David Cameron says "No! No! No!" to new Euro treaty ...

[JimC]

The quarrels between cousins are always the most bitter...

and the most fascinating...

Is it not so?

[Clinton Huxley]

Is it not so?

Et tu, Jim?

[Geoff]

Ian Hislop got it right on HIGNFY the other night - nothing wrong with being on the sidelines when the centre collapses.

[Rum]

Nobody really knows if this is a good or a bad thing it seems to me. In the absence of a 'right' answer about what Cameron should have done, people seem to me to have fallen back on their prejudices. The anti-EU lot saw this as a golden opportunity, which Cameron handed them on a plate (and ensured their support in the future - always a struggle for Tory leaders). But whether we will be better or worse off economically in the end - its a gamble and a shot in the dark as far as I can see.

[PsychoSerenity]

Nobody really knows if this is a good or a bad thing it seems to me. In the absence of a 'right' answer about what Cameron should have done, people seem to me to have fallen back on their prejudices. The anti-EU lot saw this as a golden opportunity, which Cameron handed them on a plate (and ensured their support in the future - always a struggle for Tory leaders). But whether we will be better or worse off economically in the end - its a gamble and a shot in the dark as far as I can see.

You're probably right. Much of economics is a gamble. But being tied in to doing whatever Europe wants to do, gives us less flexibility for the future, including the flexibility to really change the way things work - which we may need if the global economies go tits up. My stance on Europe (and theoretically, all countries) is maximum integration with minimum loss of autonomy.

[Svartalf]

I don't agree with the last bit about this proving popular with the UK electorate, given the old maxim that "a week is a long time in politics". By the time the next general election comes around, the negative ramifications of this policy direction might have become very apparent. The UK is going to become more isolated as a result of this.

Also, I don't think the UK has any moral high ground from which it can preach to the Eurozone on financial matters. Anyone remember RBS and Northern Rock?

Or we'll have to cozy up to them, to avoid their blocking everything they can.

Reminds me of the joke about when the parts of the body vied to be chief... You don't have to be a brain to be the boss, just an arsehole.

[Svartalf]

We have seen off the Boche more than once, we will do it again. First step, dust off Plan W....

You forget one thing my dear lord hux... this time, your precious navy won't help us, you trojans let us piece a tunnel under your protective channel, and it will protect you no more than a faulty condom now.

[Jason]

We have seen off the Boche more than once, we will do it again. First step, dust off Plan W....

Then send for troops from Oz and NZ...

Remember. all Australian soldiers will automatically tell British officers to get stuffed...

Deal with it, because, given enough beer, they are awesome warriors...

I'm sure the Dominions have already been given their instructions.

Wait until Wales and Ireland are nuked?

[Seth]

We have seen off the Boche more than once, we will do it again. First step, dust off Plan W....

Then send for troops from Oz and NZ...

Remember. all Australian soldiers will automatically tell British officers to get stuffed...

You mean like they did at Gallipoli?

[Seth]

Fuck off, Starnberg. You can catch a Frenchman with his pants down but an Englishman's britches are made of sterner stuff. I look forward to stabling my charger in the Reichstag, you bullet-headed goon.

...again.

I think the UK is absolutely correct to be wary of any union including Germany or France. If we had known what we were getting into, we never would have allowed California or Illinois into the Union.

[Seth]

We have seen off the Boche more than once, we will do it again. First step, dust off Plan W....

You forget one thing my dear lord hux... this time, your precious navy won't help us, you trojans let us piece a tunnel under your protective channel, and it will protect you no more than a faulty condom now.

Five hundred pounds of Semtex can fix that problem in about 20 ms.

[Robert_S]

Fuck off, Starnberg. You can catch a Frenchman with his pants down but an Englishman's britches are made of sterner stuff. I look forward to stabling my charger in the Reichstag, you bullet-headed goon.

...again.

I think the UK is absolutely correct to be wary of any union including Germany or France. If we had known what we were getting into, we never would have allowed California or Illinois into the Union.

I blame California. No Reagan, no H. W. Bush. No H. W. Bush, no W. Bush. No W. Bush, no Obama.

[JimC]

We have seen off the Boche more than once, we will do it again. First step, dust off Plan W....

Then send for troops from Oz and NZ...

Remember. all Australian soldiers will automatically tell British officers to get stuffed...

You mean like they did at Gallipoli?

Oh, we always ended up doing what our lords and masters told us to do, we just gave them a lot of lip in the process...

[Rum]

This does appear to be true. I find myself astonished that the Queen is still your head of state for example! It is still officially 'Her Majesty's Australian Government'.

[klr]

This does appear to be true. I find myself astonished that the Queen is still your head of state for example! It is still officially 'Her Majesty's Australian Government'.

Well, the Aussies did vote not to change it as recently as 1999. Or to be more exact, they voted not to lose perks like not requiring a UK passport to get into the UK (and by extension the EU). Call me cynical.