Guy Verhofstadt says the quiet part out loud about the Union part of European Union
#Brexit is a failure of the Union. There is a lesson to learn from it: to deeply reform the Union. To make it into a real Union, a Union without opt-in, without opt-outs, without rebates, without exceptions. Only then we can defend our interests and defend our values. pic.twitter.com/asW7C5YK7A
— Guy Verhofstadt (@guyverhofstadt) January 29, 2020
Andrew Donaldson
Born and raised in West Virginia, Andrew has been the Managing Editor of Ordinary Times since 2018, is a widely published opinion writer, and appears in media, radio, and occasionally as a talking head on TV. He can usually be found misspelling/misusing words on Twitter@four4thefire. Andrew is the host of Heard Tell podcast. Subscribe to Andrew'sHeard Tell Substack for free here:
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I don’t know, Andrew, that headline seems pretty unfair. How different is Verhofstadt’s statement from Lincoln’s understanding of the Union? Is the US a dictatorship? Some, especially at the time of the Civil War, called it that…Report
It’s a headline using a play on words. To your point; setting aside the EU and USA are not really comparable entities for a variety of reasons, this is not Guy Verhofstadt first comment like these, he has made a habit of very questionable statements so I’m disinclined to be fair at all to the gentleman who is clearly smarting from defeat.Report
A trenchant insight:
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“My mother and father signed up to a Common Market! Not to a political union; not to flags, anthems, presidents, and now you even want your own army!”
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I was just thinking about this very video. Trenchant is right.Report
The history of Referenda for EU is also under-remembered. It leads to this good line: “Power without Accountability” which is the besetting sin of the EU.
I wouldn’t say never to *a* European Union, Brexit is nothing if not an opportunity to renegotiate on what terms Britain collaborates with Europe… but to Farage’s point, my suspicion is that the EU – as constituted – probably needs its own reform movement before it can move forward as a new sort of European Union.
But that’s the 21st century writ large: Renegotiating the Politico-Economic Consolidation of the 20th.Report
“The Elites” flew too close to the sun.
We’re going to see some serious realignments in the coming decade.Report
“Someday, comrades, the Proletariat will rise up and cast off the shackles of those *checks notes* Polish plumbers!”Report
All Merkel had to do was throw Cameron a bone… if Britain lost America over tea and a few stamps, then not hard to believe EU lost Britain over Polish plumbers. Kinda shows a colossal misjudgment of the moment.Report
I’m picturing Cleaving Little holding a gun to his head and threatening to shoot.Report
Cleavon Little.Report
Also relevant, from February 12’s UK Telegraph
Guy Verhofstadt warns Brexiteers could end up on the guillotine like the leaders of the French Revolution
Guy Verhofstadt has warned Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg that they could suffer a similar fate to that meted out to the leaders of the French Revolution, who were executed on the guillotine.
Gee. Why would anyone want to stampede for the exits?Report
It’s not like the streets of France are a bastion of unity right now. Maybe these folks should be watching their own necks.Report
They’re removing the flag.
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Two observations.
1) They left the flagpole, so I guess that means the EU will admit Turkey or some former Soviet Republic so they don’t have a bare pole sitting there.
2) The pair in the clip wore neither name tags nor security badges, so they’re probably just a pair of tourists stealing a British flag.Report
They’ll need the flagpole for Scotland later this year.Report
“Ye mean we git a used flagpole? is that howfur ye treat a proud nation? Ah will shove mah pipes sae far up yer bahookie that ye’ll poo plaid.”Report
The Scottish Parliament voted to fly the Scottish flag, the UK flag, and the EU flag at their building going forward.Report
Aaaaand it’s done:
If Britain was a moderating force on who got elected to stuff, that moderating force is no longer there.
Good news, if you thought Britain’s moderation was harming the EU, I guess.Report