Sorry Steve but this is something you could read on Stormfront . What`s up with the rest of the world ?

Perhaps it is as you said in a previous post that the Brits just don’t see themselves as being European. Perhaps if we were ALL invaded by the Nazi’s and then somehow managed to fight back, we might share a common bond with our brothers and sisters across the water. We should. We all come from the same place. Perhaps I just see things differently because I grew up in a different country to the one I live in now.

Perhaps if all people were given the chance to live in a different country or culture for a few years, they might realise that an allegiance to our common humanity is by far a more powerful statement than an allegiance to something trivial like a nation with arbitrary borders.

I have this sinking feeling though that the Brits will not be convinced otherwise. It seems likely now that we will get to vote on the Lisbon treaty before it is ratified. With David Cameron promoting against it, I see little chance of it coming into effect. I feel that Europe should just go ahead and create a federal state without us, at least then a bit more of the world will be united. Perhaps in years to come we will realise our mistake and apply to re-join.

But – I think I have read where you say the EU parliament does not really have much power .
Fair enough though the Sinn Fein may be a better analogy. Another But is (1) They had the back up of terror (2) They are dealing with a more reasonable power and more democratic.
One way to work out how people feel about the EU is to have referenda, but the EU elite are against that.

So, were I a republican Northern Irishman and I got elected to the Westminster parliament, would I try and work within it to achieve my objective of independence? Yes, I’d like to think that I would. Sinn Fein could have achieved far more far more quickly working within the system – as they have discovered during the last few years when the Stormont Assembly has been in place. Have they got complete independence? No. Because they are not a majority – just as people who want Britain to pull out of the EU altogether are not a majority. They have, however, managed to achieve a broad range of concessions and compromises that have made life in Northern Ireland infinitely more pleasant for everyone concerned.

well you`re certianly more “in” than I would be because you are on side with those who support the project (and you get mentioned on Margot Wallstroms blog ).
If you dont beleive in an organisation and that organisation knows you are totally against it I cant see it being easy to be anything other than like the EUrosceptics as you describe. If I may go back to that analogy about the Ku Klux Klan, would you work within it to slowly turn it round to a beneficial organisation, or moderate its lynchings policy ?

Granted, reform is – in the current set-up – very difficult; but MEPs do have the ability (indeed, it’s their job) to voice concerns and offer alternatives. If eurosceptic/anti-EU MEPs spot an upcoming EU law that they feel is a bad idea, they are fully capable of raising and explaining their concerns.

If they raise these concerns in a calm, clear manner, there’s every chance that other MEPs (as well as others in the Council and Commission) might listen to them, and that they may have a positive impact on its reform or rejection, thus making the EU slightly less terrible. But their tendency to date has been to shout loudly and forcibly about pretty much everything that the EU does – which means that their valid points (of which they have many) get lost amongst the noise. A calmer, more targeted opposition could work wonders – both for the reputations of eurosceptic/anti-EU parties and for making the EU better than it is. (Which should, surely, also be an aim of eurosceptic/anti-EU parties – if it’s terrible, try to improve it, so that people’s lives are improved, even if only slightly.)

Even if every political system in the world for all ages have been so, it`s not a good fact and we should be working to change that, or at least minimise its effects (so naturally being out of the EU is a step in the right direction).
As you are more “in ” with the corridors of power, can you tell us howw we EUrosceptics can achieve our aims in the EU Parliament and the rest of the system ? Then we can make our MEPs of all parties do mre for those generoous allowances.

Hannan is an intelligent chap with some good, reasoned eurosceptic analysis. But he appears to prefer to preach to the converted than work within the system to both make that system better and win people over to his point of view. Bonde, on the other hand, while being a vocal critic of the EU throughout his time as an MEP, worked within the system that he disliked, and so ended up with both the respect of his political opponents and making some genuinely useful contributions to his cause.

It’s all very well saying “Better off out” all the time, but given that the UK is not going to withdraw from the EU any time soon, our eurosceptic MEPs would do far more good to their cause to learn how to affect change within the current system, and at least make the EU a little bit better before they get their way and have us leave once and for all. A few political victories within the EP would also be powerful evidence to counter their opponents’ claims that they never do anything to advance the will of those anti-EU voters who elected them, but just turn up to claim their generous allowances.

Why do you think last year Labour blocked the legislation which would have made it transparent from whence the laws to be discussed were derived.

But perhaps the most significant evidence comes from the German constitutional court who after significant research reached the conclusion that 80% of German laws come from the EU. Do you think this would be even remotely different in Britain? We are more eurosceptic certainly but we do not have the backbone to back that euroscepticism up, as of now, so directives are being gold plated through treaties day after day.

When the party that is leading gets 29% of the vote and UKIP sits of 19% I think that is a pretty good indicator that something is stiring in the electorate. Not to mention, sadly, that BNP will likely win a few seats. What I mean to say is that if you are trailing the leading party with 10% five days ahead of the election then you are doing pretty good.

Naturally they remain fringe group, Britain only commands 4% of the parliament and we are the most eurosceptic country in the EU. Hence the only proper opposition to the project is going to come from here since everyone else does not mind their countries’ parliament being sidelined in favour of European legilsation.