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Britain will rejoin the EU within 15 years, former Brussels chief predicts (www.independent.co.uk)

submitted 4 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (1 children)

Oops, I missed a few words in my last paragraph. My bad.

I agree that the larger market and membership fees would be beneficial to the EU (though it doesn't need it even half as much as the UK needs access to the market).

Both of these things, however, would also be achieved if the UK only joined the EEA instead of the EU itself (=what i was trying to say in my last comment). Like Norway or Iceland, the UK would retain (more?) control over some areas, including farming and fishing, but would have no say on EU internals.

And since the internal affairs are complicated enough without the UK, I don't see how minor benefits could outweigh its general stance towards Europe and further integration (which, imho, is needed direlly)

To be honest, I even have doubts about the UKs soft power post Brexit; in my perception, it has decreased drastically since the referendum.

Edit: I am in complete agreement on your points about benefits for the UK. Heck, from the UK's perspective, full membership would probably be best. I just don't think it would be in the best interest of the union.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

You keep saying this, yet multiple EU politicians keep expressing a desire for the UK to be in the union.

Like I say, the massive boost to the EU budget alone would make it worthwhile. Nevermind the other stuff.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

I repeated myself because I thought you overlooked some of my arguments or that I didn't express myself clearly. But no, you simply chose to ignore half my arguments three times in a row. Nice!

Do you have something to counter my points on EEA vs EU membership, or is "You keep saying this…" all you could come up with?

… yet multiple EU politicians keep expressing a desire for the UK to be in the union.

If that's a sound argument, then surely Brexit was a splendid idea, too – after all, multiple politicians expressed a desire for it!

[–] [email protected] 0 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

I already had. EEA membership wouldn't entail the massive EU budget contributions, for example. Not would you get as much benefit from the UK's soft power, or as intertwined an economy.

I didn't ignore it three times. I ignored it zero times. It was a point already addressed before you even brought it up in the first place.

It's you who hasn't presented any evidence that EEA would actually be better (and seemingly, the EU disagrees with you btw). All you did was lie and say the UK blocked a lot of stuff when they absolutely didn't.

If that's a sound argument, then surely Brexit was a splendid idea, too – after all, multiple politicians expressed a desire for it!

False equivelance.

Brexit was pushed by political opportunists like Farage and Boris, who saw it as a path to power. Boris famously had a letter in support of Remain and a letter in favour of Leave, before deciding that backing Leave would be the best path to becoming PM.

High up EU politicians aren't doing this because they think it'll somehow make them the head of the EU commission or something, they're doing it because it's in the interest of the EU.