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Rejoin the EU?

One thing to bear in mind is that the UK was never really "in" the EU as other nations are because of the Euro/£. Also, the whole lengthy song-and-dance about "Brexi" has left most Europeans irritated and bored and not really caring much what the UK does or does not do.
That's a very common view amongst my French friends. "We're sorry for you Steve, we always thought of you as French adopted, but as for the UK, you never really wanted to be properly in the EU, your lot were always a PITA, and now that the UK is gone we're glad to see the back of it. Don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out."
 
Ahhh! I expect Les Frogs are writhing with pleasure at the UK state of confusion. The Italians, instead, apart from a few Fascist nostalgics, have always had undisguised admiration for British democracy, institutional solidity, unarmed policemen, men's shoes and shaving accessories, and are strangely bewildered by recent events and by the blond bombshell.
 
Yeah. The fact that the original UK budget rebate was paid for by extra contributions from other member states didn't go down well either. That rebate also had the effect of making the UK into a larger net contributor than it had to be. EU funding is not doled out to some spreadsheet formula: member governments negotiate to try to wrangle as much back out of the pot as they can, but the UK never really tried very hard. The main reason for this is that while full-rate contributors were able to claim 50% funding for EU co-funded projects, the UK's reduced pay-in meant it had to stump up 66% or so, which reduced the incentive for the UK to seek such funds. (Also, co-funding was usually only available in areas of economic disadvantage, places that the majority ruling party over the UK's membership never seemed to think were electorally important to them)

The UK rebate wasn't the only one, btw, just the biggest. Now it's gone, there's a move to eliminate all special-case rebates
 
@PaulMB "Yeah" was to stevec, not your "frogs", which is just a childish insult, like "rosbif".

You're spot on about Italy's perceptions of the UK - it's prompting some re-evaluation amongst people I know.. I read an article a while back about countries' image of themselves. The theory was that there are "basket case" countries and "ordered" countries, based on how people see themselves. Italy and Ireland are in the former, and Sweden and the UK in the latter. When a major scandal occurs, the basket-case people shrug their shoulders and say "typical - what would you expect in a country like this", while the orderly people say "how could something like that happen in a country like this?". The thing is, when the researchers looked at the particular scandals, they found that there was no enormous difference in scale or severity between both classes of countries, and it was largely a response to the people's own perception of how their country was run.

I've noticed Irish people moving away from the "basket-case" viewpoint over the last few years, but I've started to see it appear more often in the UK.
 
It"s are frogs racist, not is frogs racist. God, the youth of today with your awful grammar......

With all due respect, I believe you misconstrue, sir. I used the singular referring to the term, the word "Frogs," and made this clear by the use of inverted commas.
 
Yeah. The fact that the original UK budget rebate was paid for by extra contributions from other member states didn't go down well either. That rebate also had the effect of making the UK into a larger net contributor than it had to be. EU funding is not doled out to some spreadsheet formula: member governments negotiate to try to wrangle as much back out of the pot as they can, but the UK never really tried very hard. The main reason for this is that while full-rate contributors were able to claim 50% funding for EU co-funded projects, the UK's reduced pay-in meant it had to stump up 66% or so, which reduced the incentive for the UK to seek such funds. (Also, co-funding was usually only available in areas of economic disadvantage, places that the majority ruling party over the UK's membership never seemed to think were electorally important to them)

The UK rebate wasn't the only one, btw, just the biggest. Now it's gone, there's a move to eliminate all special-case rebates

Have you been to this website?

MyEU
What has the EU done for your area?
The EU invests around £5 billion a year in the UK. Search by your address or postcode to see some of the investments and other contributions near you:
https://www.myeu.uk/
 
Ahhh! I expect Les Frogs are writhing with pleasure at the UK state of confusion. The Italians, instead, apart from a few Fascist nostalgics, have always had undisguised admiration for British democracy, institutional solidity, unarmed policemen, men's shoes and shaving accessories, and are strangely bewildered by recent events and by the blond bombshell.

Credit due, the Brits are Great at marketing themselves. You have to travel beyond touristic London to realise that the real Britain is not as rosé as it's being sold.
I say this with sadness as I used to be a bit of an Anglophile...
 
Yeah. The fact that the original UK budget rebate was paid for by extra contributions from other member states didn't go down well either. That rebate also had the effect of making the UK into a larger net contributor than it had to be. EU funding is not doled out to some spreadsheet formula: member governments negotiate to try to wrangle as much back out of the pot as they can, but the UK never really tried very hard. The main reason for this is that while full-rate contributors were able to claim 50% funding for EU co-funded projects, the UK's reduced pay-in meant it had to stump up 66% or so, which reduced the incentive for the UK to seek such funds. (Also, co-funding was usually only available in areas of economic disadvantage, places that the majority ruling party over the UK's membership never seemed to think were electorally important to them)

The UK rebate wasn't the only one, btw, just the biggest. Now it's gone, there's a move to eliminate all special-case rebates
The Germans are being asked to increase their contribution by 42% and wish to retain their rebate.
 
Just thought, is "Frogs" racist?
I think it's funny-derogatory, like "Krauts" and "Eyeties" , or indeed "Rosbifs". I think terms like this are entertaining. Those like Mick and Jock less so. Are the latter more offensive because they lack humour?
 
tumblr_poksqq9UPh1x7xkojo1_500.gifv
 
I think it's funny-derogatory, like "Krauts" and "Eyeties" , or indeed "Rosbifs". I think terms like this are entertaining. Those like Mick and Jock less so. Are the latter more offensive because they lack humour?

Context is everything. Verbal/facial expression is everything. Like all such terms it depends...
A nigg** can call a nigg** a nigg**. But a Trumper can not.
 
That's a very common view amongst my French friends. "We're sorry for you Steve, we always thought of you as French adopted, but as for the UK, you never really wanted to be properly in the EU, your lot were always a PITA, and now that the UK is gone we're glad to see the back of it. Don't let the door hit you on the arse on your way out."
We signed up for the thin end of the wedge EEC. It is a reminder always read the small print.
 


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