I know it’s almost over and everyone else and their dog has already probably said everything that needs to be said, and certainly I’m going to add precious little new to the debate. All that said it would seem remiss to not give at least a passing nod to the event. Captain Ranty has marked the day in a thoroughly robust fashion but makes the ever valid point that it’s not Europeans that are a problem but the horrible imposed edifice that is the EU.
That it is imposed is made abundantly clear by the fact it’s illegal to say bad things about the EU (hat tip sackerson). Which may be why officials are reportedly being threatened with fines if public buildings do not fly the EU flag for a week from today – presumably replacing the Union flag if they only have one flagpole to hand. Meanwhile whilst this great celebration of the EU takes place they are quietly considering reinstating national border controls thus removing on of the big carrots the EU offered us (though thanks to our government we never really got to take full advantage of it) the ability to travel though out Europe as easily as within ones own country. It’s worth noting that currently if a Schengen country wants to mount border controls for security reasons Brussels has to approve first. Various reports suggest that the EU as a body is increasingly unpopular through out Europe, as if the various no votes to the Lisbon treaty didn’t prove that already, and with various countries past their eyeballs in debt the euro looks an increasingly shaky proposition. So what better time to celebrate the EU, and maybe ask if perhaps we can have a referendum to see if we want to stay invovled and spend yet more money bailing out the failing Euro states, they are after all all the rage at present. Unlikely I know given that all three major parties promised such a thing, and none have delivered yet – but maybe the SNP may yet cause such a thing to happen for as the Anglo Saxon Chronicle observes – if Scotland leaves the union then both Scotland and England/Wales/Northern Ireland would have to re-apply for membership. It would be interesting to see them try that without a referendum though they might just take the Irish approach and keep asking until we vote the “right” way.
