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Why Did Britain Never Feel "part Of The Eu" ?

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ToraToraTora | 18:24 Wed 12th Apr 2017 | News
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http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/790910/Brexit-happened-Brits-not-feel-European-professor
I think Mr Curtice has hit the nail on the head, we never really felt we were involved with the EU it always felt like them and us. What could we/they have done to make it work?
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I never wanted to be part of the EU, I never felt part of it and I am only glad that I have lived to see the day when it starts to fragment. If I had my way I would erect a statue in every town in the land to Nigel Farage, who almost single-handedly saved us by forcing Cameron's hand.
19:12 Wed 12th Apr 2017
they could all have learnt to speak English and not be gabbling away in front of Brits in their own silly languages.
Because we never saw any need to immerse our identity as an independent nation into a mass of different cultures as if it were one. Unlike some countries we have a reasonable percentage of citizens who are proud to be British and see no reason to change it.

This was why we were lied to when the vote whether to stay in the EEC, was taken, telling us it was a trading block, and mocking those who claimed otherwise as simply trying to spread fear. Had we been told the truth we'd have been out smartish. And Heath would have a difficult time of it.

Let other nations who see nothing worth losing it be in a conglomerate of cultures and laws passed by folk who may not even share their views. We here in Britain tend to want to be responsible for ourselves and need no overlord to take control.
Basically because we are not in Europe. The continent is not acceptable by foot. You can't just pop over there to pick up a few bits.

Parts of Europe of course were our enemies during the wars and that has, even if it is subconscious, had a distancing effect.

It isn't what could have been done to make us feel more European. We could not feel European when the ideals were not in keeping with self determination.
jno, you have neatly described how the British see the world. In turn, people from the rest of the world draw their own conclusion and accordingly form their opinion of the British and the UK.

The UK's problem with the EU, it has been suggested, was and is that the UK has not succeeded in running it. Having repeatedly asked to join and eventually been accepted, the UK now leaves in a huff with a myriad of complaints about how they were "forced" into various matters they "never" anticipated. Brexit, in my opinion, is going to be good for both in the immediate term (end of moans/complaints, good riddance), the longer term benefits/disadvantages remain to be seen.
Filled in the English Channel and changed it so we drive on the right side of the road. Both I believe foster a feeling of 'the others' from both sides when travelling between the continent and Britain and were barriers to integration. Obviously only the 2nd suggestion is feasible.
For my part, I always felt that we were part of the EU. The money that came from the EU helped Wales enormously after the industrialisation policies of the 80's and 90's. Without EU money, we would still be some kind of third world country, with no industries and high unemployment.

I am sure that is not what some people wanted to hear, but its true for Wales and myself all the same.
It may seem too simple but I think physical geography played quite a part, they were the Continent and we were an island. I have never really felt part of the EU and I think most of the EU population didn't think of us as part of them either. A member yes but not a family member.
Having a population of Little Englanders ( and little Welsh, and Little Scots ) hasn't actually helped us to integrate very much, has it ?
Spoken like a "big" man. Haha.
I never wanted to be part of the EU, I never felt part of it and I am only glad that I have lived to see the day when it starts to fragment. If I had my way I would erect a statue in every town in the land to Nigel Farage, who almost single-handedly saved us by forcing Cameron's hand.
It may be to do with the fact that from the outset we were not wanted. President de Gaulle - having spent an enjoyable war holed up with his wife, firstly in Petts Wood, Kent and then Central London (they moved because the noise of the trains disturbed Mme. De Gaulle) – persistently blocked our entry. It’s a shame they caved in and eventually let us join.

The EU was never designed for a country like the UK. It suits people who see their future as part of an homogenous blob of humanity dictated to by an bunch of highly paid unelected officials who see their role in life to control every minutiae of the lives of their “citizens”. Most UK citizens would not countenance such a situation.

“The money that came from the EU helped Wales enormously…”

Mikey, Mikey, Mikey! AS we've discussed before (and I think you agreed) the money that comes to Wales from the EU originally came from UK taxpayers (after 50% of their contributions had been retained for other purposes). Do you really believe that, had the money not ended up in Wales via the EU, that the UK government would have presided over Wales descending to Third World status? The money can only be paid once: it either comes from the UK government directly or it comes from the UK government via the EU with a 50% deduction. I know what I prefer.

Quite why Edward Heath persisted with his attempts to gain UK’s entry to the EU is unfathomable. It is quite clear that the UK electorate was hoodwinked in 1975 when they voted to remain. The scandal is that it took forty years of subjugation before voters were given another chance to express their opinion. In that time untold damage was foisted on the UK by an organisation who had no interest whatsoever in its wellbeing (but plenty in its contributions).
Because we have spent much of our history fighting them.
Voters must have been hoodwinked in 1975 as it didn't go the way NJ felt it should have, but presumably they weren't hoodwinked this time when it went the way he wanted.
I suspect Mikey's point (and I'm sure he'll correct me if I'm wrong) is that he didn't believe the UK government would have assigned the money to Welsh industries. So the EU was another route to it.

But the fact is that, that is how it should be, accountability at a national level; and one fights for the correct decisions to be made there, not look for handouts (of our own money) from an outside power, as if we were a third world country.
mikey4444
Having a population of Little Englanders ( and little Welsh, and Little Scots ) hasn't actually helped us to integrate very much, has it ?


What exactly do you mean by that?
“Voters must have been hoodwinked in 1975 as it didn't go the way NJ felt it should have, but presumably they weren't hoodwinked this time when it went the way he wanted.”

Strangely it did go the way I wanted in 1975. I was among those hoodwinked. But I was young and gullible then.

This is a transcript of the pamphlet sent to very household before the 1975 referendum:

http://www.harvard-digital.co.uk/euro/pamphlet.htm#front

There’s plenty in it to support my “hoodwinked” contention, but here’s a few salient extracts:

“No important new policy can be decided in Brussels or anywhere else without the consent of a British Minister answerable to a British Government and British Parliament.”

"It [the EEC] is flexible. It is ready and able to adapt to changing world conditions."

"It [the EEC] can, and does, respond to the differing needs of member states."

“Whether we are in the Market or not, Common Market policies are going to affect the lives of every family in the country. Inside the Market, we can play a major part in deciding these policies.”
Notice the term 'important' new policy. No definition of what constitutes important, of course.
I think NJ post at 20.08 just about sums it up for me.
I have never thought of myself as European but English, British, never had the desire to be part of a European super state and now that Brexit has happened, for whatever reason i am happy that we will one day be out of it for good.
That seems a reasonable manifesto to me, NJ. Things haven't gone exactly to plan but I can't think of a single manifesto where they have to be honest.
To start off - we never joined it - we joined a free market.... then it evolved. It's had a bad effect - we all used to be British (different, but British and we held together) now Scotland etc. is shouting its differences. Then De Gaulle kept saying 'Non' - he understood that we did not fit and that we could not easily sit in an United States of Europe. We should have listened instead of getting bolshie.

The other European states joined together to gain something - democracy, protection/defence, trade............ we already had all that. In other words, when we joined - we LOST - we gained nothing and at last on June 23rd last year, we understood that.

OP - they could have altered their 'project ' for a U.S. Europe - but they didn't and they won't. 'Bye.

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