UK Politics
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!ukpolitics@lemm.ee appears to have vanished! We can still see cached content from this link, but goodbye I guess! :'(
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No. I don't think it was a pointless waste of time, money and effort. I am aware this goes against the majority in here but I hope we can talk about it in good faith and not fall back into entrenched views as has often happened in the past.
First let me start by saying... If a relationship isn't working you DON'T have to stay. It doesn't matter what pressure you're put under or if they try to shame you or turn everyone against you. If it isn't working, you leave.
I voted for Brexit because I was shocked at how corrupt, wasteful and unaccountable the EU had become. Instead of becoming the sum of the best qualities each member brought to the table, it appeared to be a shocking mess of all our worst features. I wanted them to realise that a member state could leave and I hoped that in doing so they would look at themselves and improve things. Also, I was fully aware that the UK was far from some kind of utopia and I did wonder if having to go it alone for a while might not also make us look at our issues as well.
So for me, it has been a useful process. Brexit has prompted the EU to reflect on its operations in many ways, leading to many reforms and adaptations. The EU has taken steps towards greater financial coordination, joint initiatives, and strengthened environmental policies.
I will say that the absence of the UK's influence has also led to concerns about increased bureaucracy and regulatory complexity but overall, Brexit has prompted the EU to adapt, evolve and become more efficient. Now, so long as there's a mutually respectful way to do it, I'm all for getting cosy with the EU again so long as we don't go back to the old ways.
(Edit: Right-o this has been fun. I'm actually pleasantly surprised that not all of you resorted to all the usual nasty behaviours that keep so many of us Brexiteers quiet in places like this. Regardless, I feel like I've answered the central question of this thread "Do you agree that Brexit has been a pointless waste of time, money and effort?" so won't be expanding any further. Here's to a better future with a wiser EU and a more sensible UK. Toodlepip!)
Can I ask what specifically you think was corrupt/wasteful? As for unaccountability, we were able to vote for new members of the European parliament.
Thank you for not just swearing at me. It's appreciated :) So in terms of specific examples I can think of a few. The "Traveling Circus" was one where the EU was spending between 100 to 200 million Euros at an environmental cost of an extra 19k tonnes of CO2 annually moving their seat between Brussels and Strasbourg for the purely political reason of France insisting the Strasbourg remain a seat of power. Then there was also the Common Agricultural Policy that became infamous for subsidising farmland that wasn't even producing food. French and Italian farmers were accused of manipulating records and misusing funds. There were concerns over auditing and transparency too. Misuse or misallocation of regional development funds, corruption scandals in southern and eastern members states and just generally a lack of accountability in how EU money was distributed and monitored. There's lots more detail we could get into but I think those are some fairly representative examples.
There's plenty of corruption in the UK. Are you going to advocate to break the UK union as well?