Pinging Euros - EU?

[lxskllr]

With all the snus nonsense going on lately, The EU's been on my mind. Aside from snus, what you guys think of the EU setup? From over here, I don't like it. I'm opposed to strong central governments, especially when they subvert traditionally sovereign nations. I'm not even happy with the way the USA has turned out. We're supposed to be a collection of sovereign states, but that's not the way it's happened. The federal government oversteps their authority all the time when it suits them. It's like giving your kid a bunch of old newspapers to cut. They're free to do what they want as long as it doesn't matter. As soon as they start thinking on their own, the scissors get snatched away.

Thoughts?

[GN Tobacco Sweden AB]

EU is socialistik , some Times' komunistik , some Times' double standard ,EU nations
cultural and etnikal identaty destroing mashin ,To serve one thing .... And That thing is folowing thing ..amagine not sutesfied lady WHO gets period and EU is mashin WHO servs that ladys needs... and the rest you Can figure out ;( what you say i totaly agree With you..

[kevs]

I can't talk for all but me and my friends and family feel that EU is like going back to soviet republic, the money, how we always have the "bigger" brother who says what we can and what cannot do, etc. From 1st of January we also joined the euro zone, now prices are going up and people are angry, despite politicans say that it's just a temporary thing and everything will settle down. But when prices are skyrocketing and salary is staying at the same level as it was 2 years ago, I have no idea where this could lead...

[Frosted]

I don't like anything that is unelected.

I feel that the EU erodes cultural identities and ways of life. Take Greece for example - they don't like to work too hard, they have a strong family orientated lifestyle and they retired at 55. This has worked for them for centuries. Now they are going to have to work until the late 60's and work harder. I don't see how that benefits Greece at all. I also don't see how it benefits the UK and Germany, countries whose population as a rule works long hours and work to the death really, pay tonnes of cash to the EU to enable countries like Greece to be a part of the EU.
'They' say that it is economically beneficial to be a part of the EU because of trade. I see no reason to need an EU to be able to do that.

I also intensely dislike Brussels telling me what I can or cannot do. I cannot tell you how bitter a pill that is for me.

[Roo]

amagine not sutesfied lady WHO gets period and EU is mashin WHO servs that ladys needs...

I'm sorry to butt into this conversation but this quote made me laugh so hard... If Europe is a horny lass, the EU is her bloody dildo. haha still laughing...

[Snuts]

I didn't liked that Moody’s Investors Service cut Portugal’s credit rating to junk without considering that we have a new government (15 days) that's available not only to fullfill all the IMF directives but to go even more further. There's no violence (yet). Our major parties all agree with the propositions with one or two small diffences between them. My country is finally united in this difficult path, we will suffer a lot but there's a new hope. Or there was a new hope, cause this sons of b... of Moodys are using us in this war between the dollar and euro. All our efforts go down the drain if we keep depending on this speculation market.

Who are these EU politicians that command my country destiny if we didn't even vote in them? How can you call this a democracy when we have to obbey to what Mrs. Merkel says, when the distribution of wages are so but so uneven. How can a portuguese worker live with his 400€/month salary when the prices of primary goods are the same or higher that in Germany or France where the minimum wage is about 4 times higher.

The next two years will be the hardest in our country history. Thanks to our politicians and to the complete absence of union spirit and responsability between EU countries. EU sucks.

[Frosted]

The next two years will be the hardest in our country history. Thanks to our politicians and to the complete absence of union spirit and responsability between EU countries. EU sucks.

I'd say the next 15-20 years.

[muddyfunkstar]

I think the original theory behind the EU was a good one - create a large centralised European power to stay strong against the USA and the (then) Soviet Union - in the 80s and 90s it was probably a good thing, politically and economically (at least, when it was the EEC, not the EU). But it was always a Union based on a perceived necessity rather than any of the nations really wanting to be a part of it. European countries have a long history of being at war with each other, and the whole Union seems forced - a bit like "Well, we don't like each other, but we'll stick together for security". Kind of like the loser kids getting together to stand-up to the big kids, with the loser kids resenting having to get together in the first place.

As Frosted said, the problem is having the centralised EU goverment trying to please everyone and pleasing no-one. If it stayed as a economic/trade based union, then fair enough. But I think that the attempt to create a United States of Europe has failed miserably, because no-one wanted it, but it was forced upon us.

As for loss of cultural identity, I don't subscribe to that argument. I've travelled throughout Europe and have seen no evidence of this. The French are still clearly French, the Germans still clearly German, and the British still clearly British.

[Ansel]

It's all a bit of a dog's breakfast.

[GN Tobacco Sweden AB]

I think the original theory behind the EU was a good one - create a large centralised European power to stay strong against the USA and the (then) Soviet Union - in the 80s and 90s it was probably a good thing, politically and economically (at least, when it was the EEC, not the EU). But it was always a Union based on a perceived necessity rather than any of the nations really wanting to be a part of it. European countries have a long history of being at war with each other, and the whole Union seems forced - a bit like "Well, we don't like each other, but we'll stick together for security". Kind of like the loser kids getting together to stand-up to the big kids, with the loser kids resenting having to get together in the first place.

As Frosted said, the problem is having the centralised EU goverment trying to please everyone and pleasing no-one. If it stayed as a economic/trade based union, then fair enough. But I think that the attempt to create a United States of Europe has failed miserably, because no-one wanted it, but it was forced upon us.

As for loss of cultural identity, I don't subscribe to that argument. I've travelled throughout Europe and have seen no evidence of this. The French are still clearly French, the Germans still clearly German, and the British still clearly British.

I do think Moddy you pointed on my comment about cultural identaty I just wanted to explain little part of my saing i never said about loss of identaty i said about destroing of that idantaty that person from greece have to work and think as German you know well why Greece got a problem just becose they are not Germans and it is not bed or good it is just the way it is, but becose of thet Greeks have to change theyr way of life you Moddy in England do not have biches and sun as Greeks have and there starts diferense or when Brussels say to some countrys how much fish they aloud to catch which as well chenges way of living of that region and finely it destroys the culture becose culture come not from heaven it comes from people surounding area and way of living