Can faith in the EU be restored ?

[Loosehead]

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=1739&&edition=1&ttl=20060512102622

[youngmafbog]

Can't be. Start the pull out now by getting shot of the HRA and other such b*llocks from the EU

[jake-the-peg]

Anything is possible - people who think otherwise either lack imagination or object in principle.

In most cases I suspect it's the latter.

Why do people object in principal? In most cases come acrooss it seems to be some sense of patriotism:

"I'm British and I don't want some buch of foreigners telling me what to do"

Still it keeps the Yanks happy

UK GDP: $1.867 trillion

US GDP: $13.049 trillion

Europe GDP: $12.329 trillion

Last thing the US wants is faith in the EU restored - they don't want a European superpower.

And given Iraq, it looks a lot smarter to be aligned with Europe (where we're a big player) than the US (where we're a hanger on)

[jake-the-peg]

Just as a matter of interest this page show how Europe would have fared in the last Olympics if we'd competed as an entity

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Union_at_the_2004_Summer_Olympics

Over twice the number of gold medals that the US won and nearly three times the number of silver and bronze

[undercovers]

youngmafbog just a small point but the Human Rights Act is not a product of the EU - it has nothing to do with the EU and never did... the HRA was formed as a response to the European Convention on Human Rights as produced by the Council of Europe, an organisation that predates the the EC and that Britain has very much at the involved in the creation of.

The Council of Europe was formed in 1949 by the Treaty of London and, though confusion is common, it is not part of the of the European Union but is an entirely separate organisation aiming �to achieve a greater unity between its members for the purpose of safeguarding and realising the ideals and principles which are their common heritage and facilitating their economic and social progress� . To date it�s most famous and influential development has been the European Convention on Human Rights which is the basis for the creation of the European Court of Human Rights.

Though the European Convention on Human Rights was created in 1950 it wasn�t until the passing of the Human Rights Act (HRA) in 1998 and its implementation in 2000 that the Convention rights were adopted in UK law.

So if the HRA is your only gripe at the EU then really you have no problem with the EU at all as they didn't create it or enforce it or have anything much to do with it... so what else do you hate about the EU

[Binden365]

The EU cannot work. We are a continent of different cultures, languages and economies - no way can a one size fits all policy work. In any case I am British and object to giving up power to a bunch of corrupt MEPs (even more than our MPs). France just looks out for itself - let's be proud of being British and stand up for our rights, the good thing about Europe is the different cultures - let's not try to harmonise them - even the godforsaken awful French should keep their own culture - god I dislike the French!!

[jake-the-peg]

So like I said then it's mostly a case of "I'm British and I don't want some bunch of foreigners telling me what to do".

Pathetic

[Catso]

Well that's the same attitude as the French then. Only they're better at it.

[jake-the-peg]

Listen to yourselves! - Do you actually know anybody French? Have you ever spent any time with any other Europeans?

Or is this all off of the News media?