bit baffling, sorry to say.

JauntTrooper 4y ago
I assumed he meant like a free trade union, not political integration.
- phist_mcgee 4y ago
  Maybe not the parent commenter's take, but I have seen a few Americans around the place casually suggesting countries join the Union. I think some may be under the misapprehension that not everyone looks to America as the "greatest country" and would wish to not just be like them, but be them.
thoughtstheseus 4y ago
Our difference seems to be that I don’t put much weight on your view that nationalism will dominate the discussion. Standard of living will. My hope is UK citizens make decisions to benefit themselves, their family, friends, and community. The UK cannot maintain its current standard of living without a very large partnership of some sort. Once living standards get bad enough people will be open to non-traditional options. The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option. A partnership, statehood, or something similar with the U.S. would immediately position the UK as the most powerful and desirable region in Europe IMO. It would also not be one state, more likely 4. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. They would each get a voice in the USA Federal government. Opportunity of a generation IMO.
- sofixa 4y ago
  > The EU can’t offer much energy, national security, or manufacturing support these days and U.S. is the only other reasonable option. The UK literally relies on the EU energy market (and vice versa), with lots of imports and exports between the two. There isn't enough of it, but there's already a codependency there. National security is debatable, but as a part of the EU the UK would be leader among equals (big army and nukes), so cooperation would be on an equal footing. Manufacturing of what, specifically?
  - thoughtstheseus 4y ago
    We’ve seen the result of that reliance. UK’s non-subsidized energy prices have skyrocketed and it’s unclear what the remedy will be. If you know one please tell me. I’ve been to the UK and talked to power players there and the only plan I’ve heard is “temporary” deindustrialization to maintain consumer comforts. National security - the UK is THE leader in Europe. The EU seems unwilling to field a credible military deterrence. That’s not being equals IMO. Slowly that’s changing now… but the UK is already integrating its military industrial base with the U.S. so that ship has sailed. Manufacturing - I used that word as a catch-all for providing goods and services.
- Aeolun 4y ago
newZWhoDis 4y ago
I mean I agree it’s not popular, but the UK would be better off as a 51st state than they currently are now.
- SideburnsOfDoom 4y ago
  Small point: but the _United Kingdom of etc._ is already a Union of 4 states (countries, whatever), it's not about to become a single state of anything. If anything, each of those 4 states in increasingly looking to find an alliance that works for them individually. The UK exited the European Union, and that is in turn weakening the United Kingdom's Union. What a surprise.
- tengwar2 4y ago
  Absolutely not! I can't think of any major economy that is more of a hell-hole than the USA. That applies over so much of the major features of the place: extreme politics, gun violence, "justice" system, policing, prison system, healthcare, gerrymandered elections, racism - loads of stuff where the problems may exist elsewhere (including the UK), but to nowhere near the same extent. The UK may have some problems, but it's nothing we haven't been through before.

gizajob 4y ago

Thanks but no thanks. Britain joining the USA would be hell on earth. Why would we want coal? We have loads of it that we don't even dig out of the ground any more.

thoughtstheseus 4y ago
My mistake, I should have said oil.
- rhaway84773 4y ago
  The UK has no shortage of oil either. North Sea oil production is massive. For example, a quick Google search revealed (I’m sure you can get newer figures) that North Sea oil provided over 60% of UK’s oil needs in 2012 and over 50% of its gas needs. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26326117 https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-26326...