4 ms·

> The UK stepped on its own rake because it was obsessed with tiny, already vanished industries like fishing This isn't just a UK issue: "Fishing is a relativ

> The UK stepped on its own rake because it was obsessed with tiny, already vanished industries like fishing This isn't just a UK issue: "Fishing is a relatively minor economic activity within the EU. It contributes generally less than 1 per cent to gross national product."[0] and if you look beyond fishing, agricultural policy as a whole is - not sure how to put this politely - not easy to understand: "The CAP is often explained as the result of a political compromise between France and Germany: German industry would have access to the French market; in exchange, Germany would help pay for France's farmers [..] The CAP has always been a difficult area of EU policy to reform [..]"[1] [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Fisheries_Policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Fisheries_Policy [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Agricultural_Policy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Agricultural_Policy

matt-p 2y ago
For another "not just the UK" example france has managed to persuade the EU not to buy british weapons out of the extra defence fund unless the UK give France some of it's fishing rights. Can you imagine being Poland and not getting the best anti-tank weaponry, or the best missiles because you want the french to have more fishing rights? Completely barking mad. https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-rejects-eu-plan-tie-defense-security-pact-to-fishing-quotas/ https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-rejects-eu-plan-tie-defen...
- logifail 2y ago
  > Completely barking mad Well, we'll see that and raise you the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The EU could get rid of this idiocy overnight, except - well - France. (I have nothing against the French, I've visited France dozens of times and have many friends there.) "Once a month the European Parliament moves from Brussels to Strasbourg at a cost of £150m a year as lorries transport paperwork."[0] "Top EU official brands Strasbourg shuttle 'insane'"[1] "EU parliament’s €114m-a-year move to Strasbourg ‘a waste of money’, but will it ever be scrapped?"[2] [0] https://news.sky.com/story/meps-on-the-move-madness-of-strasbourg-shift-10293596 https://news.sky.com/story/meps-on-the-move-madness-of-stras... [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/05/eu.politics https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/05/eu.politics [2] https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/20/eu-parliament-s-114m-a-year-move-to-strasbourg-a-waste-of-money-but-will-it-ever-be-scrapp https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/20/eu-parliament-s-114m-a-y...
  - matt-p 2y ago
    Pretty sure you could engineer France leaving the EU by just tweaking fishing quotas, farming subsidy, naming on sparkling wine or removing (as you mention) strasbourg. They will start a riot and then when you don't give in, they'll be gone. I'm not saying it's what happened to the UK, but we asked for what we needed, got turned down and then left.
    - logifail 2y ago
      > They will start a riot and then when you don't give in, they'll be gone If you haven't already done so, read up on TARGET2[0], things could get somewhat spicy if a Eurozone country were to leave the EU. [0] https://data.ecb.europa.eu/publications/ecbeurosystem-policy-and-exchange-rates/3030621 https://data.ecb.europa.eu/publications/ecbeurosystem-policy...
    - Symbiote 2y ago
      What did the UK ask of the EU before Brexit? All I remember was Cameron asking to expel jobless immigrants, which confused the EU as Britain was already allowed to do that.
      - matt-p 2y ago
        I think it was a ban on European migrants from sending benefits and particularly child benefit (some money you get from the state if you have kids) back to thier home country or something like that. I remember Poland stopped us from getting it (supposedly). The french didn't want us to exempt from financial regulation that was primarily targeted at the euro even though we use the pound. Various nonsense, that people at the time felt strongly about (keeping the pound, not giving benefits and a council house to people as soon as they arrived, or some such exaggeration)
    - DeathArrow 2y ago
      I don't get why the EU can't be just a big common market with free competition, open borders. Why do we even need lots of institutions, bureaucracy, directives on top of directives and quotas for farming and fishing?
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- blitzar 2y ago
  The UK is no longer in the EU.

matt-p 2y ago

For another "not just the UK" example france has managed to persuade the EU not to buy british weapons out of the extra defence fund unless the UK give France some of it's fishing rights. Can you imagine being Poland and not getting the best anti-tank weaponry, or the best missiles because you want the french to have more fishing rights? Completely barking mad. https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-rejects-eu-plan-tie-defense-security-pact-to-fishing-quotas/ https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-rejects-eu-plan-tie-defen...

logifail 2y ago
> Completely barking mad Well, we'll see that and raise you the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The EU could get rid of this idiocy overnight, except - well - France. (I have nothing against the French, I've visited France dozens of times and have many friends there.) "Once a month the European Parliament moves from Brussels to Strasbourg at a cost of £150m a year as lorries transport paperwork."[0] "Top EU official brands Strasbourg shuttle 'insane'"[1] "EU parliament’s €114m-a-year move to Strasbourg ‘a waste of money’, but will it ever be scrapped?"[2] [0] https://news.sky.com/story/meps-on-the-move-madness-of-strasbourg-shift-10293596 https://news.sky.com/story/meps-on-the-move-madness-of-stras... [1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/05/eu.politics https://www.theguardian.com/world/2006/sep/05/eu.politics [2] https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/20/eu-parliament-s-114m-a-year-move-to-strasbourg-a-waste-of-money-but-will-it-ever-be-scrapp https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/20/eu-parliament-s-114m-a-y...
- matt-p 2y ago
  Pretty sure you could engineer France leaving the EU by just tweaking fishing quotas, farming subsidy, naming on sparkling wine or removing (as you mention) strasbourg. They will start a riot and then when you don't give in, they'll be gone. I'm not saying it's what happened to the UK, but we asked for what we needed, got turned down and then left.
  - logifail 2y ago
    > They will start a riot and then when you don't give in, they'll be gone If you haven't already done so, read up on TARGET2[0], things could get somewhat spicy if a Eurozone country were to leave the EU. [0] https://data.ecb.europa.eu/publications/ecbeurosystem-policy-and-exchange-rates/3030621 https://data.ecb.europa.eu/publications/ecbeurosystem-policy...
  - Symbiote 2y ago
    What did the UK ask of the EU before Brexit? All I remember was Cameron asking to expel jobless immigrants, which confused the EU as Britain was already allowed to do that.
    - matt-p 2y ago
      I think it was a ban on European migrants from sending benefits and particularly child benefit (some money you get from the state if you have kids) back to thier home country or something like that. I remember Poland stopped us from getting it (supposedly). The french didn't want us to exempt from financial regulation that was primarily targeted at the euro even though we use the pound. Various nonsense, that people at the time felt strongly about (keeping the pound, not giving benefits and a council house to people as soon as they arrived, or some such exaggeration)
  - DeathArrow 2y ago
    I don't get why the EU can't be just a big common market with free competition, open borders. Why do we even need lots of institutions, bureaucracy, directives on top of directives and quotas for farming and fishing?
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
blitzar 2y ago
The UK is no longer in the EU.