Tequila
Trust the people!
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 26043
Location: Lancashire, UK
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 Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 9:34 pm Post subject: Swiss even more hostile to EU entry idea than last year |
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| Quote: | 'Blessing' not to be in EU: Swiss poll (http://www.thelocal.ch/3386/20120524/)
A survey has found that the Swiss are even less in favour of joining the EU than they were last year.
The survey, carried out by the MIS Research Institute in Lausanne, has found that 82 percent of Swiss people are against accession talks with the EU, preferring instead to remain with the current bilateral treaty arrangements, newspaper Tages Anzeiger reported.
This figure is up from 72 percent last year, and will be the subject of a discussion on Thursday at the Forum des 100 in Lausanne, which has invited some 850 guests, including Federal Councillor for the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland, Simonetta Sommaruga. |
Good for the Swiss.  |
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HisDivineMajesty
Carolingian Emperor Extraordinaire
Joined: Feb 01, 2012
Posts: 1364
Location: Planet Earth
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 10:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Damn these Swiss and their chocolate, mountains, clocks, stolen art and able democratic government! That said, we would have similar opposition if we had never joined it. The only reason a lot of people support is now because they've been scared into thinking there's no way back and we'll just have to take the poison. |
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CSBurks
Phoenix
Joined: Apr 30, 2012
Posts: 662
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 10:58 pm Post subject: |
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| Not surprising in my view. I imagine if member states held referendums, the EU would all but completely collapse. |
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HisDivineMajesty
Carolingian Emperor Extraordinaire
Joined: Feb 01, 2012
Posts: 1364
Location: Planet Earth
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| Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 11:03 pm Post subject: |
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| CSBurks wrote: | | Not surprising in my view. I imagine if member states held referendums, the EU would all but completely collapse. |
If they held referendums over the new stability mechanism, accession of new member states and annually-increased budgets for private jets, they would collapse. Luckily, they can sneak those things through parliament in most cases. In the few cases where they tried a referendum, their proposals were cleanly removed from the political agenda, only to return with a different title as normal legislation. |
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Keeno
Phoenix
Joined: Mar 09, 2006
Posts: 4948
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 5:54 am Post subject: |
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| This is no wonder when you look at it from a economic point of view, as Switzerland has always been ahead in terms of EU countries on wealth measures. There's another obvious country in the same situation, and that is Norway. |
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YippySkippy
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 27, 2011
Posts: 1520
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 9:47 am Post subject: |
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Given Europe's current economic woes, is it any wonder?
I think part of the EU's problem is that it allowed a bunch of economically-weak countries at the far eastern edge of Europe to join, and join quickly. Among other things, this caused mass migrations of workers to stronger nations, where they over-saturated the job market and drove down wages for everyone.
You can't have a successful common currency without a centralized economic policy. |
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Kjas
Onçinha
Joined: Feb 27, 2012
Age: 23
Posts: 4895
Location: the place I'm from doesn't exist anymore
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| Posted: Fri Jun 01, 2012 10:06 am Post subject: |
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Not surprised by this at all.
While I am definitely in favour of regional integration to some extent, I think the EU has taken it way too far. I've been waiting for it to come tumbling down like a pack of cards for some time now.
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DC
Phoenix
Joined: Aug 16, 2011
Posts: 1477
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 7:36 am Post subject: |
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| CSBurks wrote: | | Not surprising in my view. I imagine if member states held referendums, the EU would all but completely collapse. |
You could probably say the same thing about the US... |
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YippySkippy
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 27, 2011
Posts: 1520
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 10:11 am Post subject: |
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| It would be good for America to divide into about 4 to 6 countries, perhaps with a common currency. We are too large, and there is too much power and money in the hands of our elected officials. This has resulted in almost incomprehensible levels of corruption. Our different regions have different economic bases and different cultures, and each could better look after its own interests without the input of these millionaire "representatives" from afar. |
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Jacoby
Phoenix
Joined: Dec 11, 2007
Posts: 4021
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:13 pm Post subject: |
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The Swiss weren't even apart of the UN until 10 or so years ago.
If you're already a developed country, why would you want to join the EU? |
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TM
Phoenix
Joined: Feb 04, 2012
Posts: 2122
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| Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 12:17 pm Post subject: |
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The Swiss being against the EU is obvious, they have a hell of a lot more to lose than gain by membership. They aren't Greece, Italy, Spain who would get cheaper loans if they joined, they largely have access to the markets already through trade agreements, they currently run a very responsible fiscal policy and so on.
There is no reason for a country to join the EU when there is nothing for them to gain. Germany gained a huge export market, Italy, Spain, Greece, and so on gained the ability to borrow money as if they were running responsible, conservative budgets and a positive trade balance. |
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