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[Loud Whispers]

Don't globalsplain me

Britain will veto measures to build an EU army for as long as it remains a member of the union, the defence secretary has warned.

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/britain-to-block-eu-army-j55kfp7b5

Top lel
France was not wrong

[Helgoland]

I look forward to the day that Continental jackboots will be marching right under that fuckhead's window. If you want good relations, don't behave like an ass; if you behave like an ass, don't be surprised when it comes around and bites you in the same.

[scriver]

The site is blocking me from reading more than the beginning0 of the article so I don't know if I get the full story, but I have no fucking clue how you could possibly think Britain is behaving like an ass here.

[Helgoland]

They're leaving the club, but while they're still in they're blocking something the other club members want to do among themselves? Your ideological blinds must be pretty big if you don't see how this is very questionable behaviour.

[Dorsidwarf]

The site is blocking me from reading more than the beginning0 of the article so I don't know if I get the full story, but I have no fucking clue how you could possibly think Britain is behaving like an ass here.

Britains negotiating position for the last few years with the EU has been near-exclusively "We're not really part of you! We can leave whenever we want and will!".

[Silverthrone]

Hence the massive, affectionate piss-taking (and presumably passioned Brexiteer-trolling) at the proms. Luvverly!

But yes, the UK has only been aboard on sufferance, and the policy seems to have been "all the advantages, but none of the drawbacks, pl0x" throughout. Perhaps both parties of this admittadly rather messy divorce will be happier for it.

(Although one does feel the very tiniest bit sorry for all those folks who thought the vote meant "chuck out all the filthy foreigners RIGHT NOW THIS MOMENT", I imagine they have grown rather disappointed.)

[Helgoland]

Eh, this is the first time that GB's old policy of pursuing a power balance on the Continent no longer works. I dare say seeing it like that we might finally be entering the post-Napoleonic age here in Europe.

[Sheb]

That, or it's conscious British policy to try to gain leverage for the Brexit negotiation. "We'll block everything you want to do, unless you're nice". I mean, it seems retarded, but hardly more than the rest of the British diplomacy vs. the EU.

Still, it's understandable that the UK doesn't want a parallel structure that could weaken NATO, and some member states (hello Netherlands) will share their view.

P.S.: I'd love to take your bet Covenant. What do you want to bet? I say if you loose, you put on an I love Merkel Avatar, and if I loose, I'll find something with BoJo.

Edit: Apparently France wants to ban all disposable cups, cutlery and plates by 2020 if they aren't made from biodegradable stuff. I never though I'd say that, but well done France!

[Loud Whispers]

Tbh jihadi jackboots in Berlin are far more likely than german jackboots in London

I look forward to the day that Continental jackboots will be marching right under that fuckhead's window. If you want good relations, don't behave like an ass; if you behave like an ass, don't be surprised when it comes around and bites you in the same.

The EU is the mentally ill patient who thinks it's in charge of Europe, and needs a military to force Poles to accept masterful cultural enriching
Seriously rich to start off your negotiations with "I'm going to make you suffer," then get confused when the other party decides you having the power to destroy countries with military force is not one you should have

The European Nations have all made talks in good faith with the UK's leaders, but not the European Commission. Heck, Merkel even had to step in just to stop Juncker going full retard trying to destroy Europe just to destroy the UK. Thus all efforts to make European National Democracy stronger is best
France = Great, but Calais mayor is nuts
Germany = Comeback of the century
Sweden = Yes
Denmark = Best
Italy = Great all round
Ireland = Paramount
Netherlands = Such a strangely significant country
Belgium = Such a strange entity
Visegrad = Special status
Commission = Wants us dead

They're leaving the club, but while they're still in they're blocking something the other club members want to do among themselves? Your ideological blinds must be pretty big if you don't see how this is very questionable behaviour.

Yeah when has the EU ever ignored the wishes of nation states
Jokes aside, a pan-European defence force sounds like a smart idea, especially if the EU is to continue enlargement towards Russia and the Middle East in future, or conduct military operations in North Africa and the Med
Problem is, is that there is no way in hell that that force is ever going to have command over the British armed forces; thus for as long as Britain is a part of the European Union, there can be no passing of measures which would threaten to assume any authority over our command. The worse case scenario for the Commission is literally just waiting 2 years for the UK to leave before passing the same measures, which would not affect the UK's armed forces. Then there is the issue of the competition between NATO and Yuro Defence League, in that one would make the other redundant. Merkel, Theresa May (obv), Syzdlo e.t.c. are in support of NATO, with IIRC Francois Hollande reluctantly supporting
Food for thought, though I reckon the USA would be pleased if Europe paid for its own defence

Also sad trumpets for a noble leader

“If I could, I would go back in time to be better prepared for the refugee crisis in 2015, for which we were rather unprepared.”
“I take responsibility as party leader and chancellor,” she said, describing the results as “bitter”.
The anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD) party won the highest share of the vote for the far-Right since the Second World War, with 14.5 per cent.
Mrs Merkel said she would not repeat her earlier slogan in the migrant crisis of “We can do it” because it had become “an empty phrase”.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/11150514-7e78-11e6-8e50-8ec15fb462f4.html#axzz4KifvaplC

Actually pretty sad to see someone defeated tbh
Wonder why Merkel seems so sad though, cos it doesn't seem like she's actually been defeated

That, or it's conscious British policy to try to gain leverage for the Brexit negotiation. "We'll block everything you want to do, unless you're nice". I mean, it seems retarded, but hardly more than the rest of the British diplomacy vs. the EU.
Still, it's understandable that the UK doesn't want a parallel structure that could weaken NATO, and some member states (hello Netherlands) will share their view.

Nah, this is the first time someone in UK office said they'd block something in the EU
Thanks Obama, NATO or yuro is the question

Edit: Apparently France wants to ban all disposable cups, cutlery and plates by 2020 if they aren't made from biodegradable stuff. I never though I'd say that, but well done France!

Critics claim the new law violates European Union rules on free movement of goods
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/france-bans-plastic-cups-plates-cutlery-energy-transition-for-green-growth-a7313076.html

Everywhere you look, every time Europeans sort their shit out, the European Union is there to make sure everything goes to shits

[Kot]

needs a military to force Poles to accept masterful cultural enriching

Meanwhile We in Poland lost track of how many times someone wanted to culturally enrich us with guns.

[Loud Whispers]

Mongols did it with arrows and tengri

[Vilanat]

Haven't seen anyone posting about it (only looked at the recent posts admittedly), but it's quite a significant event that is worthy of discussing.

Basically, the EU had requested Apple to pay up 14.5 of taxes they had evaded paying in Ireland deeming it an illegal tax evasion scheme.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/12/business/international/ireland-doesnt-want-apples-back-taxes-but-the-irish-arent-so-sure.html?_r=0

A group of U.S business folks, calling themselves the round table, had sent an open letter basically threatening this would "slow foreign investment" in Europe.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/sep/16/apple-tax-ruling-must-be-overturned-says-us-business-group

I say good move, EU, now unleash yourself on Luxembourg that is bleeding the world but especially Europe from Tax monies. in Countries vs Corporations people should always side with the Countries.

[Loud Whispers]

Ireland were rather worried because Apple gave them loads of jobs, but the Beeb calculated it, and for every job Apple gave Ireland Apple made $260k annual profit

That's just bad negotiations right there, plus Ireland now gets loads of tax shekels to reinvest

[Vilanat]

If they get those shekels, that is. is it Ireland's money though? i am not sure about Apple, but i know for a fact google and facebook don't pay their taxes in Israel for profits made in locally through a similar scheme in Ireland.

[Loud Whispers]

If they get those shekels, that is. is it Ireland's money though? i am not sure about Apple, but i know for a fact google and facebook don't pay their taxes in Israel for profits made in locally through a similar scheme in Ireland.

The commission said Ireland’s tax arrangements with Apple between 1991 and 2015 had allowed the US company to attribute sales to a “head office” that only existed on paper and could not have generated such profits.

The result was that Apple avoided tax on almost all the profit generated from its multi-billion euro sales of iPhones and other products across the EU’s single market. It booked the profits in Ireland rather than the country in which the product was sold.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2016/aug/30/apple-pay-back-taxes-eu-ruling-ireland-state-aid

Lmao another success for the EU

Cook said: “We never asked for, nor did we receive, any special deals. We now find ourselves in the unusual position of being ordered to retroactively pay additional taxes to a government that says we don’t owe them any more than we’ve already paid.”

Yep Ireland will get the money, but the Irish politicians don't want the money (or rather, they do want the money, they just want to keep their taxrate low as luxemlow)

American taxpayers will not be the ones footing the cost
Probably a first there

The commission’s decision is a rebuff to US efforts to persuade it to drop the case after warnings of retaliation from Washington.

I wonder how the USA is retaliating
I wonder if the UK vetoing Eurodefence force is part of the retaliation

*EDIT
Ireland gets the monies but it's a bit funny, cos this was generated from profit over the entire yurop economic area
Essentially if Ireland loses, they get to collect the taxes of all of Apple's european activities