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24-05-2019, 10:13 AM
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Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Interesting article by Ross Clark, Political Commentator in the Express this morning.

Quote

Amid the drama of flying Milkshakes and sinking poll ratings for our traditional political parties, it has been easy to forget European Parliament elections are also taking place in all 28 EU states. They will have profound implications for the EU and for Britain’s relationship with it.

Throughout the Brexit negotiations Michel Barnier and his team have tried to maintain the pretence that the European Union’s other 27 states are all enthusiastic members. His tactic has been to present a united front against recalcitrant Britain.

Yet it has never been true the Euroscepticism is limited to Britain. Indeed, the reason why Barnier, Jean-Claude Juncker, Donald Tusk and others have been so keen to see Britain punished is that they are fearful others will vote to leave too, should Brexit be seen to be a success for Britain.

On Sunday night, when the votes for the European Parliament elections are counted, the whole edifice may well come crashing down. The pro-EU parties which have dominated the parliament ever since it held its first election in 1979 are in serious danger of losing their majority.

Eurosceptic parties all across the EU look like doing well on Sunday, from La Lega, the party of Italy’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (formerly the National Front) to Jimmie Akesson’s Sweden Democrats, which won 62 out of 349 seats in last year’s election.

But all eyes will be on the Dutch Forum for Democracy (FvD), an insurgent Eurosceptic party that has just overtaken the VVD of Prime Minister Mark Rutte, on 15 per cent of the vote. The party, led by 36-year old Thierry Baudet, has existed for only three years and yet performed strongly in last year’s regional elections, overtaking the much-better known Freedom Party of Geert Wilden. Its central policy is for an in-out referendum on Dutch membership of the EU - A “Nexit” to match “Brexit”. While the FvD is inevitably described by its enemies as “far-Right”, it fishes in very different waters from the overtly anti-immigrant Freedom Party.

What makes the rise of the FvD so interesting is that its rise over the Freedom Party matches the way in which the Brexit Party has usurped Ukip.

For years, Euroscepticism across the EU has been damned by association with parties which really are on the far-Right - those which have taken hardline positions on migrants and Islam.

As we are now discovering, it is those parties’ Euroscepticism, not their xenophobia, which has made them attractive to many people. When voters are given a choice of a Eurosceptic party that presents a more positive, outward-looking vision of life outside the EU, with freer trade and less bureaucratic interference from Brussels, they tend to flock to that instead. By contrast, the EU is coming to be seen all across Europe as an overbearing, anti-democratic institution whose flagship project, the Euro, has humiliated some member states and impoverished their citizens.

Yes, while we might have had a European election this week, people can see where European power really lies. The Parliament is really just a rubber-stamping chamber - all legislation is generated by the unelected commission.

The attempt by Remain to paint Euroscepticism as the indulgence of some lunatic fringe on the far Right is simply untrue. Just as in Britain, where Labour MPs campaigned for Brexit there is growing Euroscepticism on the European Left. In Italy, pro-EU parties are caught in a pincer movement by La Lega on the Right and the Five Star Movement on the liberal Left.
While neither advocates leaving the EU, they have both dallied with leaving the Euro. The Finnish party, the Finns, is another Left-wing party that is strongly Eurosceptic. It too, is expected to do well on Sunday.

What does all this mean for Brexit? In the run-up to our original leaving date, 29th March 2019, the EU’s negotiating team refused to reopen negotiations. Using the Irish border as an excuse, they blocked every effort to bring about what would be in everyone’s interest - a free trade deal - in the hope of trapping Britain in a customs union.

But, if as expected, we awake on Monday morning to a greatly changed political makeup of the European Parliament, it is going to be much tougher for Barnier and Co to ignore reality - that there are plenty of other Europeans who would love to be shot of their overbearing rule.

A greater presence of Eurosceptics at Strasbourg certainly won’t do any harm to Britain’s prospects of winning a free trade deal.

UNQUOTE.

Well, it looks as though through their own fault, the bullying EU’s own belief that they could ride roughshod over Britain by humiliating us, they may well have opened Pandora’s Box which could eventually result in their own downfall. Surely, they must be kicking themselves now when they think back to their long ago disgraceful treatment of David Cameron and Britain, and it’s intransigence towards us ever since. It could have all been so different if they had been sensible and realised they were dealing with Britain, B R I T A I N ! and not a weakened Greece.

We may well have idiots here making the decisions, but the EU should have remembered from our long history - and theirs - that they were also dealing with the British people, and the British people will have the final say.
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24-05-2019, 10:40 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Well put Shorpshire Girl !

What the 5 star movement did was pave the way for a completely new way of campaigning using social media. A method adopted by the Brexit Party which has been enormously effective. You don't need George Soros' billions to make a difference anymore....

Come Monday, we will see just how much damage has been done to the EU and what it's response will be. Typically, it will be "more Europe" which roughly translated means, more lies, more socialism, less democracy and less sovereignty.

The slippery slope just got a whole lot steeper.
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24-05-2019, 10:40 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Sounds like the EU might be going 'T$t's Up' in the future Shropshiregirl, it was always expected by the sensible and realistic members of the forum....
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24-05-2019, 10:50 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Hi

The EU will change, that is for sure, but a break up?

No, that will not happen.

It is the biggest Free Trade Area in the world and is soon to become even bigger.

It will go it's own way and we will go ours.

I simply do not trust any of our current Politicians to do the best for us.
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24-05-2019, 11:02 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Agree with you both. I do not wish to see the EU collapse. I never have. But something must change in order for it to survive, regardless of what any pro-EU supporters on here or anywhere else says.

What I abhor are the lies that were told by Heath and his cohorts to the British people back in the 70's - that we were joining a Trading organisation to make it easier for trading between the countries of Europe. The lies have continued ever since by every elected Prime Minister and cabinet. Betrayal of this country by those same traitors in collusion with the EU, can never be undone. The referendum was our one and only opportunity to have our say and show our disgust at such betrayal of this country and it's people. No amount of tears by Theresa May will hold sway over that. She could never shed enough tears for what has been heaped on the unsuspecting people of this country which has been given away piece by piece over the last four decades.. Good bluddy riddance to her.
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24-05-2019, 11:07 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Whilst not wishing Europe any harm SG, it was encouraging
to read your post!
I look forward to monday when we will see just how much
public opinion in europe has shifted?

Best Regards Donkeyman!
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24-05-2019, 11:14 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

One thing that could cause the collapse of the EU is a recession that could affect the ailing Euro.

I was listening to a discussion on the radio about other countries who might wish to leave the EU, most of them who have adopted the Euro are trapped in there by it. If you think we have had difficult extricating ourselves from the EU imagine what it would be like if we shared the same currency.
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24-05-2019, 11:19 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Originally Posted by Meg ->
One thing that could cause the collapse of the EU is a recession that could affect the ailing Euro.

I was listening to a discussion on the radio about other countries who might wish to leave the EU, most of them who have adopted the Euro are trapped in there by it. If you think we have had difficult extricating ourselves from the EU imagine what it would be like if we shared the same currency.
And debt would be a major factor in leaving the common currency.
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24-05-2019, 11:50 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

The person that thought up the euro should be put against a wall!!
As Meg and Bread said, Just imagine if we had listened to Blair and joined the euro!!! One can only imagine what it must be like for all of those European countries having to be part of that one size fits all currency.

I often wonder whether they each yearn for the past when they had control over their own economies and adjusted their currencies as and when needed. Now, they have chains around their necks and it's a case of sink or swim according to the current at the time diktat of the EU.

Thank the good Lord that we never joined the euro.
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24-05-2019, 11:57 AM
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Re: Could the European Elections herald the end of the EU?

Originally Posted by OldGreyFox ->
Sounds like the EU might be going 'T$t's Up' in the future Shropshiregirl, it was always expected by the sensible and realistic members of the forum....
Based on exit polls: forum came from nothing on 3 seats. Wilders lost 3 seats (4 -> 1), so no net change in the far right. Rutte's vvd from 3 to 4 seats. Labour, with timmermans, expected to succeed junckers, from 3 to 5 seats. Eurosceptic socialist lost a seat, pro EU greens won a seat.

Break up of the EU? Forget it.
 
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