Financial Times: Brazil Should Annex Portugal

[jimmy olsen]

I wholeheartedly agree.

http://www.businessinsider.com/brazil-portugal-merger-2011-3#ixzz1I9I2ENXh

Brazil-Portugal Merger?
John Ellis | Mar. 30, 2011, 5:08 PM | 714 | comment 11

FT Associate Editor Edward Hadas posted a short note the other day that sent his Portuguese readers into spasms of rage.

He suggested that Portugal leave the European Union and allow itself to be annexed by its former colony, Brazil.

Once they got over the sting of being a province, instead of a sovereign state, the Portuguese would soon find themselves in a much stronger position.  Hadas wrote:

Here is an out-of-the-box way to deal with the situation: annexation by Portuguese-speaking Brazil (a decade of 4 per cent annual GDP growth, much higher recently). Portugal would be a big province, but far from dominant: 5 per cent of the population and 10 per cent of GDP.

Sure, the old colonist would resent the loss of status. But the former colony has something to offer, even beyond narrower credit spreads and proportionally much lower government and current account deficits. Brazil is one of the BRICs, the emerging centre of world power. That sounds like a better home than the tired old EU.

Mr. Hadas' suggestion was, of course, a bit tongue-in-cheek.  But it's a smart idea. Portugal should think it through.  Is thirty years of servitude to the EU really such an appealing prospect?  There has to be more to life than paying back German bankers. 

And think of what it might mean to Portuguese "football" fans. Combine the Brazilian national team with the Portuguese national team and you have the best team in the world.

[Tonitrus]

Should we annex: Great Britain? 

[Valmy]

Brazil has been an emerging power practically from the day it gained independence.  I wish it would get on with it.

[jimmy olsen]

Should we annex: Great Britain? 

Why not? :USA:

[alfred russel]

And think of what it might mean to Portuguese "football" fans. Combine the Brazilian national team with the Portuguese national team and you have the best team in the world.

If you combine Brazil and Palau, do you still have the best football team in the world?

I think Portugal, Greece, Ireland, etc. have a decent situation in the EU with the EU preventing their default.

[MadImmortalMan]

Didn't JR just suggest this earlier today? Maybe he writes for FT...

[Josquius]

Why would Brazil ever want to do that?

[Caliga]

Didn't JR just suggest this earlier today? Maybe he writes for FT...

Was about to make the same post.

[Ed Anger]

Should we annex: Great Britain? 

Bleh. Fuck the English. And the Welsh? Awful people.

[Eddie Teach]

Should we annex: Great Britain? 

And Canada, Australia and New Zealand. 

[Martim Silva]

In the XIXth century, our King wanted to move the capital to Rio de Janeiro, since he saw the Empire as a single nation and having it centered in Brazil made more sense - and he did do so when Napoleon invaded. Didn't even want to come back after the French defeat.

As a result, we had the Liberal Revolution of 1820. Nobody in the home country wanted the capital outside Europe. Brazil rebelled and got its independence recognized by 1825.

Brazils' president Dilma Rousseff was here yesterday. Lula (also here) suggested the country helped Portugal by buying its debt. Dilma said 'it's complicated' and cut her trip short (i.e. left immediately after this possibility was raised).

Besides, Brazil is so corrupt that Portugal actually looks like a good nation in comparison (you have to pay to actually get police protection, for example. And police stations fight amongst each other for the right to give such 'protection').

Fuck Brazil. We'll be 1000x better as an European province, as long as Germany is ultimately in charge. THEY see things from an European perspective, irrespective of having the CDU or the SPD in charge.

[Neil]

That's the market at work.

[The Minsky Moment]

Didn't JR just suggest this earlier today? Maybe he writes for FT...

I subscribe.
But I have been travelling all week and didn't read this.  It appears my brain has been attuned to the FT hive mind.

[The Brain]

Rubbing levels would be 100,000 times normal.