Taram!!! The new Europe.

[DanS]

This is a ridiculous idea. Don't know why anybody would take it seriously.

[Bereta_Eder]

Because it's not ridiculous? (and it's not an idea?)

I can see Americans not wanting it to work, like the euro but it most certaintly will.

[Ecthy]

at DanS

[Az]

monarchy within the rea...

I thought it was spelled "reich"

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by DanS
This is a ridiculous idea. Don't know why anybody would take it seriously.

You mean, removing our useless kings? Indeed, that would only increase resistance to European integration and there is no stake in it (except a leftist feelgood)

[Ecthy]

well Azazel I was on about realm

[RGBVideo]

Quit NATO as well? Good bye Fritz, hello Ivan!

Yet another infinite proof that southerners are ignorant when it comes to anything not considering their homeland.

Here's a quiz question: In what year did Finland join NATO? First to answer correctly will get a virtual cookie.

[Bereta_Eder]

They didn't join NATO. They are "finlandized"

[Ecthy]

then why don't the rooskies march in?

[RGBVideo]

Whee!

/me gives paiktis a virtual cookie *
Yet another infinite proof that not all southerners are ignorant.

[Ecthy]

weird... just what keeps the rooskie?

[Bereta_Eder]

They have a sort of agreement, basically their foreign policy is to a large degree dictated by Russia (or the former USSR). They couldn't do anything else. WHo would die for Finland? But they did survive as an autonomous country.

[Ecthy]

what if they declared independence now? Taiwan-esque fate-to-be?

[Bereta_Eder]

Well I don't know what the current situation is.

[Spiffor]

The problem yith the idea of "core Europe" is that everytime it has been laid out, it was about ad-hoc associations. Sure, some countries have always belonged to "core Europe" projects (France, Germany, Benelux), and some have always been excluded like the UK.

But lat time such project was voiced, in the mid 1990's, it was about monetary seriousness and Greece and Portugal was out. In the project you're showing us, Paiktis, Italy and Spain are outright excluded despite having a quite strong pro-Europe feeling in the population.

Now that the common currency has been done, we should build the "core Europe" of political integration, that's for sure.
But instead of selecting members according to this second's state of affair, we should select them according to the long term European preferences of the populations.