Comments by "Paul Aiello" (@paul1979uk2000) on "Norway's Deal With The European Union: Explaining EFTA u0026 EEA - TLDR News" video.

@lvoldum I remember around that time where the EU wanted all the talks done in the open whereas the UK government didn't and after seeing what we've seen over the last few years, you can understand why the UK didn't want it being public because it looks bad on them.
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The EU is interested but the UK seems to want too much as too many bought into the lies that the UK would have all the benefits of EU membership but without any of the rules, that was never going to happen for the UK and that is the main reason the UK keeps throwing tantrums, threatening to walk away but never doing it.
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It depends, it kills it from a government point of view but it seems public views are changing on the EU now and that could make things very interesting over the next 5 to 10 years.
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True, some might not like it but what are the alternatives with an aggressive US and China around, basically, European countries are going to have to integrate more to protect their political, economic and social interest, otherwise they will get sidelined, we are seeing early signs of this with a Brexit UK, look how much tougher some countries are getting with the UK now like the US, India, China, Japan and Russia.
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I think Norway would be better off inside the EU compared to the deal they have, I suspect the EU is quite happy with the deal they already have but for Norway, it more or less makes them a rule taker whiles missing out on many benefits.
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Pretty much, I get a sense of entitlement from the UK that they feel the EU should bend and give them what they want, that was never going to be the case and it was always going to be the EU that dictates what the UK can and can't have, with some in the UK, that message is sinking in but there are still too many hardcore Brexiteers that are living in the past and don't realize that the UK isn't a great power any more and ironically, Brexit it's self is the perfect tool to prove how wrong they got it, especially now with how the US, China, Japan and India seem to be playing hard ball with the UK, basically, they smell weakness in the UK and are circling like vultures to take advantage of that, what's more ironic is the EU isn't really taking advantage of it and are simple saying the terms the UK can get will be worse than the terms they had in the EU which is reasonable.
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@rogerwinter1563 That's not true, the UK became the sick man of Europe and wanted in because it was getting left behind, the UK was already in an economic union before joining the EEC but it failed and it failed because it didn't have political oversight keeping the members in check, the EU has been so successful because it's not an economic only union, that political oversights allows a level player field and the same rule set for all were even smaller countries can take on big ones. Besides, just look at NAFTA, the US is running rings around the other members in that lol, that's an economic only union for ya lol.
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@heatea5255 True, the EU is always good about getting deals through that seem almost impossible, but they always seem to find a way even if it means some compromises. Like you say as well, the idea of the EU going back from short after the second world war was always about closer union, both political and economic to prevent another major war and to allow Europeans to compete with the US, I still find it remarkable to this day and age how so many still think they only joined an economic union, we see this a lot in the UK.
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Adolf Stalin It likely wouldn't have worked at all or would be very rigged in favour of a few big players, imagine it, over 30 countries from the EU and none EU countries in it, no political oversight to keep the same level playing rules for them all, it would be a mess where the bigger players always bully the smaller ones, a bit like how the US does it with Canada and Mexico with that NAFTA. An economic union can only go so far, ultimately you need a political union to really get the benefits of it and we know this because if we look at the EU and every other trade deal around the world, they don't even come close to what the EU has with single market and custom union access, basically, the closes thing to EU market is internal trade inside a country, no free trade deal comes even close to that. This is what's really confusing for many people, many seem to think a free trade deal is close to single market and custom union access, Canada just signed a free trade deal with the EU but they would love to have the same access to the EU market the UK currently enjoys, that's why a rude awaking is going to happen in the UK from next year.
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Adolf Stalin Norway chooses that and do have the choice in becoming an EU member or not getting the benefits it gets now. What would you suggest that Germany and France do? They are the two biggest members so are naturally going to have the most say in parliament, that's democracy. What's really funny about it if you look at it closely, all EU members have a veto, that gives smaller ones a lot more powers than they should really have, then if you look at the number of seats in parliament, smaller countries actually have more than they should, if this was done on equal share, the bigger members would actually have more seats. The smaller EU countries actually have quite a sweet deal with the EU but that isn't going to change the fact that the likes of Germany and France are much bigger and will naturally have a bigger say but again, that's democracy for ya. There is also the factor that it only takes a few of the others to block what Germany or France once, so it's not basically they get what they want and that's that, there is a lot of negotiating and compromises that go on.
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Adolf Stalin If the EU parliament says no to it then it won't happen but what that usually means is that it goes back to talks to get a few things changed and not get it scrapped altogether, which is pretty much the nature of democracy. Also, you do realize that each EU member has a veto on this, if any one of them wanted to block it, they could, if anything, that's more democratic than most countries because I don't see regions in the UK having a veto or US states having a veto over government policies, but the EU does. But in the long run and as the EU gets bigger with more members, I think the veto system would have to go in favour of a majority rule, otherwise it's going to get more difficult to get anything done.
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Adolf Stalin That was by choice, Norway voted to not be part of it so they can't complain about the deal they have. If Norway was to become a member, they would have seats in the European Parliament and even thought the numbers will be a lot lower than bigger countries, at least they have a say in shaping EU rules and can work with others in other EU countries on that, also, Norway would have a veto and that is quite powerful because it carries the same weight as the big members. From the EU's point of view, I suspect they like the deal they have with the likes of Norway and Iceland, they more or less get everything they want without those countries any real say, but from those countries point of view, it's not really a great deal and being in the EU would be better than what they have now. It will also be interesting to see where the UK ends up over the next 5 years, I suspect they will mirror most EU laws, rules and regulations but won't want to be seen to be doing so.
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Adolf Stalin That's probably when they'll join the EU, for now they have it easy with a small population and a lot of natural resources but that isn't going to last or have the same value and considering gdp per capita is one of the highest in the world, that's going to be a bit of a bump for the people of Norway's as that gdp per capital comes down more in line with Western Europe, that's probably what will bring them into the EU, same with Switzerland, for now they are a hot spot with trade and people coming and going through the country because of its position but as tech advances, EU countries will find ways around that to bypass them and the economy takes a hit accordingly. Switzerland more than Norway is unlikely to stay out of the EU long term but the EU knows it doesn't have to do anything on that and let the people choose by themselves, besides, the EU has enough on its plate by munching on those eastern EU countries and all the other eastern European countries that want to join but I think they draw the line with Russia, they don't have a mouth big enough to munch on them yet but who knows in the long run.
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Adolf Stalin Wishing for something to happen and it's actually happening are two different things, many thought the EU would fall apart decades ago and yet here it is, many thought the same about China's economic growth, they actually thought they would slow down a lot in the 80's lol, how wrong they were lol, people like to delude themselves in how they want to see things go and not look at how things are going. In the case of the EU, this pandemic is likely going to give it a new least of life and with the UK out of the EU, real integration can happen, especially among Euro Zone countries, the EU isn't going anywhere, at least not in the near future, as for China, well it's hard to say with them because of everything that is going on, all I do know is that they are projected to grow 1% this year where the west is in a massive decline in gdp numbers, basically, it's working out in their favour for the time being, especially because the US and UK are making a right mess back home on this pandemic which is hurting the economy a lot more than it should. So don't worry about the EU, they are fine, I'm actually more concerned about the US and UK becoming more unstable.
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@heatea5255 The EU and it's members will likely change depending on geo-political changes in the world, basically, a rising China and India, the US still being around, all of this will push Europeans to integrate more if they want to protect their political, economic and social interest, otherwise they will just get sidelined, also, a big part of the EU is to allow them to compete with the US and in economic terms, it's been very successful at that, now they just need to work on the political side of things. I suspect this pandemic is going to change a lot when it comes to all that.
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Adolf Stalin That's true and these things are never easy and honestly, it's remarkable the progress they've made because if we said the EU would be at the stage it is now just shortly after world war two, we both would have said it was a crazy idea and would never work and yet here we are.
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@rogerwinter1563 The common market is just one thing, the UK wasn't just joining that as much as some like to think they were lol. The project was always about political and economic integration well before the UK even joined the EEC, I mean really, do some research before looking dumb.
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@rogerwinter1563 Thanks for proving my point in that you can't counter what I said, you've just made yourselves look like an idiot lol.
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@kenneth.dl87 No problem ;-)
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@amm287 No problem, not had any abuse yet which I usually get when talking about the EU lol.
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@ChilapaOfTheAmazons It really depends on the deal the UK wants, they keep saying they are fine with no deal but clearly that isn't true because they keep threatening to walk away but never do it and they keep talking and trying to get a deal. A deal will likely happen but it's going to be on the terms the EU sets out, that's what the UK doesn't like, the rest is just waffle and bluster from the UK government.
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@vitas75 If you say so but then people thought its economic growth would slow down decades ago and look how wrong they got that lol. At the end of the day, China isn't going anywhere and will likely get bigger, that is part of the reason why the hawks in Washington are so worried about them, they see them as a major threat to US power around the world, the more noise the US does on this, the more they see China as a threat. Beside, I am not worried about China, I'm European and even I can see they do a lot wrong but I'm not going to bull shit myself with how the real world is, I leave that for the Americans and Brits. Personally, the EU's best move is to play neutral in all this and stay out of it, let the US and China have their Cold War and drag down the likes of the UK and Australia with them if that's what they want, but most countries are not stupid enough to get on the wrong side of China with a market of that size. I'll give you an idea of what China could do, say they ban some US companies from trading in the US like Boeing ? You really think Airbus would say no to China with how many hundreds of billions they could make?, China can play all these games in so many areas with so many countries, this is why the EU, Germany, France and Italy want to prioritize trade with China, they see as the US gets pushed out, there is a massive opening to take a lot of that trade away from them, if the Europeans are thinking that, you can bet a lot of the world is thinking that as well. The simple truth is, China is moving away from a manufacturing base to a consumer base economy, no country or business is going to want to miss out on that and any that do would likely be at a disadvantage compared to rivals that are in that market, the simple fact is, the market is too big to ignore, this is why the US is finding it hard to get many to go against China. If the west really wants to contain China, the EU and US will have to work together because on their own and with how China is developer, neither the EU or the US will be able to do it on their own, too many of the others are either too scared of them or don't want to harm trade links with them, so it really doesn't matter what the US does, it's not changing China as a country, at least not in the way the US wants.
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Adolf Stalin That's not true, the EU was always about political and economic integration right from the start, they found economic integration easier to do but at first they did look into political integration with the intention of preventing another major war in Europe, the EU as always been about political and economic integration where it makes sense, going back all the way to the Steel and Coal Community. Even many in the UK don't seem to understand that and thought they were joining an economic only union when it was clear even back then it was a political and economic entity.
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@mikenijboer1292 They already do that lol, because they are outside the EU still means they pay in the EU pot, in fact I'm sure the video above touched on that bit.
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@rogerwinter1563 How so?
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Adolf Stalin If that was the case, they might as well just have a deal like Norway has or single market and custom union access which more or less gives them all that, they don't actually have to be in the EU for all that.
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@rogerwinter1563 Go on then, counter what I said, unless you do that, you're the one talking out of your arse, it's easy for you to say things like that but point out where I am going wrong so I can counter your argument ;-)
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@diako8263 Norway is more or less already in the EU for the most part but without really any say, in fact they are more in the EU than what the UK was with all it's op-outs they had but I think it's only a matter of time before Norway joins, that leg up with oil won't last and once that is gone, standards of living will drop over time, that will put a lot of pressure on change and will bring Norway's per capital more in line with EU norms and all of a sudden, joining the EU becomes less of a problem for them. Same for Iceland, the real thing holding that back is fishing but things change, especially as we advance.
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@karskerik I think we have to be realistic here, can you name a single rich European country that doesn't have the EU that plays a big part in the economy? all the ones that are not are to the east and tend to be poor and here is the kicker, as the EU keeps expending and the US and China become bigger and more aggressive, a lot of smaller countries will want protection, as much as some might not like the EU, being inside it does offer a lot of protection, in fact we are already seeing signs of that with the UK on Brexit, the US already wants to take advantage of them, something they couldn't do whiles in the EU, it's looking like others will do the same. We just have to accept that the world is becoming more global, countries are grouping together so they can compete with the big players, we might not like it but that basically means the likes of Norway are likely going to join the EU out of self-interest, especially with these other unions around the world forming, by the way, Norway would have around 15 or 20 seats in the EU and would also have a veto, that is actually more seats than the country should be getting if we measure it by population so it's a pretty good deal for them, after all, you can't expect to have the same amount of seats as Germany which by the way should have more seats if everything was done equal by population size, in other words, smaller countries have more seats per population then bigger countries do.
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@amm287 True but I don't mind really, if someone wants a debate, I'm quite happy to give them one, even if it is someone that will never change their tune no matter what facts are on display. Personally, I like to stick to how things are and not how I want to see things, too many unfortunately delude themselves in seeing what they want to see, Brexiteers, Trump supporters and the likes.
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@amm287 I agree that patience is key and that is one area the EU does well on compared to most but things are moving pretty rapidly around the world and we have to change and adapt to all that if we are to keep up, we are seeing early signs of that with the EU, have you noticed how the EU is signing more free trade deals since Trump got into power? Basically doing the opposite of what the US is trying to do and for good reason, to create stronger ties with more around the world, the EU and other countries like Japan and Canada are speeding up the talks because of self-interest, they see the US as becoming reckless, aggressive and unstable so many countries are wanting to create closer ties to others and be less exposed to the US, Canada and Japan see the EU as the perfect replacement in that, especially Canada and Japan which are too exposed to the US and China. Trump is just a power hungry man that if he had the power in the system that allows, he probably would be as bad as Hitler, lucky for the US, the system is holding him back but he's shown many signs that he wanted to override the systems from trying to discredit the media, judges and so on, if he was more popular with more charisma, he might have been able to overrule a lot of those systems and that is when things get really dangerous, the US are playing with fire with leaders like that, it doesn't take much to overrule a democracy system with the right person in power and a rabid population that doesn't know the truth from fiction which is basically what Trump is trying to do in the US but failing at that. But honestly, you have to blame the people for all that, they are the ones that put these loons into power, they are more than capable of researching and finding the truth, if they don't then quite frankly, they deserve everything they get, Trump is making life pretty miserable for a lot of Americans but maybe that needs to happen for the penny to drop, same with the UK on Brexit.
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@amm287 Canada and Mexico became too dependent on the US when it came to trade and that put them in a weak position as we saw with Trump renegotiating NAFTA to a worse deal for Canada and Mexico, now Canada wants to be less exposed to the US by trading more with the EU so it becomes less off an issue for them, now that Canada has a free trade deal with the EU, they can diversify it's trade between the two and that puts Canada in a better position in case either of the two powers play games, Japan is likely thinking along the same lines. I don't think it will be that difficult for Canada to adjust to EU regulations, Canada is quite different in a lot of areas and kinda reminds me of a European country in comparison to how the US is which is quite different, Canada will likely be fine with higher standards that the EU does and that doesn't cause any problems to trade with Canada and the US at least not in the short term but in the long run if Canada start to raise standards, some US goods might not qualify for trade in Canada. I agree, the deal with the EU and Japan was quite easy because very little regulations need changing and a lot of the standards are already in place, but overall, the EU, Canada and Japan benefit from this and it could have a shift in where trade goes. The EU could become like the US but I don't think it's a good idea, the US is showing a lot of flaws and the EU system should be it's own system developed in time, it doesn't have to be a carbon copy of how the US system is, I think we Europeans can do better than that system now that we have hindsight as an advantage, the real tricky part is balancing the balance of power from the EU and it's members and that isn't as easy as it sounds, on the one hand, it's better to have most powers in the hands on the local governments but on the other, the EU can be more effective with some powers centralized, especially when protecting EU countries interest around the world. I agree that we need to get rid of the veto system in a lot of areas, especially as more countries become members of the EU but it will be tricky to do because a lot of smaller countries like the power of having a veto but in the long run, it's just going to create a stand still where nothing gets done. Trump to me is part of this popularize wave that is going on from the likes of Brexit, some in some European countries, the leader of Brazil and so on, what the supporters of all these have in common is rage, tend to be off a poorer background and worse education and seems to be easy to manipulate them with lies as most don't really know much about real policy making, one thing all these have in common is the inequality gap in all those regions that support those causes, basically, Brexit and Trump supporters tend to be from poorer regions in the country, the irony is, Brexit and Trump is making them even poorer. Don't get me wrong, change is clearly needed but Trump and Brexit are not the answer. The truth is, people don't want to hear this but the reason things are like they are in the UK and US is a direct result of the voting patterns of the people in those countries, in the UK, governments and much of the media uses the EU as a scapegoat for all the wrongs in the UK, after Brexit, they won't have that excuse, Trump is using the rest of the world as a scapegoat for all the wrongs in the US, both have the same thing in common, deflecting blame on others for the mess they create in those countries. In the case of Brexit, they are likely going to find out that the problems are a lot closer to home with it's own governments and not the EU thanks to Brexit, in the US that might take longer for it to sink in, either way, the UK won't have any excuses left next year and then all the blame firmly goes on the government for how the UK turns out, that's when it really gets interesting as that is when the penny will start to drop with many Brexiteers that they've been had.
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@amm287 The problem for the US, this isn't the first time, we had W Bush around 2 decades ago and now Trump, even if some kind of normality happens after Trump, it will likely only be for a short whiles because these leaders are being elected by the people which suggest the real problem is in American society and that isn't easy to fix, same for the UK with Brexit. Canada and Japan are edging their bets, want less exposure to the US by trading more with the EU and in the case of Japan, less exposure to China also, the EU was the logical partner for them both in an unstable world where the big powers seem to be going off the rails. The US needs an overall to its system, two party systems are rarely a good idea as it offers limited choice to the people. It will be interesting to see how the EU turns out but it's unlikely to be like the US system, they'll likely try and invent a new system that works better for Europeans and the way the EU and it's members are trying to form a union with countries that are already well-developed compared to states in the US that wasn't when the union was done. Nationalism and patriotism is a big problem in the US, something that many see as a good thing is actually a bad thing because it blinds a lot of people from the truth in how the system screws the people over compared to other systems by blind loyalty, we Europeans don't realize how good we have it as we like to complain about everything but maybe that complaining is why we have it so good, people in the US seem quite subdued by the system and the system takes advantage of that. For me, Globalism isn't much of a problem if done right, in fact it can offer a lot of benefits to the countries that are more open, history has shown that going back all the way to the Roman, the more open a system is, the more they tend to benefit from ideas from all over, the US seems to be wanting to close up shop whereas the EU seems to be opening up and speeding up trade deals around the world, if history is any indicator, the EU likely will get it right compared to the US. As for Brexit, well I live in the UK and I think the damage is already done, we have another 5 or so years of this Conservative government that is going off the rails on both Brexit and the pandemic, the odds are going up that Scotland and Northern Ireland will leave the UK union over the next decade, I don't think things are going to get better any time soon, in fact they are likely to get a lot worse in the UK with Brexit next year and the impact of the pandemic which for now most people are not feeling because of government support but that will dry up soon enough and that's when things really could get bad. Basically, the UK has the wrong government at the wrong time and the British people are starting to pay a high price for that, something that will show from next year onwards.
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@amm287 Sorry about that, didn't actually see a message on here from yesterday for some reason, youtube does this at time and I don't know why, it's been doing it for years now. The worshipping of Trump is where it really gets bad, I am seeing the same thing in the UK with Brexiteers on Brexit, common sense, facts go out of the window then and it becomes like some kind of religion where they beleave absolutely in their cause no matter what is said on it, these people are very easy for the system to manipulate and that's what is going on. In the end, these people will wake up in time because their actions is likely then that will pay the highest price, I'm seeing signs of that already in the UK where most Brexiteers are in the northern part of England, a region that the Conservatives have never really cared for and they are showing just that on this pandemic with most resources going down the south of the country, I think some Brexiteers are starting to realize they've been had, as for Trump supporter, you only have to look at the policies, most of the bailout funds are going into supporting big corporations and the stock market, not the poor and middle classes that need it the most, it's always the poor and middle classes that pay the price and unfortunately for them, that is most Trump and Brexit supporters. Honestly, looking at many of the systems in the west, the US and UK seem one of the weakest and a big part of that has to do with the two party system controlling everything and making it difficult for others to join the race, contrast that with Germany and that system looks a lot more democratic but that is likely because the system was rebuilt after the second world war. You have to wonder if a vote should be counted on the vote regardless of the region you are from in the country, at the moment, it seems to lump you in the region and as you say, if you are a Democrat in a mostly Republican state, your vote means nothing, I think that is a big flaw in the system and it's the same in the UK, it should be one vote per person, regardless of what region you are from. Have to worry about what's going on in the US and UK because the more I'm seeing of the two, it's not about policies anyway, like you said, it's just about flinging mud at the other side, the US and UK have a popularise government, thanks to that, our economy is being hit the hardest and we have some of the worse results on the pandemic, 3 of the biggest countries with popularise governments, the US, UK and Brazil all have popularise governments and are doing quite bad on the pandemic, that isn't by chance and it does reflect badly on the public of these countries. I have to worry about what's about to come over the next 4 or 5 years, the Conservatives are in power for the next 5 years in the UK and with Brexit in full force next year and the impact of this pandemic on the economy, times are going to become hard for a lot of people and I don't think they realize that yet, same in the US, regardless of who wins the next election, the damage is already done, but Trump being re-elected could make things even worse over the next 4 years. I think the EU will be fine, they seem one of the few level-headed out of all of this, especially in the west but I do think a lot of changes are going to be need over the next 10 years, I would like to see more European countries adopt more of the policies of the Nordic countries up north, they have some of the highest standards in a lot of areas from around the world and the system seems more fairer and balanced for the people. As for the UK, I think the UK is done for, a bad deal Brexit looks to be on the horizon, the pandemic isn't doing so good, support for the independence movement in Scotland and Northern Ireland is gathering pace and now the UK government wants to break international law on an agreement that it signed in good faith, I doubt the EU or the US will let that go unpunished because they can't afford to send out the message to others that it's alright to break international law or others will do it and that could make a right mess for the rule of law around the globe. I think the UK will re-join the EU again but it won't be any time soon and I suspect it will be with Scotland and Northern Ireland leaving the UK union and then re-joining the EU, just like in the US, feelings are high on these things so I think things are going to get much worse before they get better.
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@amm287 I think the real problem is patriotism and nationalism, it blinds people from the truth of how things are, it tells people they are the best and things don't need to change, a lot of countries do it but the US is well-known for using that on the people a lot, I don't think it serves anyone's interested in blinding people to how things really are, people tend to learn and change based on the facts, unfortunately, that just isn't happen in Trump's America and it's not happening in the UK with Brexit, we are getting a lot of wishy-washy things on how people want things to go and not how things are actually going. As for Brexit, it's mostly the north-east and north-west part of England and quite a chunk of Wales as well, much of the south of England, a lot of Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain. As for why they wanted out, a big part of the media and governments over the decades have painted the EU in a negative light, more or less blaming anything wrong in the country as something the EU did even thought they had nothing to do with it, governments have used this to deflect blame away from the mess they create, the media is quite right wing in the UK, much of which is controlled by Rupert Murdoch, so the owner of Fox News in the US, basically, their logic is, keep saying the lie over and over and people will buy into it regardless of if it's true or not, that's what has happened here and it's more or less the same thing Trump is doing, hence why facts and reason doesn't seem to work on these kinds of people any more. The German system might look messy from the outside with having grand coalitions and all that but at least there is more choice and it also forces the different parties to compromise in many areas if they want to form a government, that isn't a bad thing overall considering the difference from people all over the country. I don't know the full info on how the system works but basically as it's a two party system, they've both more or less rigged the system in their favour so it's much harder for new parties to enter the race, this is mostly done by having it where regions of votes are what count and not individual votes, the idea being is that some regions will vote one way or the other almost every time with some regions being swing votes, it's not that different from the US is that sense and for me, it's not really democracy, not in the truer sense anyway. Out of the 3, the US, UK and Brazil, the UK might be the more fortunate one even thought we have Brexit around the corner, the government isn't as far gone and a lot of the policies are mirroring a lot of European policies even if a bit late on that, I think the Conservative Party is going to get hit pretty hard over the coming years with both Brexit and the aftermath of the Pandemic. I wouldn't say expensive but over the last 10 years, there's been a lot of cuts, austerity cuts and I think that's has played a big part in why Brexit happened, a lot of people are getting left behind, the thing is thanks to Brexit and the pandemic, I suspect things are going to get much worse before they get better, at least for the next 5 years, the US is already making it clear that there won't be a free trade deal with the UK if they break international laws, I think the UK government is bluffing and are trying to get the EU to give more concessions, something I doubt they'll give so I'm expecting a big u-turn from the UK government over the coming weeks. As for defining a popularise government, that's a tricky one but I think it boils down to a bunch of angry people that feel they have been left behind in society and feel their voice isn't heard any more, they also tend to be poor and middle classes, I don't want to say it but I will, they tend to be of lesser education and seem easy to manipulate by the system, from governments and the media, basically, facts and evidence doesn't seem to have much impact on these people. Nah I don't think Texas or any other state will want it's independence but I wouldn't rule it out over the long run if this divide continues from Democrat and Republic states, after all, Scotland has been part of the UK for over 300 years and it looks like they want out mainly because of too many differences, signs are showing of that in the US from state to state but if that does happen, it's quite some way off and I doubt it will happen but I wouldn't rule it out, especially if figures like Trump keep getting elected. Northern Ireland actually reuniting with the Republic would solve a lot of the problems on Brexit but this is an ego thing from the UK government so that won't be easy unless the people of Northern Ireland push hard on that, the union would still exist, but it would have two less members if Scotland and Northern Ireland was to leave, the flag would have to change as well because it represents all 4 members. As for wealth, too much of it is kept down south, mostly in London, there is a big north-south divide and as much as governments say they are going to try and fix that, they never do, anyway, I think this pandemic open up the door for real change in a lot of countries if the people push hard on that, the UK and the US clearly need that but so do some European countries like Italy. Out of the big western powers, the EU is doing much better overall, not perfect by a long shot but with everything else that's going on around the world, the Europeans are probably the more lucky ones out of all this.
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@amm287 They are two different things but both are always used by people that want to manipulate another group of people, many governments and much of the right wing press does it a lot to great effect with the intention of blinding people from the truth to make them feel better than they are, but ultimately, it to control these people to get them to do the bidding of what the powers that be want, just look at how much patriotism, nationalism and flag waving is done with Trump supporters, Brexiteers and the likes, it's clear to see. Self-confidence is fine as long as it's based on reality but it rarely is with these people, I've never subscribed to that way of thinking with patriotism and nationalism in assuming it's automatically given, it has to be earned, I look at how the system is, the society is and if what's being done is right or wrong to make a judgement, I don't automatically support Brexit because I'm British and the system tells me to do it or how many Americans have been seen as unpatriotic because they don't buy into what Trump is selling. As for the EU, there is that news channel called Euro News, that could be the kind of platform used for its media. Actually, it partly is their fault why they are being left behind, a lot of these kinds of people are the ones that vote for the likes of Brexit, Trump and so on, thinking it will help them but it rarely does, in fact it usually hurts them, many people have tried to warn these people but they won't listen, so they do take a big part of the blame for being left behind, especially the ones that always like to deflect why things are for them on others. I'm actually happy the EU doesn't use that powerful tool, I want it to earn our trust on sound policies and not based on a sense of belonging, it's like a form of respect, earning it or having it given but one thing the EU and national governments could do is moderate the media somewhat, freedom of the press is all well and good if it's being used right but much of it is a mouthpiece for a few powerful people, I think there needs to be more accountability in what is reported in the media to clean it up, they are supposed to report on the news but it's gone well beyond that for many. I think a democracy is only as good as the people in it, the education system, how well-informed they are and how much they take part in political debates, as well as even bothering to vote at all, this is likely the results we are seeing in the US and UK, not enough people taking enough interest in it all and the spin doctors are twisting things up for their own gains. Germany is actually a country I admire as a Brit, the system and governments always seem more level-headed when it comes to politics compared to many other big countries, it didn't surprise me at all that Germany should be one of the few big countries in the west to do a much better job on this pandemic, to me, there is a lot other countries can learn from the German system and the Nordic countries. It's hard to say about the Brexit Bill, I do know that if it passes and the UK is braking international law, the price could be very high for the UK, the EU would have the legal right to get a lot tougher on the UK with sanctions, the US won't like what the UK is doing because it's mostly the EU and US that creates most international law and don't want smaller players braking it, they also have a big Irish community in the US, hence why the Democrats are also to what the UK is trying to do and why the Republicans are because they don't want to lose those votes with it being an election year, the UK can't afford to get on the wrong side of the EU and the US so I think it's a bluff to try and get concessions out of the EU which won't work, the UK will likely back down at the last moment, personally, if I was the EU, I would put the talks on hold until the UK resolves this whiles still having the deadline of when the UK leaves, ramp up the pressure on the UK government to stop playing games, also, it might not go down to well with Scotland and Northern Ireland if the UK does break international law. As for the pandemic, it was bound to happen, as we open up, infections will start to rise again, that could happen 2 to 5 times over the next 2 or so years, the question is, is this a second wave or still part of the first wave on just opening up? From the looks of it, things might get quite grim in winter, I think we will be doing well if we get this virus under control by the end of 2021.
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@amm287 That's true but unfortunately, the human race doesn't seem that great at learning from history and we are quick to repeat it, when I look at a lot of the popularise movements going around, they've got a lot of the same tone that people had before Hitler got into power, full of rage, hate and anger, if people are not careful, it can be a slippery slope back into the dark ages of history and the real problem is that too many have forgotten history and why we might be at the risk of repeating it. My love on countries is based on rights and wrongs, on them doing the right thing around the world and for their own people, I'm British but that doesn't mean I'll automatically follow the tune that the system wants me to follow, I see the UK doing a lot of wrong that I don't agree with and I judge on their actions not on history or patriotic duty. As for the media, Rupert Murdoch is a prime example of the media going wrong, he owns around 200 papers and news stations and almost all of them have the same message on a lot of things and he really hates the EU for not allowing him to expend his media empire in Europe much, he's not reporting the news, he's reporting his views and that is where the real problem is. Not sure what the situation is on English in EU countries but I'm sure I read awhile ago that around half the EU population can speak English good enough to get by around the EU, also, I think it's going to become less of a problem over the coming decades because auto translation tools are getting better all the time, it's only a matter of time before they get so good that they can translate on the fly any language we want as we talk, that would be a game changer around the world. I can understand the German point of view in not liking it's money going to other EU members, but I actually like that richer members help poorer ones out but I do think more strings need to be attached, especially on reforms or it just ends up becoming a waste of money where they become dependent on that money, that money should be there to help them get on their feet to stand on their own feet, overall, the EU does have a pretty good track record on that but improvements need to be made, especially with countries down south that keep lagging behind. The Pandemic and Brexit does feel like it's bringing EU nations closer together, it's too early to say for now but it's just a feeling, I also think with the US going off the rails and things heating up with the US and China, many are starting to realize the importance of the EU, especially if Europeans want to protect their political, economic and social interest, the EU is the only way to go because on our own, EU members are too small but together, we're big enough to not get pushed around. Many governments make the EU their scapegoat because of how poorer they are handling things in their own country, it's much easier to blame others for one's failure, the UK does this all the time, Italy has been doing a lot of it the last decade or so, in the case of the UK, they won't have that option next year and that's when a lot more pressure will go on the UK government as they won't have any excuses on why things are not that great in the UK, that's the silver lining to me on Brexit, they won't have any more excuses, anything wrong in the UK is down to the UK, that is probably the only way they will learn that the EU wasn't the problem after all and the problem was much closer to home in the national government. I think when it comes to politics, voting should be mandatory as it impacts us all, I also think better teaching of politics and debates at late stage is school should happen, in the UK at least, most know little to nothing about it until they've left school and even then, they have to figure it all out themselves, a good healthy debate on what's going on in politics on a weekly basis would likely do wonders for educating people when it comes to voting. To me, the changes the UK government want to do to that Brexit bill is the UK government trying to pressure the EU into giving concession, the EU can't afford to give any as the euroseptic will use that as a banner around Europe and in this case as it would be the UK braking international law, the EU doesn't have to give anything because if the UK goes ahead with it, that would give a much stronger hand for the EU to hit the UK hard, even the US might go cold on the UK, it's a risky or desperate game the UK government is playing and I can't see how they can win this one. The Democrats have already made it clear that if the UK breaks international law, there won't be a free trade deal with the US, the Democrats control the house that can block any trade deals so that's a big problem for the UK even if Trump was to win the election, it's even worse if the Democrats win the election because they see Brexit as the same as Trump as being part of that popularise movement, the US under the Democrats will likely want to repair ties with the EU and calm things down with China before they get out of hand, that likely could mean closer relations with the EU and US and especially Germany and France and likely at the expense of the UK because out of the EU, the UK becomes less useful to the US. The next 5 or 10 years is going to be a bit crazy, it should be interesting to see how things turn out because I'm expecting a lot of changes.
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