This is an invitation to debate for anyone from the EU and/or UK.
I am an American and I confess to being completely ignorant as to the internal politics of any other country.
Yet I am considering expatriating over the coming decade and one place I had seriously considered was the EU. Now I find myself re-examining my options.
The only opinion I have, is formed by the history that I know, here in the good 'ol USA.
When the USA was founded, it was originally 13 independent "nations states" who federated together in order to provide for the common defense. Each state elected representatives to a bicameral legislature, who's job was to create laws for the common good. By common good, this was supposed to be limited to issues between the individual states themselves. This is the origin of the "commerce clause" of our constitution.
This commerce clause as well as the supremacy clause has been horribly abused to the point that it allows the Federal government to assert supremacy in matters that ought to belong to the states themselves, i.e. internal affairs of state. What we have now is but a shadow of what once was. Yet it is inarguable, that this has also resulted in what for a time was the greatest economic super power on earth. Whether that is good or evil is for our great grandchildren to decide. Right now though it is crumbling in slow motion.
The debate over states rights vs supremacy lead to our very own "Brexit", originally by South Carolina in 1860, followed quickly by 10 other states. This was at a time when there were only 33 states. Thus 1/3rd of the country left to found the CSA.
This quickly lead to the war of Northern/Southern Aggression, also known as the War of Freedom or the Civil War depending on who's side you're reading.
While ostensibly being about slavery, the truth is that this war was actually the rights of the individual states to self determination. Several states were freeing their slaves already, they viewed the Emancipation Proclamation as usurping their rights. But history is always written by the victors.
I don't know that it will come to war for the EU like it did for the USA. What I do know, is that I'm hearing disturbing echos of history and I wonder if the same drums of war are being beaten again, this time coming from your side of the pond.
I hope that the quotes above are taken out of context. That somehow they are the product of mistranslation or media spin. I cannot find anything on the internet which is unbiased in regard to the situation going on over there.
Obviously the source of those quotes is extremely biased. But I implore you, if those quotes are found to be real; please make sure to remove people like that from power, as soon as they are found out. These are the kind of people who will never let go their power. People like this will stop at nothing to keep in place, that which made them and will only ever seek to expand their power through whatever means are made available to them.
People who think like this will burn the world to cinder so that they can rule the ashes.
Sic semper tyrannis?
This of course is the worst of all possible outcomes. I don't know enough about the politics and sense of nationalism over there to make a decision about what becomes of an EU sans UK, nor what becomes of the UK sans the EU. I'm tired of google games and I hope that my 300+ friends and 75k future friends will tell me their opinion from their side without fear.
Thanks!
p.s. No matter where you're from I'm interested in your viewpoint as well. But please, keep it on topic and be respectful.