What a brilliant week. First, Hamburg and Kiel rejected the Olympics and now Denmark voted “no” on ending their opt-outs from EU home affairs bollocks. The Danish result — 53pc against, 47pc for — comes despite the best efforts of the very mediocre Lars Løkke to convince Danish voters to support the “correct” decision, to borrow EU terminology.
Some commentators have suggest that the Danish vote was a trial of sorts for the United Kingdom’s far more significant vote due by the end of 2017. With continental politicians waffling, nothing new there, and Cameron being just as mediocre as his Danish counterpart it could well be that the United Kingdom finally throws off its Euro-shackles and leaves that dying club to its fate. With the chaos on the continent unlikely to subside any time soon one can only hope that this trend continues!
Boadicea's Chariot 
Well, yes. There’s been quite a kerfuffle around these parts for the last week, with not a single politician able to explain in simple terms for us idiots what the vote was akshully about. Allegedly if DK voted no, there would always be another chance to ‘join’ the club; however a yes would would be in perpetuum! How’s that for totalitarianism?
A major influence in the build-up was the reluctance of natural nay-sayers to cooperate with the DPP, the Danish equivalent of UKIP; but luckily most seem to have swallowed their pride in the event.
Whether the UK Eurosceptics can win next year remains to be seen; since the mood of the people could well be heavily influenced by the EU’s continuing demise elsewhere; and its continuing absence from the world stage.
Wot frizzes my fur these days are the sandbag illegal immigrants aggressively demanding the ‘right’ to travel wherever they wish once they have washed up on European shores. None of them wish to remain in Greece, Serbia or any of the other -ias, None even want to come to Portugal, less still , Allah forbid, anywhere ending with a -stan . No, they all want to go to the UK, the land of benefits and free handouts and Germany and liberal Scandinavia.
Good for Denmark.
OZ
Janus: historically the UK has diverged from Europe in times of chaos and disorder only gradually, tepidly and very much half-heartedly converging during times of order and prosperity. All it takes is for Merkel to open her mouth or Juncker to spout more rubbish and support for leaving the EU rises. Knowing those to, one never has to wait long!
OZ: one of the few things that Blair did not destroy was the Schengen opt-out. If the UK had an open border it would be a right nightmare, just like in Germany and Sweden. The invaders are brats. They have a shopping list of countries they find “acceptable” as we all know.Then, after they arrive, they grow embittered because they realise that they will not get what they wanted. Germany is full, Sweden is full. In fact, they’re so full that many invaders are begging to leave again because their living conditions are abject. What did they expect, an endless supply of flats, houses and Jaguars? Time to start deporting them en masse!
I read this morning that Cameron is looking for a way out. He may switch to a Brexit campaigner as Brussels in more-or-less ignoring him. I think a Brexit is really on the cards and will vote for it.
The EU is on a path that doesn’t fit to the Brits, therefore they are better to get out and stop slowing the down the progress.
Gaz: absolute destruction, you mean? Unless you’re a member of the ever-declining EU federalist club, it’s not exactly growing in popularity! Europe’s but a shadow of its former self and most of this is tied to the EU’s mania and obsession with homogenising everything from weights and measures to the way eggs are sold to the curvature of bananas. EU fanatics will keep loving it as everyone else dislikes it more and more. Spain sold its soul to the EU, but comments from the Nordic countries aren’t exactly supportive of it and Italy is turning eurosceptic. “Slowing progress” — you mean “regression into failed 16th century political constructs”, innit?
Extreme words do not make an extreme situation Christopher. I think that the EU will come through. It is an ambitious project with many, like you, who rubbish it, but it will not die and will evolve to a much much deeper union than today.
Much deeper – in debt!
Gaz: deeper in debt and with a deepened credibility crisis. It’s clear that you love the EU and, perhaps, that you have a stronger loyalty to it than any country. It’s your right, of course, but it is certainly a minority position. The stronger the EU grows, the weaker Europe becomes as it isn’t even equal to the sum of its parts. A united Europe has a future like Italy’s — deeply dysfunctional with its strength still found in its regions, not as a whole.
In Hebrew the opposite of Rose-Tinted Glasses is ‘Black Glasses’ Christopher.
I think you need to take off those black glasses before you become eternally depressed 🙂
Gazoopi: I’m a hard-nosed realist, not a Panglossian optimist. I see the world for what it is, not what I’d like it to be. I’m hardly depressed — just honest.