A6000 wrote:
Few people in Britain care which countries are part of the EU, we do not want to be part of it ourselves, it is those who want to jump on the EU gravy train who are forcing us into it against the will of the majority.
That's one perspective.
Personally I'm frustrated by the jingoist approach to the discussion of European integration. The simplistic misrepresentation of the issues as "good or bad" "in or out"; the hijacking of individual opinion by those who claim to represent "popular opinion" or "the man on the street"; the debasement of people's understanding of the philosophy and ideals of an integrated European framework by raising the spectre of "a threat to Britishness" (wtf is THAT?!?). This seems to be mainly perpetrated by the gutter press, but also by some of the more blinkered politicians and - of course - a proportion of the public agrees with them.
Give me a rational discussion any time - not as a challenge to debate, just an invitation to mutual understanding of the issues through discussion.
Sorry for the rant and thread hijack, just couldn't let that one go without a comment.
[/OT]
