So Sweden has voted no the euro. I can't help but admit that I am absolutely delighted.
Yes, your Irish blogger Gavin Sheridan is, for all intents and purposes, a euro-sceptic. Back in my younger days I was a euro enthusiast, loving the ideal of a great and unified Europe, intent on pursuing peace and justice and blah blah blah.
No more; am I not so naieve to believe that.
Europe is a dinosaur, it is an undemocratic shambles. It is an offence to the very idea of democracy. It is a travesty of global proportions. Thank you Sweden for giving a polite two fingers to Brussels.
Speaking as an Irish person, I have never, and probably will never forgive either the Irish government or Europe, for the debacle of two Nice referenda in Ireland.
Holding a second referendum on the Nice Treaty was the final nail in the coffin of my belief in Europe. It also demonstrates to me the very nature of the EU, an axe-wielding megalomaniac.
I am going to put together a coherent post on Europe soon - for now I am happy to gloat.
Posted by Gavin Sheridan at September 15, 2003 12:11 PMDon't worry Gavin, there will be a referendum on Giscard's verbose "constitution" coming up soon, and it hasn't got a snowball's chance in hell of passing. My guess is Ireland get's kicked out of the EU Ponzi scheme, and the UK follows.
Posted by: Edmund Burke at September 16, 2003 11:42 AMIndeed Mr Burke
Posted by: Gavin at September 16, 2003 02:17 PMThe EU has nothing to do with 'democracy', and everything with what John Fonte would call 'post-democracy' or 'transnational progressivism', and what I have taken to calling (borrowing from Orwell's "1984") 'transnational oligarchic collectivism'.
Living next door to the "lion's den", I made much the same journey as you did, from hyper-Euro-enthusiast to deep Euroskeptic.
Posted by: Former Belgian at September 20, 2003 11:05 AMA modest proposal:
In all referenda on Europe, the "No" campaign should receive equal government/EU funds as the "Yes" campaign.
And the "no" campaigns should be able to ask for re-runs, too. Mere "equality of arms"...
Posted by: Kieran Barry at September 25, 2003 11:27 AMI appreciate your insight Kieran. I was saying similar things when the second referendum was announced.
The Referendum Commission is now a joke, and the government is prepared to ignore the McKenna judgement. But the No side are owed a second referendum next time round ;)
Posted by: Gavin at September 25, 2003 12:10 PMWhen prosperity comes, do not use all of it.
Posted by: Kramer Zak at December 11, 2003 06:29 AM