If this policy has the aim to make sure the EU has a solid industrial base, it makes no fucking sense to shoot ourselves in the leg by including the UK. If they start picking the cherries again as they did while they were an EU member, and we allow it, i'm gonna lose it because that's a lot like giving your abusive ex the password to your email account and a spare set of keys.
this post was submitted on 07 Feb 2026
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I’m all for letting UK back in, but agreed. If they come back, they should be like any other member.
Yup. We don't need more half members. Either join fully, or don't join at all. And that means currency and schengen, not just the market.
Schengen won't work well unless the Republic of Ireland also joins
Isn't the only reason Ireland isn't in Schengen because of the UK?
Possibly. Common travel area and all that. Although I have gone through an irish-european border checkpoint before, same as in the UK when it was in the EU, it's basically an unstaffed cubicle which scans your passport, face and just lets you through.
I think ireland also opted out of the whole "let's get rid of daylight savings time" thing because the UK wasn't doing it.
I think Ireland adopting the Euro (it used to use Irish pounds, was pegged to GBP) was a bad move though. It's a hassle if you use cash and cross the border with the UK, although easier now due to contactless payments. Also changing their speed limits without the UK doing so.
Ireland has had a weird back-and-forth with aligning with the UK and aligning with the EU. Sometimes they like to be different from the UK, sometimes they like to be united.
They have even had strange signs on the border with the UK instructing drivers to "drive on the left". But now the border is typically just "welcome to county xyz" instead of even acknowledging the change of country. And sometimes it just depends where you are on the border.
Also, Irish road signs are diabolical. They align with no-one. It's a weird mix of USA style signs and european ones. The UK roadsigns are basically consistent with the rest of Europe using the Vienna Convention.
Yeah, full membership only, no freebies. Because as we saw, the freebies made them too complacent and delusional regarding what they can do on their own.
Well, the empire where the sun never sets and all that
They've updated that branding. It's now "British Empire- Open 24/7".
Well maybe if those fuckers hadn't voted for Brexit would they not fear being kicked out of European public procurements
Germany, France, Poland and Italy are all having problems with right wing political factions rising. This isn't coincidental. The UK was the first target and it resulted in Brexit. We were taking by surprise, but we are cleaning house.
Our enemy's aim is to divide Europe because we're all weaker separately. Strengthening the link between the UK and the EU is the last thing they want.
That's a 2016 comment. Yes they want Europe devided and the UK fell for it. Now Europe is weaker because of UK voters. Europe won't get stronger ever. The EU might, if members keep close and focused. Nobody has time for a country which keeps cultivating a special relationship with one of EU's declared adversaries. What happens when the UK has to chose between 5 eyes and EU defense? Between sovereign technology and US hyperscalers?
As a Brit I would support the UK reducing its ties with the US and increasing its ties with Europe. The UK's values (democracy, rule of law, public healthcare, welfare safety net) are closer to those of Europe, than those of the US. Maybe over the next few years the UK will slowly get closer to Europe.
You said before that "those fuckers... voted for Brexit" but remember that only 52% of voters supported Brexit and 48% were against it, and Brexit is now less popular than it was in 2016.
You're right, most Brits got fucked by 52% of people who voted. Would today's voters vote the UK back into the block?
Your first bit is all the most heartbreaking considering the UK was a beacon of democracy in Europe throughout the whole 20th Century, with peaceful transfers of power, rule of law, protection of minorities, and the stubborn and successful resistance against totalitarianism.
I guess nobody has time for Germany, Estonia, Turkey, Italy, Romania, Belgium, Poland, Spain, Norway, or the Netherlands either, then? Because there are a lot of US air force bases in Europe…
one of EU’s declared adversaries
Nonsense. The USA is in a really bad place right now and their current administration doesn’t favour the EU, but we’re not at the “declared adversary” stage. Given the American military occupation of Europe in all but name, you’d know if the Yanks declared us as adversaries.
You have to have a lot of faith in the US democracy to think that this regime is not here to stay. US bases in the EU is a double edge sword and might indeed stab Europeans in the back. Trump and Putin are already dividing Ukraine, who's next?
To quote Carney at Davos: "nostalgia is not a strategy".
Europe is weaker because of Russian propaganda and meddling.
Brexit means brexit
The UK could just rejoin but I don't tink it's prepared now, economically and politically speaking.
They never left Europe. They just left the EU.
And that's what everyone is talking about: the EU