Comments by "Paul Aiello" (@paul1979uk2000) on "Here’s what World War II veterans say about Brexit" video.

  1. Germany today is a very different country then it was back then, in fact I would say the UK is a more hostile country than Germany is the last few decades, also, the UK not being in the EU actually makes Germany more powerful in the EU and out so it's likely going to affect the UK either way we go.
    29
  2. To be honest from what I've seen is that the Germans didn't want to take a prominent position in Europe but got pushed into it by other European countries and thats probably a good thing because out of all the big countries in Europe, Germany seems the more stable and reliable one.
    6
  3. Not sure how the UK holds the upper hand by not signing Article 50 when big investment is likely going to hold out of the UK not the EU, so really we can't afford to let it drag on too long whereas the EU it doesn't matter as much because not much changes for them but I do agree that if and when Article 50 is signed, the EU has us where they want us, but that's always going to be the case, if we sign this year or the next, personally, I think they are buying time to see what's what and see if it's really worth it.
    6
  4. Well me being English and living in the UK all my life, my view on it is that too many in this country are holding onto the past, the glory days of when Britain was a powerful country, most of which is pushed by the media to make the people feel better about themselves, most of it is crap because the UK comes across quite weak if I'm honest, more so with that so called special relationship the UK is suppose to have with the US which is more or less do as you are told, Germany on the other hand have set themselves up in a much stronger position, a position they didn't really want at first and what's ironic about this is that the UK pulling out of the EU makes Germany a stoger player in the EU and world whereas the UK becomes less relevant, it wouldn't surprise me if the US power shifts away from London and towards Berlin.
    5
  5. langohr9613ify I look at the EU as something I'm sure most don't like in the sense why would anyone want to give up independents, but I think we can achieve more by pooling our resources together then going it alone and this is going to be far more important with how power is shifting to the east. I think what makes sense to do at EU level should be done at that level and same for what makes sense at national level and regional level within a country, I feel that would work better. Also I feel the EU need to get rid of the commissioner and shift those powers to the EU president and make it electable. Also, as good as democracy is, it doesn't work well unless the people show more of an interest in what's going on in politics and sadly most of us don't and worse still is most of us get our information on what's going on by mass media which is controlled by very few people, people like to complain about how things are going but we're partly to blame for letting them run a muck.
    4
  6. Anthony Byers They don't rule anyone, but they do have the biggest say, that's the same if the UK is in or out of the EU, if fact it might be more so if we are out of the EU, also you have to remember that with the second world war, we did kind of push them into a corner with it, it's why after world war two lessons where learned with the Marshall Plan and now Germany and Japan are some of the least hostile nations on the planet.
    4
  7. BlackMilkthePunk It still amazes me how still we have people that think that way today, the German people of today are nothing like the people of today, even back then, most was trapped in a system of terror when under the Nazis and felt they had little choice.
    3
  8. Gnawer Shreth It wouldn't surprise me if the UK rejoins the EU again someday in a few decades but this cooling off period might be a good thing, when I look at countries, they act like tribes do that are always poking each other with sticks, it's quite primitive if I'm honest, and I think the danger is for the human race is that we have 200 or so countries around the world and we're advancing at a pretty rapid race which which makes the human race more dangerous, I think in the longer run countries need to start working much closer together before we do something stupid to ourselves, could you imaging a terrorist attack in 100 or 200 years with the kind of advancement the human race will of made, it's scary to even think how much damage they could do. Anyway, about the UK and EU, the UK being out but in a Norway style deal might be the best thing that could happen, I know the UK won't like it but it might be the wake up call needed that the UK isn't as big of a country they like to think they are.
    3
  9. Scott L You make it seem like nobody else benefits from that, honestly, the jealousy from the UK about Germany is funny, I've seen it for so many decades, even when German reunification happen there was a panic in the UK, so Germany has the most power in the EU, they are the biggest economy and biggest population. Ironically, the UK leaving will make it very interesting for the core groups of countries in the EU.
    3
  10. Big Ray So what you are saying is that you don't want a fair debate from both sides, you remind me of the mass media, corrupt. Also don't worry about the EU, from all the sign I'm seeing, it doesn't look like it's going anywhere, you should be more concerned with what's happening in the UK because that union could fall apart.
    2
  11. Scott L Germany just like Japan have been so successful because of the aftermath of ww2, it got them to be much more effective in how they work, also unlike the likes of the UK, US, France that are temperamental at times, the Germans come across as more stable in government.
    2
  12. Scott L It's not like the Euro is doing any serious harm to the German economy, in fact the ones that like to blame the EU and the Euro are mostly countries down south which find it hard to reform so there economy runs better. We might not like Germany being at the top, even most Germans didn't want that position in Europe but it kind of got pushed onto them and I can understand why, they are very pro EU, that helps a lot, they are also very level headed compared to many other big countries in Europe.
    2
  13. Who said anything about the Germans ruling us?, it sounds as if you are jealous of the Germans and when you think of it, I can understand why, they lost the war and yet they have a very successful economy, are one of the key players in the EU and I suspect the UK would love to be in that position, even though I'm A Brit myself, it does come across that many in the UK are jealous of the German success.
    2
  14. Gnawer Shreth That's true, the UK was in a pretty good position in the EU with how many concession it got, but in the end, I think the EU would be better without the UK, we've not really been a team player and we've held it back too much, I never really sense the UK wanted in the EU to begin and only joined the EEC because at the time the UK economy was doing really badly.
    1
  15. Thats basicly whats going to happen when we leave the EU anyway, it's the big countries in the world that run the show now and thats likely going to increase, a lot of the laws and regulations that the UK will have to do will be because of trade with the EU and other big countries around the world, true independence is an illusion, so basically we are still likely going to be ruled by the EU by have no say in it, it's pretty much the case for most other European countries not in the EU which if we are fine with that then thats ok, the EU will be fine with it but the UK shouldn't.
    1
  16. Laws for the most part are mostly a top down thing in this globalised world, it's the big powers, the EU being one of them that makes up the bulk of the laws that most have to follow, that doesn't mean the smaller players can't make their own laws because they can but mostly in areas that doesn't affect the bigger players, trade being one of the areas where most of our laws have to be similar to the bigger players just so we can trade on a more even playing field. I also suspect that as the decades go by, the bigger players in the world are going to have more say over the smaller players in the world, so the EU, US, China, India and a few others, the rest are kind of along for the ride, which is why the UK both politically and economically are likely going to be weaker out of the EU, in the EU we have the chance of shaping the rules, out of it we're going to be told what the rules are weather we like them or not, thats the nature of globalization in today's world.
    1
  17. We might as well be 20th for what it matters, the gap from the bigger players to us is too big for us to be a big player, we should also remember that the US shows interest in the UK mostly because we had a say in the EU and because we are easy to use for American military adventures, we only have to look at the last few decades to see that, the US says jump and the UK says how high, now we are likely going to be more under their thumb. It's the EU and US that will likely force it's laws on us simple because of how much we need them, the UK wants a free trade deal with the US, there is no such thing as a truly free trade deal apart from the EU market and internally inside a country, the US will demand a lot from us when it comes to negotiating that deal simple because they know we are on the back foot and in a weaker position, that special relationship that the UK keeps thinking it's got is really going to be tested, anyway, my guess is that the US will demand much greater access to the NHS and a watering down of labour laws.
    1
  18. We could of already traded with those countries whiles we are part of the EU, a lot of us in the UK don't realise this but the EU has many bilateral deals with countries around the world which whiles not free trade deals, it's quite close to one, the US is a prime example, the EU has about 20 bilateral trade deals with them which cuts tariffs on most goods down a lot, to about 3% if I'm not mistaken. Also, every trade deal the UK strikes out around the world is very likely going to be worse than what the EU could of got us, it's simple economic clout, the EU market is a lot more enticing than the UK market is and because of that, the EU can get better trade deals for it's people, the UK are likely going to get a worse trade deal not just with the EU but with most of the world as well. Also, Canada just did a free trade deal with the EU, Japan and I think Australia are doing one with the EU too, Also not so long ago the US said they would rather strike a free trade deal with the EU before the UK. It's always about economic clout and that is why our hand is weaker, there is also the risk of the UK breaking apart especially Northern Ireland and Gibraltar and possibly Scotland, in 10 years time we could look back at this and what's left of the UK could be a shadow of it's former self and all thanks to some eurosceptics that are pushing a hardline agenda which doesn't seem to have the British interest at heart but their own interest and it boggles my mind with all the backtracking and lies that have been found out that people are not asking question on if we should leave the EU at all, if it wasn't for those lies, chances are we wouldn't be in this mess and really those people should be held accountable because it's the man in the street thats going to feel this not the rich elites. I also suspect US interest is going to shift away from the UK towards an EU country, probably Germany because whether we like it or not, the US wants a country thats an EU member in Europe to be dealing with so how relationship with the US could get worse over time.
    1
  19. Trade deals with big countries or in this case the EU are rarely fast, the UK doing a trade deal with the US will likely take many years and we will be starting on the back foot, the US as the advantage of not only being bigger but the UK being in a more desperate position to need a trade deal once we leave the EU so that special relationship the UK seems to think it has with the US is really going to be tested now and as I said before, I suspect the US will demand much greater access to the NHS for American companies and a watering down of labour laws for US companies. Some don't realise this but the EU protected us on many of these things and now we are likely going to have worse standards. Trump has said many things and has flipped flopped on many of them, if the UK is relying on him then they are in trouble, also, with how long trade deals take and with the UK not being able to negotiate one till it leaves the EU, Trump is likely not going to be in power anymore. Also, Trump only wants Brexit and the EU to fall apart because a divided Europe is much easier to take advantage of than a united Europe, remember that he's about putting America first, in any case, the UK might be the first test case of the US taking advantage of the UK's weaken position, we'll see over the next 10 years. As for us trading most with the EU, thats likely going to be the case after the EU leaves the EU, countries trade the most with neighbouring countries because it makes economic sense to do so, almost all countries around the world do the same thing, we should also take into account that many businesses picked the UK because of it's access to the EU market, if we lose that, many of them are likely to leave and we also lose potential future investment, the UK is going to have to make up a lot of ground just to get what we already have and that will likely take decades if we get there at all. We was never going to go to war over Gibraltar, that would be insane, no country has gone to war with a modern countries since world war 2 because the risk is too high and because Spain has the EU backing and Gibraltar is much smaller and less important than say Hong Kong, 3 things are likely to happen, joint sovereignty with Spain, independence of Gibraltar so they can choose their own path or they become part of Spain, remember, the UK give up Hong Kong which was worth far more than Gibraltar, so Northern Ireland and Gibraltar are almost certain to leave with Scotland being 50/50, it's funny really because many in the UK wanted to break up the EU and it's looking more likely the UK is going to break apart over the next 10 years, Brexit has united the EU and its members more than I've ever seen in my life, definitely not what the UK wanted.
    1
  20. It's not really about being obsessed, it's simple looking at the facts, bigger nations have a much greater advantage over smaller ones and usually use it if it's in their own interest to do so, the UK did it before we joined the EEC, we tried to do a trade union to rival the EEC at the time but it failed because the UK tried to take advantage of the other members, so an economic union can only work with a political union, hence the EU, also, the UK only joined the EEC because it was falling behind, we was the sick man of Europe and needed help, we got it and now others from the east need help, we don't want to help them, it says a lot about the UK really. Also, since being in the EU, we have a high standard of living, something we couldn't say before we joined, if you want to talk about real harm done to the UK, it's not the EU doing it but our own government thats doing that, for decades wealth isn't distributed around the country enough, there is a big north south divide, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland are much poorer than England, if fact they are poorer than almost all western European countries of similar size which begs the question, what has the UK union done for them?, Northern Ireland and Scotland would likely be better off out of the UK unless something big changes with the UK government and thats unlikely to happen, also, every country that joined the EU are much better off than before they joined, personally, I'm more concerned about the UK falling apart then the EU, especially now the French elections are out of the way. In any case, I actually like what is happening, the UK is a very arrogant nation and we are likely going to learn a few valuable lessons over the next decade or two, the UK is living in the past clinging on to past glory and wants to be seen as someone on the world stage, in reality, we come across quite weak with how we cling onto the Americans a lot and overall it's not given us any more benefits than what the French gets, in fact, it's got us in more trouble then it's worth. Trump even flipped flopped on the EU, notice how quiet he's been about it and he's not been as critical about it anymore, a reality check clicked in with him especially when Merkel went over there and shortly after that, someone in their own government said they want to focus on a EU trade deal over the UK. Trading with Asian countries is fine but as we are already finding out with India,they want greater access to the UK market for it's people, that will go down well with the ones that want out of the EU, the trade negotiations are going to almost be as tough with other big countries around the world as they are with the EU and they will demand a lot in return, ultimately, I think we will likely have a Norway like deal because that solves a lot of problems with trade deals around the world, trade with the EU and border issues in Northern Ireland and Gibraltar, the real question will be is how will the UK government spin that to the people. As for the Falklands, Argentina was a poor country back then and to some degree still is now, as for Hong Kong, the Chinese government put a lot of pressure on us to get that back, we didn't give it willingly, as for Gibraltar, unless we get a good trade deal with the EU and some kind of easy freedom of movement with them, Gibraltar might end up realising that they have no choice but to leave the UK when most of it's trade is with the EU and a lot of the jobs relies on easy access to the EU market both with goods and people, so those views can change very quickly if the UK gets a bad deal. The reality is this, every country that joined the EU are better off then what they were, they are more secure from Russian aggression and American meddling and they can trade more fairly with the world because the EU gets them better deals than they could on their own. P.S., you didn't debunk anything, you just got angry because Le Pen lost in France, to think some in the UK wanted Le Pen to win simple to stick it to the EU, how stupid people can be, it would be like voting for Hitler and expecting a good result, nationalism is rarely a good thing for it's people, something thats being played on in the UK and something we might find that lesson the hard way.
    1
  21. You say they won't take advantage of the UK and yet they have done since world war two, the US only has to say jump and the UK says how high and thats with the UK being a part of the EU which really shows how weak the UK is internationally, France similar size to us doesn't bend over for the US and with the UK out of the EU, we are going to be more under the US thumb. Not saying any of this is fair but it's the world we live in, in the EU we were protected both economically and politically but out of it we are on our own and likely going to find out we're not as big of player as we like to think we are, the world is run by the EU, US, China, India and a few others, the UK size is way behind these big players to take any notices. No, standards of living always improve but the UK as well as other EU countries when they joined improved a lot, it also adds political stability, look what's happening in Turkey, if they was part of the EU, that likely wouldn't happen because the EU acts like a check and balance on it's members where it's members are a check on the EU which is good for democracy, also, how long do you think it will be before UK labour laws are watered down?, the UK tried in the past but the EU stopped them, out of the EU and a trade deal needed with the US, labour laws are likely going to be one of the first things to get watered down just so we can stay competitive. Scotland accounts for about 40% of the UK land mass, I doubt the UK government's wants to lose them, also, if Scotland pulls out of the UK, they would be among the top players to steal a lot of jobs from the UK simple to have access to the EU market, there's is a golden opportunity for Scotland and Northern Ireland here or they can be at the mercy of the UK government that doesn't seem to care about the north, not saying it would be easy but if they play this right, they have a lot to gain. We are a arrogant nation, what kind of a country calls himself Great Britain?, yes we've achieved a lot but so have many other countries like Italy and yet they don't call themselves supreme Italy, we are too pompers in the UK and think we are better than the rest. The referendum wouldn't of been an issue if it wasn't an advisory poll and it wasn't so close, shouldn't of really needed 60%+ to pass then the country wouldn't be so divided as we are now, we've open up a right can of worms that risk breaking the UK union apart and most of it based on lies, if it was a clean and honest debate then I wouldn't argue about it, still would think it's a bad idea but would leave it at that but as we know, the people got lied too on many things and those lies was enough to win the vote, in a way, we are leaving the EU based on lies and what a story this will be 10 years from now. Try telling that to most of the people that voted for Brexit, most voted because they wanted change, less foreigners, Europeans integrate much easier than Asians or other regions and yes, I suspect the boarders will still be open even when we leave the EU so all we've done is traded Europeans that integrated easily into society for others around the world that are much harder to integrate, I'm sure that will go down with the Brexit lot. Hong Kong went smoothly because China is a growing power, the UK had little choice but to give it back, which does beg the question about the Falklands and Gibraltar, Argentina will likely fancy their chances of taken it back someday in the future, Spain have a good chance of getting a good deal on Gibraltar now thanks to EU backing. Spelling looks fine to me but it says a lot when you feel the need to bring that up that you are losing the argument, in any case, you've still not debunked anything, I always find it how people like you are fine with lies like we had with the EU referendum when it's convenient to your agenda, a bit like how some Brexit and Trump supporters wanted Le Pen to win, what idiots these people are, these people seem to think having hardline governments around the world is a good thing and they only thinking this way because they want to stick it to the EU, even in the UK, if we are not careful, democracy could get undermine and yet the Brexit lot don't seem to care, hence why it would be great if the Tories win by a landslide because it doesn't change anything with the negotiations with the EU but it would give May a stronger hand to do what she wants in the UK, in a way, with no real opposition, the British people might be at the mercy of the UK government, good timing as well.
    1
  22. No doubt about it, both sides did lie but it shouldn't be dismissed that a lot of the lies that got us to vote leave are being backtracked on and you have to wonder with how close the referendum was if those lies was enough to tip it over the edge to get us to vote leave, I suspect without those lies, we wouldn't be in this mess. As for the economy, we can't say how negative of an impact it will have until we leave the EU, for the moment nothing has really changed and we are still an EU member, the real impact will be about a year after the negotiation are done with, and as for us running our own nation out of the EU, that remains to be seen, I suspect we will likely have a Norway like deal which the EU would be over the moon with, nothing really changes for both the EU or UK but the UK will have little to no say on EU policies, that would solve the Northern Ireland and Gibraltar issue with movement of people and trade, it would defuse Scotland's independent movement, it would also solve the 50 odd trade deals we need to do around the world just to get what the EU already has and in the process we have open access to the EU market which is right on our door, May will talk a tough deal but reality will kick in sooner or later. From the outside world, the UK looks like a poodle to the US, the Iraq war, most Brits didn't want it but we went in under flimsy evidence, France look like a stronger country because they don't bend to the US and they have a bigger role in the EU which is impressive considering economic and population size is similar to the UK. In any case, I've not really seen much in how Brexit will be better for us, most of what we hear could already be achieved whiles part of the EU. It doesn't work that way, a country that joins the EU doesn't suddenly because better off but the policy are put in place to help them become better off, usually after a decade or two it starts to show but it depends how quickly the country is willing to push through reforms, as for Greece, they can keep blaming the EU all they want but most of it's problems are self inflicted, same with Italy. Scotland can only really leave if they are back into the EU shortly after leave or right away, I know in the UK they want to scare them into leaving but thats fear mongering, last thing the UK government wants is the UK union falling apart which the risk is there, in any case, the UK leaving the EU will in the longer run give ammunition to the ones that want to leave the UK unless the UK government bends over backwards for those regions, the north of England is going to get a real raw deal out of all this. Nothing wrong with being proud in one's country but a lot of people have blind patriotism which just blinds us from how things really are, but honestly, I probably say Italy have achieved more than the UK have in the western world. You say we live in a democracy, that also means the people should have the choice to change their minds once we know what the real deal is, thats democracy, why are the leave supporters so fearful of that?, if you really believe the British people want out then another chance to vote won't change anything, but the reason they are so fearful of that is because a lot of the lies have come out, the vote was close, a lot of people that didn't vote likely will now and that would likely change the outcome, leave supporter only seem to support democracy when it suites them. In any event, all will be clear in about 10 years from now but here are my predictions, the UK will be worse off both politically and economically, those trade deals around the world are not going to be as easy as some would like to think and are likely not going to be favourable, the US special relationship as we like to think of it is likely going to shift to an EU country, Germany is the likely bet with France a possibility, the UK will likely want to rejoin the EU but the EU won't let us in, not for at least a few decades anyway and we would be signing up to everything, we have a pretty good deal with the EU already, we won't get that chance again and we will also lose a lot of business and talent which much of which relied on us having easy access to the EU, pressure on the UK union will keep building unless the north south divide is sorted out but I suspect, Northern Ireland and Gibraltar will leave the UK with Scotland being 50/50 but ultimately unless the UK government bends over backwards for those regions then they might leave, I suspect they will take advantage of the UK government because they can threaten them to leave and as we know, the UK government can't afford for two or 3 or them to leave as it would be really embarrassing for the UK and during all this process, the EU and it's members are going to pick off businesses from the UK, it could also be much worse then that, it really depends on what the EU is willing to give us and how they are willing to treat us after Brexit is done. Anyway, don't you think it's time we agree to disagree, otherwise we'll keep argueing indefinitely.
    1
  23. When you think about it, Germany should have more votes considering its population and economy size but I can understand why it's the same as France, UK and Italy mostly because of the past.
    1
  24. I wouldn't say the Brits are racists against the Germans but I definitely would say they are disgruntled about them, they see it that Germany lost world war two and are both politically and economically more successful than the UK whiles also playing a big role in the EU unlike the UK which is too much of the fringes, the UK can't seem to get over the past and in particular world war two. In the end, the UK is coming across as quite weak in the world, they bend over backwards with the US, they don't do the right thing even when they know it's the right thing to do because of fear of the US like we saw with the Iraqi war where as we know, France and Germany stood up to the US and was proven right about it and the sad reality is that if the UK leaves the EU, the UK is going to be a lot more under the thumb of the US. I'm a Brit and even I can see that the UK looks weak on the world stage and when you look at others like France, at least they stand up to what they believe in and don't bend to America's will like the UK does and yet in the UK we like to talk about that special relationship with the US, where does the UK benefit for it?, all I see is that France are just as well off as the UK but don't get dragged into a lot of the troubles the US creates around the world. I know some of us Brits don't want to accept this but since world war two, the UK comes across as weak.
    1
  25. I suspect if WW3 was to happen, there wouldn't be much left of the US, Russia or Europe, including the UK but thats the main reason it's not happened because the risk is too high and no one really wins. As for the UK, I'm a realist and looking at how the world is developing, European countries are going to be weak in the world on their own, we are simply too small to compete with the EU, US and the other emerging powers like China and India, it's clear that power is shifting from the west to the east and I suspect if western countries want to protect western values and interest, the EU will need to be strong but more then that, the EU and US will need to work much more closely together because over the coming decades, none of them on there own will be powerful enough to protect their interest with how quickly Asia is developing. This is also why the UK leaving the EU would lose a lot of political clout around the world.
    1
  26. I suspect the EU will become a single country before the century is out, probably sooner, the changing world will likely force a reality check on Europeans that it's the best option if they want to protect European and western values.
    1
  27. I doubt anyone would win a nuclear war, if a nuke was to go off anywhere, it could escalate very quickly into full scale war, the real worry for the human race is that we are too divided and are advancing at a fairly decent rate, over the next 100 years, I suspect any country that wants nukes will be able to easily get them but I also suspect that terrorist and some big businesses will be able to do the same, the more we advance, the easier it will become for them and the human race is too divided with over 200 countries. Unless the human races works much closer together or unifies the world as well as become more humans, there is a fair chance that the human race will wipe ourselves out because the more we advance, the easier it is to do and the more hands that have this power.
    1
  28. I doubt it somehow, you don't honestly think the likes of France, Germany, the UK and so on will be able to really compete longer term with how big the EU, US, China, India and so on are getting, not to mention that other groupings of countries are forming up all over the world, over the next 100 years, a lot of countries are very likely going to get bunched together because they will have to if they want to compete, European countries on there own are not big enough so that leaves the EU. Beside, the EU has had freedom of movement for quite some time and it's not really been a problem, all they really need to do is get a bit tougher on the external borders of the EU and have better immigrations laws.
    1