The European Uninon?

[Yeah Bee]

The European Uninon?

Will it become a federation, The United States of Europe.

Is it the only way to counter the US world domination.

[incuriam]

US world domination is a joke. It's the Chinese you need to be worried about. China has the fastest growing economy in the world, the world's largest population, an active space program, long range nukes, and an armed force twice the size of the US.

 

So, as long as the UK stays friends with China, Europe and the States will stay friends with us. It's beautiful, man. I feel quite emotional. Hooray for China. Hooray. 

[dreamscape]

In answer to your Question, 'will it become a federation', I think the answer is unfortunatley, yes.  What was originally sold to the British as a 'free trade agreement' in the 70s to allow ease of trade between members, is fast becoming an unelected centralised goverment that is gaining more and more control of its member states affairs.  It is Blairs aim to adopt the single currency, a single european union army is in the early stages of development and the French & Germans are pushing for a single foreign policy, uniform interest rates and centralised taxation.  It is completly undemocratic in that non-British people are making our laws and unless the people of Europe wake up to this socialist ideal, we will soon become a communist block run by a political elite.  Look at the likes of Neil Kinnock, previously staunch opponent of the EU, now, along with his wife and son, all MEP's earning hundreds of thousands in salaries and bonuses, he's got his nose in the trough  telling us that the EU is marvelous.  It is little more than a gravy train for failed and retired politicians from accross Europe, all paid for by our taxes. Kinnock, Patten, Mandelson etc etc.....

Is it the only way to counter american world domination? 

1 - they dont dominate the world

2 - at least they are an accountable democracy.

   

[Hgrove]

There is widespread consensus amond both academics and legal practitioners that the EU is "not" going to become a federal state.  I know a few examples but I'll just give you one.  Prof. Jo Shaw of the Univ. of Manchester has published a paper on the Federal Trust website (it is a think tank based in London, originally founded in 1945 by Sir William Beveridge).  Here is a short extract: "There is a widespread consensus amongst politicians, opinion-formers and indeed academics right across the geographical and political spectrums that the EU is not a state, never has been a state, and is highly unlikely to become a state, in any sense in which the term is presently understood." If you would like to read the whole article, I hope the following link works: http://www.fedtrust.co.uk/default.asp?groupid=0&sear ch=there%20is%20a%20widespread

[Hgrove]

Sorry the link does not work.  If you go to the Federal Trust site and type "there is a widespread" in the search box, it will take you to the article. 

[Hgrove]

P.S. it was not sold to the UK.  The UK, having refused to join in 1957, went cap in hand to ask for membership in 1972/3.

[Hgrove]

I�ll just give you another example and then I�ll leave it.  K. Lenaerts (Judge of the Court of Justice of the European Communities and Professor of European Law, Leuven University, The Netherlands; and Damien Gerard, Law Clerk at the Court of Justice), both writing in a personal capacity, had an article published in the European Law Review, Vol 29 of 2004 page 289 and following.  If you wish to read the whole article you can probably obtain a copy through your library (which is why I have given you the reference).  On p. 313-4 Prof. Lenaerts explains why, in his view, there is a fundamental difference between the EU and a federal state.  �With the adoption of the draft Constitution, the Union will undoubtedly grow in autonomy.  Despite being �one�, the Union is in no way, however, becoming �indivisible�.  By its nature, the European level of governance is rooted in a system of divided sovereignty.  The Union is a direct emanation from the Member States, primary sovereign units, and European peoples are already living under a diversity of public authorities.  Through this absence of indivisibility (�) the Union acknowledges its co-existence with sovereign states.  Here lies thus an important difference between the structue of the Union and of truly federal states, like the United States for instance where the federal level incarnates �one National (�) indivisible� and where states were � progressively � denied sovereignty.  This characteristic does not encroach however upon the fundamental principles of unity of the European legal order and consistency of Community law, which specific procedures are designed to protect.  The voluntary withdrawal procedure proposed by the draft Constitution is a powerful sign of this absence of indivisibility, since it provides nothing less than a legal means for Member States to secede peacefully." Unfortunately owing to lack of space I have had to leave out the footnotes.