Europhiles

[royfromaus]

Are you happy with the way the EU has acted during this crisis?

[Old_Geezer]

What, using it as an excuse for not wanting to get on with trade talks, you mean ?

[riptide]

Yes, for goodness sake, trade talks are the least important thing at the moment with this awful coronavirus about killing thousands. I voted to leave, but, as far as I am concerned, we need to get a grip on this pandemic before we sit down to talk.

[royfromaus]

No, I wasn't thinking along those lines, OG.
It's a general question that I thought would attract the pre-EU brigade.


What actions have the EU taken for you to say you are happy with their handling of this crisis, riptide?

[Togo]

""A group of Italian politicians have warned that the European Union will “cease to exist” if countries in the bloc refuse to increase funding to the nations hardest hit by the Chinese coronavirus.
On Tuesday, mayors and other politicians from Italy took out a full-page advertisement in a German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, criticising the Netherlands and Germany for refusing to back so-called “coronabonds” to underwrite the debt accumulated by Italy and other coronavirus epicentre countries in the European Union.
“Dear German friends, with the coronavirus the shared history of the Western world has once again taken centre stage,” the Italian politicians wrote. “Today the EU does not have the means to respond to the crisis in a united front. If it does not prove that it exists, it will cease to exist,” they warned. The politicians, led by Italian MEP Carlo Calenda, drew a comparison to the aftermath of the Second World War when Italy along with other European powers agreed to partially dissolve debt accrued by Germany, which they claim the country could “never have paid” back.""

Oh dear the Italians don't seem "happy". Spain has not yet commented and I imagine the Irish will soon be doing the dance of agitation.

[Old_Geezer]

rip, I refer you to my walk and chew gum comparison in another thread.
We are getting as much a grip as we can (lack of test kits noted). But it's still expected most will catch it.

roy, I expected as much. Will await further replies to your question.

[Togo]

The EUSSR is just like the Titanic. It matters not whether you are riding first, second, third, or steerage, even the crew and captains are going down when it sinks. All that remains to be seen is who will be willing to "rescue" any who survive the deadly engulfment.

[Deskdiary]

I took the question a different way.

It seems to me both from AB and the press (although to large degree I’ve stopped listening to the doom mongers) that every other country is doing the right thing and the UK is not.

[royfromaus]

Have we had a genuine europhile tackle the question yet?

[ToraToraTora]

do you mean EUphile?

[retrocop]

It appears when in a bit of a pickle the EU are not so bloody unified.
Wriggling like ferrets in a sack all playing the blame game about who is not doing what. Immoral Handling it seems.

https://uk.yahoo.com/news/european-union-destroyed-immoral-handling-091714839.html

[Deskdiary]

I just take solace from the fact that we very clearly have so many many more experts on AB than the Government has. Frankly, I have no idea what I'd do without the AB oracles.

[Togo]

Ahh you will be talking about experts like this one Deskdiary.

""Professor Neil Ferguson, director of the MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis at Imperial College, London, is the scientist behind the doomsday report that terrified Prime Minister Boris Johnson into imposing sudden and radical lockdown measures across the United Kingdom.
The report apocalyptically predicted that coronavirus could kill as many as 500,000 people in Britain if nothing was done to stop the spread of the disease.
Ferguson has since substantially revised down his death toll, saying it could be “substantially less than 20,000”. Colleagues at Imperial, however, have at times predicted a death toll even smaller than that — as few as 5,700 fatalities if the lockdown continues.
Rival scientists are increasingly critical of Ferguson’s original doomsday predictions, noting that his previous modelled forecasts have been found severely wanting.
Among his critics is Professor Michael Thrusfield of Edinburgh University, co-author of two reports highly critical of Ferguson’s mathematical modelling during the 2001 Foot and Mouth crisis.
Ferguson’s predictive modelling — which helped persuade Tony Blair’s government to carry out a pre-emptive cull which led to the deaths of more than six million cattle, sheep and pigs and which cost the UK economy an estimated £10 billion — was subsequently described as “not fit for purpose.""

[royfromaus]

ToraToraTora
do you mean EUphile?




Europhile
noun
a person who admires Europe or is in favour of participation in the European Union.



I don't claim to be a wordsmith but there's one thing for sure, TTT...I don't think you are in a position to throw stones in my greenhouse.

That would be rediculous.

[ToraToraTora]

I love Europe but hate the EUSSR so I'm a Europhile and an EUphobe, there is an important difference.

[royfromaus]

That's also my position.

Is anyone going to defend the EU like they did so vigorously from 2016 onwards?

[ToraToraTora]

roy: "Have we had a genuine europhile tackle the question yet? " - so you did mean EUphile.

[jim360]

What are you on about Togo?

Also, no, I'm not happy with how the EU has handled it. Or any other major Western country. Or nearly all countries worldwide, with about five exceptions at most.

[royfromaus]

Noun
Europhile (plural Europhiles)

One who loves Europe, Europeans, or European culture.
A political supporter of the European Union.



europhile
Noun
(plural europhiles)

One who loves Europe, Europeans, or European culture.
A political supporter of the European Union.

Europhile
in British English

NOUN
1. a person who admires Europe, Europeans, or the European Union




hard-of-thinking
Adjective
(comparative more hard of thinking, superlative most hard of thinking)

(humorous, derogatory) Having difficulty in thinking; stupid.

[ToraToraTora]

I know that's what it says but I choose to separate Europe from the EUSSR. There is a clear distinction and the dictionary is wrong to assume that a Europhile is also a devotee of the EUSSR. In fact by definition those two positions are mutually exclusive. No lover of Europe can possibly be a fan of the EUSSR, look what it's done to Europe.