|
|
Post by Séamus on Feb 5, 2020 8:42:11 GMT
I notice it's been almost two years since somebody thought they had a reason for supporting (mostly Ireland staying in) the EU,but I think a few people might point to the May and Johnson Governments' deal with Huawei to build up Britain's telecommunications as a reason,perhaps not accurately as this was being planned before Boris hit the hand-gong (why next to Henry VIII's image?) and,besides,the two countries that I'm aware of who have refused to let Huawei do this,USA and Australia,are far from being eurozone members.
Are we over-frightened of China? Unlike (historically) Germany or Japan or (more recently) North Korea or some (often unofficial) Islamic states, China has never officially threatened the West and has a greater record of cruelty to it's own people (of course we do need to include resident westerners in this also).
But,then, we are looking at a Communist state,if progressive in ways,that could easily turn most of the globe into animal-skins-dressed pseudo-cavemen should all import be suddenly blocked.
And China is still vigorously anti-religious, though whether many countries will be any different towards Christianity by 2035,the year Boris intends to definitively ban all but electric cars in UK,is anyone's guess.
|
|
|
|
Post by kj on Feb 5, 2020 11:27:45 GMT
Well, I am in a minority in this group, I think, but I am a major fan of the EU. I think it offers us a role other than being a vassal of Anglo-Americanism, plus the idea of a united Europe in the face of China etc is very welcome to me.
Plus I live in Britain and the mess over the past three years has been horrendous. There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety over food supplies and rising costs. And many people who have lived here for decades are outraged at being treated like unwanted strangers suddenly and having to apply for 'settled status'.
Also, if Ireland were to leave, no one would be allowed work or settle in Europe as easily as they can now, plus travelling to Europe will involve a Visa application and fee.
I really think the 'leave the EU' idea in Ireland is a plague spread by Farage and co. who now need another outlet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Maolsheachlann on Feb 5, 2020 14:48:36 GMT
Well, I am in a minority in this group, I think, but I am a major fan of the EU. I think it offers us a role other than being a vassal of Anglo-Americanism, plus the idea of a united Europe in the face of China etc is very welcome to me. Plus I live in Britain and the mess over the past three years has been horrendous. There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety over food supplies and rising costs. And many people who have lived here for decades are outraged at being treated like unwanted strangers suddenly and having to apply for 'settled status'. Also, if Ireland were to leave, no one would be allowed work or settle in Europe as easily as they can now, plus travelling to Europe will involve a Visa application and fee. I really think the 'leave the EU' idea in Ireland is a plague spread by Farage and co. who now need another outlet. I think it's more a part of the wave of populism passing over the developed world, for good or ill. I worry about Anglo-Americanization, too, but it seems to me that it's the entertainment industry which is the most powerful engine of this. Maybe it makes more economic sense to stay in the EU. I admit my attitude is a visceral one. I do like a lot of their consumer and environmental and labour regulations. |
|
|
|
Post by assisi on Feb 5, 2020 19:34:05 GMT
Well, I am in a minority in this group, I think, but I am a major fan of the EU. I think it offers us a role other than being a vassal of Anglo-Americanism, plus the idea of a united Europe in the face of China etc is very welcome to me. Plus I live in Britain and the mess over the past three years has been horrendous. There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety over food supplies and rising costs. And many people who have lived here for decades are outraged at being treated like unwanted strangers suddenly and having to apply for 'settled status'. Also, if Ireland were to leave, no one would be allowed work or settle in Europe as easily as they can now, plus travelling to Europe will involve a Visa application and fee. I really think the 'leave the EU' idea in Ireland is a plague spread by Farage and co. who now need another outlet. I think Farage will have his hands full trying to keep the Conservatives on track for a clean break during the next 10 months or so of trade negotiations with the EU. Nor do I think he would be a long term asset to Irexit as his 'right wing' image has been seeded into most neutral's minds long ago and an Englishman such as him would not be welcome in liberal progressive Ireland. Like moving house, starting a new career or doing anything new of significance there will always be some issues that were unforeseen, and there will be other teething issues that will prove more problematic than originally anticipated. But a lot of the current uncertainty could have been avoided if remainers had not prolonged the issue by blocking a clean break at every juncture. Time will tell. I'm sure every problem with Brexit will be amplified by the bulk of the mainstream media. There is a risk to going it alone initially, but I think it is worth taking. In Ireland at the moment culturally we are a 'vassal of Anglo-Americanism'. But we are also an economic vassal to the big multinationals like Apple and Google who we need to serve to keep our jobs. We are also vassals to the likes of the UN for 'rights' issues, immigration and climate change, and also to the EU as we are tied to the EURO and in debt at over 200 billion Euro. Ireland of the EU and the other dictating bodies mentioned above, have given us gay marriage, abortion, MSM leftist propaganda, proposed hate speech and sexualising of Schoolchildren. Leaving the EU would not reverse the moral decay overnight but would be a small step in reclaiming some more national sovereignty and saying a 'no' to what seems an unstoppable trend towards a one size fits all soulless progressivism and globalism. I do think however that an Irexit would be riskier than a Brexit as we are a smaller country than Britain and have fewer economic options to fall back on. I see few redeeming factors in the Ireland of today except for the economic benefit of hi-tech companies which have brought prosperity to some hotspots of Ireland, mainly Dublin, with much of the rest of the country struggling. Even that prosperity has come at a price, and some of these companies could up and go very quickly. |
|
|
|
Post by cato on Feb 5, 2020 19:46:29 GMT
I notice it's been almost two years since somebody thought they had a reason for supporting (mostly Ireland staying in) the EU,but I think a few people might point to the May and Johnson Governments' deal with Huawei to build up Britain's telecommunications as a reason,perhaps not accurately as this was being planned before Boris hit the hand-gong (why next to Henry VIII's image?) and,besides,the two countries that I'm aware of who have refused to let Huawei do this,USA and Australia,are far from being eurozone members. Are we over-frightened of China? Unlike (historically) Germany or Japan or (more recently) North Korea or some (often unofficial) Islamic states, China has never officially threatened the West and has a greater record of cruelty to it's own people (of course we do need to include resident westerners in this also). But,then, we are looking at a Communist state,if progressive in ways,that could easily turn most of the globe into animal-skins-dressed pseudo-cavemen should all import be suddenly blocked. And China is still vigorously anti-religious, though whether many countries will be any different towards Christianity by 2035,the year Boris intends to definitively ban all but electric cars in UK,is anyone's guess. Unlike the UK which actually had a debate on the security implications of involving the Huawei company in its communications network we in Ireland had NO debate and have as per usual blindly allowed a foreign company access to basically everything in our zeal to be the first with 5G. I am suprised the EU doesn't see the strategic and ideological case for a European alternative especially seeing we do have Swedish and Finnish alternatives which will come on stream in 12 months time. We in Ireland are very naive when it comes to espionage and cyber security. We provide none of our own and hope no one will ever exploit this weakness. All those big US multinationals in Dublin may prove to be a tempting target to any disgruntled anti American nut job or state. Our broadband infrastructure is being provided by a company that is legally obliged to provide all data to a communist dictatorship. Good job nothing could possibly go wrong there. One advantage of being in the EU is that we can get help from our neighbours . The mystery here is why we didn't ask for and why the French and Germans haven't insisted on a European alternative to Huawei. Our utterly useless Irish media have never answered this question to the best of my knowledge. |
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Feb 6, 2020 8:30:33 GMT
Well, I am in a minority in this group, I think, but I am a major fan of the EU. I think it offers us a role other than being a vassal of Anglo-Americanism, plus the idea of a united Europe in the face of China etc is very welcome to me. Plus I live in Britain and the mess over the past three years has been horrendous. There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety over food supplies and rising costs. And many people who have lived here for decades are outraged at being treated like unwanted strangers suddenly and having to apply for 'settled status'. Also, if Ireland were to leave, no one would be allowed work or settle in Europe as easily as they can now, plus travelling to Europe will involve a Visa application and fee. I really think the 'leave the EU' idea in Ireland is a plague spread by Farage and co. who now need another outlet. Theoretically there should only be positive things coming out of these pan-national organisations and many European nations are industrially small if relatively wealthy,making some sort of league inevitable. But the reality is often different,as we see just by looking at the recent intervention by EU (with Amnesty International as cheerleader) into Slovakia's domestic politics when a bill to make the viewing of ultrasounds a compulsory part of pre-abortion counselling was introduced in that country's parliament. Sometimes it's interesting to look back via retro-reading at events that we actually lived through but didn't know about or knew little of. I read recently about Francis Cardinal Arinze's account of a UN-organised meeting of religious leaders in 2000 in the United Nations New York Headquarters and Waldorf-Astoria. While speeches at the UN HQ by Mother Teresa and John Paul are fondly remembered (if I can remember AnPost issued a memorial John Paul stamp of this very moment at the pontiff's death),it's hard not to read some unhappiness in His Eminence's memories of the Millenium World Peace summit- "there were some things that were not so clear,for example,who exactly put this together? What was their aim? And why was there 350 Hindus from India in that colloquium;how is that explained?.....(these Hindu leaders said that) if the Church works among the poor,some of the poor will want to become Christians and therefore they are against the Church working among the poor. They said 'Go away with your money'. They also said that when the Pope visited Delhi in November 1999,to publicize the results of the Asian synod, they heard him say that in the Third Millenium the religion of Jesus Christ will be offered to Asia in a big way and they are opposed to that. When they finished I put up my hand to speak. Yes,but it took me some time before I succeeded in getting the chairman to give me the floor. I made three points...." He explained,among other things,that relief among the needy was not at the cost of forced conversion,but that forbidding conversions in India or anywhere was contrary to article 18 of the Declaration of Human Rights "At that point an Indian got up and said 'What do you mean by that?' yes,so I said to the chairman 'Please protect me,this man is not allowing me to speak. When he spoke,I listened. Now I speak,he heckles me'...(Kofi Annan) was not present at that stage as this was a workshop not the plenary session" Things have changed since the Hanseatic League ruled the sea |
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Mar 6, 2021 11:58:51 GMT
I would have thought that anti-EU publications would stay quiet about any trading hiccups,but International Express is reporting that "Britain could ban European mineral water in retaliation after Brussels imposed a blockade on UK shellfish..."
It's a bit hard to get the connection besides crustaceans often living in water. Imaginative though.
I only came to fully appreciated Perrier in recent months when I was visiting Intensive Care daily during a heat wave and got into the tradition of buying one from the Red Cross on the way out.
"Brussels will now only allow UK firms to export pre-purified,ready-to-eat shellfish unless they come from approved waters. The (UK) industry says there are not enough purification tanks to carry out the work and the slow process makes it unviable..."
The last line is a typical example of global manufacturing/processing systems,which can't be blamed entirely on the Union,which was partly formed and reformed in response to these dynamics.
March 3,UN World Wildlife Day,had a "forests and those who depend on them" theme this year- maybe European waters can be considered next year? The feast of Perpetua of Carthage falling closely behind would be a good banner. Animals have a star role in her acts; besides, her mention in the ancient Roman Canon says much about the Church's early inclusivity and the ability of regions to piggyback European Powers to come to prominence.
Of the many ballads that Ireland and Scotland can claim ownership of, Dublin's Fair City/ Molly Malone is prominent. As the British government gifts £23 million to it's brexit-hit shellfish industry,much of it North of Hadrian's Wall,an updated version may be required- 'Cockles and mussels refined refined-o"?
|
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Mar 31, 2021 11:59:02 GMT
"Arnold once spoke so warmly of the sufferings of Irish Catholics that all were deeply moved. The father decided that henceforth an Our Father should be added to the night prayers for poor distressed Ireland. When jolly brother William's turn came to lead night prayers he sometimes tried to leave out that extra prayer but would always be promptly reminded by his older and more serious brother Gerard:'one Our Father for Ireland'"(cf Arnold Janssen 1925)
The devotional life of a middle class Nineteenth century Dutch family, whose mother, incidentally,seems to have worn the iconic Dutch ladies' hat often seen in pictures to her old age.
It might be only a little thing,but I was amazed that,in the year 2021,a boat getting stuck in a canal can still have global economic repercussions,indeed that the canal gave Egypt so much global power,and equally surprised that, despite economic and technological surges in Asia, the Netherlands are still at the forefront of canal rescue operations,no matter how big. One reason to keep in fellowship with the (not so-)Low Countries.
The boat,apart from the accident quite impressive,is connected with indisputable leaders of real democracy in Asia- Taiwan/Japan; but does anyone else remember many years ago singing (in one of those,at the time, seemingly progressive songs that wouldn't past muster now) "...the Japanese and their yen,the partyboys call the Kremlin,And the Chinese know,They walk in line like Egyptians..."?
|
|
|
|
Post by cato on Mar 31, 2021 12:26:25 GMT
"Arnold once spoke so warmly of the sufferings of Irish Catholics that all were deeply moved. The father decided that henceforth an Our Father should be added to the night prayers for poor distressed Ireland. When jolly brother William's turn came to lead night prayers he sometimes tried to leave out that extra prayer but would always be promptly reminded by his older and more serious brother Gerard:'one Our Father for Ireland'"(cf Arnold Janssen 1925) The devotional life of a middle class Nineteenth century Dutch family, whose mother, incidentally,seems to have worn the iconic Dutch ladies' hat often seen in pictures to her old age. It might be only a little thing,but I was amazed that,in the year 2021,a boat getting stuck in a canal can still have global economic repercussions,indeed that the canal gave Egypt so much global power,and equally surprised that, despite economic and technological surges in Asia, the Netherlands are still at the forefront of canal rescue operations,no matter how big. One reason to keep in fellowship with the (not so-)Low Countries. The boat,apart from the accident quite impressive,is connected with indisputable leaders of real democracy in Asia- Taiwan/Japan; but does anyone else remember many years ago singing (in one of those,at the time, seemingly progressive songs that wouldn't past muster now) "...the Japanese and their yen,the partyboys call the Kremlin,And the Chinese know,They walk in line like Egyptians..."? The stuck ship in the Suez in stark terms the perils and vulnerability of globalism. I expect the ghost of Anthony Eden had a chuckle. The predictions of piracy attacks on ships going around the Cape showed that history rarely goes away. My mother often used the "slow boat to China" expression to chide us when we were dragging our heels as children. U presume this referred to ships that didn't use the Suez route. |
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Sept 25, 2021 11:24:18 GMT
I wonder will Angela's decade-and-a-half in power permeate modern history the way that a certain lady's decade over Britain and Northern Ireland has? Immigration seems to be a legacy that's going to stick with her memory, whether one considers this positive or negative.
Comes to mind as Thatcher's countrymen hail Emma Raducanu,of Chinese-Romanian background, as their new sports champion; definitely a positive representative of foreign intake. I'm unsure what Mr Raducanu's history is or whether he'd have reached Britain in current Brexit times, but as France and Great Britain currently clash over migrants and fish,he's certainly a symbol of the good that some bring.
|
|
|
|
Post by cato on Sept 25, 2021 13:19:46 GMT
[quote I'm unsure what Mr Raducanu's history is or whether he'd have reached Britain in current Brexit times, but as France and Great Britain currently clash over migrants and fish,he's certainly a symbol of the good that some bring.[/quote]
Aren't the Entente Cordiale neighbours arguing about a rather large submarine order that got cancelled recently too Seamus? Pesky Australians can't stick to their contracts!
|
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Sept 27, 2021 4:58:03 GMT
[quote I'm unsure what Mr Raducanu's history is or whether he'd have reached Britain in current Brexit times, but as France and Great Britain currently clash over migrants and fish,he's certainly a symbol of the good that some bring. Aren't the Entente Cordiale neighbours arguing about a rather large submarine order that got cancelled recently too Seamus? Pesky Australians can't stick to their contracts![/quote] *****. *******. ******. ***** I think France has a right to be unhappy with Australia's lack of communication,but I'd question how strong their industry is if the remaining hole is that large. Overseas news services have mentioned one point that wasn't commented on in (Western Australia's anyway) daily- New Zealand's PM made a statement reminding all that their blanket ban on nuclear weapons means that the American submarines,when and if they ever get built, will never be allowed in the waters of Australia's closest relatives. Have we ever mentioned Mr Holland here before?, claimed as the Irish inventor of subs? |
|
|
|
Post by cato on Sept 27, 2021 12:16:46 GMT
]I think France has a right to be unhappy with Australia's lack of communication,but I'd question how strong their industry is if the remaining hole is that large.
Overseas news services have mentioned one point that wasn't commented on in (Western Australia's anyway) daily- New Zealand's PM made a statement reminding all that their blanket ban on nuclear weapons means that the American submarines,when and if they ever get built, will never be allowed in the waters of Australia's closest relatives.
Have we ever mentioned Mr Holland here before?, claimed as the Irish inventor of subs?
[/quote]
France has a large arms industry and can't be exactly over the moon to lose this contract. I think some of the outrage is linked to its view of itself as a global power. France still has a substantial military presence in its overseas Pacific territories which technically are part of France and of the EU.
There is also a presidential election next year so much of the tutting, spluttering and yelling has to do with striking a patriotic pose at home.
I mentioned Holland many moons ago in a thread on the greatest Irishman. Ironically Ireland has never had a sea going submarine in its own fleet.
|
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Mar 1, 2022 3:38:47 GMT
The EU seems to be responding to the current conflict with some efficiency (one member actually apprehended a Russian ship,I assume because it was waters somehow under French responsibility?) Compare to the United Nations being a bit knotted by it's own Security Council rules. UN have meanwhile managed statements on current flooding in Queensland and it's connection with climate change;I can't imagine warfare being a tremendous support to the environment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Séamus on Feb 24, 2023 9:12:50 GMT
"The Dutch publisher of Roald Dahl's writings has said said changing the author's books to avoiding offence makes the stories lose their power. French publishers also confirmed this week that they had no plans to change Dahl's works. A decision by the Roald Dahl Story Company and [Puffin] to make hundreds of changes to the books after the use of 'sensitivity readers' has sparked a fierce backlash....
Joris van der Leur the director of De Fonte in the Netherlands said his company might continue to print the older versions of the works 'so as not to detract from Dahl's humour'. French publisher Galliard who first published Jane's and the Giant Peach in 1966 said,'We have never changed Roald Dahl's writings before and we have no plans to do so today'" yesterday's west Australian
Perhaps not a reason for Ireland not to un-join the EU,but evidence that the Union doesn't always hold a monopoly of ridiculous-ness.
In Britain's defence,being fat(sic) like Augustus or crazy(sic) like most of the other characters may be less offensive in the French language. I wonder did Jacques have a giant creme-da-peche?
|
|
