I for one welcome our new European Overlords

[CountDeMoney]

  Spin your European xenophobia any way you like if it makes you sleep at night.

But, since EVE Online's ISK is the only credible influx of currency in that fucked-up sequestered gene pool of a volcanic island, does that mean game subscribers would be able to trade it in for the Euro?

[Eochaid]

Spin your European xenophobia any way you like if it makes you sleep at night

I think the USA should integrate Mexico and all the little countries all the way down to Panama.

No?

Xenophobe 

Now stop trolling

Kevin

[CountDeMoney]

Spin your European xenophobia any way you like if it makes you sleep at night

I think the USA should integrate Mexico and all the little countries all the way down to Panama.

No?

Xenophobe 

Now stop trolling

Kevin

We already have.  The only difference between Los Angeles and Mexico City is that Los Angeles has more Mexicans.
God Bless America.

Go check your toaster, I think one of your Jew-Tarts just popped.

[Eochaid]

Go check your toaster, I think one of your Jew-Tarts just popped.

You're so bitter and twisted it is kind of cute *humps CdM's leg*

Kevin

[Grey Fox]

Ireland hasn't been good to you, Echo.

[Zanza]

hopefully, we'll have adopted the Lisbon Treaty.

It passed the Czech senate yesterday. So that only leaves Vaclav Klaus, the Irish population and eight German judges in its way...

[Eochaid]

Ireland hasn't been good to you, Echo.

No, it hasn't.

I also suspect that Languish is partly responsible for twisting me into something annoying and gooey.

Kevin

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Weird, Ireland is taking a out and Iceland wanting in because they're both in a similar mess.

Gotta love the EU...

"Saddled with a debt-driven economy?  We'll take you if you're white.  Swarthy middle-eastern NATO members need not apply."

Because thats totally why Turkey hasn't joined.
Some lesser members like Austria grumble on about that sort of thing but those in who actually run the EU don't want Turkey for other reasons. Romania and Bulgaria were really, really stretching it. Eastern Turkey though....

IMO the way for Turkey to get in the EU is Kurdish independance. That part of their country is a shit hole that drags the rest of it down. War or no.
And of course they seem to hate the Kurds. The Kurds are the one issue that seems to turn them from nice, 20th century, muslim Greeks into typical lesser people replete with nationalism.
Its never going to happen though. So Turkey will have a long wait ahead of them. Hope they don't get bored.

if you like the turks somuch, you make the 51st state of the Union.
but the recent escapades with the elections there, as well as the rasmussen thing have shown is that Turkey isn't ready yet to join the civilised world. And it might never be.

[Alatriste]

Gotta love the EU...

"Saddled with a debt-driven economy?  We'll take you if you're white.  Swarthy middle-eastern NATO members need not apply."

If that were only so.

But if you were right, the greeks, spaniards, italians and irish would've never been invited.

Spain is a swarthy south-western NATO member!

Besides, Turks and Spaniards (notice the capital 'T' and 'S' you Nazi) are pretty much teh same color. The idea Turks are dark skinned Arabs is a figment of the good Count's imagination (or a trap set to show we care about colors... a curious trap, since he's the one minding them but whatever)

Oh, there is that little question about numbers: Iceland, with its 300,000 inhabitants is just an small snack. Turkey with its fast growing 75,000,000 inhabitants, is almost too much to bite (and has borders with Syria, Iraq... )

Oh, and Iceland has rich fisheries too 

[Viking]

Do we want to take in more paupers? I don't want Bjork doing my plumbing 

It'll take a few years for Iceland to join the EU and in the meantime, hopefully, we'll have adopted the Lisbon Treaty. If we have, then Mazel Tov and welcome! If not, 

Kevin

Few years? WTF? We are already in the EEA and are in better compliance with EU regulations that most of the EU. Iceland will (eventually) be a net contributor. You are desperate to get Iceland (and Norway) in.

[Viking]

Gotta love the EU...

"Saddled with a debt-driven economy?  We'll take you if you're white.  Swarthy middle-eastern NATO members need not apply."

If Iceland joined, it would be the smallest country in the Union (400,000 inhabitants). The country has a well-developped economy and infrastructures, doesn't have any human rights problems and their debts represent peanuts for the EU.

While I support the adhesion of Turkey if they can improve their HR record a bit, there are a number of issues raised by its candidacy:

• Turkey would have the second largest population in the EU (82M for Germany, 71.5M for Turkey), with Turkey overtaking Germany by 2030. And of course the number of votes a country holds is linked to its population.
  
• A relatively poor country with a GDP per capita of $11,000 (EU average $29K) and infrastructures we need to improve. We're still economically integrating Eastern Europe and need to sort out a number of policies (redirecting CAP money for instance)
  
• Giving the EU a big land border with a lot of ME countries...

Kevin

300,000, not 400,000, less than Luxembourg. Plus Iceland is willing to bargain it's vote on all EU bodies for fishing rights.

[Eochaid]

Few years? WTF? We are already in the EEA and are in better compliance with EU regulations that most of the EU. Iceland will (eventually) be a net contributor. You are desperate to get Iceland (and Norway) in.

I doubt it would take less than two years between the moment negociations open and Iceland joins. Especially since a lot of countries will refuse to let anyone in until we've ratified the Lisbon Treaty.

Kevin

PS: my bad on population 

[Viking]

Few years? WTF? We are already in the EEA and are in better compliance with EU regulations that most of the EU. Iceland will (eventually) be a net contributor. You are desperate to get Iceland (and Norway) in.

I doubt it would take less than two years between the moment negociations open and Iceland joins. Especially since a lot of countries will refuse to let anyone in until we've ratified the Lisbon Treaty.

Kevin

PS: my bad on population 

Meh, thats just an excuse to avoid letting albania et.al. in before their political power can be neutered.

[Berkut]

Spin your European xenophobia any way you like if it makes you sleep at night

I think the USA should integrate Mexico and all the little countries all the way down to Panama.

No?

Xenophobe 

Now stop trolling

Kevin

If the US was pushing a North American Union, then promptly said "Oh, we really just meant Canada!" then you would have a point. It would be a shitty, Martyesque stupid analogy point, but at least you would have *something*.

Work on it.

[Berkut]

I also suspect that Languish is partly responsible for twisting me into something annoying and gooey.

At least we have done some good in this world then.