Would the EU ever trust us and want us back???

25Avalon

As Euripides said you can’t step in the same river twice. Things change but I can’t see us rejoining the EU any time soon. To think otherwise is to kid yourself. The dust will settle. There will be different people and new scenarios.

That also applies to all those people who voted to leave the EU in the belief that England would regain its past glories as the ruler of a vast empire and victor in two world wars.

I'd be quite rich if I had a £1 for every time I've seen the statement "We managed before we were in the EU,/EEC.Common Market; we'll be fine when we're out of it". With absolutely no acknowledgement that the world 40+ years on from then is a completely different place.

Alegrias1

Are we having a "demonstrate bullying to try to show there isn't any" competition?

There is none... but there are disagreements....as is normal.

I agree 25Avalon. The chapter has turned and I don't think there will be any going back, certainly not as before.

The next generation will see things in a very different way.

The world will be a group of economic blocks with China, America and EU being the largest.

No country will be able to survive without the support of such a block. We are geographically part of Europe.

This Empire thing is always used as a stick to beat people with.
It amuses me greatly.
Nobody my age (70’s) have ever given Empire a single thought.

WWM2
Can I pick up on something said here please? The European Union can only function if it abides by the rules set done and agreed by all its members. It has a reputation for an absolute stickler to the rule book.
Do you mean big rules or little rules affecting the average man on the street. When we lived in France for several years we saw French people ignoring or breaking little rules daily, far more than in the UK. When my husband discussed business with French people he was pretty horrified to hear what they got up to, and the French were equally horrified to hear how honest and above board he was being in his business!

Ellianne

WWM2
Can I pick up on something said here please? The European Union can only function if it abides by the rules set done and agreed by all its members. It has a reputation for an absolute stickler to the rule book.
Do you mean big rules or little rules affecting the average man on the street. When we lived in France for several years we saw French people ignoring or breaking little rules daily, far more than in the UK. When my husband discussed business with French people he was pretty horrified to hear what they got up to, and the French were equally horrified to hear how honest and above board he was being in his business!

I mean the rules that govern the SM, freedom of movement, cash and goods.

Without those it simply wouldn’t function and the EU is very careful to keep to them.

Regarding the day to day rules regarding internal tax etc, my previous employment meant that I was totally aware of each countries compliance to their own rules. Some are more compliant than others and believe me France is not the most non-compliant. Neither are the British the most compliant. Look at the level of tax evasion etc.

Kandinsky

There does seem to be a few posters who post endless threads slagging off the UK & it’s government - it’s actually quite boring now.

You despise this country - ok we get it.
Maybe look for a few positives in your life and find a little happiness.

This sounds like a cry for a totalitarian government.

Ellianne I could give you plenty of examples of that in the UK, especially when it comes to small businesses. And here are some:

How many of you pay your cleaners or gardeners, if you have them, in cash? Do you know if they declare their income to HMRC?

How many of you, when having work done by a VAT registered tradesman have asked if you could pay in cash and not be charged the VAT? Or been offered that option?

My OH, who used to be a furniture restorer, was occasionally asked by unscrupulous dealers if he would take cash and reduce his price? His answer was always no because we needed the money in the bank to pay bills. Sometimes a private client would pay him in cash and that was always recorded.

It so happens that I am an accountant with a number of small business clients and I am fully aware of what happens.
When we lived in London I had a client that ran a restaurant.
The takings from one table each evening were always kept out of her records. She did use this to pay her waiting staff, most of whom were students and none of whom wanted to go on to PAYE.

About 25 years ago, to help out the widow of an accountant I took over his clients (and paid her percentage of each fee that I received) Some of them left me because I asked the wrong questions. I didn't mind because they weren't the sort of client that I usually dealt with.

So, bending the rules happens everywhere but I can't think of one in which the either the European Parliament or the Council ave done that.

Thanks. I guess breaking rules is a timeless and universal activity.

lemongrove

This Empire thing is always used as a stick to beat people with.
It amuses me greatly.
Nobody my age (70’s) have ever given Empire a single thought.

My wedding dress was Empire-line

Just thought I'd mention that.
Somehow Commonwealth-line doesn't have the same fashionable ring to it!

lemongrove

There’s certainly xenophobia going on.....about the UK.

Been off line decorating. There are some truly unpleasant people on here- for sure. I have never complained about bullying or goading, bordering on ... xenophobia- but it is there for all to see.

Lemongrove, if you make statements like this, you will have to demonstrate and prove. Because nowhere, but nowhere, have I criticised British people as a whole. I have heavily criticised this dreadful, lying PM and his cabale- and I have expressed concerns that sadly, as far as the EU and the rest of the world are concerned- his and their behaviour is causing massive distrust about the whole nation, not just themselves- and that it is tragic indeed.

I will not continue this discussion which has become most unpleasant and, yes, could be called xenophobic and bullying. I will not run to GN HQ, never have, never will.

I've only skimmed through this thread, which certainly seems to have some nasty comments.

I'll answer the OP (in my opinion, of course). The EU would be absolutely nuts to accept the UK back. The general opinion expressed in foreign media is that the UK can't be trusted, thinks that it's far more important than it really is and that the country has committed some kind of collective suicide. The government is seen as a joke and some kind of historic aberration.

growstuff

I've only skimmed through this thread, which certainly seems to have some nasty comments.

I'll answer the OP (in my opinion, of course). The EU would be absolutely nuts to accept the UK back. The general opinion expressed in foreign media is that the UK can't be trusted, thinks that it's far more important than it really is and that the country has committed some kind of collective suicide. The government is seen as a joke and some kind of historic aberration.

Good post

The UK thinks that it's far more important than it really is which was in some way related to my comment yesterday. Once the UK can behave with more humility, and the rest of the world can see us as less of a beacon and super power, the better the country might be for it.
It would be nice to take a back seat for a change and let others get on with things.
Having said that, I would probably never have felt like that 30 years ago. The hope is that the next generation can forge strong trade relations with a variety of economic blocks as the world gets smaller and more entwined.

Starting threads ( constantly!) running down the UK sounds like xenophobia to me.It certainly would be I bet if posters constantly started threads running down just about everything about France.
I really don’t know what posters get out of it....kali you say
“There are truly some unpleasant people on here for sure” well I may agree with you on that but would never say so, just because others don’t agree with me.
I have read your threads ( under all your different names) on here for years, and they all do down the UK for various reasons.

Whitewavemark2

Ellianne

WWM2
Can I pick up on something said here please? The European Union can only function if it abides by the rules set done and agreed by all its members. It has a reputation for an absolute stickler to the rule book.
Do you mean big rules or little rules affecting the average man on the street. When we lived in France for several years we saw French people ignoring or breaking little rules daily, far more than in the UK. When my husband discussed business with French people he was pretty horrified to hear what they got up to, and the French were equally horrified to hear how honest and above board he was being in his business!

I mean the rules that govern the SM, freedom of movement, cash and goods.

Without those it simply wouldn’t function and the EU is very careful to keep to them.

Regarding the day to day rules regarding internal tax etc, my previous employment meant that I was totally aware of each countries compliance to their own rules. Some are more compliant than others and believe me France is not the most non-compliant. Neither are the British the most compliant. Look at the level of tax evasion etc.

here is the list of tax evading countries, France,Germany, Italy at the top.
www.statista.com/chart/17133/tax-evasion-cost-to-eu-countries, with U K fourth. May be a surprise for some.

The general opinion expressed in foreign media is that the UK can't be trusted, thinks that it's far more important than it really is
mThat is so true , and during all the pre Brexit years its how
the French people I talked to viewed the situation, they
constantly asked me 'to explain'.
The headlines in British newspapers frequently / daily use the
words 'World 's Best' 'Leading' etc etc like a foghorn lest anyone doubt it. Its embarrasing

That sounds like envy from them though halfpint ?

halfpint1

The general opinion expressed in foreign media is that the UK can't be trusted, thinks that it's far more important than it really is
mThat is so true , and during all the pre Brexit years its how
the French people I talked to viewed the situation, they
constantly asked me 'to explain'.
The headlines in British newspapers frequently / daily use the
words 'World 's Best' 'Leading' etc etc like a foghorn lest anyone doubt it. Its embarrasing

It is embarrassing I keep reading so much along those lines, and only since the referendum, but certainly since the Johnson government.

It doesn’t matter if the EU trust us or not, or if we trust them or not for the future because we are extremely unlikely to ever join them again.

The EU obviously would take us back.

Whilst we were a member of the club we were one of the few member states to be a net contributor.

As in the majority of businesses and that is basically what the EU is, money talks…

lemongrove

That sounds like envy from them though halfpint ?

Envy

????

Is it, aye?

I hope that as long as the EU continues in its present form that the U.K. doesn’t consider rejoining.

Aye, it does?