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will there be a European Union in the year 2100?
yes? 4 (26.7%)
no? 11 (73.3%)
Total Votes: 15
will the EU survive the next century
Topic Started: Jan 9 2007, 04:02 AM (276 Views)
bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
i was reading through the gay marriage posts and it got me thinking about europe as a melting pot compared to the us.

IMO, the EU was a great idea, one currency, no borders, european culture as a unifier etc...a real counterbalance to america, a union of states on the other side of the atlantic.

but in practice, the EU is slowly disentegrating into a hugely populated unmanagebale mess. 27 countries. unprecendented immigration problems, vastly diverse cultures. vastly diverse economic realities, which will cause the "western EU" to be surely invaded by hordes. everyone i know with some parent born in eastern europe is making sure they have a passport in order to be able to enter and work freely.

is it really going to work?

will there be a European Union in the year 2100?
"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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Axtremus
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HOLY CARP!!!
100 years is a very long time.
Not even sure is there will be a US in the year 2100.
May be California will split off as a sovereign nation.
May be there will be one global federation and no nation state any more.
May be we will blow the planet into bits with our own WMD by then.
May be the Klingons would come colonize Earth.
Or Jesus might actually show up for second coming.

Hard to say.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
I agree, it's very hard to say. I think there will always be some degree of harmonisation (e.g. technical standards, an area close to my wallet heart) since it is commercially very advantageous, but that the political union may not survive.

I get the feeling that the recent expansions could lead to some serious problems, since the countries joining, and wishing to join, are somewhat outside what is often considered to be 'Western Europe'.

I think that the 'United States of Europe' much feared by many, particularly with the extended membership, won't happen as there is far too much cultural and social disparity.

We've all hated each other for 1000 years. Why should we stop now?
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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bachophile
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HOLY CARP!!!
Quote:
 
are somewhat outside what is often considered to be 'Western Europe'.


funny, that the demise of the iron curtain was a stimulus to enlarge the union.

originally the common market, EEC, was really only about western capitilistic european countries.

now its a huge monster, and soon (esp if turkey joins) with most of the population being from less developed countries.

"I don't know much about classical music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg did on their wedding night." Woody Allen
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Far right to join forces

Quote:
 
Far-right members of the European Parliament are preparing to join forces and form their own political group.

Such a move will give them more access to funding and positions of power. It is expected to happen next week.

Their leader is likely to be Bruno Gollnisch, a member of the French National Front currently awaiting a verdict on charges of Holocaust denial.

They had lacked the necessary 19 MEPs from five countries - but that changed when Bulgaria and Romania joined.

Romania has five far-right MEPs and Bulgaria has one.

The two countries joined the EU on 1 January - ironically, a move which the far right opposed.

Other parties likely to join the new group include the Austrian Freedom Party and the Flemish nationalist Vlaams Belang from Belgium.

But it is the Greater Romania party which has given the grouping its critical mass. The party is known for its anti-Semitic, anti-Roma and anti-Hungarian views.

As a recognised political group in the parliament, the far right will get greater funding and will have a say in setting the agenda for plenary sessions.

The far-right is likely to push for a freeze on further EU enlargement - especially the prospect of membership for Turkey - and to resist any attempts to revive the shipwrecked EU constitution.


That's all they need.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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TomK
HOLY CARP!!!
The EU is like the United States was under the Articles of Confederation. Too loose of an organization to deal with the divergent factions within it. IT wasn't strong enough to handle arguments and complaints of its members and judiciously decide matters in a binding way.

I think either there will have to be a true United States of Europe under a single overarching government OR the union will slowly dissolve into the separate warring parties they have always been.

What MAY remain is the huge European-multi-national corporations--those will continue to give Europe a good economic edge in the world.
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The 89th Key
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I voted yes.

I think it's a bit inevitable.
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LWpianistin
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HOLY CARP!!!
It's inevitable that it will survive?

I'm not going to vote, because I don't know. IF I had to, I would say no.
And how are you today?
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The 89th Key
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I think it's been a long time coming. I think it's inevitable that such a union will become even more concrete soon and will be here in 100 years. I believe the EU is in stage 4 (of 5) in their integration evolution. That is...they are now economically integrated with the use of the Euro. The final step is political integration, something we already see in the works right now...

I could see them being the United States of Europe very soon! :P
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LWpianistin
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HOLY CARP!!!
I just don't see it staying.

Too many different histories, rivalries, cultures, languages, and some still have their own currency (which I think is good, based on different economies).
And how are you today?
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
Britain is currently making out like a bandit. They're not stuck with the Euro so they have a greater degree of financial independence, but they get all the benefits of the common market and open borders. If only they'd learn to speak a foreign language or two, they'd be sorted.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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LWpianistin
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HOLY CARP!!!
John D'Oh
Jan 9 2007, 11:39 AM
Britain is currently making out like a bandit. They're not stuck with the Euro so they have a greater degree of financial independence, but they get all the benefits of the common market and open borders. If only they'd learn to speak a foreign language or two, they'd be sorted.

That's who I was thinking of when I mentioned currency and economy. They be smart. They need to work on the binge drinking before trying anything, though....
And how are you today?
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TomK
HOLY CARP!!!
John D'Oh
Jan 9 2007, 11:39 AM
Britain is currently making out like a bandit.

Ireland is making out even better. They have the advantage of speaking English without the disadvantage of actually having to be English. :lol:
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AlbertaCrude
Bull-Carp
Actually the Irish now have the advantage of being a secular republic rather than a priest ridden diocese of the RCC under de Valera's regime.
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John D'Oh
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MAMIL
AlbertaCrude
Jan 9 2007, 11:43 AM
Actually the Irish now have the advantage of being a secular republic rather than a priest ridden diocese of the RCC under de Valera's regime.

Bingo. They've finally thrown off the Roman shackles.

It's hard to believe, but condoms were actually illegal in Ireland up until 1985. Now that's enlightened.
What do you mean "we", have you got a mouse in your pocket?
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TomK
HOLY CARP!!!
John D'Oh
Jan 9 2007, 12:52 PM
AlbertaCrude
Jan 9 2007, 11:43 AM
Actually the Irish now have the advantage of being a secular republic rather than a priest ridden diocese of the RCC under de Valera's regime.

Bingo. They've finally thrown off the Roman shackles.

It's hard to believe, but condoms were actually illegal in Ireland up until 1985. Now that's enlightened.

Oddly,

It's becoming priest ridden again with the influx of all the Polish labor from Poland. ^_^ My brother-in-law (and business partner,) has a vacation house in Ireland and says the Polish immigrants are reviving the churches once again.
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AlbertaCrude
Bull-Carp
Obviously they need a community kitchen to make flaki and a hall for Saturday night polka parties.
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***musical princess***
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HOLY CARP!!!
I don't think it has ever really 'worked' they way it was intended too. Countries want their own independance too much and i think countries like Britian (being as stubborn as we are with regards to following what the union has instated in other countries) will likely drift out of the Union (well, hopefully anyway).

x
x Caroline x
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