Mossybanks
27-11-2009, 01:10 PM
I miss it.
OK, we won, and I was delighted with the result, but the way it brought out all the nutjobs and headbangers was great.
The board isn't the same without the rantings of the little Englanders, or supporters of Youth Defence, or the far right ravings of the Ganleyites, or even the regular appearance of "posters from other European countries" who implored us to vote no because they "had no voice in their own countries."
In a way, I'm glad that in the first referendum a tiny minority managed to convince enough gullible people to believe them, because at least it focused the second much wider debate on our whole relationship with the European Union, and we gave it a resounding "Yes."
And for the people who were wittering on about "neutrality," the solidarity pact which was part of the Lisbon Treaty could be seen at first hand this week, as EU officials toured some of our worst affected flooded areas and suggested that we would be eligible for aid from our EU partners under the solidarity pact where all EU countries come to the aid of those who have suffered as a result of a disaster.
But the little Englanders were trying to make out that this would have forced our children to be conscripted into some EU army.
Hopefully we won't have a referendum on the EU for many years to come now that the Lisbon Treaty has been successfully ratified by all 27 countries.
OK, we won, and I was delighted with the result, but the way it brought out all the nutjobs and headbangers was great.
The board isn't the same without the rantings of the little Englanders, or supporters of Youth Defence, or the far right ravings of the Ganleyites, or even the regular appearance of "posters from other European countries" who implored us to vote no because they "had no voice in their own countries."
In a way, I'm glad that in the first referendum a tiny minority managed to convince enough gullible people to believe them, because at least it focused the second much wider debate on our whole relationship with the European Union, and we gave it a resounding "Yes."
And for the people who were wittering on about "neutrality," the solidarity pact which was part of the Lisbon Treaty could be seen at first hand this week, as EU officials toured some of our worst affected flooded areas and suggested that we would be eligible for aid from our EU partners under the solidarity pact where all EU countries come to the aid of those who have suffered as a result of a disaster.
But the little Englanders were trying to make out that this would have forced our children to be conscripted into some EU army.
Hopefully we won't have a referendum on the EU for many years to come now that the Lisbon Treaty has been successfully ratified by all 27 countries.