| > "The unthinkability of war between its members" A problem solved by NATO and the OSCE. The EU is far from the only organisation with widespread European membership. Here are three of the most important non-EU organisations that affect policy in Europe: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_of_Europe https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_for_Security_an... https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO It's worth remembering that the EU only really found it's current form in 1992. There were earlier agreements that formed the basis of the EU, but it changed considerably after the Maastricht Treaty. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maastricht_Treaty > "The "not in its current form" argument in EU discussions is a classic one (a similar rhetorical device to "I'm not racist but..")" Only for the lazy. I simply don't agree with how the EU is run. I'd much rather stay as a member of the Council of Europe than any group that dictates fiscal policy. You can see how well that's worked out for the Greeks, burdened with debts they can't pay for the benefit of European bankers (the bailouts were a bait and switch move, the Greeks got a small percentage of the total funds). The EU will become increasingly focused around the Eurozone, and policies that suit the Eurozone. We may lose some financial benefits from leaving the EU now, but it'd be far harder to leave as time went on, and more power was centralised in Brussels. |
Council of Europe with Ukraine and Russia in it. Are you joking? Ask someone from Ukraine or the Baltics, how they feel about the safety of territorial integrity.
I would say, better be safe than sorry in this case.