Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Union Trouble


The UK only seemed to be 3/4 of the way into the EU in the first place. By which I mean mostly that they weren't using the the Euro as currency. Which in hindsight, at the moment, looks like genius. But now...
Anti-Europe sentiment in the U.K. is at some of its highest levels since the early 1980s. And, frustrations with the EU are more pronounced among Conservatives, with opinion polls having shown support shifting away from the Tories to the U.K. Independence Party, whose main goal is Britain’s withdrawal from the EU.
So there's talk of having a national referendum - to decide whether to stay in the European Union or not.

I have no idea how that will go.

But I want to relate some anecdotal data. I was talking to an acquaintance, an ex-pat Englishman who lives here, and he was talking about "Americans" and I referred to him as a "European"... and he politely corrected me on the usage.

I suppose it's too late
to talk them into becoming our 51st state.

2 comments:

Charlie McDanger said...

I think I've inadvertently referred to Irish and British couchsurfers as European. No complaints as yet, but I'll quit that.

John Enright said...

Charlie, it may be that some of them are comfortable with it. This friend is in his fifties or sixties. Maybe the younger sort are more comfortable being thought of as Europeans!