May 2015 UK General Election Campaign.

[Ed Anger]

https://mobile.twitter.com/JOE_co_uk/status/596657555000156160/video/1

[Crazy_Ivan80]

I hope Cameron fights to keep the UK in one piece and in the EU.

UK leaving the EU would be a much greater tragedy than Scotland leaving the UK. I am glad, based on Tyr's response, that Cameron would be picking the right battle to fight.

The UK leaving the EU would be a positive development actually for the EU.    No more British duplicity or inside sabotaging (railing against the undemocratic character of the EU while preventing any more power to be given to the EU Parliament, advocating the entry of a non European country, islamist-governed to dilute the European character of the EU etc.). Of course, whether it would be positive for the UK is another matter.
Scotland leaving the UK i

I'm not convinced that giving the French vision of the EU, or even giving the French more influence in the EU, is the way to go. The last time they made a mess of it

[Norgy]

I've given up on the UK's attempts at social democracy. You deserve all the toff Tories. Hope you bought lube.

[Duque de Bragança]

I hope Cameron fights to keep the UK in one piece and in the EU.

UK leaving the EU would be a much greater tragedy than Scotland leaving the UK. I am glad, based on Tyr's response, that Cameron would be picking the right battle to fight.

The UK leaving the EU would be a positive development actually for the EU.    No more British duplicity or inside sabotaging (railing against the undemocratic character of the EU while preventing any more power to be given to the EU Parliament, advocating the entry of a non European country, islamist-governed to dilute the European character of the EU etc.). Of course, whether it would be positive for the UK is another matter.
Scotland leaving the UK is way more open.

I'm not convinced that giving the French vision of the EU, or even giving the French more influence in the EU, is the way to go. The last time they made a mess of it

This could be argued with the EEC of old. Not so much with the stronger Germany nowadays.

[Richard Hakluyt]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

[Zanza]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

Not irritating at all as we don't consider it the right decision. According to the last survey:

An absolute majority of EU citizens are in favour of the euro: 56% support "an economic
and monetary union with a single currency, the euro". [...]
Support for the euro remains far more widespread within the euro area than outside it.
However, it is stable in the euro area (67% are in favour vs. 26%, unchanged), while it
has risen outside it (35%, +3 percentage points, vs. 55%, -2).

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb82/eb82_first_en.pdf

[Richard Hakluyt]

Some interesting stuff in that article Zanza, support for the euro much higher than I expected.

[Martinus]

I hope Cameron fights to keep the UK in one piece and in the EU.

UK leaving the EU would be a much greater tragedy than Scotland leaving the UK. I am glad, based on Tyr's response, that Cameron would be picking the right battle to fight.

The UK leaving the EU would be a positive development actually for the EU.    No more British duplicity or inside sabotaging (railing against the undemocratic character of the EU while preventing any more power to be given to the EU Parliament, advocating the entry of a non European country, islamist-governed to dilute the European character of the EU etc.). Of course, whether it would be positive for the UK is another matter.
Scotland leaving the UK is way more open.

I don't know about it. For at least the last 300-400 years European "project" has been an interplay of French, German and English thought. Without English scepticism and pragmatism, Europe may become too ex-centric.

[Martinus]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

I thought the UK refused to join the euro because it would give too much power away from the national UK government, whereas the problems euro zone has are exactly because too much power was left with national governments. So you do not get to feel smug about it.

[Monoriu]

My thoughts exactly

[Zanza]

Is there any indication on what exactly Cameron wants to renegotiate in Europe?

I found this:

• Powers flowing away from Brussels, not always to it.

Which powers does he want to re-nationalize specifically?

• National parliaments able to work together to block unwanted European legislation.

Eh. Qualified majority voting is for governments, not for legislatures. The British parliament is represented by HM government in Brussels.

• Businesses liberated from red tape and benefiting from the strength of the EU's own market to open up greater free trade with North America and Asia.

Ok.

• UK police forces and justice systems able to protect British citizens, unencumbered by unnecessary interference from the European institutions, including the European court of human rights.

I don't understand how the ECHR is an encumbrance of British law enforcement... 

• Free movement to take up work, not free benefits.

That's already largely possible and probably the point that can be amended the easiest as others will share that.

• Support for the continued enlargement of the EU to new members but with new mechanisms in place to prevent vast migrations across the continent.

Last time we did an enlargement, there was a mechanism but Britain didn't use it...

• Ensuring Britain is no longer subject to the concept of "ever closer union", enshrined in the treaty signed by every EU country.

No. You can't just change the preamble.

[Iormlund]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

I thought the UK refused to join the euro because it would give too much power away from the national UK government, whereas the problems euro zone has are exactly because too much power was left with national governments. So you do not get to feel smug about it.

Exactly.

[Martinus]

Thanks, Zanza. We had this discussion before. Britain wants to keep the freedoms that benefit it (capital and services, and to a lesser extent goods, as they no longer produce much) while curb the freedoms that benefit other countries (freedom of movement of workers). Sorry, it does not work like this.

[Warspite]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

Not irritating at all as we don't consider it the right decision. According to the last survey:

An absolute majority of EU citizens are in favour of the euro: 56% support "an economic
and monetary union with a single currency, the euro". [...]
Support for the euro remains far more widespread within the euro area than outside it.
However, it is stable in the euro area (67% are in favour vs. 26%, unchanged), while it
has risen outside it (35%, +3 percentage points, vs. 55%, -2).

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb82/eb82_first_en.pdf

Interesting polling, but it has nothing much to do with RH's point which is that it was the correct decision for Britain not to join the Eurozone, especially in hindsight given the crisis that afflicted Europe to a great degree because of the implementation of the euro.

[Zanza]

At least the UK had the good sense not to join the Eurozone. I understand that the British being right about something must be insufferably irritating for many in Europe, but maybe it could also be touted as a reason why it is important for the UK to remain in the EU 

Not irritating at all as we don't consider it the right decision. According to the last survey:

An absolute majority of EU citizens are in favour of the euro: 56% support "an economic
and monetary union with a single currency, the euro". [...]
Support for the euro remains far more widespread within the euro area than outside it.
However, it is stable in the euro area (67% are in favour vs. 26%, unchanged), while it
has risen outside it (35%, +3 percentage points, vs. 55%, -2).

http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/eb/eb82/eb82_first_en.pdf

Interesting polling, but it has nothing much to do with RH's point which is that it was the correct decision for Britain not to join the Eurozone, especially in hindsight given the crisis that afflicted Europe to a great degree because of the implementation of the euro.

He made two points. It might have been the correct decision for Britain not to join the Eurozone. But that does not mean that the rest of us is insufferably irritated by that.