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[Lucreto]

Greece refusing to reform is its own problem. Ireland played the good child and did as it was told after being bend over the EU's knee and got a grand old spanking.

Things have much improved there and probably be hitting full employment within the next few years. The EU has an approval rating of 70% now.

Greece can leave the EU and the Euro but in or out they will still have to pay back Europe.

 

[Joni]

Quit NATO, give money saved to Greece and start the EU army.

 

[PdotMichael]

I like when people think EU and Eurozone are the same things.

 

[kiguel182]

we really need to unite against the US right now. EU is needed now more than ever.

I have my problem on how things work but the Trump and right wing nuts future is much worse than what we have now.

 

[SoCoRoBo]

Greece refusing to reform is its own problem. Ireland played the good child and did as it was told after being bend over the EU's knee and got a grand old spanking.

Things have much improved there and probably be hitting full employment within the next few years. The EU has an approval rating of 70% now.

Greece can leave the EU and the Euro but in or out they will still have to pay back Europe.

That's a callous assessment of the situation. The Greek people did not deserve the treatment that they've received. Syriza mishandled the situation but that doesn't excuse the shortsightedness and cruelty of the EU institutions in dealing with the crisis, specifically in a situation where debt relief was so obviously necessary.

Things have improved in Ireland, but there was no reason that we should've had to pay back €3bn/year following the promissory notes. Ireland did not benefit from the promissory notes, but the Eurozone as a whole did through greater financial stability. Ireland has paid more than any other country towards the economic crisis.

It's this ridiculous attitude that where countries like Ireland are Greece are regarded as irresponsible, individual states when it comes to the Crisis, while ignoring that much of the crisis was manufactured by policies specifically promoted by Germany in Germany's own self-interest.

And things are looking terrible for Ireland if the EU takes a vindictive approach to Brexit negotiation, which it seems highly likely to do. Any international organisation that needs to impose terrible costs on both Member States and states that are leaving in order to maintain its own integrity isn't a worthwhile thing.

 

[daxy]

He's half-right about some stuff:

-The CAP is bullshit and needs to be abolished / totally reformed.

-Greece needs to leave the euro and the way they've been treated by Germany is an utter disgrace that makes a mockery of any supposed European unity, as an Irishman whose potential kids would still be paying off the bad bets made by German banks in 2040 and beyond I feel tremendous sympathy for them.

-The euro currency could indeed be in trouble depending on short term economic and political events, it has two significant flaws at its very heart regarding small nations not being able to control inflation during an economic crisis, and the fact that EU countries are so economically diverse that one size does NOT fit all and will probably never fit all.

-Anti-americanism is rampant in the EU at the moment (of course, this is because of Trump, lol).

-The EU still has a major democratic deficit no matter how much they argue otherwise.

A lot of the rest of it is nonsense (adopt the dollar? ha.)

Well said.

I'll be waiting for the post where you support your up until now baseless claims with arguments.

 

[tuxfool]

And things are looking terrible for Ireland if the EU takes a vindictive approach to Brexit negotiation, which it seems highly likely to do. Any international organisation that needs to impose terrible costs on both Member States and states that are leaving in order to maintain its own integrity isn't a worthwhile thing.

Define vindictive. Defending its interests and principles from folly isn't what I'd call vindictive. Ultimately the ball in in the UK's court.

 

[SoCoRoBo]

I'll be waiting for the post where you support your up until now baseless claims with arguments.

These are all perfectly well-recognised criticisms of the EU. Many of them would seem prima facie true to me without requiring any further elaboration. What problem do you have with them?

Define vindictive. Defending its interests and principles from folly isn't what I'd call vindictive. Ultimately the ball in in the UK's court.

Vindictive being an attitude whereby the focus is to make the exit as punitive for Britain as possible in order to deter other Member States from leaving the Union. To make it effectively unthinkable for Member States to contemplate leaving the EU. And the consequence of this is that small countries, Ireland in particular, are going to suffer terribly if the EU is unwilling to strike some kind of transitional arrangement.

I fully acknowledge that Britain's behaviour has been idiotic and high-handed. Doesn't excuse the EU. An international organisation that relies on the threat of economic disaster if you try to disentangle yourself from it is not something that has a sustainable future.

 

[gutter_trash]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2...liament-whole-world-benefits-from-a-strong-eu

Meanwhile, Justin Trudeau is picking up the Leader of the Free World ball declaring that the "world benefits from a strong EU"

 

[Tovarisc]

Meanwhile....

Canada's Trudeau tells EU: the world needs you

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau praised the European Union on Thursday as an unprecedented model for peaceful cooperation, in a speech to EU lawmakers that contrasted sharply with the critical stance of U.S. President Donald Trump.

Speaking to the European Parliament a day after it backed a comprehensive free trade deal between Canada and the EU known as CETA, Trudeau said the 28-nation bloc had a crucial global role to play.
Source and a lot more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-c...898a&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

Edit: banned from entry

 

[Vagabundo]

-Greece needs to leave the euro and the way they've been treated by Germany is an utter disgrace that makes a mockery of any supposed European unity, as an Irishman whose potential kids would still be paying off the bad bets made by German banks in 2040 and beyond I feel tremendous sympathy for them.


.

Greece and Ireland both got themselves into shit. Greece had, and still has, rampant corruption and tax dodging. Ireland fucking partied like it was 1999 and we're going to be paying for it for a long time, but again mostly our own fault.

You can certainly argue that more could have been done to write off debts and insulate the most vulnerable from the worst of if and I wouldn't disagree, but both countries would still have to pay for it in different ways.

 

[mnz]

He's not only hostile, a lot of what he says is also plain stupid. The $ wouldn't help Greece one bit, it would only introduce new problems. But I'm sure he knows it.

Isn't US corn rediculously subsidised as well though?

One of the biggest concerns of European TTIP opponents was the influence of cheap agriculture products from the US, mostly meat.

He's right about shorting the Euro.

Not even sure about that. Current EU economic outlook is positive and the ECB monetary strategy will have to change at some point.

 

[KraftyKrankins]

Sometimes I wish stupidity hurts

It does. It hurts us.